PC discussing strategy while in melee

[candidus_cogitens]

At any time during your turn, you may drop to the floor as a free action.

This brings up an interesting point. Since most free actions can only be taken during your turn, why should speaking be an exception?

 

[Zarthon]

I allow them to talk about tactics out of character when the combat is going on. This is because the PC's spend a lot more time together in the game world, and experienced adventurer's would have worked out many tactics or ploys between fights.

Instead of making the Players sit down between adventures and draw up battleplans or create strategies, I assume that the PC's have already done so, and allow the table talk to simulate this.

What Caliban said,

Another thing about this is that the DM also knows what players are planning

 

[shadowthorn]

In the last campaing that I DM'd, I used a six-second rule for combat. Before combat began, I would explain the situation, set up the minis, have everyone calculate their attack bonuses & prepare. Jot down the initiative order, then tell each player they have six seconds to act. Count down the seconds; if they haven't given a definitive action, they move to the end of the initiative order. Once you get through the rest of the actions, return to the player(s) who were delayed and offer them another six seconds. If they STILL don't have a clear action defined, they forfeit their action that round. You can decide if they return to their former initiative order or if they're now stuck in last place until they refocus.

Works very well, and makes the combat much more fast & deadly. Of course, you cut out the out-of-character chatter, as well. Six seconds is not enough time for player A to tell player B to flank monster X while player C prepares his bigbangboom spell while player D should... etc.

 

[kreynolds]

Six seconds is not enough time for player A to tell player B to flank monster X while player C prepares his bigbangboom spell while player D should... etc.

Wow. I would imagine that would really hamstring your game.

Player 1: "I'm gonna..."
DM: "EHHHHHHHHHHH! Out of time! NEXT!!!"
Player 2: "I'm gonna..."
DM: "EHHHHHHHHHHH! Out of time! NEXT!!!"
Player 3: "I'm gonna..."
DM: "EHHHHHHHHHHH! Out of time! NEXT!!!"
Player 4: "I'm gonna..."
DM: "EHHHHHHHHHHH! Out of time! NEXT!!!"
Player 1: "There isn't anyone next."
DM: "Hehehe! My turn! *giggles and hums to self* "I'm gon-na wi-in, I'm gon-na wi-in..."

Not my idea of a good time, but hey, YMMV.

 

[Zarthon]

In the last campaing that I DM'd, I used a six-second rule for combat. Before combat began, I would explain the situation, set up the minis, have everyone calculate their attack bonuses & prepare. Jot down the initiative order, then tell each player they have six seconds to act. Count down the seconds; if they haven't given a definitive action, they move to the end of the initiative order. Once you get through the rest of the actions, return to the player(s) who were delayed and offer them another six seconds. If they STILL don't have a clear action defined, they forfeit their action that round. You can decide if they return to their former initiative order or if they're now stuck in last place until they refocus.

Works very well, and makes the combat much more fast & deadly. Of course, you cut out the out-of-character chatter, as well. Six seconds is not enough time for player A to tell player B to flank monster X while player C prepares his bigbangboom spell while player D should... etc.

I think I will try this

 

[kreynolds]

I figured I'd actually go ahead and offer an opinion on this. I don't have a problem with my players discussing strategy in the heat of battle, so long as it's not excessive. Basically, if it comes down to "you do this", "ok then you do that", "ok then we all do this", that's fine. If it takes too long, a simple "Come on folks. Time's a wastin'" will generally suffice, then everybody gets back on this ball and makes a decision rather quickly.

Essentially, here's my rule. If I get bored, you're out of time, and it takes me a bit more than 6 seconds to get bored.

 

[Dog Faced God]

I let people talk out of turn as much as they like. As of yet everyone in our group isn't familiar enough with the rules and game mechanics to institute the 'i'ma gonna skip ya, I se-I sez i'ma gonna skip ya if'n ya don't chime in wicha ackchuns quick enuff boway' rule.

Soon though... very soon. I think I will give players a bit more than 6 seconds to chime in with their character's action though. Spellcasters are a bit different in that I'm assuming that the character is much more familiar with the capabilities of their spells than the player, so they will get even more time.

Having said that, if I ask a player what their goal for the round is, and they sit there listening to another player for too long, I will skip them.

 

[mypetrock]

One of the things that I've really started to cut down on is excessive planning during pressure situations. In some pressure situations I get away from turn-based to real-time timing. I think it adds some tension to the situation and forces the players to make the decisions that the might have had to if they were really in the pressure situation.

An example: my players attacked a group of hill giants outside a hill giant stronghold. After a singificantly long battle the players were chased back to their hideout and prepared to teleport away. The players are attempting to organize their departure. After about five minutes real time, the giants started lobbing boulders at/into the cave in preparation for an assault one barrage every six seconds of real time. For each miss I pounded on the table and for each hit I told the player how much damage he/she had sustained. The party figured out their plan in short order and escaped.

mypetrock

 

[BBrendolfus]

I say nay.

The players can ohh and ahh and stuff but any complex talk and nup.

Stuff-ups occur heaps both ways though.

I find that the players have to follow the lead of the swiftest character, if they don't support this character things can go badly. This hardnose approach works because I make the npcs do things similarly.

 

[Stalker0]

Another option that I've heard about is a modification of the six second rule, where you adjust the time based on a person int mod.

the reasoning is, that since intelligence is in part a person's quickness of thought, than a smarter person could think about a situation more in the same time as a "dumber" person. Usually its 6-8 seconds base, then adding the int mod (in seconds)

This is an interesting way to change play, because it makes intelligence based fighters a much more viable gamepath, and it makes int a much stronger characteristic, since right now only wizards have it as a prime stat, probably seconded by rogues.