r/TyrannyOfDragons

So, acknowledging the wealth of advice around never splitting the party, but in the case I want to do it on purpose. We have a heavily scheduled table and finding a time for everyone has been a nightmare.

To accommodate this, the only way we can all play is separately but on parallel tracks. I want to add little clues and things so that the party feels like they're accomplishing a shared goal. An A-Team and a B-Team. This works really well in co-op video games so taking inspiration from that. (It Takes Two, Mass Effect, etc.)

What is your experience splitting the party intentionally? How do you think about shared objectives, particularly around one that needs shared successes?

We do plan on reconvening. And it was either this or do nothing (it's been five months...)

I’m looking for ideas on how to make them continue heading north after the Cult. They arrived late, and the Cult has already left. I’m thinking about how to guide them north while making them feel like they’ve missed some important clues.

I plan on running chapter 2 before chapter 1, starting my players as prisoners of "bandits," having Leosin help them escape after they find out the information he needs. Once they escape, he'd take them to Greenest to inform the town and rest up but before they can rest, the cult would attack, realizing their prisoners are gone, and I'd go into chapter 1 basically as written.

My question is, what's the best way to run chapter 2 in this situation? I wouldn't have to worry about them going into the cave early. The camp is full of bandits (cultists) so the cave would be too well guarded. Should the cultists put them to work and do the thing where they absentmindedly talk in front of the PCs? I'm open to suggestions and ideas.