I realize a lot of this has been said already. My take
(I actually a 10 hour game last week that was pretty cool. About 5 hours was one fight.... 3 pcs vs one creature)
1. Less die rolling. not more.
The ideal game is this: there are only two things going on the players acting and my describing the world. Dice, computers, fiddling with palms, its all distracting. People like to feel like their decision making is important. If they spend 80% of their time dice rolling then the players don't matter.
I have pregenerated sheets of numbers (a friend made a web page for me) that i just print off. (at work now don't have the addy). If two 2 PCs are surrounded by 6 acid shamblers I glance at the numbers one 20 and the rest below 16? You don't need to talk about every swing, just describe the shambler's slow plodding movements, how easy it is to keep them at bay and the lucky shot one of them got jarring Sir Xerces' shield arm.
Whenever you need something rolled ask the PCs to roll. Especially if its not important just have them roll their own posion damage or whatever. They see it. They can't complain and you can be figuring out what the poison does.
Dierolling is the single most time consuming and unnessessary ritual. Save it for those important fights.
2. Organization.
When I'm ready for a battle and I'm not its pretty obvious. Ideally all the monster sheets are on a clipboard or in a binder so you can flip at will.
3. You MUST describe. I know. I don't always do this but you must not only decribe but actually try to see what the situation is like. Maybe an enemy has lept up on a table its a lot easier to tumble through that square by going under the table.
4. switch up the types of fighting. This is often not thought about but its actually just good for your sanity.
Some monsters are charge in and kill them or be killed types. Some are strategic. Some aren't too excited about fighting and aren't going to stick around.
Charge in and kill them types are fun and easy. But even they should be strategic. Look at the last 5 or 10 encounters you've had. Did the monsters approach (maybe talk for a bit) and then start hacking? Throw in somebody who's happy to inflict a wound, wait for the posion to knock somebody unconcious and then come back later.
5. IGNORE THE CRS
This is kinda like sacrelidge. One of my PCs constantly complains whenever I do this (but he keeps coming back for more). Orc killing ranks a close second behind die rolling for being a huge waste of time.
Don't limit yourself to having a bunch of same-CR-level creatures. Its unnatural. Have some weak stuff floating around but if you're going to spend 2 hours on it then the PCs should care about it.
Give them challeneging encounters and reward them well for it.
6 Other really good advice was said above, of course.
a. Change environments
b. Motivation that AFFECTS combat. Maybe the brooding warrior has a complex backstory. Ideally it'll reflect itself in his actions. Foes that have goals in combat, pecular habits (even just pointing out who they're going to kill next after they're done with whoever they're facing now), codes of honor, specific targets, items they want to take from the PCs, things they want to get to before the PCs, etc.
Glad things have already improved, btw, sleeponcouches. Some sessions are just better than others.
(I actually a 10 hour game last week that was pretty cool. About 5 hours was one fight.... 3 pcs vs one creature)
1. Less die rolling. not more.
The ideal game is this: there are only two things going on the players acting and my describing the world. Dice, computers, fiddling with palms, its all distracting. People like to feel like their decision making is important. If they spend 80% of their time dice rolling then the players don't matter.
I have pregenerated sheets of numbers (a friend made a web page for me) that i just print off. (at work now don't have the addy). If two 2 PCs are surrounded by 6 acid shamblers I glance at the numbers one 20 and the rest below 16? You don't need to talk about every swing, just describe the shambler's slow plodding movements, how easy it is to keep them at bay and the lucky shot one of them got jarring Sir Xerces' shield arm.
Whenever you need something rolled ask the PCs to roll. Especially if its not important just have them roll their own posion damage or whatever. They see it. They can't complain and you can be figuring out what the poison does.
Dierolling is the single most time consuming and unnessessary ritual. Save it for those important fights.
2. Organization.
When I'm ready for a battle and I'm not its pretty obvious. Ideally all the monster sheets are on a clipboard or in a binder so you can flip at will.
3. You MUST describe. I know. I don't always do this but you must not only decribe but actually try to see what the situation is like. Maybe an enemy has lept up on a table its a lot easier to tumble through that square by going under the table.
4. switch up the types of fighting. This is often not thought about but its actually just good for your sanity.
Some monsters are charge in and kill them or be killed types. Some are strategic. Some aren't too excited about fighting and aren't going to stick around.
Charge in and kill them types are fun and easy. But even they should be strategic. Look at the last 5 or 10 encounters you've had. Did the monsters approach (maybe talk for a bit) and then start hacking? Throw in somebody who's happy to inflict a wound, wait for the posion to knock somebody unconcious and then come back later.
5. IGNORE THE CRS
This is kinda like sacrelidge. One of my PCs constantly complains whenever I do this (but he keeps coming back for more). Orc killing ranks a close second behind die rolling for being a huge waste of time.
Don't limit yourself to having a bunch of same-CR-level creatures. Its unnatural. Have some weak stuff floating around but if you're going to spend 2 hours on it then the PCs should care about it.
Give them challeneging encounters and reward them well for it.
6 Other really good advice was said above, of course.
a. Change environments
b. Motivation that AFFECTS combat. Maybe the brooding warrior has a complex backstory. Ideally it'll reflect itself in his actions. Foes that have goals in combat, pecular habits (even just pointing out who they're going to kill next after they're done with whoever they're facing now), codes of honor, specific targets, items they want to take from the PCs, things they want to get to before the PCs, etc.
Glad things have already improved, btw, sleeponcouches. Some sessions are just better than others.
