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<blockquote data-quote="dave2008" data-source="post: 7637598" data-attributes="member: 83242">Some work around options:1) No combats.&nbsp; Focus on roleplaying, investigation, and skill challenges.&nbsp; Set up the events and then the next adventure can be combat heavy.&nbsp; Essentially avoid easy combats and focus on large dramatic combats every 2-3 sessions.2) Streamline your turns.&nbsp; Simple encounters should take 5-10 min. IME.&nbsp; A simple encounter should take 2-3 rounds.&nbsp; No more than 30sec per player and DM gives you 6-7 minutes.&nbsp; That should be plenty of time for a simple encounter.3) Feature deadly or 2x or 3x deadly encounters when you want / need a more engaging event.4) Make the encounter mean something.&nbsp; Even a simple encounter can move the story forward.&nbsp; Even if the combat is over in 1 round, there are important things that can be learned or gained.&nbsp; Make it about something more than resource management.5) Use active defense.&nbsp; Have the players roll for saves to avoid being hit instead of DM to hit.&nbsp; Makes things go a bit faster (or can) and keeps the players more engaged.6) DM pre-rolls.&nbsp; I ran an adventure for my son's birthday party once and I knew we would be playing with a bunch of kids that hadn't played before.&nbsp; To save time I pre-rolled about 200 d20 rolls on a sheet of paper (I used a rolling app) an djust checked them off as I went. It worked great and I started using it for future games.&nbsp; For dramatic moments I still sometimes rolled out in the open, but other than that I used the chart.7) Use average damage.&nbsp; Saves a lot of time as a DM.&nbsp; 8) Run away!&nbsp; Have enemies run when there down and out.&nbsp; You can morale back into the game if you don't like deciding on your own.9) Maps.&nbsp; I am not sure how you are using them, but I almost always have them pre-printed or drawn and just reveal them as needed.&nbsp; I don't have the PCs make maps.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="dave2008, post: 7637598, member: 83242"] Some work around options: 1) No combats. Focus on roleplaying, investigation, and skill challenges. Set up the events and then the next adventure can be combat heavy. Essentially avoid easy combats and focus on large dramatic combats every 2-3 sessions. 2) Streamline your turns. Simple encounters should take 5-10 min. IME. A simple encounter should take 2-3 rounds. No more than 30sec per player and DM gives you 6-7 minutes. That should be plenty of time for a simple encounter. 3) Feature deadly or 2x or 3x deadly encounters when you want / need a more engaging event. 4) Make the encounter mean something. Even a simple encounter can move the story forward. Even if the combat is over in 1 round, there are important things that can be learned or gained. Make it about something more than resource management. 5) Use active defense. Have the players roll for saves to avoid being hit instead of DM to hit. Makes things go a bit faster (or can) and keeps the players more engaged. 6) DM pre-rolls. I ran an adventure for my son's birthday party once and I knew we would be playing with a bunch of kids that hadn't played before. To save time I pre-rolled about 200 d20 rolls on a sheet of paper (I used a rolling app) an djust checked them off as I went. It worked great and I started using it for future games. For dramatic moments I still sometimes rolled out in the open, but other than that I used the chart. 7) Use average damage. Saves a lot of time as a DM. 8) Run away! Have enemies run when there down and out. You can morale back into the game if you don't like deciding on your own. 9) Maps. I am not sure how you are using them, but I almost always have them pre-printed or drawn and just reveal them as needed. I don't have the PCs make maps. [/QUOTE]

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