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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Blue" data-source="post: 2950281" data-attributes="member: 20564">I keep track of init as DM, but I don't btoher with numbers past the start - after everyone has an init, I've got them listed on a piest of paper, with the PC's side (including allies) on the left and everyone else on the right (say in a column 1/3 of a paper wide) - usually just initials.  If someone delays or readies, it's up to them to remind me if they use it or if their trigger comes up, at which point I erase their initial and put it in the correct place.  Last session was 14 individual inits, and that went smoothly.Combat takes long if people don't know what they are going to do, which happens usually if they need to evaluate the situation on their init.  This happens unavoidably when someone soon before them changes things drastically, but also happens if people aren't paying attention.  Funny, but if you go fast, players don't lose focus, and can go faster, and vice versa.  Sort of a self-profiling prophesy.  I don'w worry about rolling attack & damage dice at the same time - it does save some time, but compared to a player taking 45 seconds to figure out what to do, count range, refigure out what to do, check a spell list and equipment list "just in case" for other options, die rolling speed is a trivial percentage.BTW, in an epic level campaign wheere I'm a player, we often get one round an HOUR.  Too many options on all sides, and the effects of a single action are too big so there needs to be constant reevaluation.  In an effort to speed it up I did a 1 page printed cheat sheet reminding me of common options I had, and things I would need quickly (liek resistances and such to speed up replies to the DM), and a spread sheet to do numbers (hey, what's the bonus type of that spell, does it overlap with the inspire courage, ioun stone, luck bonus, insight bonus, or sacred bonus I have?)In my experience, chosing what to do is in general the single largest time spent during combat, so the one with the most to gain from optimization.Cheers,Blue</blockquote>

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