Idea about automating encounters

[Nick Phoenix]

Fearing that I may soon find myself in a situation of having eight players to GM a Pathfinder session for, I came up with this thought.

What if I planned for an encounter. I would use this for half of the players, while I GM'd the second half. Then I could do the opposite later.
I would make the encounter on cards. The first would give AC, HP, and Saving throw information for each enemy.
Then the players would take turns attacking, then the players would turn over a card for the enemies, it would include to hit rolls, or actions that they took.
This would continue until the players beat the deck or run away.

Has anyone done something like this before?

 

[Umbran]

That's kind of the mechanic for an entire game: Sentinels of the Multiverse. The players are superheroes, and the villain works off a deck of cards that the players resolve without having to make choices.

So, yes, what you are talking about can be made to work. I don't know if it is saving you effort overall, but front-loading it in the preparation of the decks might make the encounter run more smoothly.

This will kid of fail if they try a creative solution that isn't, "We fight them until they drop." Also, this is apt to work better for enemies with plain attack rolls. A spellcaster... probably doesn't work so well programmed in such a form, unless you are clever with the deck, "Cast lightning bolt at the target with the lowest hit points" and such. And even then sometimes it will come up with unfortunate results.

 

[aco175]

This sounds like the board game based off D&D. Wrath of Ashardalon