D&D 5E So what % of D&D IS combat?

[UngeheuerLich]

I voted 21 to 30%

My metric is manyfold:

• Time spent to resolve combat (usually too much)
• how many combats per non-combat encounters
• importance to the story
• fun

Of course this is for 5e. There were editions and times where we had more or less.
But I think right now we have about 1 encounter that leads to combat in our 2h session and we spend about 30 mins on average per combat.

In our school game of 45 mins, we have a vombat encounter every other session I guess, and it takes up half our session.

The first one is level 11, the second one is level 3 party.

 

[Jer]

Oh Lord, I remember those days. I can't do games that long anymore. Hour and a half to 2 hours is about all we -all of us - want to invest.

We do 4 hour sessions roughly 2-3 times a month - when we can. We're on a hiatus now since Christmas (fingers crossed - first weekend in March we'll get to play again!) We only really play for about 3 of those hours on average though - there's always an hour of catching up/goofing off/socializing/etc. in there.

We're more focused on the Zoom games than were were in person for some reason. I think because people can catch up in the chat while other folks are taking the center stage without thinking they're disrupting the whole table.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

For me it tends to be higher, generally, as the longest standing group I’ve played with is focused on combat. But it also depends on edition. For us the entirety of 4E was easily 95-99% combat. After the literal first few minutes of the first session of roleplaying and getting a quest, etc the entire rest of our time playing 4E was nothing but combat and rests between combats. Combat simply took too long so it took all our time at the table. We played 4E from release up to the 5E playtest

Same for us. And I don't say it was no fun, but we just did not progress meaningful in the story.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

42

 

[DEFCON 1]

For me I started with the amount of rules in the game, and the amount of time it takes to fulfill the rules conditions relative to the amount of time "in-world" occurs. That put me up around in the 90 percentiles. But then I took into account actual table-time of the players in Combat relative to the rest of the session and then dropped that number down to where I voted, 71 to 80%.

We players do not focus on combat in our games... even though I freely admit most of the written rules are designed around combat. But that's okay... because I'm not one who actually wants/needs rules regarding Exploration and Social... those we are all happy to just use narration on it. As I mentioned in another thread... I think Exploration and Social are both all about what the players want to do and want to say... and thus rules are not necessary to help dictate or guide what they want. It's all about their choice.

As I said in the other thread... just look at what the DM says to players at the start of the three Pillars:

Exploration: "What do you do?"

Social: "What do you say?"

Combat: "Roll for initiative."

To me, that's all the indication I need to know to see where the rules need to be placed.

 

[payn]

I think this misses the point of the "90% combat" discussion, which is what the impression D&D has on people as a TTRPG system.

 

[Jer]

I think this misses the point of the "90% combat" discussion, which is what the impression D&D has on people as a TTRPG system.

I think that impression is mostly for older people. My kid and their friends don't view 5e as a mostly combat system - though when I've shown them B/X D&D rules they certainly have the impression that the "old game" was all about fighting. The view that D&D is mostly about combat is entrenched in those of us who are older, but livestreams of D&D 5e don't give the kids that impression at all and IME that's not how they tend to play the game either.

 

[Osgood]

Even within the same group of players, it depends a lot on the group of characters. Some parties lend themselves towards combat, others to social interaction. Even a single character can sway things... a party with a bard vs. a barbarian for example.

 

[payn]

I think that impression is mostly for older people. My kid and their friends don't view 5e as a mostly combat system - though when I've shown them B/X D&D rules they certainly have the impression that the "old game" was all about fighting. The view that D&D is mostly about combat is entrenched in those of us who are older, but livestreams of D&D 5e don't give the kids that impression at all and IME that's not how they tend to play the game either.

Interesting, my experiences have been entirely the opposite.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Oh Lord, I remember those days. I can't do games that long anymore. Hour and a half to 2 hours is about all we -all of us - want to invest.

If it isn't scheduled for 6 hours, it isn't worth it to me.

But, we only meet to play typically every other Saturday, so we try to do a "double session" each time.