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<blockquote data-quote="Rhenny" data-source="post: 6745030" data-attributes="member: 18333">I run most of my games online using Fantasy Grounds, so the die rolling and totaling is done automatically.&nbsp; That saves a lot of time during longer battles.&nbsp; I've actually noticed that during table top games with real dice, it could take players and dm 15-20 seconds to grab the right dice, roll them and total them up (mostly with damage calculations for fireballs or other dice pool spells..but to a lesser extent with straight attacks too).&nbsp; If there are 5 players and a DM (and the DM is running 10 monsters) the totaling of numbers on the dice could add 2 minutes to the combat round.&nbsp; If the battle takes 10 rounds...that's 20 minutes added just for totaling dice.&nbsp; Yikes.If I were running games at the table, I might use average damage for the foes at least.&nbsp; That could cut down the time.Also, make sure everyone sees the initiative order so that each player knows in advance when he/she is up.&nbsp; Try to get players to act more impulsively rather than sweat out every possible option before making a decision.&nbsp; Same with DM....pre-plan a strategy for the monsters and then just roll with it.&nbsp; You could pre-plan common reactions.&nbsp; Here are a couple that work well to make the combat more quick:If a commander type creature goes down..other creatures that are commanded by it will run.&nbsp;&nbsp; (Some combats might have 4 command creatures each with 3 or 4 underlings)Don't be afraid to have foes move around even if they provoke attacks of opportunity.&nbsp; In the heat of battle, many monsters or worried foes don't always act logically.&nbsp;&nbsp; Just keep the battle interesting rather than letting it devolve into a chess match.Like others said..prep helps (especially with spellcasting foes...they tend to take much more concentration and thought to run as a DM), but the more you do it, the quicker it will get. Good luck.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Rhenny, post: 6745030, member: 18333"] I run most of my games online using Fantasy Grounds, so the die rolling and totaling is done automatically. That saves a lot of time during longer battles. I've actually noticed that during table top games with real dice, it could take players and dm 15-20 seconds to grab the right dice, roll them and total them up (mostly with damage calculations for fireballs or other dice pool spells..but to a lesser extent with straight attacks too). If there are 5 players and a DM (and the DM is running 10 monsters) the totaling of numbers on the dice could add 2 minutes to the combat round. If the battle takes 10 rounds...that's 20 minutes added just for totaling dice. Yikes. If I were running games at the table, I might use average damage for the foes at least. That could cut down the time. Also, make sure everyone sees the initiative order so that each player knows in advance when he/she is up. Try to get players to act more impulsively rather than sweat out every possible option before making a decision. Same with DM....pre-plan a strategy for the monsters and then just roll with it. You could pre-plan common reactions. Here are a couple that work well to make the combat more quick: If a commander type creature goes down..other creatures that are commanded by it will run. (Some combats might have 4 command creatures each with 3 or 4 underlings) Don't be afraid to have foes move around even if they provoke attacks of opportunity. In the heat of battle, many monsters or worried foes don't always act logically. Just keep the battle interesting rather than letting it devolve into a chess match. Like others said..prep helps (especially with spellcasting foes...they tend to take much more concentration and thought to run as a DM), but the more you do it, the quicker it will get. Good luck. [/QUOTE]

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