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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lexeme" data-source="post: 5648069" data-attributes="member: 6679682">I'm glad to hear others have found solutions to this that meet their needs, as I had wrestled with it, too.Here is what I have done with my group (not online) to try and address combat length:1) Halve HP of monsters, increase their damage.  This is a place I try and be a bit careful.  Depending on monster role and combat situation it may be 2/3 HP and anywhere between 50% to 100% increase in damage.  Other times, I simply throw in more monsters instead of increased damage.This, overall, has worked well.  Combat still feels threatening/deadly, and heroes feel quite powerful as they mow down the baddies.2) Negative reinforcementWe're all friends, and the table has taken to gently mocking people when they become distracted and aren't ready for their turn.  Obviously, this isn't for everyone, but as long-time friends it hasn't been harmful.  The best part of this is that we're all on the same side.  We want to keep things moving along, and it's all in jest.  If I felt someone was taking it poorly, I'd put the kibosh on it.3) Positive reinforcementI bought a few hourglass style sand timers that count out about 30 seconds.  If a player completes their turn in less than 30 seconds, they get a "+1 card."  This card can be used to add a +1 to any roll.  You can only use 1 at a time, but you can turn in 3 for a +2 or 6 for a roll on a chart of fun effects.  I've found this to be moderately successful, but in the longer-term the novelty may wear thin.4) Make people aware of who is "on deck."  Initiative boards that players can't see make it hard to know when their turn is coming up.  Using a deck of cards and putting the initiative order in front of the players (first in order gets the ace, second gets the two, etc) makes it very obvious when you'll be up soon, reducing the odds that a player has that awkward "oh, it's my turn? *shuffles through papers*" moment.The above don't all help with online play, but hopefully they help someone.I know several of these are common ideas that come from a variety of sources - blogs, these forums, etc., but I figured I'd share them.  If anyone knows of sources, I'd be happy to add links. I haven't read the WotC DDI article yet, so if you have a link, I'd love to read it.  Else, I'll hunt for it after work.Again, I'm glad your group worked through the combat issues.Happy gaming!</blockquote>

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