Today’s session is going to feel less like a standard D&D game and more like editing a sci-fi action movie—and I can’t wait.

The premise: our main heroes—Buff, the Captain, and Hal—have officially graduated from Spelljammer Academy and are launching into the next leg of their epic story. But now, they’ve staffed their Spelljammer ship with a new crew of 1st-level characters—green, scrappy, and not entirely ready for the horrors of Wildspace.

So how do we keep everyone engaged across wildly different character power levels?

🎥 We cut between scenes. Like a movie.

Instead of running each group’s scenes in large chunks or separate sessions, I’m intercutting back and forth between the main crew and their newly minted NPCs-turned-PCs using a very simple mechanic:

🎲 The Cutting Die: Roll 1d6 During Melee

At the top of each round during combat, I roll a d6:

• On a 1–4, we continue the current scene.
• On a 5–6, cut to the other group.

This keeps the pacing dynamic and unpredictable. It’s like jumping from the tense captain’s bridge to a chaotic engine room fight. It builds tension, lets cliffhangers land mid-combat, and keeps everyone at the table engaged.

🔥 Today’s Adventure: Biometric Zombies & Timeline Wreckage

Here’s what I’ve got prepped:

🎭 Main Crew (4th Level)

Our Spelljammer Academy grads are deep in a high-concept, multiversal arc. They’re carrying the Codex of Unmaking, dodging Archivists, and unraveling the mystery of the Punchline ship. They’re facing deadly foes across surreal environments, including their own failed timeline selves.

🧟‍♂️ 1st-Level Crew

Meanwhile, the new crew is still figuring out how the ship works. That’s when Zhor Vess returns—rebuilt and reborn. The Lizardman berserker and his goblin crew now exist in a twisted biomechanical zombie state. They regenerate. They don’t speak. They just hunt.

The fight will be deadly. But Zhor’s weakened. And the new crew will have to step up—or get erased.

🎞️ Why Intercutting Works in TTRPGs

This structure solves a problem DMs run into all the time: what do you do when the party splits up? Or when you want to run scenes that operate at different levels of power or stakes?

💡 Intercutting does 3 things:

1. Keeps both groups engaged — no one sits idle for long.
2. Creates cinematic tension — cliffhangers feel earned when we jump between scenes mid-action.
3. Lets you show scope — what happens aboard the ship matters just as much as the multiversal quest.

It’s a tool I’ll be using more often going forward—especially in a Spelljammer campaign where cutting between ships, planes, and timelines is built into the world.

💬 Final Thought

If your party ever splits, or if you’re introducing a new crew mid-campaign, try treating your session like a movie. Intercut scenes. Use a die to determine when to switch. And trust your players to lean into the drama.

Today, the heroes may be warping reality.
But somewhere down in the cargo bay, a first-level cook might be holding off a zombie goblin with a mop.

🎲 Let’s roll.