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<blockquote data-quote="Leorix" data-source="post: 5440152" data-attributes="member: 18150">I have been DMing for ages and when we moved to playing 4e we felt encounters were taking too long as well. Initially that was due to not being familiar with the system but even afterwards it still could take 3-4 hours per normal encounter. We even lost a player because he felt bored waiting for his turn to come round.We had players who futz around on their turn trying to make the optimal choice (ie. afraid to make a mistake). We had players who took too long working out which damage dice to roll or even longer adding the results up.I read forums, discussed the issue with my players and tried implementing a 30-second rule, but nothing made a huge impact.Now, I love using digital support (Maptools, Combat Manager etc.) and my players love it too, but I was trying to use Combat Manager to track everything, even the conditions of my players. I also had the damage rolls on my monsters to worry about.&nbsp; This all meant that I was taking much longer that I should have.The solution? I stopped tracking my players condition and made them do it again. I also started using average damage for my monsters (worked out beforehand) to minimise dice rolling. I also allowed any of my players the use of average instead of rolling (like this guy with disabled hands) and some have taken this on. Finally, when a player knocks a monster down to just a few hp, I often fudge it so that the monster dies instead of dragging it out another round (unless it's good for the story somehow).Result: instant improvement and sometimes half the time of previous encounters (which means more encounters per session and faster levelling up)!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Leorix, post: 5440152, member: 18150"] I have been DMing for ages and when we moved to playing 4e we felt encounters were taking too long as well. Initially that was due to not being familiar with the system but even afterwards it still could take 3-4 hours per normal encounter. We even lost a player because he felt bored waiting for his turn to come round. We had players who futz around on their turn trying to make the optimal choice (ie. afraid to make a mistake). We had players who took too long working out which damage dice to roll or even longer adding the results up. I read forums, discussed the issue with my players and tried implementing a 30-second rule, but nothing made a huge impact. Now, I love using digital support (Maptools, Combat Manager etc.) and my players love it too, but I was trying to use Combat Manager to track everything, even the conditions of my players. I also had the damage rolls on my monsters to worry about. This all meant that I was taking much longer that I should have. The solution? I stopped tracking my players condition and made them do it again. I also started using average damage for my monsters (worked out beforehand) to minimise dice rolling. I also allowed any of my players the use of average instead of rolling (like this guy with disabled hands) and some have taken this on. Finally, when a player knocks a monster down to just a few hp, I often fudge it so that the monster dies instead of dragging it out another round (unless it's good for the story somehow). Result: instant improvement and sometimes half the time of previous encounters (which means more encounters per session and faster levelling up)! [/QUOTE]

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