Keeping track of combat length (for posterity)

[Wik]

Oh, absolutely. The party does love to use their encounter powers, and I don't blame them.

ANother reason I think our games run a bit quicker than others is because I'm a bit more, um, fluid with the rules at times. One particular house rule I like is this one: Players can try to negate a hindering effect with a skill check, but suffer a penalty if they fail. This means that if you are stunned, you can skill check out of it (sometimes). Of course, in the past, it HAS led to normally agile rogues missing a jump while riding on horseback, and getting crushed by the horse (for example).

But it does speed up play, because it can keep PCs in the action, dishing out their damage.

I also try to get my monsters to make poor decisions at times. They will provoke AoOs, or move when they really shouldn't, because it's what they'd do, and because it's fun for the players to see their abilities in play.

Also, it's really hard to keep the party seperated. They have so many powers that let them move close together and benefit one another that it's almost ridiculous (another reason why the Balhannoth was so useful, though - it used the party's proximity to one another against them).

 

[blargney the second]

One particular house rule I like is this one: Players can try to negate a hindering effect with a skill check, but suffer a penalty if they fail. This means that if you are stunned, you can skill check out of it (sometimes). Of course, in the past, it HAS led to normally agile rogues missing a jump while riding on horseback, and getting crushed by the horse (for example).

But it does speed up play, because it can keep PCs in the action, dishing out their damage.

I absolutely love that house rule. Now that I think about it, it amounts to "try something cool" and if you fail you suffer from p.42 + some negative effect. Which is a really neat way to keep that rule in play.
-blarg

 

[the Jester]

For the record, we played Saturday as well, but I have no stats to report because there was no combat. Heck, there wasn't even a skill challenge! Pretty much pure roleplaying. Take that, all you "4e is just a combat game" suckers!

 

[the Jester]

Stats from tonight's D&D Encounters session:

I had a HUGE group- 8 pcs. That slowed things down quite a bit. Also, to accommodate that, I buffed two of the monsters up to elite status (a choker and a deathjump spider, mwahaha) and the spider took several pcs out of the fight for rounds at a time via an immobilizing web.

At the end, a couple pcs briefly scuffled, culminating in one trying to bull rush the other into a deep pit and missing; the second grabbing the first; the first bull rushing again, hitting this time, and being dragged off with the second; and then the second (but not first!) pc making his "fall off a precipice" save and catching himself while the guy who started it fell into the pit!

Pcs: 1 controller (psion), 2 strikers (ranger, monk), 1 leader (cleric), 4 defenders (fighter x 3, warden); all level 2.

Monsters: 1 level 4 elite soldier
1 level 4 elite skirmisher
2 level 2 artillery
1 level 4 elite lurker

Rounds: 12 (including a couple rounds of interparty conflict at the end)
Real Time Elapsed: 2 hours, 48 minutes
Did not track dailies/surges

 

[Wik]

Yikes! PC vs. PC isn't something I've seen yet in 4e. But it could be kind of fun....

 

[the Jester]

Yikes! PC vs. PC isn't something I've seen yet in 4e. But it could be kind of fun....

Given that it was an Encounters session, it was pretty entertaining. I find such things less entertaining in campaign play as a general rule- although there are exceptions there, too.

 

[Shazman]

Okay, stats from last night, tracked... er... moderately well, I guess.

There was one fight; 7 pcs consisting of 4 strikers (2 rogues (levels 7 & 8), 1 ranger 8, 1 barbarian 6), 1 controller (wizard 8), 1 leader (cleric 7), 1 defender (warden 6).

VERSUS

3 ogre savages (lvl 8 brutes)
1 oni night haunter (lvl 8 elite controller)
1 orc chieftain (lvl 8 elite brute)

It was a pretty good fight, and the oni got away to fight another day! Hurray for a new party nemesis...

Real Time: Approx. 2 hours 19 minutes
Number of Rounds: 8
Surges Expended: 2
Dailies Used: 7

BTW, I've been counting daily utility powers in the "dailies used" column and NOT tracking utility powers separately.

1 fight that took over 2 hours with 4 strikers! That is more evidence to me that 4E combat takes way too long.

 

[the Jester]

1 fight that took over 2 hours with 4 strikers! That is more evidence to me that 4E combat takes way too long.

Actually, it's more evidence that the wizard's player takes way too long. I estimate that at least 30% of the total time any given round takes is due to him, and we have a ton of people at the table.

 

[blargney the second]

I miss updating this thread! I can't wait to play our game again.

Hey Jester, have you talked to the wizard player yet?

 

[Wik]

I miss updating this thread! I can't wait to play our game again.

Hey Jester, have you talked to the wizard player yet?

Me too. It'll be nice when Kirra is back in action. Though d6 is a lot of fun, I have to admit, I'm not used to having "all the power" anymore. I sort of miss getting my ass handed to me every week. Which is probably a warning sign or something. The D&D equivalent of Stockholm Syndrome.

As I was telling Kirra's player on saturday, I have a whole bunch of fiendish encounters plotted out. I think we're about ready to throw level 18 monsters at the party at this point.