-
NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
I swing my sword
- Thread starter Stormonu
- Start date
Lanefan
Victoria Rules
One thing to keep in mind - and this is coming from an old-school sword-swinger - is that there gets to be a limit on how much descriptive narrative you can put to it all without getting really repetitious. Sure, in the campaign's first few combats - and in high-tension BBEG fights - there's lots of creative narrative one can use. But when the campaign's been going for 3 years and all the narrative ideas have run out, "I swing my sword" will more than do...until a crit or a fumble comes along... 
As for tactics, unless the battle's taking place in a confined area I usually assume some minor movement takes place during the combat but I can't be bothered to shift all the minis every time unless said movement (e.g. intentionally pushing forward to allow others to get in) materially affects the battle.
Lan-"my sword swings itself"-efan
As for tactics, unless the battle's taking place in a confined area I usually assume some minor movement takes place during the combat but I can't be bothered to shift all the minis every time unless said movement (e.g. intentionally pushing forward to allow others to get in) materially affects the battle.
Lan-"my sword swings itself"-efan
Sometimes less is more.
When you have newer versions of (A)D&D and a shell full of splatbooks, it's easy to do things in countless of game-mechanical ways. It's like getting cable-tv and then some more. Just choose from x amount of races, classes, feats and spells. Creativity? Just choose.
Choose between three classes and after dying thrice, you are actually required to be creative.
When you have newer versions of (A)D&D and a shell full of splatbooks, it's easy to do things in countless of game-mechanical ways. It's like getting cable-tv and then some more. Just choose from x amount of races, classes, feats and spells. Creativity? Just choose.
Choose between three classes and after dying thrice, you are actually required to be creative.
A flannel shirt
First Post
hi
I think it really all comes down to personal style and the style that is the game.
There are always things to consider when running any combat.
Tactics:
As a mage that is out of spells, do I go run straight into the barbarian we are fighting and dagger it out with the guy with the giant great sword? HELL no!
I pick up rocks and throw them and hide behind my own barbarian with the great sword.
End result is still, I swing my sword / throw a rock / use my sling. So what?
That is the style of the game that is what I expect.
Style:
MinistryOfGame posted that he uses a "Feng Shui fighting heroism". To which I can understand as being kind of fun, but not for me. I am playing DnD as a fighter. I am going into this game knowing that my actions will be nothing more than swing, hit/miss, rinse/repeat. If done with any type of speed it doesn't become boring for me. I don't play DnD looking for Feng Shui.
What I find annoying is the elaborate descriptions of actions that will result in NOTHING for your attack!
I'm running a game of star wars saga and our group is escaping from a building. (Yes they actually ran - how about that) To speed the story up we get to an elevator and enter the elevator. One of the jedi cuts a hole in the top of the elevator and climbs up into the shaft. He then stands up OOC and goes on for about 10 minutes how his Jedi is standing with his saber at a 52 degree angle (proceeds to demonstrate) and will attack anything that enters the shaft. I look at him and say, next time don't waste 10 minutes and just say you are reading an action. The extra stuff you added won't make a difference.
This is also the same guy that when he runs a game makes sure he narrartes every death blow. You strike at the skeleton so hard his head spins around at least 15 times. Once his head stops spinning the skeleton looks at you and says owe before he falls to the ground as a pile of bones. This gets highly annoying after every single death.
The way I understand the OP is that he recapped a round of combat that just happened? I was there I don't need someone telling me what just happened. Let me roll my dice and get on with it. Then again I've always been more of a tactical person than a cinematic.
There is no right or wrong, just difference in style.
I think it really all comes down to personal style and the style that is the game.
There are always things to consider when running any combat.
Tactics:
As a mage that is out of spells, do I go run straight into the barbarian we are fighting and dagger it out with the guy with the giant great sword? HELL no!
I pick up rocks and throw them and hide behind my own barbarian with the great sword.
End result is still, I swing my sword / throw a rock / use my sling. So what?
That is the style of the game that is what I expect.
Style:
MinistryOfGame posted that he uses a "Feng Shui fighting heroism". To which I can understand as being kind of fun, but not for me. I am playing DnD as a fighter. I am going into this game knowing that my actions will be nothing more than swing, hit/miss, rinse/repeat. If done with any type of speed it doesn't become boring for me. I don't play DnD looking for Feng Shui.
What I find annoying is the elaborate descriptions of actions that will result in NOTHING for your attack!
I'm running a game of star wars saga and our group is escaping from a building. (Yes they actually ran - how about that) To speed the story up we get to an elevator and enter the elevator. One of the jedi cuts a hole in the top of the elevator and climbs up into the shaft. He then stands up OOC and goes on for about 10 minutes how his Jedi is standing with his saber at a 52 degree angle (proceeds to demonstrate) and will attack anything that enters the shaft. I look at him and say, next time don't waste 10 minutes and just say you are reading an action. The extra stuff you added won't make a difference.
This is also the same guy that when he runs a game makes sure he narrartes every death blow. You strike at the skeleton so hard his head spins around at least 15 times. Once his head stops spinning the skeleton looks at you and says owe before he falls to the ground as a pile of bones. This gets highly annoying after every single death.
The way I understand the OP is that he recapped a round of combat that just happened? I was there I don't need someone telling me what just happened. Let me roll my dice and get on with it. Then again I've always been more of a tactical person than a cinematic.
