I generally roll initiative for all (or at least 4 groups) of monsters. Then end result is that the monsters and PCs are generally broken up and do not get as much of a chance to gang up on someone. It has helped me stay honest and not swarm a single PC when all the monsters are the same and go on the same initiative count.
D&D 5E Anyone Using the Optional Initiative from the DMG?
Nebulous
Legend
I am personally quite bored of the default initiative system we've used since 2e. I like the more chaotic nature of rolling every round, OR, as mentioned, just going before the bad guys if you rolled higher. But I would have to convince my players. I mentioned before today somewhere, they like RAW, and if there's not a perceived problem with something then they don't have an interest in changing it "just to see what happens."
Iosue
Legend
In Expert D&D, it was fantastic for large groups because there are essentially three lines -- no waiting. Your turn is not decided by a roll, but rather what you decide to do.
But Expert D&D had a lot less moving parts than 5e. The biggest issue that I can foresee is bonus actions. In my particular case, my group is quite small -- only four players. However, they are all veterans of Expert D&D and AD&D, with no experience with the action economy of 3e or 4e. So in our games so far we have a lot of time bleed from setting up the initiative order, then having each player go in turn, considering their actions, looking at different routes, things like that. While it's one person's turn, the others are in Wait mode, not wholly involved. Or at least, not actively engaged in the play of the game. I'm willing to take a slight increase in time in aggregate if players are more engaged throughout the process.
On the DM side, with Expert D&D I found this supremely easy to run. There, defensive movement (withdrawals and retreats) and spell casting have to announced before initiative, so I'd just say, "Any movement? Any magic?" before rolling. If the answer was nay, then we rolled initiative, at which point I'd just announce the phases, and the players worked out the order -- basically, in order of who spoke up first. Players who had a good idea of what they were going to do could just go, without waiting for more deliberative players, while the deliberative players could take some time to consider their movement or targets without feeling pressured.
One thing to note, though, is that due to Bounded Accuracy, combat can be as swingy or more than Classic D&D, especially at low levels. As the DMG indicates, using this kind of side initiative could result in some curb stomps. I'll report again when I've had more opportunity to playtest this.
Mouseferatu
Hero
What I'm tempted to do, myself, is...
1) Everyone rolls init, but it only matters what the highest roll is. That person goes first.
2) At the end of that person's turn, DM rolls a [d6, d8, whatever's best for the number of PCs and monster groups] to see who goes next.
3) Continue rolling randomly to see who goes next after each turn. A round is over when everyone's gone once.
This keeps initiative fluid/random, without requiring a whole mess of rolls and math at the start of each round. As long as the DM has the PCs and monsters ordered out and ready to go, we're talking about something that should add maybe a few seconds per round, total.
And it has the advantage of forcing everyone to stay engaged, since they don't know when their turn will come up.
1) Everyone rolls init, but it only matters what the highest roll is. That person goes first.
2) At the end of that person's turn, DM rolls a [d6, d8, whatever's best for the number of PCs and monster groups] to see who goes next.
3) Continue rolling randomly to see who goes next after each turn. A round is over when everyone's gone once.
This keeps initiative fluid/random, without requiring a whole mess of rolls and math at the start of each round. As long as the DM has the PCs and monsters ordered out and ready to go, we're talking about something that should add maybe a few seconds per round, total.
And it has the advantage of forcing everyone to stay engaged, since they don't know when their turn will come up.
trentonjoe
Explorer
Used it tionight. I loved it, players liked it.
Made the game more "tactical". Definitely something new for a long time player like myself.
Mouseferatu
Hero
Okay, those of you who've used popcorn...
What's to keep the group from picking one order that's tactically advantageous most of the time and just never deviating?
For instance, the group I'm running consists of a paladin, a fighter, a wildshape-focused druid, and a cleric. As things stand, if the cleric rolls a high initiative, she usually readies an action rather than going immediately; she likes going late in the round.
Something like 90% of the time, they're just going to go fighter-druid-paladin-monster-cleric. (The fighter often wins initiative, since she has the relevant feat.)
I like the popcorn idea if it actually does vary and require tactical thinking, but--at least for the first round of every combat--I don't think it would vary with this group.
What's to keep the group from picking one order that's tactically advantageous most of the time and just never deviating?
For instance, the group I'm running consists of a paladin, a fighter, a wildshape-focused druid, and a cleric. As things stand, if the cleric rolls a high initiative, she usually readies an action rather than going immediately; she likes going late in the round.
Something like 90% of the time, they're just going to go fighter-druid-paladin-monster-cleric. (The fighter often wins initiative, since she has the relevant feat.)
I like the popcorn idea if it actually does vary and require tactical thinking, but--at least for the first round of every combat--I don't think it would vary with this group.
Mouseferatu
Hero
(That's why I suggested my random option, above. It'd shake things up while enforcing some variety.)
Blackwarder
Adventurer
What's a popcorn initiative?
Warder
Warder
Mouseferatu
Hero
It's the one they were just describing, where each character chooses who goes after them.
I have no clue why it's called that.
I have no clue why it's called that.
Hriston
Dungeon Master of Middle-earth
Okay, those of you who've used popcorn...
What's to keep the group from picking one order that's tactically advantageous most of the time and just never deviating?
For instance, the group I'm running consists of a paladin, a fighter, a wildshape-focused druid, and a cleric. As things stand, if the cleric rolls a high initiative, she usually readies an action rather than going immediately; she likes going late in the round.
Something like 90% of the time, they're just going to go fighter-druid-paladin-monster-cleric. (The fighter often wins initiative, since she has the relevant feat.)
I like the popcorn idea if it actually does vary and require tactical thinking, but--at least for the first round of every combat--I don't think it would vary with this group.
Haven't used it myself, but my understanding of popcorn initiative is that when you have the initiative you get to pick who has it next, so if your group is fighting multiple monsters, break up the monsters' initiative so you can throw it back to the cleric before all the monsters have had a turn. That way the rest of the monsters go at the end of the round and get to award themselves initiative for the beginning of the next round. If it's just one monster, though, you're probably right. It would be very easy to get stuck with the same initiative order from encounter to encounter.
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