Do your combats take a lot of Real Time to play out? Why?

[Kid Charlemagne]

I'd really like someone to actually time their combats over the next few weeks rather than say what they feel. Again, no offense, but personal judgement really isn't good for this kind of thing.

I've got two sessions with two different groups coming up over the next couple of weekends. I'll try and time them (although I'm not sure how many fights the one group is likely to get in.

 

[EP]

I'm afraid my group runs into the same problem as yours, Quas: too many questions. Uncertaintly and constantly trying to figure out if that one action will be the perfect one always seems to slow things down dramatically. I've been working to speed it up and hold them to a reasonable time limit - I have a skull-shaped hourglass and I turn it over whenever they start getting indecisive. It holds about 30 seconds worth of sand and if they haven't announced their actions by that time, they lose their turn.

I tried to explain this to the players once: your characters must be thinking at a mile/second and so your tactics as players should match that. You don't have time to think about 20 options before making a move, you have to evaluate the scene quickly and MOVE or else your enemies will pounce all over you. To prove me point, I pulled out my watch and asked someone to grab something from the fridge down the hall. He came back in about 15 seconds. I pointed out it took him 2.5 rounds to get milk. Ever since then, they've been better and take the hint when I turn the glass.

But I'm curious to start timing the combat next time. When that happens, I'll post it and compare to what everyone else finds.

 

[Odhanan]

Combats that take half an hour occur at our game table mainly because players wait until it's their turn to choose what actions they take and then roll their dice.

When I play, I make my tactical choices while it's not my turn, I have always several d20s ready and if the DM is okay with it I roll them for all my attacks/actions before it's my turn to speak.

Players start to get the hint when I skip their turn because they are taking too long to decide what to do. "You -player- hesitate? That means your character hesitates as well." Next! Combats became a lot faster after that.

 

[diaglo]

I wish I could, but I am not running D&D currently.

I based my estimation on the fact that our sessions last about 6 hours (noon to 6:30 with a 30 minute meal break) - we typically stopped for a meal around 4 pm and when possible I would delay combats until after the break knowing we could usually get it done before the end of the session with time left over for wrap-up.

Of course, sometimes sessions ended mid-combat as well. . . but this was rare.

I did have very detailed records of the round-length of combats for the campaign.

something similar.

the last 100 six hour sessions of d02 equals avg of 1.98 combats per session after looking back over my player journal. time consumed per combat equals 33.33333 minutes per combat.

edit: but this is with a very good group imnsho

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Yup

Reasons:

Players deciding what to do.

OOG talking/joking

Drink runs

Potty runs

DM deciding what all his baddies are gonna do

Looking up spells

 

[Aust Diamondew]

If everyone is focused it goes fast, if people don't pay attention on their turns and goof off it goes very slow. People being indescisive or not knowing how a fairly common rule works can be a problem.

 

[Corsair]

Our recent fights have been slow for a few extra reasons:

Many many many many combatants on both sides.

Many combatants with complicated or extra abilities (primarily devis and spellcasters).

 

[Herremann the Wise]

I think the prime reasons for combat taking too long are:

Rules
- The DM not knowing their PCS and Monsters abilities and the rules that govern them sufficiently. Before each session, I go through all expected encounters and copy and paste stuff out of the SRD that will be relevant - and then I make sure I know it.

Organisation
- Players being disorganised - particularly spellcasters and summoners. I provide my players with spell cards and monster cards and I make them use them. (This is not just for them either; I refer to them to when necessary too).
- With initiative, I have my most coke-fueled non-spellcaster track the initiative sheet. I make sure when they say who's next, they say who's after that at the same time.
- Comprehensive character sheets. If a player has to work stuff out and it takes too long, then whatever it is that they are working out should be on their sheet - for example if they wildshape into a dire bear, what attacks do they now have.

Awareness
- Lack of adequate description from the DM. This means that PCs have to ask too many questions to fill in the gaps on their turn. With good description, the players will be aware of what's happening and any questions asked can be quickly answered.
- Players trying to play highly competent characters. This manifests itself by players trying to get answers to questions that reflect their character's ability. Unfortunately, this can turn into repeated "what if I do this, will I have to cop that" questions so they can choose the optimal solution. Classic analysis paralysis I suppose. This is even worse as a DM, DMing five other DMs. They need to trust your ruling rather than arguing "but I would have ruled it different because of this and that... oh,... I didn't understand that he had that ability...sorry".

Dice-Rolling???
I have never found rolling dice and adding up numbers to take too long even though this is most likely the first thing people say. I simply think this is not true. It is more a case of rolling dice combined with one of the above that takes time. For example, if you have to look up what dice to use, then this is more an organisational issue rather than a dice rolling and calculating issue.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

PS: I'll time my next session's encounters using Q's format and post back next week.

 

[Harmon]

Our present group does fairly well, intuitive cards are used, people have dice ready. One Player consistently has problems with AoO and such, while another is distracted often (whether its tending to a baby, sleeping, or trying to get a load of laundry done). The other two know the game and the rules, the GM is fluid and patient.

Not sure about your time table, seems to take you a bit longer to get through fights then us, but I understand.

Suggestions- cut table talk during combat, suggest the people look up their spells (know the area, range, etc), use intuitive cards, use a stop watch (“a round is six seconds, you can not see the entire combat, make your choice and stick to it. You have one minute when I turn your card”), and suggest that each Player figure out what they are going to do before their card is pulled (“Allen you are right after Dave, so be ready. Dave- your time starts now”).

(Oh, with the one-minute time table per person, cut that by five seconds per week until things seem more fluid, then slowly stop using it without alerting the Players. Should they start taking to long with their rounds again then start using the watch.)


When we played Champions at a library we had such a large group that our GM would start the combat, Players would take their turn and go to the store and back before their next turn would come up. It was terrible.

Best of luck, hope to hear that things are going better soon.

 

[Al'Kelhar]

A combat round is six seconds, people. And everyone's acting simultaneously. Emphasise that to your players when they start trying to optimise everything that they're doing in combat. When you're fighting for your life, you'd better be working by instinct, because decision-making is difficult, if not impossible. That's why soldiers train, train, and then train some more. D&D combat should not be reduced to a tabletop game, and players should not be able to spend 10 minutes working out the best possible actions their character can take.

IMC, people get around 30 seconds to make and implement a combat decision. If they can't they miss their turn. Spellcasters have some leeway for looking up the precise effects of spells, but they have to be able to decide which spell to cast in the time given.

Cheers, Al'Kelhar