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<blockquote data-quote="CleverNickName" data-source="post: 8743600" data-attributes="member: 50987">My gaming group has 5 players, and combat can be a bit of a grind sometimes.&nbsp; A couple of things we've found that help speed the game up:<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Spell cards. They aren't cheap, but if you can afford them, it makes preparing your spells a lot easier.&nbsp; If you play online, ask your spellcasters to keep a browser tab open to a hyperlinked spell list (we use Roll20, but D&amp;D Beyond and others have this feature.)</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Group Initiative. Especially for large groups of monsters.&nbsp; Have all of the monsters go on Initiative 12, or make one d20 roll for all of the monsters' initiatives.&nbsp; This will cut down on the &quot;hey you skipped me!&quot; factor, which can really cause combat to snag.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Use less combat.&nbsp; Seriously, if combat is bogging down the game, just use less combat!&nbsp; Not every monster interaction needs to be a three-hour long combat sequence, and not every trip across town needs to cross paths with bandits and pickpockets.&nbsp; That reminds me...</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Talk to your players. Get their input on the pacing of the game, and how much combat they are expecting.&nbsp; If they want a full-on combat simulator, with 10-15 minutes of roleplaying between battles, you're going to have a lot of tracking on your hands--you might want to invest in some electronic tools to help you.&nbsp; But if they are only expecting one massive, epic battle per gaming session, you can pull out all the stops and make it memorable.</li>
</ul>Hope this is helpful.&nbsp; Happy gaming!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="CleverNickName, post: 8743600, member: 50987"] My gaming group has 5 players, and combat can be a bit of a grind sometimes. A couple of things we've found that help speed the game up: [LIST] [*][B]Spell cards. [/B] They aren't cheap, but if you can afford them, it makes preparing your spells a lot easier. If you play online, ask your spellcasters to keep a browser tab open to a hyperlinked spell list (we use Roll20, but D&D Beyond and others have this feature.) [*][B]Group Initiative. [/B] Especially for large groups of monsters. Have all of the monsters go on Initiative 12, or make one d20 roll for all of the monsters' initiatives. This will cut down on the "hey you skipped me!" factor, which can really cause combat to snag. [*][B]Use less combat.[/B] Seriously, if combat is bogging down the game, just use less combat! Not every monster interaction needs to be a three-hour long combat sequence, and not every trip across town needs to cross paths with bandits and pickpockets. That reminds me... [*][B]Talk to your players. [/B] Get their input on the pacing of the game, and how much combat they are expecting. If they want a full-on combat simulator, with 10-15 minutes of roleplaying between battles, you're going to have a lot of tracking on your hands--you might want to invest in some electronic tools to help you. But if they are only expecting one massive, epic battle per gaming session, you can pull out all the stops and make it memorable. [/LIST] Hope this is helpful. Happy gaming! [/QUOTE]

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