Time Limit in Combat Rounds: Yes, or No?

[RangerWickett]

In my game, fights never slow down enough for me to have needed this, but I know Piratecat uses this.

Basically, for each combatant, you have an index card with primary combat stats listed. When people roll for initiative, you arrange the cards in initiative order. Whenever someone finishes their turn, you put the index card at the back of the stack, and you know who's up next. It makes it easier to keep track of who's going when, and it helps the GM keep track of stats.

As for speeding people along, ask your fellow players to encourage each other to be swift. Tell them that if they're starting to get bored, they should say so, and tell their fellow player to hurry up. If he still refuses, then you skip his turn, saying he was paralyzed with indecision and is instead taking a full defense action.

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

I second RangerWickett. Discuss the issue and point out that it is really annoying, your friends will regulate themselves from there.

 

[Crothian]

I too would suggest index cards all added up. I have players who use this and the only times it slows us down is when they can't find it or forget where the bonuses come from

 

[kamosa]

I've found that time limits are really just a hammer on the spell casting players. It rarely takes more than a couple seconds to say "I swing my sword.", so it doesn't really affect the fighters as much.* However, the spellcasters all have to decide which spell to cast, how long it lasts, what type of save the NPC's are making, how much damage or what effect it has, where to center the spell or which targets to attack. The DM then has to roll all appropriate saves, make all the notes for damage/effect, and communicate with the players what the effect of the spell was. Blah... its lots of work for a spell caster.

To make this shorter I try to have my players get their actions prepared before their turn comes around. IE: "John it's your turn, Susy you next, have your action ready." This tends to cut down on the dead time between actions. Also, each spell caster has a spell book with their character sheets that has a short description of each spell, its duration, and what save it uses. This helps to cut down on looking stuff up. If the player is going to cast a complicated spell, I ask them to have the page open when their turn comes around. Spell casters all need to have their own copies of the PHB or at least printouts of the spells sections of the SRD, so we don't have to pass around books or hunt for the correct spell copy.

Other than that, I just try to keep everyone focused on the combat and not engauged in a lot of out of game chatter.


* Yes I know that was an over simplification. Keep your knickers on.

 

[milotha]

I've seen mixed effects with time limits on actions.

Some have been positive. I've seen games where it greatly speeds up combat and increases dramatic tension. This can be realy fun if it works for your group. I've even seen this pulled off with about a 5 sec timer from the GM. GM: Turns to player with next initiative. What do you do? tick, tick, tick, tick, tick - OK: You boggle for the round. Turns to next player: immediate answer.

I've also seen some negative effects. I've seen players that seem to freeze up under time pressures and begin spouting incoherent or totally useless actions. I've also see this destroy group tactics, as in everyone's so rushed no coordination occurs and the PCs get their butts handed to them.

In short, know your group and how they respond to time pressures. How familar are they with the rules? And for mages, well sometimes it's just hopeless to get them to respond quickly

 

[takyris]

Kamosa, that's a good point, although I'd edit it to "complex character concept versus simple character concept". I've seen a mid-level strategic-minded fighter's player take a loooooong time to figure out what to do -- "Okay, I need a 10 to hit him normally, and I think he has about 20 hit points left, so if I power attack for three and use my longsword with two hands..." (And when it's explained in-character as "I can see that my foe is badly wounded, so I risk a mighty blow to try to finish him off with one fell strike," then it's fine.), while the party sorcerer can say "Fly 30 feet straight up, fireball centered on the ogre," in no time at all.

Some character classes lend themselves to simple tactics, but it's not entirely cut and dried.

On an in-game level, I'd make it deliberately unfair, but in a fair way. I'd say "Okay, you have one minute, but take your Intelligence or Wisdom, whichever is higher, and add that modifier, times ten, in seconds, to the amount of time you have."

 

[CalrinAlshaw]

In the game I play in I find that the DM is one who slows everything down. However, this is primarily the fault of the DM who for some reason loves dragging in every f'ing NPC who looks sideways at the PC's as a party member (Only time we don't have NPC's in our party is when making a new group. If we are lucky.)

Anyhow, that aside. I find as soon as combat starts I whip out my "prepared" spells sheet, scan the situation, then start deciding which spells I want to maybe use. So that I have an action prepared soon as it is my turn.

The thing that I HATE, is that there are a couple players in my group who like to pay way more attention to the battle going on than thinking "Ok, I can do this...this....or this." Especially 1 in particular who has about enough knowledge of D&D to grab his dice and roll. Which is ok, cuz all he plays is a strong 2handed weapon fighter. Anyhow, I find that it would be nice if the DM took aside his players and said "Hey, why not try thinking about what you'll do during the time I DON'T call on you, so you know when I DO call on you." That would save a lot of grief.

Calrin Alshaw

 

[random user]

I really don't like the only have 10 or less seconds to decide your action. While some of these things take a long time for myself (I sadly have 0 levels of any relevent PC class) to figure out, I'm pretty sure any of my characters who have actually leveled have a fine grasp of combat and it either comes to them instinctively or through quick thinking.

Similarly while my characters can all recite the steps necessary to set up a defensible camp, start a campfire, and start cooking some rations pretty quickly, it would take me quite a while to make sure I stated everything in the right order and made sure I didn't skip anything.

So I don't think that "Well your character only has a few seconds to react, so that's how much time you get" argument is a good one (not saying that anyone here who has posted subscribes to argument, but it's one I have heard before).

In the interests of moving things along though, I think one minute is more than adequate in most situations. I would definately consider giving them bonus time for aerial or underwater combat if they aren't used to it, or for any extremely unfamiliar situation.

 

[S'mon]

IMC players get no more than 6 seconds on their turn to decide what to do, but normally I expect them to have already decided before their turn comes around, it should really be instantaneous. It's a 6-second combat round; as GM I don't give myself 3 minutes to plan NPC tactics either. I'm amazed people allow this, your fights must get pretty tedious?

 

[adembroski3]

Besides, nothing like seeing the sand flow down to add a healthy dose of tension.

This is an exceptional point, and I never thought of it that way.

I'm a fairly strict DM, so I don't like limiting my players anymore than I feel is necessary (which my players already feel is too much), so I'm always nervous about this sort of stuff, but I think it's a good idea if only for this reason.