[Advice Needed] Speeding Up Battle

[I'm A Banana]

HEY EVERYBODY!

I've run into a bit of a dillema that I've noticed only recently, and am looking for ways to solve the problem:

How do I speed up battle?

My group has about 3-4 hours of play a week, and at least half of those are spent in battle...not multipule battles or even big boss-type battles...but simple battles. My 6th level party took a good 3 hours to fight 5 leucrotta.

Admittedly, some of this is party size (I've got about 5-6 PC's, depending on the day, and one of 'em's a druid, so Animal Companions..yipe!)...but there's gotta be some way to speed up the combats so that I can describe them quickly, efficiently, and with all the gusto I love, but have things progress smoothly from round to round.

So I turn to the famous EN Boards, looking for advice: how do I make battle speedy? I know how to make it evocative (and that could be part of the problem. ), so how do I make it feel like only 6 seconds have passed when it could be 15 minutes? And, if possible, how do I shorten it so I can fit more story and plot into the 3-4 hours we have?

I'm not willing to give up combat all together. I'm a firm believer in "at least one combat per day, as long as it makes sense." It breaks up the monotony nicely. But how do I stop the diversion from becoming monotonous itself?

How do I speed up combat?

I need advice, people!

 

[Masked]

find the problem

First make sure it's not you that's slowing down combat. Otherwise, when you start pushing for the players to think faster they'll think you are a jerk.

So, if you're going into combat with a comfortable feeling about your creatures for the night, then you can put the pressure on the players.

Problem #1 - the power gamer that waits until his turn to decide which spell he'll be using so he can kill the most creatures efficiently. He will then flip through the player's book for 3-5 minutes just deciding what to do.

Problem #2 - the plain old indecisive person. This person may or may not have been trying to figure out what they'd do this round, but either way they're still stumped.

Solution - Search through your board games like pictionary, balderdash, etc. and find two of the little hour glass timers that empty out at about the same timing. I bought two for this purpose, because my game shop has everything I could ever need. Meanwhile, I found two timers that are off about 20 seconds from each other. Give the PCs that much time to decide what they're going to do.

You want two timers, so you're not waiting for them to "clear" and be ready for the next round. You alternate using them.

Bonus. Sometimes you want to fill a room with gas or decide how long it takes for the party to figure out how to shut down the trash compactor on level 7. Just sit it out in front of them, and use it to measure time intervals. It's not very fair to only give the PCs 6 seconds of real time between fortitude saves on the gas trap if they're not in combat rounds. It takes a lot longer for you to hear 6 people say they're running like bunnies than it actually takes them to escape in game.

<shrugs>

 

[Crothian]

I've found orginization works the best and keep thinks moving. As player A is going, tell plaers B, C, D, E, and F to think what they are going to do and to be ready. If you trust them you can have them roll dice while you are figureing out what Player A is doing.

 

[jollyninja]

do you really need to describe the combat in every minute detail? if it's not a major battle, is it really important? if it's just some kind of random encounter, does it really matter what sword thechnique each of the hobgoblins is using? I like detail in the "boss fights" but honestly, if it's just combat so that the RP will not become a little dry, unless the monster does something unexpected, don't get to descriptive if you want it to be quick. with alot of animal followers, if that player has any regard for the time of others, he would be planning their actions while the others players take their turns. nothing slows down combat more then someone lacking organizational skills who has alot to take care of. I don't know that this is the case but if it's only a few who are not keeping it quick, talk to them, you don't have alot of time so they should understand that you want to accomplish.

 

[WaterRabbit]

Simple solutions: Role d20 + damage in one roll, so you don't have to roll twice.

Creatues that have multiple attacks: have several sets of colored dice -- I have 4 (blue, green, black, red) roll one set for each attack with same colored damage dice.

Don't allow any player to reference a book during a combat session. When I use to play in games with 12-15 players no books were allowed on the table during combat. If the player doesn't have the info at his finger tips -- too bad. Only the DM can look things up.

Know the rules!

Your players need to know their place in the initiative order. They should be making their decisions while other players are acting. When you call their initiative if they are not ready, then their character has taken the Delay action and move to the next player. Come back to them at the end of the round, if they are still not ready, they lose their action that round.

Bring lots of energy to your voice and movements during combat. If you can raise the energy and excitment your players will follow your lead.

Know the rules! Make sure that your players know the rules.

Know the rules!

Did I mention that you should know the rules ?

 

[LcKedovan]

Heya Jacob!

Most of the advice above is pretty good.. in fact I think I'll steal that little hourglass idea for my sessions . Another thing I do is to really prepare the night or day before for the combats. I set up in my mind what tactics the baddies will use and prepare any battlemats before the session. Drawing takes up a fair amount of time, and it is "downtime" for the players as well. Once our group got to know the rules a bit better things have gone much faster as well.

