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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SwivSnapshot" data-source="post: 6911817" data-attributes="member: 6800720">Running combat is a balance of keeping the game moving while allowing the players to have fun and those aren't always compatible.To point out the obvious, the more players you have, the longer a round of combat takes. Partly because of the number of players, but also because what Player 1 does can affect what Player 6 does by adding and removing potential actions (a push that takes an enemy out of range or a spell effect that makes subsequent players take different actions then they had planned). If you can't limit the number of players you have, have them appoint a team leader who is responsible for keeping them moving so you can focus on what to do with the bad guys when it's their turn.More obvious stuff- the bigger the mob, the longer it takes to resolve it actions(s). I'm running Curse of Strahd now and one of the wandering monsters is 3d6 of wolves- 18 potential attacks that I have to plan and makes rolls for. I haven't rolled that one yet, but I am thinking about taking it off of the list or changing to 1d6 for the sake of improving play ability.Make the PC's responsible for staying on top of their imposed effects and conditions. If they don't tell what happens, too bad for them. .Pre-plan when you can. A lot of monsters have abilities that are situation specific. If the mob isn't a wandering monster you can eliminate some of the what they can/will do in combat based on where the players encounters the mob. This way you don't have to remember or re-read every monster description to decide what to do.See above about mob size and pre-planning, otherwise that the way the game is designed. You can save some rolling time by using the pre-figured damage (1/2 + 1 damage).More pre-planning works here also. A lot of the spells available are one that you won't want to use in combat. If you eliminate them before combat occurs, it one less decision you have to make during combat.My biggest suggestion is read and re-read the the module if you are using one or your campaign notes as frequently as you can. It's like learning a speech, lines for a play or practicing a fumble drill at football practice- the more often you do, the better able you are to react without having to think about it.Good luck!</blockquote>

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