Party Organisation

Size: The ideal group size is between 6 and 8 characters—large enough to confront the challenges of the adventure while not so large as to be disorganized. If not enough PCs are present, the players may wish to hire retainers (see Retainers).

Classes: It is wise for a party to have a mix of characters from different adventuring classes. Combat-focused characters are essential for protecting the group from danger, while other classes each have magic or other special abilities to handle different situations that may arise in an adventure.

Level: As new PCs join play, the experience levels of the characters in the party may diverge. It is recommended that characters more than four levels apart should adventure separately, as challenges and rewards suitable to characters of vastly different experience levels do not match.

Marching Order

Before starting an adventure, the players should determine the typical arrangement of their PCs when exploring. This is known as the party’s marching order. For example, players may move in a two-column formation, with well-armored characters in the front, weaker characters in the middle, and a rear guard. The group may define standard marching orders for common situations (e.g., exploration, combat, opening doors, searching, etc.).

The Caller

If the players wish to, they may nominate one of their numbers as the spokesperson of the group, known as the caller. This player is responsible for informing the referee about the actions and movements of the party as a whole. Delegating this role to one player—rather than having each player notify the referee of their PC’s individual actions—can speed up play.

The caller’s character usually takes on the role of party leader and should thus have a high Charisma score and be located near the front of the party.

The Mapper

One player should create a map of the explored areas based on the referee’s descriptions. Details such as monsters or traps encountered, clues to puzzles, or possibly interesting unexplored areas may be noted on the map as it is drawn.

Dividing Treasure

The spoils of an adventure may be divided between surviving characters in whatever way the players agree on.

Non-magical treasure: This is typically divided evenly between player characters.

Magic items: The players must decide which character keeps each item. One method is for each player to roll a die and compare the results. The highest-rolling player gets to pick a magic item first, the second-highest-rolling player gets the next pick, and so on.