Is Losing your Turn The Worst That Can Happen

[Ralif Redhammer]

So, no, as a one off, losing a turn isnt near as bad as character death.
What hurts is that many lose your turn effects are ongoing ones. Each round you check to see if the Hold Person effect ends for example. So I can see how for some, the quick band-aid torn off of "You are dead" means you can at least walk away from the table it you need a moment. But being stuck not knowing round after round can be torturous.
Solutions? Make the saves get easier each time?

Agreed. Depending on the number of players and the game, it can take anywhere from 5-20 minutes until you get a chance to do something. If you sit out more than three rounds, that easily spills into over a half an hour of sitting there not playing the game. And no one enjoys that.

At a con game for Shadowrun, I once saw two players have to sit out 50% of the adventure because they wanted to buy a few supplies before the major part of the gig. Instead of just letting them take the five minutes or so to buy the stuff, the GM made them sit there while the rest of party played the session out. I felt so bad for them.

 

[Joshua Randall]

every effect that causes a player to lose a turn would be better replaced by having them immediately start rolling up a new character

Fixed it for you.

 

[Professor Murder]

Agreed. Depending on the number of players and the game, it can take anywhere from 5-20 minutes until you get a chance to do something. If you sit out more than three rounds, that easily spills into over a half an hour of sitting there not playing the game. And no one enjoys that.

At a con game for Shadowrun, I once saw two players have to sit out 50% of the adventure because they wanted to buy a few supplies before the major part of the gig. Instead of just letting them take the five minutes or so to buy the stuff, the GM made them sit there while the rest of party played the session out. I felt so bad for them.

Look, I try to avoid judging another table or GMs. But that is poor form.

 

[Umbran]

Do you think most players think losing their turn in combat is the worst/least fun effect?

No, but I think that determining that is it not literally the worst thing likely ends up missing the valid criticism underlying the overstated point.

 

[GMMichael]

Do you think most players think losing their turn in combat is the worst/least fun effect? And do you feel that way as a player? What about as a GM?

I . . . can't respond for most players. And it depends on the game. Losing a turn in a game that takes 10 minutes per round means you get an extra smoke break, which is nice for some players.

Some players couldn't care less what happens in combat. The game's about intrigue and character development.

Some players only care about combat, and play in games that allow them to be a consistent presence in that combat, instead of a portion of a phase.

As a GM, I feel that I've done something wrong when a player needs to check out for 10-15 minutes.

 

[aramis erak]

This comes up in threads now and again, and recently someone said they would rather their character die than be denies their turn multiple rounds in a row.

Is that a general truth, do you think? Do you think most players think losing their turn in combat is the worst/least fun effect? And do you feel that way as a player? What about as a GM?

to me? No. the worst thing is when the GM leaves no meaningful choices whatsoever. PC death also is worse. No-meaningful-choices-play worse than PC Death worse than PC sidelined a lot.

A PC multi-turn loss isn't fun for me as player or GM, so unless it's tying up NPC aggressors, I'm annoyed.

There are times where 'tis appropriate storywise, so, used sparingly, the multi-turn lockup is OK.

If there's a save every round, all the better - at least gives me some hope.

 

[Micah Sweet]

This comes up in threads now and again, and recently someone said they would rather their character die than be denies their turn multiple rounds in a row.

Is that a general truth, do you think? Do you think most players think losing their turn in combat is the worst/least fun effect? And do you feel that way as a player? What about as a GM?

Predictably, I'm fine with it either way, as player or DM, provided it make logical sense in the context of the setting and circumstances.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I don't losing a turn is the WORST thing that can happen, but it is pretty terrible.

One of the things I like about 5e, and have imported into my DCC game, is allowing characters to repeat a saving throw on each of their turns to try and throw off the effect. Some might argue that alloing a save each round diminishes the "old school" feel of the game, but IMO being takn out of the game for long stretches of time - with no option for anything to do other than watch others play - is one aspect of old school play that is best left in the past.

That's what henchmen are for, IMO. Makes sure the player always has something to do.

 

[Campbell]

By and large combat in most tabletop roleplaying games is already slow and boring. Making it even more slow and boring is not really a desired state, especially when you can design debuffs that impact in a way that alters the dynamics without taking away the ability to play the game.

 

[Reynard]

By and large combat in most tabletop roleplaying games is already slow and boring. Making it even more slow and boring is not really a desired state, especially when you can design debuffs that impact in a way that alters the dynamics without taking away the ability to play the game.

What's the difference between being stunned for a round and having penalties so bad as to effectively neuter your options?