-Will

 

[Frostmarrow]

I agree with WaterRabbit - know the rules. It's important that the players know the rules for combat. I teach my players in game (in my newbie campaign) how to run fights with all those AOOs, tumble checks, flanking maneuvers, reach and so on. I let them face various opponents as to force them into using their abilities.

Last night one of the characters were imprisoned by a gladiator-owner. The character, an elven rogue, was deeply in debt with the gladiator owner and had signed a contract for five arena bouts (whilst under the influence of alcohol).

The other characters struck a deal with the gladiator-owner that the entire party would fight in one bout if he'd release the elf.

The gladiator-owner's whip-man, Munch, invited the characters to come to the arena early so that he might teach the characters some tricks. They came and Munch told them how to avoid reach, how to set up a flanking attack and so on.

When they entered the arena they realised that they would be fighting two ogres with longspears (reach 15'!). They could immidiately utilise their newly found tactical skills. The characters were victorious. (Also by warning the players that the audience charges the field to beat the contestants up if they see any magic or bows being used made them use throwing weapons instead, something that has never happened before .)

Since we don't play too often I find that I need to teach the players the basics of combat every session. That's why I set things up this way. Combats still take a great deal of time but I'm patient and I repeat, repeat and repeat the rules. I see signs that things are beginning to pick up pace.

If combat takes a lot of time the players will interfere with the other player's decisions, for even more lag. Don't let the characters order each other around more than what one free action each round allows.

 

[Old One]

Other Suggestions...

A number of the above suggestions are good. Adding or expounding...

• Graphical Representation: If you are not always using some type of battlemat/whiteboard/counter/minis set-up, make sure to incorporate that into the combat so everyone can "see" what is happening.
• Notecards: Often recommended on these boards, use 4" x 6" notecards for all PCs and NPCs/critters. Once initiative is rolled, arrange the cards in ininiative order and roll through them. Keep the hit points for the NPCs/opponents on a seperate sheet of paper to the side so you don't have to fumble through the cards.
• Dice: I echo the comments on rolling to hit and damage dice at the same time, it really speeds things up. You could take it a step further and have PCs roll a different colored d20 and damage dice along with the regular set. That way, crit (and fumble) confirmations are made with the initial roll, along with the extra damage dice. As the DM, you should have 10-15 sets of different dice, utilizing different colors for different NPCs/critters and rolling them all at once on your action turn.
• Spell Templates: This site, Spell Templates has ready-to-print templates for many spells...saves the time of drawing them onto a battlemat.
• Ready Information: I require a PC casting a spell to have their PHB open to the spell description when casting it, so any discussion can be quickly handled without fumbling through books.
• Timing: I don't use an egg-timer or mintue glass, but I do cut an indecisive player off after about 30 seconds, ruling they are using full defense for their action

Hope those help!

~ Old One

 

[D'karr]

Our Campaign

This is a cut and paste of an e-mail that I sent to all my players for the two campaigns that I'm currently running.

Just by using this method we have made combat faster and way more exciting. No more waiting around for 20 minutes while the undecisive wizard picks a spell.

Try it out and see how it works for you. It has worked wonders for us.

Some things that I'm going to do tonight to speed things up:
Combat - combat is usually the most time consuming part of the game. This happens because of hesitation and too much fricking thinking about game mechanics. Yes, this is a game but in combat I want you to forget about game mechanics. Combat is a chaotic condition. You don't have much time to weigh your options and you certainly don't want to hesitate (zig when you should have zagged). I'm going to make it so that combat simulates this environment. This is something that I do with the other group and it works rather well. Some of my current tiredness with the game might have been prevented if I had instituted this earlier.

Tonight and until the end of this campaign I'm going to be using the 6 second rule (this only applies to my campaign, other DMs can do what feels right for them). I'll explain how this works.

We will roll initiative as always. I will ask for your initiative number from left to right or right to left. Don't yell out your Initiative number until I call you. I have to write them down to keep track of it. After initiative, I will explain the combat situation as best as I can, if you have any questions about the combat situation this is the time to ask them. Once I finish with the description, Combat begins:

On your initiative pass (when I call your PC's name) you must declare what you are doing within 6 seconds of being called (you can be as descriptive as you want, I'd prefer that better than "I hit him"). Your description can take more than six seconds. If you are using a game mechanic (feat or combat maneuver) such as dodge, charge, expertise, just to name a few, this is the time to say that you are "Dodging the big ogre." If you don't state the use of that specific action you are screwed. I will not implement the modifiers, etc. If you need to ask a question about if you can or cannot do something, this is not the time to do it. Forget about the game mechanics - State what you want your PC to do, let ME worry about what the rules/game mechanics are. Believe me this saves a ton of time. If you hesitate on what you plan to do, tough titty. Hesitation is deadly. Your PC will lose his initiative pass (delay action). In combat this can hurt a lot.

