D&D 5E (2014) Anyone Using the Optional Initiative from the DMG?

[Paraxis]

I think in popcorn initiative if it comes to your turn and you have delayed once already you can't delay again, so this scenario won't come up.

 

[theRogueRooster]

OK, just trying to understand here, so we have the cleric and the last goblin both delaying their turns because neither of them wants to be second to last. What makes one of them go? If neither of them do, it seems like they should both forfeit their turn and then what?

According to the popcorn article, if it's your turn and the only characters left to act are all delaying, you can't choose to wait. So the above situation shouldn't occur.

 

[Hriston]

According to the popcorn article, if it's your turn and the only characters left to act are all delaying, you can't choose to wait. So the above situation shouldn't occur.

Okay, I reread the article, and I still think there's a way to allow creatures to delay their initiative (or "wait" as the article puts it) and also keep the PCs from controlling initiative at the beginning of every round. Let's assume that one of the PCs has won initiative on the first round and they've all taken their turns except for the cleric. She waits and passes initiative to one of the goblins. All that has to happen is that one of the goblins, not the last one, also waits and then passes initiative to the last goblin. After his turn, he passes initiative back to the cleric, and she has to take her turn because the only remaining goblin is already waiting. Should work, yes?

 

[Iosue]

Haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I'm going to go with side initiative, rolled every round, and using the following combat sequence, modified from Moldvay:

1. Morale
2. Movement (Includes Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Hide, Search, and Use an Object Actions)
3. Missiles/Movement (Attacks with ranged weapons, plus any movement those characters have left over)
4. Magic/Movement/Saves (Cast a Spell, plus any movement those characters have left over, plus any saves that need to be made)
5. Melee/Movement (Attacks with melee weapons, plus any movement those characters have left over)

Reactions can occur whenever triggered.

What I want to do is get that same feel as in Classic D&D, where you didn't have each person do their full turn while the others waited, but the turns were more woven together.

So, a follow-up on this. After two sessions, I'm quite happy with how it's going. The players are 3rd Level, playing the Greenest chapter of HotDQ, and yet I haven't seen any curb stomps, even with the PCs of higher level than expected. I'm not sure if we're actually saving much time over doing it with individual initiative, but it certainly feels lighter, smoother, and faster.