jmucchiello
Hero
2. I think that's the wrong question. I like not knowing. But I also want to do everything that can speed up PbP gaming. So if knowing the monster stats helps speed the game by a few 3 day round trips, I'm all for it.
I should someday introduce you all to Rampant Griffon (an RPG I wrote 20 years ago, that we played for over a decade at my store). It's got "12-bit" rounds, and a "bit-timer" (at the table, it's a cardboard clock with the long hand counting "bits" and the short hand counting rounds). Every action has a speed (in bits, you see). You're always allowed to do actions that go over (if you start at, say, 11, and do a 6-bit action) but then you have less time next round. (Once you pass 12, your turn is done). Of course, you roll for defending in that game as much as you roll for attacking (and defending takes time too... a character that isn't attacked can do more things in a round). Combat in that game was extremely cinematic.You could "balance" it by having number of "parts" in the round say 10
Then your speed becomes 1/10 (you act in each segment), 4/10 (you act 2 times in the first round, 3 times in the second at segments 4, 8, 2, 6 ,10) etc...but that becomes an arms race where having faster speed is advantage over any other consideration