So I'm running a campaign for 5 players 4 of which are new apart from a few one shots and I'm a new DM. A problem the party seems to face is the party having two factions per se and them not really interacting outside that group, the main reason of this is probably the players not really knowing each other IRL as two I know because our parents all knew each other(The aforementioned two) and the other two are school friends and the fifth seems to fit into either group. Also one of them is introverted and doesn't speak up much anyway except in their combat turn (Though when it was just them the other in their faction and the fifth they talked a good bit)
House Rule time of no PVP. This happens with new groups, new players, and new DMs. Make sure they know how to run their PC. Try to get modules which work on team work. And as long as they not throw dice or punches at each other, who cares. In high school I played with people I actively disliked. Currently with my Adventure League group only a few of them have came over for the cook outs I planned. I do suggest the first modules for Season 1-3. Just do a few one shots. Then you can pick a trilogy module set. After that you should know what they want. Have you had a Session 0 yet?
House Rule time of no PVP. This happens with new groups, new players, and new DMs. Make sure they know how to run their PC. Try to get modules which work on team work. And as long as they not throw dice or punches at each other, who cares. In high school I played with people I actively disliked. Currently with my Adventure League group only a few of them have came over for the cook outs I planned. I do suggest the first modules for Season 1-3. Just do a few one shots. Then you can pick a trilogy module set. After that you should know what they want. Have you had a Session 0 yet?
Personally I'm ok with PvP if it's in character and 90% of the time is done during downtime then it's fine, two players getting into a brawl during downtime could spice it up a bit and the other players trying to intervene, picking sides or staying neutral could be some interesting RP (If it's during dungeon then worse but with my players it never gets past lighthearted trolling) as to the rest of the post 1: I'm currently running a CAMPAIGN not one shot modules and want some way to encourage teamwork in the campaign 2: About it not really mattering whether they're friends. What sure it's not necessary if it'll make my campaign more fun then as a DM of course I'd want to do it 3: Season what do you mean by season? 4: No I did not have a session 0 but you can't really have a session 0 after 13 sessions (I probably should've had a session 0 my bad) (Also a lot of people on this forum seem to have the ideology that if it's at all subpar you should quit the campaign which is annoying and I will not do so no one post a comment like that)
I only do Adventure League now. Each year a new season begins centered around a hard cover. After running some of modules, and looking back at the road bumps I hit when I first started DMIng. My default suggestion for new DMs are one shots. Various reasons. Modules do some heavy lifting for you. One shots even they run 2 or 3 sessions can not break the STORY/Major Plot point rail. You are learning to DM. It is more important to learn to handle the input from 4+ people, juggle combat, juggle learning the group culture. Than you putting blood sweat and tears into a campaign. And one thing about the season modules once you shuffle them, they can be a campaign. A campaign without your fingerprints.
This is the single greatest accumulation of advice I can give you. There are several videos in this informative series that directly apply to your situation. I hope it helps.
Setup a "cube" situation, you're the DM, knock everyone out, take away all their gear, put up weakening and antimagic fields, and make them puzzle it out. Maybe pair them up as they do, but pair up people who don't normally interact. If you can get them talking to each other, and eventually they overcome a hardship, they'll work together in the future.
Personally I'm ok with PvP if it's in character and 90% of the time is done during downtime then it's fine, two players getting into a brawl during downtime could spice it up a bit and the other players trying to intervene, picking sides or staying neutral could be some interesting RP
You need to consider the consequences at the table rather than within the game here. Especially with a group that doesn't know each other well, PVP can cause resentment or anger in the players that will affect the rest of the game. Sounds like you need to do the opposite with this group. I really wouldn't PvP at all unless everyone at the table was friends and you were 100% sure it wouldn't be taken personally.
As mentioned above, I'd encourage challenges that reward them for working together or force them to rely on each other. Maybe they each get a clue to a puzzle and have to put them together to figure it out, that kind of thing.
As for the introvert, as long as they're having fun you don't need to do anything. They may warm up as the group pulls together more, and teamwork scenarios like the one mentioned above should help with that. But ultimately if they're enjoying the other aspects of the game, they may be fine with sitting out of the more social scenes.
If you are mixing social groups, I also strongly suggest no PvP. The in-character excuse is, to mildly put it, bad.
The players create the characters, so it is 100% their agency. If they appeal to 'it's what my character would do', it is exactly what the player wants to do (on the topic of Matt Coleville, his video about the 'Wangrod Defense' is a great watch).
In this particular circumstance, when you try to have two different social circles cooperate and play together, you might want to ask your players to refrain from antagonizing each other. However, if your players all are agreeing to PvP, and actually enjoy this, it's not an issue.
Quote from scatterbraind>>As mentioned above, I'd encourage challenges that reward them for working together or force them to rely on each other. Maybe they each get a clue to a puzzle and have to put them together to figure it out, that kind of thing.
If you are mixing social groups, I also strongly suggest no PvP. The in-character excuse is, to mildly put it, bad.
The players create the characters, so it is 100% their agency. If they appeal to 'it's what my character would do', it is exactly what the player wants to do (on the topic of Matt Coleville, his video about the 'Wangrod Defense' is a great watch).
