D&D combats really don't have to take a long time to resolve

[Quasqueton]

At high levels fights can still take over an hour,

How many rounds are you talking about? Have you actually timed the combats? Or are you just guestimating?

I have (and still do) time my combats -- noting the start time and end time on the initiative cards. I started this out of curiousity, and I continue it because it proves to me that all the complaints of time-consuming combats are baseless.

Quasqueton

 

[S'mon]

Same with my gaming statement. If you are not having fun with the game because of lengthy combat, I'm pointing out that you are doing it wrong.

No - if you let players take 30 minutes to decide an action, maybe you are doing it wrong. If you give them 6 seconds and it still takes too long, it's a matter of taste. Many of us like fast combat systems. 3e isn't one of them.

 

[MonsterMash]

Initiative cards help, but I do find 3e combat can be sluggish if using a mat and minis - especially with square counting for manouevers.

 

[Gentlegamer]

What if the distance between the seat and steering wheel is really small, by design? The manufacturer doesn't mention anything about driving it any differently than another car, but the fact remains that the way the car is designed it encourages you to drive with your knees.

 

[S'mon]

How many rounds are you talking about? Have you actually timed the combats? Or are you just guestimating?

About 5 combat rounds typically, with 6-7 PCs level 12+, 2-4 Cohorts, maybe 12+ enemies (possibly 50+, but then they'd usually be very weak). With several spellcaster PCs and Cohorts just counting up the damage dice is a lengthy process, never mind the square-counting.

 

[hexgrid]

All good advice...

In one campaign, I got so frustrated that for a while I tried to stop using the grid entirely. (In the hopes that it would cure the group's paralyzing square counting obsession.)

I also had trouble with attacks of opportunity- players avoided them like the plague. Whenever I pointed out that a particular action would provoke an attack, the players would immediately cancel that action and try to come up with another.

 

[Quasqueton]

It sounds obvious, but it really helps a lot, if the players of the caster-types DON'T have to look through their entire spell list before deciding and DON'T have to look up the spell to find out, what it does exactly.

Yeah, I've seen many spellcaster-Players look over *every* spell they have in an effort to see if they can think of a use for hold portal or floating disk or mage hand in this combat. They seem to think they must find a way to use some miscellaneous spell instead of just zapping with another magic missle.

Quasqueton

 

[S'mon]

And yeah, Quasqueton, I did time (some) of the combats. BTW I find your tone rather patronising. Sometimes people can have valid differences of opinion, it doesn't have to be "My experience is X, therefore your opinion Y is baseless."

 

[diaglo]

all your baseless are belong to us?

 

[Quasqueton]

About 5 combat rounds typically, with 6-7 PCs level 12+, 2-4 Cohorts, maybe 12+ enemies (possibly 50+, but then they'd usually be very weak).

That's a helluva lot of combatants. So 10 good guys vs. 12+ bad guys. 5 combat rounds in 1+ hour (let's call it 1.5). That's 18 minutes per round, say 9 for good guys, 9 for bad guys). That's less than a minute for each character in the fight.

Quasqueton