There is no right or wrong, just difference in style.
Melee Combat: The musical.
When you're a Jet,
You're a Jet all the way
From your first cigarette
To your last dyin' day.
When you're a Jet,
If the spit hits the fan,
You got brothers around,
You're a family man!
You're never alone,
You're never disconnected!
You're home with your own:
When company's expected,
You're well protected!
Then you are set
With a capital J,
Which you'll never forget
Till they cart you away.
When you're a Jet,
You stay a Jet!
Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Company / Boosey & Hawkes
For further illustration, see video for Michael Jackson, [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xy2HzYra_s"]"Beat It"[/ame]
Last edited:
Advance! Advance!
Advance! Advance!
[Chorus: Ludacris and (Shawna)]
When I swing you swing (just like that?)
When I swing you swing (just like that?)
When I swing you swing (just like that?)
Hell yeah! Hey DM bring that back!
(When I swing you swing) just like that?
(When I swing you swing) just like that?
(When I swing you swing) just like that?
(Hell yeah, Hey DM bring that back!)
How you ain't gon' FIGHT! 'Fraid of me?
I'm the pantheon's reason you an NPC
Guard you don't have to stop me
I'm young, good, and strong for all to see
BLAOW! We ain't got nothing to worry about
Whoop ass, let the Watch carry em out
Watch out for the medallion my diamonds are wreckless
Feels like a GOBLIN is hanging from my necklace
I pulled up wit a million XP
Looking, smelling, feeling like a million GP!
Pass the bottles, the heat is on
We in the huddle all smoking that Cheech & Chong
What's wrong?! The hall and moon is full
And I'm lookin for a HOT young maiden to pull
One sure shot way to get em outta them clothes
Take note of old school moves, like this...
When I swing you swing (just like that?)
When I swing you swing (just like that?)
When I swing you swing (just like that?)
Hell yeah! Hey DM bring that back!
(When I swing you swing) just like that?
(When I swing you swing) just like that?
(When I swing you swing) just like that?
(Hell yeah, Hey DM bring that back!)
Advance! Advance!
[Chorus: Ludacris and (Shawna)]
When I swing you swing (just like that?)
When I swing you swing (just like that?)
When I swing you swing (just like that?)
Hell yeah! Hey DM bring that back!
(When I swing you swing) just like that?
(When I swing you swing) just like that?
(When I swing you swing) just like that?
(Hell yeah, Hey DM bring that back!)
How you ain't gon' FIGHT! 'Fraid of me?
I'm the pantheon's reason you an NPC
Guard you don't have to stop me
I'm young, good, and strong for all to see
BLAOW! We ain't got nothing to worry about
Whoop ass, let the Watch carry em out
Watch out for the medallion my diamonds are wreckless
Feels like a GOBLIN is hanging from my necklace
I pulled up wit a million XP
Looking, smelling, feeling like a million GP!
Pass the bottles, the heat is on
We in the huddle all smoking that Cheech & Chong
What's wrong?! The hall and moon is full
And I'm lookin for a HOT young maiden to pull
One sure shot way to get em outta them clothes
Take note of old school moves, like this...
When I swing you swing (just like that?)
When I swing you swing (just like that?)
When I swing you swing (just like that?)
Hell yeah! Hey DM bring that back!
(When I swing you swing) just like that?
(When I swing you swing) just like that?
(When I swing you swing) just like that?
(Hell yeah, Hey DM bring that back!)
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6KCqNLNx48]YouTube - "My Rock, My Sword, My Shield"- Helen Robinson Youth Choir[/ame]
billd91
Not your screen monkey (he/him) 🇺🇦🇵🇸🏳️⚧️
I think there's a difference between having a bad experience as an unexperienced gamer and bring that argument to bear on 1e/2e AD&D when you've got years of experience under your belt. Saying that all you could do is swing your sword is a poor argument when you can be expected to know better by now.
MarkB
Legend
One thing to keep in mind - and this is coming from an old-school sword-swinger - is that there gets to be a limit on how much descriptive narrative you can put to it all without getting really repetitious. Sure, in the campaign's first few combats - and in high-tension BBEG fights - there's lots of creative narrative one can use. But when the campaign's been going for 3 years and all the narrative ideas have run out, "I swing my sword" will more than do...until a crit or a fumble comes along...
Yeah, I've experienced this. In an extended combat, you can start to see the DM reaching the limits of his descriptive repertoire, and certain distinct patterns start to emerge, until you can almost predict what's coming next.
"You swing your sword at the [HOBGOBLIN] with a [STYLISH FLOURISH]. It hits him in the
[ARM] leaving a [SHALLOW] cut. The [HOBGOBLIN] appears to be [MODERATELY WOUNDED, BUT STILL EAGER TO FIGHT]."
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnH7KnOyZks&feature=youtube_gdata_player]YouTube - Aerosmith - Lightning Strikes[/ame]
See also:
Elton John "Saturday Night's Alright For Fightin'"
The Offspring "Keep 'em seperated"
The Sword "How heavy this axe"
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9KbmRTgigQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]
See also:
Elton John "Saturday Night's Alright For Fightin'"
The Offspring "Keep 'em seperated"
The Sword "How heavy this axe"
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9KbmRTgigQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]
Last edited:
