Group Play Modifications

Hello Delvers!

I have seen several people ask about modifications for Group Play, or having someone actually DM the game with 2+ players rather than a Co-op game. Here are some tips, tricks, and changes you can make to have that happen:

1. COMBAT (pg 27)
   1. Initiative: There is only 1 Initiative roll for the Party with 2+ players
   2. Actions: The actions sequence is now applicable to the players as well
   3. Cleave: The cleave bonus is only there for the solo play experience. With 2+ players it is recommended you drop this, or make it a trainable skill
   4. Incoming Damage: Incoming damage is no longer modified
2. DOWNTIME (pg 35)
   1. Carousing rolls are made separately unless the Party wishes to combine their coin. If they do, they share in the experience, but also the consequences
   2. Training is a per player basis. Players cannot double up on training to reduce cost
3. HIRELINGS (pg 37)
   1. Hirelings are unchanged unless the party wants to make them proper retainers. If they do, the coin they receive dictates how quickly they level up. The loyalty roll will still be required
4. ENCOUNTER DESIGN (pg 45)
   1. Roll 1d6 then read across from the Average Player Level. 
   2. Multiply Encounter level by Number of Players to get Base Strength
   3. Everything else is the same
5. SEARCHING (pg 51)
   1. Each player can roll, but there can only be one roll on the Search table if there is a success. However, if multiple players roll, the negative consequence is based on the worst roll. So if you have a Full Success and a Failure, you get a roll on the search table and have the Timer go up by +1 along with the encounter check. 
6. TREASURE (pg 53)
   1. If treasure is feeling a bit thin with multiple players, roll once per player character when rolling for loot. 
7. BESTIARY (pg 69)
   1. Attack Score is roughly equal to 11 + 1/2 LVL rounded up if you are wanting to use alternative bestiary's or settings in your game. Everything else translates 1-to-1. 
   2. If you want a more traditional feel by having the GM roll for the attacks, enemy Attack Bonus is equal to 1/2 Level rounded up

Everything else can basically remain unchanged, you'll just need to tweak and twist to make everything work correctly based on the group dynamics and skill level. At it's heart, JOS is an OSR game, so always make sure to treat a good idea as more valuable than a skill check. 

Happy Delving!