MNblockhead
A Title Much Cooler Than Anything on the Old Site
I see many threads in this and other forums discussing how to make combat--especially higher-level combat--less of a slog in D&D.
I admit as my current campaign hit tier four, in a setting and with characters that are pretty gonzo, I began getting self conscious as a GM at how long combats were taking and how they tended to get caught up in tactical minutia. I'm not talking about making them more challenging or interesting or dynamic. More dynamic and challenging encounters do not make them shorter. In fact, in my experience, the opposite is the case. Trying to speed things up just makes things feel forced and can backfire if players feel overly pressured.
Then I noticed something. The players would intentionally take on challenges that they KNOW would be slogs of combat. For example, in my current campaign there is a side area they could easily ignor in favor of more plot-rich and and narratively interesting encounters. But there is a potential big pay off and the large number of creatures are evil and they have been a background, unbeatable faction that the players have been aware of for almost two of the over three years we have been playing this campaign.
They now feel confident that they have a chance to defeat this faction and have decided to take it on in our next session. This can easily become a 4-6 hour combat. The players know this and they want to play it.
Another thing that's making me more comfortable with combat slog is listening to the Glass Cannon Podcast. Listening to some of their many hours long high-level Pathfinder combats make me realize that they enjoy a similar style that my current group does. And I find it interesting to listen to.
Tactically interesting and meaningful, long, crunchy combats have a place in my games. Many players might find it as interesting as watching paint dry. But highly tactical wargame-inspired combats still have a place in modern D&D. About the only thing I'm really changing at tier 4 play in 5e is that for certain encounters, where enemies are woefully overmatched by the players, I narrate the result rather the playing through every minor encounter.
Does anyone else enjoy long, drawn-out combats?
I admit as my current campaign hit tier four, in a setting and with characters that are pretty gonzo, I began getting self conscious as a GM at how long combats were taking and how they tended to get caught up in tactical minutia. I'm not talking about making them more challenging or interesting or dynamic. More dynamic and challenging encounters do not make them shorter. In fact, in my experience, the opposite is the case. Trying to speed things up just makes things feel forced and can backfire if players feel overly pressured.
Then I noticed something. The players would intentionally take on challenges that they KNOW would be slogs of combat. For example, in my current campaign there is a side area they could easily ignor in favor of more plot-rich and and narratively interesting encounters. But there is a potential big pay off and the large number of creatures are evil and they have been a background, unbeatable faction that the players have been aware of for almost two of the over three years we have been playing this campaign.
They now feel confident that they have a chance to defeat this faction and have decided to take it on in our next session. This can easily become a 4-6 hour combat. The players know this and they want to play it.
Another thing that's making me more comfortable with combat slog is listening to the Glass Cannon Podcast. Listening to some of their many hours long high-level Pathfinder combats make me realize that they enjoy a similar style that my current group does. And I find it interesting to listen to.
Tactically interesting and meaningful, long, crunchy combats have a place in my games. Many players might find it as interesting as watching paint dry. But highly tactical wargame-inspired combats still have a place in modern D&D. About the only thing I'm really changing at tier 4 play in 5e is that for certain encounters, where enemies are woefully overmatched by the players, I narrate the result rather the playing through every minor encounter.
Does anyone else enjoy long, drawn-out combats?