Gather your party before venturing forth

Gather your party before venturing forth is a potentially problematic game mechanic that blocks progress in a quest until all members of the party are present at the designated spot.

Some players have argued against using this mechanic in quest design with the argument that, because some players can get lost, die, or go AFK, the entire party has to wait and possibly fail the quest, and so it discourages grouping. 

In an attempt to alleviate the problem, U19 tweaked it so that hirelings and pets don't have to gather. Recent updates to older quests have removed this mechanic (Update 59 removed it from Diplomatic Impunity for example), and its use is now usually confined to big setpiece cutscenes and events that change the entire dungeon (such as the transition between the "normal" and "tiny" versions of Kind of a Big Deal, the Frosted Cerise infestation spreading across A Frosty Reception, or the pirate raid that wrecks most of the Harbor in Dread Sea Scrolls.)


 * Tip: If you are lost and/or dead and the rest of the party is waiting for you, you can log out and log back in after a few seconds; disconnected / link-dead party members don't count for gathering and the quest should continue.

See also:
 * Baldur's Gate also has this fun mechanic.