Videos of Groups with 10 minute 5th level (or above) Combat

I've seen a lot of posts lately about how things never go beyond the second or third round, and combat lasts shorter than ten minute with PF2 and 5E.

Please, please, please. I am truly curious. Does anyone have video of this?

The reason I ask is I've never seen it. Not any the hundreds of playtests, conventions or campaigns. Maybe, my campaign DM's are just a lot more strategic? Maybe my convention memory is faulty from lack of sleep? Maybe my playtests were focused on a different characteristic of the game? No matter, I still have not "seen" it in 35 years of play.

I understand older additions, like Rolemaster and MERP taking a long time because of the tables. I understand not knowing the rules; therefore, things slow down. But eighth level or tenth level, even knowing the rules?

In conventions they allot 4 or 5 hour time slots. If you are running 4th level or above, there are generally 2 to 3 battles. That leaves 3 1/2 hours minimum for RP. That never seems to be the case.

Can someone help out - please?

Set-piece encounters that are tailored for the party level generally take much longer than 10 minutes, even with players who are really on top of the rules and keep things moving. But in my games, combat time varies widely because players may encounter and easily route/kill weaker groups, but I also try to play many of my intelligent NPCs as if they have some brains and want to live. They will take cover, spread out, use quick strike and and hasty retreat tactics. These drag out combat but make it more interesting.

I've seldom been able to finish a D&D AL module in the listed time; what few high-level short fights I've seen have been either seriously imbalanced, ot have been "I got high initiative and killed them all with a lucky roll on an area spell."

Heh. Some episodes of Critical Role are 5 hours long and it's just one battle. Granted they have like 8 players sometimes, but still...

Scott Christian said:

I've seen a lot of posts lately about how things never go beyond the second or third round, and combat lasts shorter than ten minute with PF2 or 5E.

Click to expand...

I haven't seen a single claim that 5e combats are regularly 10 minutes or less. I do see all over the place that 5e combats are 30 minutes or less, and can confirm anecdotally myself - an average, non-set-piece-big-battle, often runs under 30 minutes. That's with both players who are eady on their turn and do things like roll damage with a weapon attack to speed up their turn, and with a player who re-add up all of their modifiers every attack.

My experience is mostly in the first three Tiers of play, which is significant since combats often stretch in wall clock length as levels go up. More options to ponder, more HPs to work through, more dice to roll.

My phone can't record 30 minutes though so I won't be able to share a video from next session.

(The lack of hearing it for PF2 is more that I'm not in those discussions so there is no chance to hear it, not a comment on how long combat runs.)

I don't have video, but I can give you the transcript:

DM: Roll initiative.

Alli: 12.

Barry: 13.

Conrad: 4. Great, I'm a goner.

DM: The angry commoner attacks first. (Rolls) miss. Barry, your turn.

Barry: Okay guys, if we all team up, maybe we can survive this one. I'm going to Help Conrad, our tank.

DM: But you're not within 5 feet of the commoner.

Barry: I don't have to...look. It's right here in the PHB... (opens the book and searches)...

Click to expand...

Okay, this one actually took 12 minutes, but I hope it helps!

I've had battles take a whole 2 or 3 hour session, we break til next week, and it takes the rest of the session to finish. When we did Cragmaw Castle a couple months ago, it was 7 hours of real time. Mostly combat with a few exploratory breaks and resting. My brain hurt by the end. They didn't even kill everyone! A bunch of hobgoblins and goblins retreated.