{{topquote|1=Don't you know, you never split the party. <br/> [[Cleric]]s in the back keep those [[fighter]]s hale and hearty. <br/> The [[wizard]] in the middle, where he can shed some light, <br/> And you never let that damn [[rogue|thief]] out of sight.|2=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waa2ucfgVgQ Emerald Rose, Never Split The Party]}}
</blockquote>
A '''party''', in the context of [[role-playing games]], is a group of [[player characters]] working together. Generally, given a group of players, one will be the [[GM]]/[[DM]]/[[World of Darkness|ST]]/[[FATAL|Aedile]], and the other players will take control of the player characters in a party. A party does not need to contain solely Player Characters, and various [[NPC]]s may or may not join the party, at the GM's discretion, when the plot demands it, or when [[Noh|players get goofy.]]
A '''party''', in the context of [[role-playing games]], is a group of [[player characters]] working together. Generally, given a group of players, one will be the [[GM]]/[[DM]]/[[World of Darkness|ST]]/[[FATAL|Aedile]], and the other players will take control of the player characters in a party. A party does not need to contain solely Player Characters, and various [[NPC]]s may or may not join the party, at the GM's discretion, when the plot demands it, or when [[Noh|players get goofy.]]
Never split the party. I'm serious, man, it's a bad idea.
Never split the party. I'm serious, man, it's a bad idea.
== Character Roles ==
As so often with most stories that we know and love as the roleplayers we are, PCs often fit into different roles in the party both inside and outside of combat. This can be planned out before the game starts ("okay, I'll play a melee tanky character so you can get some room while preparing your spells."), to a naturally developed synergy in the party ("Your character is very heroic and has all the good plans - Only natural you be the leader!"), to a party that completely ditches any kinds of tropes and roles and just does whatever the hell they feel like. As a matter of fact, any group will often end up being unique in its own way unless the players are truly devoid of any kind of strategic planning or imagination, or if they play as example characters from the rulebooks... But who does that anyway?
There are, as mentioned, two kinds of roles: What role your character takes in combat ([[Crunch|the crunchy role]]), and what role your character takes during social encounters ([[Fluff|the fluffy role]]).
=== Crunchy Roles ===
'''* The Brick:''' A big solid wall of "No, you can't", this dude is often a barbarian, fighter or similar, who is build to withstand large amounts of damage and deal them back in kind. The party can always rely on him to do well in battle and take the biggest load of the others back, but the Brick is often a bit weak on the fluffy part. Bricks ''rule'' dungeon-crawl games. Lots of crossover with the [[tank]].
'''* The Beserker:''' [[Berserker|No, not that one.]] His focus is simple - Get in a fight and kill what can be killed, regardless of damage done to him. Damage is of most importantance to the Beserker, so expect him to flail around with as many and as heavy weapons he can find. Barbarian-equvilants are made to be Beserkers, but other characters, like Sorcerer-likes can do it too through how much magic they can spew through their fingers.
'''* The Nuke:''' If you have ever played [[World of Warcraft|WoW]], then this will sound familiar to you - Do as much damage as possible as fast as possible from as long range as possible. Though this might sound a bit like the Beserker, there is a few key differences, most notably, that the Nuke wants to stay as far away as humanly (or elfishly/drawfishly/orcily/etc.) as possible from the enemy while doing it, and certainly wants to stay alive through a fight rather than go down bleeding. Nukes usually prepare for a very long time before doing their magic, but when they finally get to it, [[Fist of the North Star|the enemy will know that they are dead already.]] Often Mages and other magical characters, but ranged characters like Riflemen and Snipers do the same as well.
'''* The Support:''' The Support might have the most boring job of all the roles on this list, but he might just be the vital - The Support simply makes sure that what the other PCs can't do, he will make sure they can when they need to. That due can't take that hit? Here, have an armour buff. We are outnumbered? Summoning some magical creature. You hurt? Here, have some healing. This way, the Support is what keeps the pain train chugging along, even if things go bad on the party. Love your Support, ladies and gentlemen - He is the life of the party.
''*** More to come ***''
=== Fluffy Roles ===
'''* The Face:''' You know it, you love it. Faces are the stereotypical charming, classy, and urbane characters, with good negotiating skills, and the lots of drink-buying for buttering people up. Demands heavy roleplay investment, since no one wants to just announce they're being charming and roll a skill. Some Faces also make heavy use of blackmail along with the charm. Probably the most likely role to get laid without paying for it, though it's rarely as good an idea as one thinks.
'''* The Diplomat:''' There's some overlap here with the Face, but less than you'd think. If the Face uses charm, flattery, and negotiation to get his or her way, the Diplomat uses reason and patience to try to mediate a solution. Think the difference between a rhetorician and a lecturer, or between a chaotic and lawful approach to the same problem. Requires patience and willpower on the part of the player, as well as a cool head under pressure and an ability to identify when reason just isn't going to work. Every diplomat needs to know when to try talking things out, and when to switch to threats of force to get everyone's attention.
'''* The Muscle:''' Sometimes, negotiations can go better when there's a big beefy guy standing behind the negotiator looking tough. The Muscle is the unspoken threat that keeps everyone's mind on the problem at hand. That's not to say he can't participate: challenging a particular problem to a duel is a great way to help make it go away, and the Muscle can figuratively smash through political combat with bluff, endearing earnestness.
'''* The Hawk:''' If there's ever a role that overlaps heavily with others, it's this one. The Hawk looks over everyone involved in the conversation like Sherlock Holmes, gauging their reactions for tells and checking to see what else is going on in the room. If someone's slipping notes, he sees who and why. If someone leans over to whisper in the lord's ear, the Hawk reads their lips. Very much a support role, and a specialized one at that. Lots of parties do without a Hawk, making the Face or the Diplomat cross-train in the role, but it still needs to be filled. Hardest part is knowing when to ask the DM for a skill test and when you're just wasting everyone's time.
'''* The Wallflower:''' There's always that one guy. Maybe he's just here to stab stuff, and all this talking just isn't really his thing. Maybe she just always seems to get swept along in other people's plans. Maybe the player's new and worried about messing up. Heck, maybe they just don't fit into any of the other roles and don't want to get underfoot. Any way you slice it, the Wallflower is a non-factor in social interactions. There's nothing ''wrong'' with this, per se, so long as they aren't getting bored. If they are, giving them a little mini-interaction with a minor character can help draw them in even if they aren't having much of an impact on the outcome.
''*** More to come ***''
== See Also ==
== See Also ==
* [[Murder hobos]]
* [[Murder hobos]], what many parties (d)evolve into.
* [[Gamemaster]], the guy with whom the party has to deal
* [[Party Archetypes]], the many faces of your average party.
[[Category:Roleplaying]]
[[Category:Roleplaying]]
Latest revision as of 14:21, 22 June 2023
"Don't you know, you never split the party. Clerics in the back keep those fighters hale and hearty. The wizard in the middle, where he can shed some light, And you never let that damn thief out of sight."
A party, in the context of role-playing games, is a group of player characters working together. Generally, given a group of players, one will be the GM/DM/ST/Aedile, and the other players will take control of the player characters in a party. A party does not need to contain solely Player Characters, and various NPCs may or may not join the party, at the GM's discretion, when the plot demands it, or when players get goofy.
Never split the party. I'm serious, man, it's a bad idea.
