To split ot not to split?

[jrennie69]

My group just finished our first episode and, as always, things didn't go as I had planned them. The PCs did solve the mystery of the episode, but in a way different than I originally envisioned it.

My question is this, fellow narrators: My players tend to split themselves up each game, the station captain staying in her ready-room, the doc in sickbay, etc. Now, I know this is realistic and probably how it would be if we were 'really there,' but it tends to make my job as narrator more difficult, as I write my stories based on the combined skills of my group, not one or two players. (All get involved and role play, when the situation warrants, so its not that they isolate themselves so they don't have to play.)

So, my question: How do you keep the PCs all together, or should you?

Jim

[Dan Gurden]

You've heard of Murphys laws of combat...

Remember that Murphys laws of RPG's, the first rule states.

"If a player by action, or inaction, can increase the narrators workload and work against the plot direction as envisioned when writing the plot. Then they will."

Its something that all of us have faced.

We set traps. They use the other route.

We drop subtle hints that they can sneak in through the sewers. They perform a HALO jump.

We provide an NPC to help them, and a villain to become a re-occuring nemesis. They kill them both before they open their mouths to say a word.


In the end it doesn't matter what you do, the players will try and climb out of the track set for them, whether they klnow it or not.

My advice is to remember this experience, and in future consider ways the plot could go if your players are working seperate. How that can shift the outcome. And ways to bring them into a closer knit group that learns to rely on each other.

You say the captain stays in the ready room, and Doc in sickbay. Put them in an away team, get them away from their offices and have them working on a planet.

As to whether a Narrator should make them act outside of the norm. Well thats more difficult, we are there to challenge, entertain and play with our players. Occasionally that means we are telling a story, occasionally they are telling US the story. There is no right or wrong, but on the whole you should avoid forcing players to act contrary to how they want. This is not the same as occasionally forcing them to do so...BTW

Sure its more work, but to that I can only say. "Welcome to the world of the small world god."

[Publius]

Myself, I would make it apparent to the players: Hey guys, if you split up like this, I'll have to split my time between you. If you (Mr. Player) want to playing at the same time as the others, you'll need to find reasons for your player to get together with them. The game is a collective activity, its not like a group of people watching TV. Sometimes, this will mean certain 'sacrifices' and maybe even some contrived reasoning (how many times was Riker or whoever in sickbay because of some minor injury just so he/they could be in the scene), but if the Players are working to help you out in the story (by keeping together if nothing else) everything will go much more smoothly. To minimize this, or even to give this a sense of 'realism' you might incorporate some of this into your games during the planning stages (The game begins with the Captain coming off of the Holodeck with a sprained ankle). This is where your players can help, and weaves some of their background into the whole thing as well (i.e. they let you know that their Captain PC likes to do extreme sports style stuff on the Holodeck).

I played in a group some time ago where one player, no matter what the game, would never stay with the others. He would always wander off, he would always 'stay in the car' in Shadowrun or 'slink ahead to check a side passage' in D&D and then complain that he was not getting as much play time as the others. If 1 of 6 players splits off, the 1 guy who wanders off ends up getting 1/6th of the time, if half the group goes in one direction and half the group goes in the other, everyone is going to sit around twiddling their thumbs half the time (except for you of course). Eventually, you'll break them of the habit, the key is to make them understand this beforehand and then when it happens enforce it rigorously and say "well, I told you this would be the way things turn out".

[Lancer]

There could be several ways to resolve this problem. One option would be to simply not give them much attention unless they act as a group; just gloss over their individual activities ("After 6 hours of routine work at your post you are summoned to an all-officers meeting...").
Another possibility would be to do the same, but offer them the opportunity for individual roleplaying outside the regular game sessions as a sort of 'compensation', be it in the form of bluebooking, PBEM or an occasional single player session.
In addition give each one a chance to bring his individual skills and abilities to the fore, even when they work as a group. While by this I don't mean to construct each and every story so that every character is equaly important for solving that adventure, make sure they understand that acting as a group doesn't diminish their chances for playing their characters.

All the above is (at least partially) based on the assumption that your players act the way they do in order to get your attention for their character, instead of being just a part of the group. If their motivations are different the solution may turn out to be an entirely different one.

[Polanski]

Actually ...
I am quite direct about it, I simply tell them...

"Look folks, we are getting carried away here or locked into inaction ... you are the senior staff I would like to see what you are doing about the current situation"

They know that if they do nothing ... the captain will NOT be happy and they are scared of that

If they choose to remain at their posts and control the action from there I simply add...

"I did not created this game for a bunch of NPC to experience, it is for you, you are the centre of attention, and if need be you will be going on that away mission and not NPCs"

Then I add...

"If I want NPCs on the away mission I will write a book rather than GM\DM\Narrate this game ..."

This usually gets everyone moving...

Grand you this happens very rare as the story usually is so involving that everyone jumps in at the nearest opportunity, but sometimes you want to set the adventure hooks by sending PC on a routine mission or 'something boring' and that is when they need a push...

Kind Regards
Daniel

[Owen E Oulton]

While on ship, the characters may as well be in the same room when they're all over the place, what with instant communication, computer links and turbolifts. On the other tentacle, on an away mission there is usually strength in numbers. Run a Ten Little Indians scenario or two (a.k.a. Alien) and they'll start clustering together just to watch each other's backs. You don't need to kill 'em off - being shut out of the rest of the adventure while the CMO or EMH repairs the damage done by a Mugato feeding them their own lungs should be enough of a hint.

[KillerWhale]

I never really had a problem with my ST group - they all feel synergy is necessary to overcome the obstacles.

