How should I remove the party? OMFG

[Blaellyn]

Perhaps... but maby I should just add a warning for players who want to bring the party instead. Make the dialogue directed at the players themselves rather then <CHARNAME>. What do ya'll think?

[Kulyok]

I think it might break the immersion and suspense: after all, the player, the person behind the computer, isn't supposed to be there. Only CHARNAME is, so they'd be better off telling CHARNAME.

 

Also, I've recently written an adventure in collaboration with someone, and there, the player has to act alongside another party(who never actually joins), and I can safely say that, yes, it works, and it doesn't require any additional scripting, really. They just come and go.

 

As well, in addition to it, I'd like to say that forced removal of party members and especially forced addition of others might seem annoying - I, for one, would like to have a choice.

[Blaellyn]

I see you're point. Maby I should just have two versions of the adventure...

[berelinde]

Another thing to think about is that players tend to resent force-joined party members. Imoen is a charming character, but many people resent her because she's forced on the PC. One of the many reasons I've never tried NEJ is because I'm required to take Hrothgar. After all, I've got this great party that I assembled, and that I want to use throughout the game, and then they're dumped for some ship's crew I didn't choose, and half of them have wandered back to their homes forever, and I can never call them back. I know that one of them will go home to die, so calling him back isn't an option, and then there's my romance interest, whose removal from the party will end the romance... all for what? Some NPCs that are just going to take part in one quest, even if it is an extensive one?

 

All things considered, treating them like summonses isn't such a bad idea.

 

I'm not saying this to be discouraging. I'm just saying that people tend to get attached to the NPCs they chose to recruit, and many prefer to make their own party-composition decisions, in any case.

[Bookwyrme]

I agree with berlinde on that. If I hear that I *have* to dump all of my party members & take on a new party, I'm very unlikely to play the mod. I do get attached to my NPCs & tend to keep pretty much the same party all the way through the game. Then, too, there are the issues berlinde mentions--romances killed and some mod NPCs leave forever if they are kicked out of the party. On the other hand, if I hear "You'll get to meet and interact with this great new group!" and can keep my party members--well, then the new NPCs become an added attraction.