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

[Quasqueton]

Sometimes people can have valid differences of opinion, it doesn't have to be "My experience is X, therefore your opinion Y is baseless."

And sometimes people can have baseless opinions that need the light of fact.

all your baseless are belong to us?

What you say!

Quasqueton

 

[fredramsey]

And sometimes people can have baseless opinions that need the light of fact.

Well, then let me be the first to thank you for being there to decide what opinions are baseless. We couldn't get by without you.

 

[the Jester]

all your baseless are belong to us?

Diaglo laid teh funny!

 

[SteveC]

One of the best pieces of advice someone gave me about wanting to count squares and figure out the perfect way to move without provoking attacks of opportunity was this:


Pick up dodge and mobility and just suck it up!

I've done that for a recent character and it works pretty darn well. The other players tell me they really appreciate the fact that I end up clearing the way for them. Once I picked up spring attack, it worked even better.

--Steve

 

[Quasqueton]

Well, then let me be the first to thank you for being there to decide what opinions are baseless. We couldn't get by without you.

You're welcome. But you could get by without me. You'd just continue to take 3 hours for a simple combat, come here and complain about it, and this thread would pop up anyway to debate the accuracy of your observation.

Quasqueton

 

[iwatt]

I can't tell you how much time it saves when a Player gets rid of the urge that he *must* do *something* every round of a combat.

All other issues in this thread aside, I think you have a very valid point in this. Part of the problem is that the most valuable comodity in the DnD combat is the "action". It is hard for a player not to do anything, since the chances to do "something" are strictly limited. It get's even worse when the other players start giving dirty looks to the delaying player since his inaction is not "helping" the party.

Anyhow, the biggest casue for delay in my combats is the Ready action. Since my players don't like to delay, they always use ready actions in cases were they can't directly act. The problem of course is that the decision to get "ready" can usually only be taken during your own round (becasue the tactical situation changed), so my players can't have the pre-prepared actions that are essential for fast combat.

 

[wgreen]

Each Player took many minutes to decide exactly what he wanted to do in his round.

Others have covered this pretty well. Players should use other players' turns to decide what to do.

The DM answered a barrage of questions for each potential action: "Is the BBEG looking at me? If I move over here, will he get an attack of opportunity? Can I sheath my bow and pull out my greatsword and charge him?" Etc.

The first question is easy and short; no big deal. A bit odd, though. The second and third are a matter of players just not knowing the rules. If they're new, cut them some slack; if they're not, tell them to learn the freaking rules already.

Players would move their mini on the battlegrid, get told that movement draws an AoO, and then change their minds. They'd count out the movement from one point to another to get the exact measurements. They'd draw area of effects out on the battlemat before deciding whether to cast fireball.

For the first, again, they need to learn the rules. For the second -- how many squares are there to count out? It's typically 4 to 6. That shouldn't be an issue, really. For the last -- this is why God invented Steel Sqwires (www.steelsqwire.com).

Anyway, good job on trimming some of the fat from your combat time!

-Will

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

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

IME it's the exact opposite - players want to know whre they are, where NPCs are, where cool things like the flammable hair products are (only 15 feet from the guy you set on fire last round ... nice!) and, of course, it gives characters the option to box in PCs or NPCs. It also makes increasing your speed actually useful.

For my campaign (it's D20 Modern), we use graph paper and a pencil to track positions, and the biggest problem with that ... not everyone can see the map at the same time. Otherwise combat is pretty fast. (Combat time sometimes goes on and on, but that's independent of whether we use a map or not.)

 

[Ourph]

If you complain about D&D taking too much time to resolve combats, you simply are playing the game wrong.

If you complain about D&D taking too much time to resolve combats, you are simply playing the wrong game.

 

[Psion]

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."

I can see why one might say that.

But I've been chatting with Quas since WebRPG was a gaming hub, and IME he's usually a pretty level headed and informed guy. I just think he's getting fed up with all the histrionics and RPG electioneering.

And I don't blame him.