Splitting a group?

[Rossebay]

So in my dorm, we've got a few too many people trying to play. It started as a small group (3 people, me DMing), but now we've got 6 players and more bugging me to join.

Needless to say, turns take far too long and characters are getting a little redundant (Paladin, Warblade, and Knight are all stepping on each others toes).
It's hard for me to balance encounters properly, too. However, everyone is attached to their characters and their place in the story. I realize this is all meant to be handled out-of-game.

My question is, have you ever shifted a campaign from one DM to another? If so, how well did it work out? I'm looking to train one or two people on my floor in DMing so that we can split the party in 2, making organizing sessions and playing much easier.

[Zweisteine]

It shouldn't be too hard, as long as the new DM is ready to deal with the players.

Just be sure to have a way to do the split worked into the story, after you tell the players and get them to agree (or rather, tell them that they'll be splitting up, and they can roleplay that scene next time they're in a town, or something). Unless they aren't into roleplaying. Then just split them in between sessions.

[Rossebay]

It shouldn't be too hard, as long as the new DM is ready to deal with the players.

Just be sure to have a way to do the split worked into the story, after you tell the players and get them to agree (or rather, tell them that they'll be splitting up, and they can roleplay that scene next time they're in a town, or something). Unless they aren't into roleplaying. Then just split them in between sessions.

Wow, I hadn't even thought to make it a story element.
Well then. That's not a bad idea at all.

[Zweisteine]

The real problem is giving them a reason to split up in character as well as out.

Since you've got a paladin and a crusader, I suggest having two horrible events happening at once, that they can't stop both of without splitting up.

For the best resolution, have the two campaigns come together after a multi-level trek through various plots and the discovery by the two parties that someone is trying to do something horrible on a planar scale (i.e. trying to take over the world or something worse (something worse is better to use)). Turns out they were fighting the same enemy all along, and they reunite to infiltrate/lay siege to/break open the BBEG's fortress and kill him.

Just be sure to get them to agree out of character ahead of time. (Don't tell them that they'll reunite, though. That'd ruin the suspense/excietement when they find out.)

Warning: this might be very hard to pull off

[D4rkh0rus]

Another one is having a few of the players get cursed into a permanent dream. The adventurers inside this coma, relieve a few nightmares and stuff. (you know, the typical dream stuff)

Have it last the entire campaign.


The other half begins searching for the cure (get this here, that there, travel over yonder for that relic to trade to the only person with a specific ingredient, etc. find the ancient guru who will make the potion and then wake them up.)

[Bullet06320]

twice ive seen it
the first was in the early days of 3rd edition, we had a big group at the gaming store, sumthing like 18 players. after the 3rd session the guy running the game decided it was too much to handle, so we split it up, litterly, that half the table goes with him and the other half the group goes with this other guy who will DM for that group, I played with that group weekly for like 2 years till the DM moved away

the other time, the DM running the game(different group) moved, well I took over the group, jay didn't have the time to fill me in on the plans so I had to run the game from the top of my head with little prepared, so I handwaved the mists rolling in and transported us to waterdeep, well there was a giant multiverse bank in his world, I wasn't a fan of that concept, so I removed, one of the players tried to go to the bank and found it closed surrounded by the watch, made up some story about the banker embellzing the money and on the run. I figure sum plot for the characters to find him, but none of the player bit on the plot. but in the course of the new campaign I created one of my most memorable npcs I every created, the Halfling mafia and their boss Big Al Cornpone. Halfling rogue that ended up choking on his chicken bone, I hand waved the death from good roll playing, I was eating sumthing (so was the npc)during the conversation and I laffed so hard I accidently inhaled food and started choking, after I recovered I stopped, thought about it, rolled a saving throw versus the choking, and failed, the pcs accidently killed the bbeg, LOL

so it can work out splitting groups or changing dms

[Bullet06320]

oops, double post