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<blockquote data-quote="bento" data-source="post: 2913878" data-attributes="member: 36597">I have a group that ranges between 6 and 8 players, often with one who's never played before (its a university gaming group).Our typical combat encounter runs between 45 minutes and 2 hours, going on average of 5 rounds.&nbsp; That's one to three minutes per person.We've done several things to speed it up:- Roll for initiative at the start of the evening- Experienced players talk with newer players on options prior to their turn- Roll both attack and damage at the same time- If you say &quot;I don't know&quot; at the start of your turn, you take an automatic delay and get bumped to the end of the roundYet several things always slow it down:- Not reading spells properly- Side conversations- GM's love for mass combatThe last item I have for speeding up combat seems to help the best because its intended for people who aren't paying attention or just don't know what to do.&nbsp; Often the player will perk up and pay better attention, or an experienced player will help them out with their options.A couple of sessions ago I handed over the GM's reigns to a player and its giving me some new perspectives on the other side of the shield.&nbsp; I've learned that its incredibly hard to stay focused on long combat encounters - I'm now as guilty for the side conversations and zoning out with a book.&nbsp; I've also learned that when a player is doing something different, like trying out a new feat or casting spells offensively for the first time, find a way to make them feel good for trying something new.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="bento, post: 2913878, member: 36597"] I have a group that ranges between 6 and 8 players, often with one who's never played before (its a university gaming group). Our typical combat encounter runs between 45 minutes and 2 hours, going on average of 5 rounds. That's one to three minutes per person. We've done several things to speed it up: - Roll for initiative at the start of the evening - Experienced players talk with newer players on options prior to their turn - Roll both attack and damage at the same time - If you say "I don't know" at the start of your turn, you take an automatic delay and get bumped to the end of the round Yet several things always slow it down: - Not reading spells properly - Side conversations - GM's love for mass combat The last item I have for speeding up combat seems to help the best because its intended for people who aren't paying attention or just don't know what to do. Often the player will perk up and pay better attention, or an experienced player will help them out with their options. A couple of sessions ago I handed over the GM's reigns to a player and its giving me some new perspectives on the other side of the shield. I've learned that its incredibly hard to stay focused on long combat encounters - I'm now as guilty for the side conversations and zoning out with a book. I've also learned that when a player is doing something different, like trying out a new feat or casting spells offensively for the first time, find a way to make them feel good for trying something new. [/QUOTE]

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