If you are attacking or casting spells and it requires random rolls (for damage, to hit, etc.), roll the dice while you are describing the action. Roll your attack and damage together. Save us/me some time. The only slight exception to this is the "FULL ATTACK ACTION". If you use the full attack action you roll all your To Hit and Damage dice together but if your first attack kills the creature, you don't have to use the other attacks on the same creature. You can actually do something else. I will explain this in person so that there is no confusion.

Spellcasters: You have the same 6 seconds as everyone else - prepare in advance. When I call your PC's name you have 6 seconds to cast your spell, if now you have to look up your spell in the PHB to determine what it does you just wasted our time and hesitated in combat. Guess what, you'll lose your turn. This is very critical for spellcasters. Your initiative is usually lower than everyone else, you have time to look things up. When your PC's initiative pass comes around you need to have ready the following - what spell you are casting, who the target is, what is the range of the spell, what the save for it is and any special considerations. If I call your PCs name and you have to refer to the PHB to look this stuff up, you lose. Just don't do it. In combat you probably have a specific repertoire of spells you cast. Have that information handy. In the time that others are conducting their combat actions you can be looking up your spell information.

Distances: 3E D&D uses a very simplistic wargaming style for its combat. Due to this we will not premeasure any distances. The combat grid is there to make it easy to draw the combat environment but don't use it to premeasure distances. This is not monopoly, trouble or the game of Life. Don't use the squares to jump around the board and if you don't like where you end up decide to jump around another route. I'm going to use a ruler to measure distances, not the grid. I have templates for some spell effects. What am I trying to say here? Just play the game as if you were actually the PC on the board. If you see an orc and you would charge, then charge. Don't start jumping around the board like a jumping bean to see which way is shorter to the enemy. Am I making sense?

PAY ATTENTION:
If during my description of what is happening - before you are engaged in combat (see above) you have questions ask them. That is the only time that I will give a detailed description. During combat the combat situation is constantly changing. New combatants enter the fray, combatants die, combatants move, etc. All these thing I will describe as the NPCs turn comes around. PAY ATTENTION. If I say that the orcs are 80' away from you and you decide you want to charge, good. You just charged 60' your AC is at a -2 penalty and you haven't even reached your opponent. That could have been avoided if you had paid attention to the description.

Why all this? Because that is how combat should be. Chaotic and fast. If a combat takes more than an hour to complete we are fiddle farting around.

We will discuss this before starting tonight so everyone is on the same sheet of music.

This is definitely not for everyone but it works great for my two groups which each have 6-7 players. I still get to be as descriptive with combat as before. The players still get to describe those things they want but we don't waste time with game mechanics delays.

I know somebody mentioned this but "KNOW THE RULES". It will save you a ton of time.

Good Luck.

 

[Oracular Vision]

Some good suggestions here.

I would also try to give all the bad guys the same initiative (except leaders and spellcasters, who should have their own usually). This saves the most time.

Tell the players not to move the miniatures - they will play chess, take back moves, etc. Tell them they do what they say, and you move the miniatures. This saves lots of time too.

The idea about having the players with the PHB open to cast the spell is great. So many of the spells are different, old timers remember things the old way sometimes. Looking up things sucks the time away. As others said, the index card idea works, tied to a separate list of hitpoints, initiative order, and I also add AC, attacks and damage, as I don't want to rifle through cards. Preparation by you can save loads of time.

Try to get the players to set their move and also say what they want to say (a sentence or two at most). Six seconds may be a little harsh, but find what works for you. Players will sit there and do nothing. Most of what D'Karr says is crunchy, use it well.

Remember to enforce the drawing new weapons, getting things out of backpack, etc., rules. Players will always miraculously have just what they need if you don't. I even went so far as to make charts showing what they were carrying with sticky notes, but it slowed the game too much. I make the players have a standard weapon, and a standard list of things in their hands. They can change them before combats, and during at the cost of actions, but being unprepared should cost them. Make the bad guys have the same limitations.

I see no need for the DM to have 15 sets of different colored die. Five is about all you ever need, its too much cataloging results otherwise.

Even though the 3E creators forgot about any morale rules, you should have some, only stupid creatures of animal or less intelligence will fight to the death against impossible odds, most others will run if things are going badly. Or surrender. Surrendering can cause the party all sorts of problems. What are they going to do with 50 goblins? They won't be murdering them if LG party members are present, and it should definately come back to haunt them later if they do. Terminating combat before all-out slaughter occurs will also speed it up.

Having a nice big play area speeds things up because everyone has everything they need right in front of them.

Good luck...