I feel the groups should keep together as long as possible - I follow the ST canon here, allowing all the senior staff to beam down even if it is not logical at all: this is a game, and the players have to own the show...

However I had the problem with a BTVS group, who kept splitting up and couldn't overcome the obstacles because:
- They needed the skills of everyone
- The opposition was too great, and without the slayer, things were a tad difficult.

So I designed a scenario called "Trials of individuality", where basically, each player had a "magical" ordeal, and where the other players could help - WERE needed to help. That helped a bit to make them see they were a GROUP.

[jrennie69]

Originally posted by Dan Gurden
We set traps. They use the other route.

We drop subtle hints that they can sneak in through the sewers. They perform a HALO jump.

We provide an NPC to help them, and a villain to become a re-occuring nemesis. They kill them both before they open their mouths to say a word.

ROFLOL! Truer words were never spoken.

Thanks to everyone for your comments, they've been a big help, as always. This site has to be the best on the 'net for RPGers. I wish I'd found it back when I was running my LUG series a couple years ago!

Thanks again!!

Jim

[Phoenix]

One other option you could try, the one I'm using, is the troupe style. Each player makes multiple characters.

The rules I put forth were every one is going to have a Dept. Head- so no one is left out. I would also like a 'Below Decks' type character for those occations where the command characters just are not going to do much. Lastly I would like for every one to have at least 3 characters of different departments and ranks (rank is negotiable). Part of the reasion for the 3 minimum characters is to make certain that regardless of the situation you will have a character that isn't a 5th wheel (not entirly successful), and so I don't have to generate as many NPC's

When one of my players got a real good job out of state, another player picked up all of her characters so he now has 6, two other players have made their 4th characters to play and fill in some of the gaps...I have however inhearited 9 well developed NPC from some 'come for a while then never show your face in public again for the next year' folks. but all in all we have a lot of fun.

[Dan Stack]

My current players have been splitting up since our original Quetzalcoatl game, just a few months after LUG-Trek came out. I used to fight it tooth and nail but now just accept it as part of the game.

I don't bother with the technique of separating the players. I try to minimize other players making suggestions, but don't make too big a deal of it - if characters on the tv shows have the writers helping them out, then an occasional shout from another player won't ruin the game. I do try to cut back and forth every few minutes.

One advantage to splitting up groups is I have found it gives individual players a much better chance to shine, as it gives them a moment in the spotlight.

[jrennie69]

The only real "problem" the group splitting up presents (other than making me go out of what's left of my mind) is that players hear what the other players have heard or found and try to have their characters act on it. I'm always saying something like, "Hey, you may have heard NPC so-and-so tell the captain there is a bomb on your shuttle, but your character didn't and is out of communication range."

Jim

[Dan Gurden]

If your players cannot roleplay, let them suffor for the use of such OOC information.

Appropriate punishments include;

- Misinformation. Sure thats what they think is going on where you are. But they got it wrong, the real danger is.... Insert monster/Bomb/army here.

- Dock XP. If the player is unable to roleplay when faced with information they dont know. Take XP away, and let them know why their character doesn't advance.

- Dock Dice rolls. If acting on information they couldn't possibly know, give then a sizable negative modifier... Oops, skill check unsuccessful... Carry on...

- Ignore the OOC stuff. "Pardon? Did you say that you continue to pilot the shuttle, blissfully unaware of the bomb lodged centimetres from your buttocks?"

Alternatively, you can separate the group. Send them out for sodas, or pass notes with this sensitive information, thus ensuring the players concerned dont know they are in danger. Dont forget to pass notes when there is no danger, so that true paranoia can set it.

[calguard66]

You could always use the "stuck turbolift" hook... with everybody away at their own posts the station is suddenly struck by massive sabotage... power and commo is out, the doors won't open, the air is getting stale... go quick round-robin to each PC "what do you do?"... if they don't have an answer, they lose their turn.

The goal is to link up and solve whatever the problem is, but they have to use their own individual skills to save themselves first.

This is also a good one to use if some PCs are too narrow in their focus, putting them at a disadvantage if they have neglected "basic survival skills" (minor repair and technical skills, some skill with zero g and a vacc suit, first aid, etc).

Originally posted by Owen E Oulton
While on ship, the characters may as well be in the same room when they're all over the place, what with instant communication, computer links and turbolifts. On the other tentacle, on an away mission there is usually strength in numbers. Run a Ten Little Indians scenario or two (a.k.a. Alien) and they'll start clustering together just to watch each other's backs. You don't need to kill 'em off - being shut out of the rest of the adventure while the CMO or EMH repairs the damage done by a Mugato feeding them their own lungs should be enough of a hint.

[Ineti]

Originally posted by Polanski
"If I want NPCs on the away mission I will write a book rather than GM\DM\Narrate this game ..."

Bwahahahahaha! I've had to say something along those lines a few times... "Look, you guys are the stars of the show. If you really want Ensigns Jones and Smith to solve the plot and split the xp rewards, that's fine, but..."

[Ineti]

Originally posted by jrennie69
The only real "problem" the group splitting up presents (other than making me go out of what's left of my mind) is that players hear what the other players have heard or found and try to have their characters act on it.

I used to have this problem a lot. Most of the folks I game with nowadays are more experienced, though, and rarely take advantage of information their characters wouldn't know about. They have fun watching the assorted hells the other players are going through.

When the group splits, I used to separate the players into different rooms, but that proved to be a bigger hassle than it was worth. I much prefer everyone being in the same place, even if their PCs are light-years apart.