In this particular circumstance, when you try to have two different social circles cooperate and play together, you might want to ask your players to refrain from antagonizing each other. However, if your players all are agreeing to PvP, and actually enjoy this, it's not an issue.
There's only been one instance of PvP in the group as two PCs became rivals (Eladrin Rogue and Halfling Monk) and it escalated when the Monk discovered the rogue had stolen from them it went into a battle but the Rogue spared the monk after the defeat (The Monk died a few sessions later to bad death saves anyway)
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So I'm running a campaign for 5 players 4 of which are new apart from a few one shots and I'm a new DM. A problem the party seems to face is the party having two factions per se and them not really interacting outside that group, the main reason of this is probably the players not really knowing each other IRL as two I know because our parents all knew each other(The aforementioned two) and the other two are school friends and the fifth seems to fit into either group. Also one of them is introverted and doesn't speak up much anyway except in their combat turn (Though when it was just them the other in their faction and the fifth they talked a good bit)
House Rule time of no PVP. This happens with new groups, new players, and new DMs. Make sure they know how to run their PC. Try to get modules which work on team work. And as long as they not throw dice or punches at each other, who cares. In high school I played with people I actively disliked. Currently with my Adventure League group only a few of them have came over for the cook outs I planned. I do suggest the first modules for Season 1-3. Just do a few one shots. Then you can pick a trilogy module set. After that you should know what they want. Have you had a Session 0 yet?
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
Personally I'm ok with PvP if it's in character and 90% of the time is done during downtime then it's fine, two players getting into a brawl during downtime could spice it up a bit and the other players trying to intervene, picking sides or staying neutral could be some interesting RP (If it's during dungeon then worse but with my players it never gets past lighthearted trolling) as to the rest of the post 1: I'm currently running a CAMPAIGN not one shot modules and want some way to encourage teamwork in the campaign 2: About it not really mattering whether they're friends. What sure it's not necessary if it'll make my campaign more fun then as a DM of course I'd want to do it 3: Season what do you mean by season? 4: No I did not have a session 0 but you can't really have a session 0 after 13 sessions (I probably should've had a session 0 my bad) (Also a lot of people on this forum seem to have the ideology that if it's at all subpar you should quit the campaign which is annoying and I will not do so no one post a comment like that)
I only do Adventure League now. Each year a new season begins centered around a hard cover. After running some of modules, and looking back at the road bumps I hit when I first started DMIng. My default suggestion for new DMs are one shots. Various reasons. Modules do some heavy lifting for you. One shots even they run 2 or 3 sessions can not break the STORY/Major Plot point rail. You are learning to DM. It is more important to learn to handle the input from 4+ people, juggle combat, juggle learning the group culture. Than you putting blood sweat and tears into a campaign. And one thing about the season modules once you shuffle them, they can be a campaign. A campaign without your fingerprints.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
Me posts saying not to tell me to quit my campaign and just do one-shots
The next comment:
Quit your campaign and just do one-shots
This is a bruh moment
This is the single greatest accumulation of advice I can give you. There are several videos in this informative series that directly apply to your situation. I hope it helps.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLlUk42GiU2guNzWBzxn7hs8MaV7ELLCP_&v=e-YZvLUXcR8
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Which videos specifically would help me
It seems long and I don’t really have the time to watch it all
Setup a "cube" situation, you're the DM, knock everyone out, take away all their gear, put up weakening and antimagic fields, and make them puzzle it out. Maybe pair them up as they do, but pair up people who don't normally interact. If you can get them talking to each other, and eventually they overcome a hardship, they'll work together in the future.
At the very least the one entitled “Deferent Kinds of Players” and “Story vs. Adventure.”
But honestly all of them. If you watch one here or there once in a while they will all be chuck full of great tips.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
You need to consider the consequences at the table rather than within the game here. Especially with a group that doesn't know each other well, PVP can cause resentment or anger in the players that will affect the rest of the game. Sounds like you need to do the opposite with this group. I really wouldn't PvP at all unless everyone at the table was friends and you were 100% sure it wouldn't be taken personally.
As mentioned above, I'd encourage challenges that reward them for working together or force them to rely on each other. Maybe they each get a clue to a puzzle and have to put them together to figure it out, that kind of thing.
As for the introvert, as long as they're having fun you don't need to do anything. They may warm up as the group pulls together more, and teamwork scenarios like the one mentioned above should help with that. But ultimately if they're enjoying the other aspects of the game, they may be fine with sitting out of the more social scenes.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
If you are mixing social groups, I also strongly suggest no PvP. The in-character excuse is, to mildly put it, bad.
The players create the characters, so it is 100% their agency. If they appeal to 'it's what my character would do', it is exactly what the player wants to do (on the topic of Matt Coleville, his video about the 'Wangrod Defense' is a great watch).
In this particular circumstance, when you try to have two different social circles cooperate and play together, you might want to ask your players to refrain from antagonizing each other. However, if your players all are agreeing to PvP, and actually enjoy this, it's not an issue.
More Interesting Lock Picking Rules
There's only been one instance of PvP in the group as two PCs became rivals (Eladrin Rogue and Halfling Monk) and it escalated when the Monk discovered the rogue had stolen from them it went into a battle but the Rogue spared the monk after the defeat (The Monk died a few sessions later to bad death saves anyway)