When Assembling Parties in an FF game......

[Reverof Enola]

I try to use all of my characters so that they all progress. This is how I work my parties.

3 party: Healer, black mage, physical character
4 party: Healer, black mage, physical character, jack of all trades character.

When all else fails, I must have at least a healer in my party. Always. Always always always. I HATE using items in a fight. I don't know why, it just bugs me. I don't mind using them outside of a fight, but I will not use them in a fight unless absolutely necessary. That means a healer at all times when I can.

I have a swap out system in place in every game I play to make sure all of my characters develop and get points.
For example:
Party: Character A, Character B, Character C.
Character A levels up to desired level (for example: 40)
Character A gets swapped out by Character D who has similar abilities. So if Character A was a healer, Character D is also a healer and will replace Character A
Character B levels up to 40 (is a black mage)
will be replaced by Character E (who is a black made, or maybe a red mage, or another job class that has offensive magical abilities)
and so on. Once Character D reaches the next desired level (50) they will be replaced by Character A, or maybe a third character, depending on the number of playable characters.

And yes, the games where they don't have those clear defined roles, you can bet I customize them so that they do.

So you try to use all of the characters instead of just sticking to three?

[Freya]

I like having a healer and a mage for well heals and high dps then a physical character either a thief or a warrior. It balances well.

[Pumpkin]

So you try to use all of the characters instead of just sticking to three?

Yes.

[Del Murder]

I usually go with the standard setup:

1. Tank/Leader (high HP and Defense)
2. Physical attacker (high Strength)
3. Magical attacker (high Magic Power and MP)
4. Healer (high MP)

To mix it up I often switch up one of the above with:
5. Speedster (high Agility)
6. Unconventional attacker (like a Blue Mage or Geomancer)

[Reverof Enola]

So you try to use all of the characters instead of just sticking to three?

Yes.

But that will take forevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Unless the characters level up when they are not in your party then I understand.

[blackmage_nuke]

I usually try to include a thief since Im an item hoarder.

[Del Murder]

That's a good point. In games where Steal is a option, I try to include someone in my party with access to the skill, especially for bosses or rare enemy fights.

[Depression Moon]

So you try to use all of the characters instead of just sticking to three?

Yes.

But that will take forevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Unless the characters level up when they are not in your party then I understand.

I do that too and I'm still able to beat the game in around 40hrs which I think is average for the series.

[Laddy]

Really, these are the only ones I generally stick with in FF games.

VI-Terra, Celes, Sabin, Cyan (Two heavy-hitters and two great spellcasters).

IX-Zidane, Freya, Vivi, and Quina (Very versatile. You have two hard-hitters, two people who can heal and support, and two spellcasters. Quina can fill most areas, Freya can deal insane damage while having good support abilities and HP, Vivi has his spells, and Zidane can deal damage while also protecting others with his Protect Girls and Freya's respective Cover.)

X-Tidus, Auron, and Rikku. Tidus is fast, Auron deals and takes damage, RIkku can serve as a surrogate healer/spellcaster with het items.)

XIII-Lightning, Sazh, and Vanille. (Covers all six major paradigms, Sazh and Light can do the attacking, Lightning and Vanille can heal, Vanille and Sazh can support, and all three are decent Ravagers.)

I tend to prefer versatility to specialization.

[NeoCracker]

First priority is liking the characters, second is how fun they are to use in battle, then I try to use the characters I like effectively, but if I can't use them well I sadly replace them.

[Cecil Leonhart]

I have to say I've always just used the character I thought were coolest, although that has made some of the games harder than they needed to be.

[Reverof Enola]

I have to say I've always just used the character I thought were coolest, although that has made some of the games harder than they needed to be.

So you wouldn't ditch that party member if they were doing poorly in stats?

[Gamblet]

I have to say I've always just used the character I thought were coolest, although that has made some of the games harder than they needed to be.

So you wouldn't ditch that party member if they were doing poorly in stats?

What if Edward was cool? *shivers*

[Reverof Enola]

I have to say I've always just used the character I thought were coolest, although that has made some of the games harder than they needed to be.

So you wouldn't ditch that party member if they were doing poorly in stats?

What if Edward was cool? *shivers*

I may not be getting the reference but Edward from FFIV was pretty bad in both the original and sequel. He was the joke character.

[Gamblet]

I have to say I've always just used the character I thought were coolest, although that has made some of the games harder than they needed to be.

So you wouldn't ditch that party member if they were doing poorly in stats?

What if Edward was cool? *shivers*

I may not be getting the reference but Edward from FFIV was pretty bad in both the original and sequel.

Well, that was the point..