Speeding Up Play (Without Being a Jerk)
aramis erak
Legend
They sound OCD...
... and that's not OK. Mostly because it's an issue for a member of the group.
Time for the houserule: "a roll calling for 2 or more dice must be rolled all at once; otherwise only the first batch rolled hitting the table count."
But also, be honest with them that you dislike towers; give them an option for dice cups and shallow trays... and if it didn't go into the cup before the roll is dumped, it doesn't count.
But also, tell them what you want out of a game. A rapid resolution of the mechanics, I'd guess, so play focuses on more story.
... and that's not OK. Mostly because it's an issue for a member of the group.
Time for the houserule: "a roll calling for 2 or more dice must be rolled all at once; otherwise only the first batch rolled hitting the table count."
But also, be honest with them that you dislike towers; give them an option for dice cups and shallow trays... and if it didn't go into the cup before the roll is dumped, it doesn't count.
But also, tell them what you want out of a game. A rapid resolution of the mechanics, I'd guess, so play focuses on more story.
Xaelvaen
Stuck in the 90s
Thank you - and you are quite correct, they know the mechanics beforehand. More importantly, I always ask the new table when I GM at gameshops if they would enjoy the rule. I've also set it to 2 minutes before when introducing new players, and slowly worked down the time limit. I've had a considerable number of people thank me for improving their turn speed, and helping them focus on the strategy of watching other peoples' turns and calculating their own in response.
billd91
Not your screen monkey (he/him)
billd91
Not your screen monkey (he/him)
A mixture of both.
The whole dice back into the bag after every roll thing is weird - very weird. Dice towers are also a bit of a weird affectation, but I've seen how people go for them to weed out some shady dice rolling techniques. Seems to me you should be able to ask them to dump all the dice involved in at once though. And the noise can be grating. So I can see banning them for that.
But the dice trays? I suggest you get used to it. The group I've been with for over 20 years has been migrating toward the trays, in no small part, because they keep dice from scattering across or off the table. And when playing with D&D artillery spells and Shadowrun, that comes in handy.
GrahamWills
Hero
One technique I use with slower players is to give them a certain amount of time to resolve the action, and then move on to the next person. So ..
GM: Sam, you're up; Zeb, you're on deck
Sam: Let me see think which power I'm going to use ... I'll charge the orc ... [rolls] ... that'll hit AC 22
GM: That hits. How much damage?
Sam: Let me get my dice ...
GM: OK, let me know when you've added them up. Zeb, you're up.
I also sometimes switch to simultaneous action:
GM: OK, everyone, pick a target and attack. 25 will hit everything, 16 will miss everything. Yell out if you're not sure and roll damage when you hit.
Does it cause issues sometimes? Yeah, but not very often -- and if it people complain, then let them know that you're doing it to speed up the game, but you're happy to stop if the game moves fast enough.
GM: Sam, you're up; Zeb, you're on deck
Sam: Let me see think which power I'm going to use ... I'll charge the orc ... [rolls] ... that'll hit AC 22
GM: That hits. How much damage?
Sam: Let me get my dice ...
GM: OK, let me know when you've added them up. Zeb, you're up.
I also sometimes switch to simultaneous action:
GM: OK, everyone, pick a target and attack. 25 will hit everything, 16 will miss everything. Yell out if you're not sure and roll damage when you hit.
Does it cause issues sometimes? Yeah, but not very often -- and if it people complain, then let them know that you're doing it to speed up the game, but you're happy to stop if the game moves fast enough.
Flexor the Mighty!
18/100 Strength!
Don't get me started on my slow poke group...
TarionzCousin
Second Most Angelic Devil Ever
Methinks thou dost require thine own thread....
Seriously, I want to hear about your slowpoke group. There are some good ideas in this thread and probably would be some good ideas in yours....
Similar Threads
