Splitting the Party — and Running 3 Combats at Once

Usually I try to avoid splitting the party, but last session, I specifically planned the session to do just that.

I ended up running three combat encounters at the same time, and it worked way better than I expected.

The setup

The party split into three separate scenes:

• 1 PC vs an elite enemy
• 1 PC vs an elite enemy
• 2 PCs + an NPC vs the BBEG (the big end-of-arc fight)

Each encounter had its own vibe, its own terrain, and its own “this is the moment” energy.

How I ran it: 1 round per scene

The structure was simple and strict:

1. Start a scene, roll initiative
2. Run exactly 1 round
3. Cut to the next scene
4. Repeat

That’s it. No complicated system — just fast scene switching, over and over.

What surprised me

I expected the split to make the table feel scattered.

Instead, everyone was more focused than in a normal big group combat, because:

• Something interesting was always happening somewhere
• Nobody had to wait long for their next moment
• Each player felt like the “main character” of their scene

And as the DM, it gave me way more room to lean into individual playstyles. A rooftop skirmish can feel totally different from a magical duel, which can feel totally different from a brutal boss fight — and that contrast kept the energy high.

The BBEG was built for a 2-character fight

The boss encounter was the one I was most curious about, because it was “only” two PCs (plus an NPC).

So I designed the BBEG to thrive in that exact situation:

• Echo Knight-inspired abilities (clone / misdirection / pressure from multiple angles)
• Tools to threaten both targets so it didn’t become a one-person duel
• Movement and control to keep it dynamic instead of “stand still and trade hits”

That fight still felt like a finale, not a side scene.

Why I think it worked

If I had to boil it down, it’s this:

• The cuts kept tension high automatically
• The split created spotlight by design
• The encounters felt distinct, so the session never got “samey”

I’m not going to split the party every session — but I’m officially less afraid of it now. This was one of those DM experiments that looked risky on paper and turned out to be pure fun at the table.