Roll Initiative!

[demiurge1138]

New Design and Development's up here. Don't think I agree with its central hypothesis. Although it does have the advantage of snapping the game into immediate focus, the idea of "the game always starts with a combat, whether or not it makes sense to" is kind of silly. If the last session ended with resting for the night, it might work. If it ended with a diplomatic discussion with the King of Do-goodia, not so much.

Also of note is the poll for the future of the Monster Makeovers. I voted bodaks. Although the klurichir could really use one, bodaks are a lot more useful. Not too many mid-level corporeal undead in the MM. I'd like it if they didn't suck (I also have a big problem with the morgh, but that's neither here nor there).

Demiurge out.

 

[Kunimatyu]

I voted Rakshasa, since we did have a whole thread on it already.

I like the idea of the "Roll for Initiative" thing, but not for every game. In a cinematic Eberron campaign where every session ends on a cliffhanger, it would probably rock. In others? Not so much.

 

[TheGM]

Rakshasa was tempting, but I went with the poor, never well defined Bodak .

For me, story comes first, so starting every session with a combat could make my groups go nuts trying to get to the point... Imagine a sleuth adventure - starting every session with a combat could get tedious unless they'd been found out...

Don.

 

[Crothian]

As a DM I can come up with great in game reasons to basically start off every game with combat, even if I have to skip a day or two to get them there. The idea is really nothing new, there has been threads on other boards about starting games off this way for years.

 

[demiurge1138]

As a DM I can come up with great in game reasons to basically start off every game with combat, even if I have to skip a day or two to get them there. The idea is really nothing new, there has been threads on other boards about starting games off this way for years.

Maybe that's why I got crazy deja vu reading that column.

Demiurge out.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I voted for what I think may be the worst monster design in the entire MM: the hydra.

As for Roll Initiative, while the idea is fun sometimes, it just wouldn't fit my game's mood at all. Also, since I give the Players so much freedom from game to game, it would feel like railroading to me. When I start a session, I ask them where they are and why. That works much better for me than Roll Initiative would.

 

[Festivus]

I ask at the beginning of the session for everyone to roll initiative... but there isn't any combat sometimes. As a habit, we roll at the start of the session, and then immediately following combat. This way things transition from conversation to sword and spell more smoothly, and you aren't quite sure when it's a bad guy or not at times, because you don't have the obvious cue of init rolls.

I voted for flayer, just because I'd like to see it.

 

[Fishbone]

In media res is traditionally a fight, but it doesn't always have to be. The group has to track down thieves, or perfrom a service to enter a guild, participate in a tournament, or hasa heated argument with a power broker in the city over X or somebody framed them for action Y and they have to clear their good name. The DM should give the group a big fat shiny hook to grab on to and something mechanical to do.

 

[delericho]

I ask at the beginning of the session for everyone to roll initiative... but there isn't any combat sometimes. As a habit, we roll at the start of the session, and then immediately following combat.

I do the exact same thing.

This way things transition from conversation to sword and spell more smoothly, and you aren't quite sure when it's a bad guy or not at times, because you don't have the obvious cue of init rolls.

And for the exact same reasons!

 

[airwalkrr]

I have played with a wide variety of people and nothing really gets the game on track like rolling for initiative. Of course, this is mainly true for D&D gamers. Players of other games may vary since they may be looking for something else. Often my D&D games are frought with discussion of RL issues and interruptions until we get around to a battle, and then everyone buckles down. After that, the players stay on track for most of the rest of the session. I think this may be worth trying.