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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rhenny" data-source="post: 6911995" data-attributes="member: 18333">Great thread with a lot of awesome advice.Like others, I like to get the players to focus on narrative instead of counting squares, so when the encounters aren't really complex theater of the mind is best, but even when I use a grid, I try to have players tell me what they want to do and then we move them as quickly as possible (using the grid as a rough guide) for positioning and movement.Also, I try to create an environment at the table that won't force players into action paralysis.  For many players, when they feel that they have to make the most optimal decision every round, they start to calculate too many possibilities in their heads and then they fear making a decision.  I talk to the players and remind them that when they are in combat, there is a "fog of war" and they don't need to choose the optimal choice - they need to make a choice that fits with their character's sensibility and the quicker the better.  I assure them that the monsters will play by the same rules too.  I don't often have monsters optimize their moves (maybe only for incredibly intelligent foes which is rare in most game sessions).  Sometimes the monsters act brashly and they do things that may not be optimal, but they do it for other reasons - like they are scared or they are tired or they are underpaid or they underestimate their enemy or they overestimate their enemy, etc.That said, I will let the party talk about strategy briefly and sometimes even during their decision making as long as it doesn't bog down the game.  If it does bog down the game, I remind them to act quicker and try to plan their move ahead of their turn.Over the past years, I've been running and playing most of my games on Fantasy Grounds online, and I have to say, the combat tracker in that program, and the character sheets that allow players and DM to link to spell descriptions, and the die rolling and auto calculations really help speed up a game.</blockquote>

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