D&D General Two Simple Ways to Make Combat More Engaging

[GM Lent]

I run two weekly DCC games; one at a local coffee shop and one online for my kid and his friends. We always roll initiative every round, which helps keep people interested/paying attention, and I have always encouraged people to describe what their characters do with a flourish. I also try to keep things connected; if PC 1 hit an enemy with their greataxe then PC2 misses the same enemy with their sword, I'll describe how the impact from the axe threw the enemy off balance so PC2's expertly timed blow whooshed through the space they used to occupy (for example).

But I've found combat - like any rules-heavy portion of a game - to be incredibly tedious for over 30 years now, across many editions of many games. When a battle has turned against enemies and they're clearly going to lose, for example, I'll just ask the players how they want it to end. Sometimes they take prisoners, sometimes, they slaughter everything that moves, sometimes they surprise me. Same as when a PC hits with enough damage to take an enemy out; I just ask the player how they want the scene to go. Keeps 'em on their toes a bit.

 

[Stalker0]

Most importantly, he commands the action of the scene. At one point, it goes to Laura Bailey’s initiative and she briefly hesitates, asking what her goal is. Where a lot of DMs might simply answer the question and give Laura time to make a decision, he immediately launches back into narration to remind her of the context in a diegetic way, while keeping the scene feeling frantic despite this technically being a stall. Nobody is being rushed to make a decision before they’re ready, but also no one is waiting around while someone else “umm”s their way through a bout of decision paralysis. I think this is the number one most important DM skill for keeping combat engaging. Be aware of the narrative monumentum, and never casually toss it to someone else or allow the person with it to do so. Carefully and intentionally hand it off to the player when it’s their turn, and when they’re done with it, take it back with some narration of your own and deliver it to the next player. If a player drops it, catch it! Give some more narration and then carefully and intentionally hand it back to them.

I do think this is a good technique for DMs to use. That said, there is a flaw here depending on your style of player. I find most of the time when I have players debating...the need to ask me questions to push to the decision. Ok how far away is that monster, am I capable of doing action X, etc etc. This is especially true in theatre of the mind games where things are not all laid out.

you can't answer a player's question if your launching into a big descriptive monologue. So often what happens for me is, I'll do that description, the player goes "oh cool.....so now back to my questions"

 

[bloodtide]

I like your rule, but would like to mention that it is dependent upon the table.

Our current group has several people with anxiety or neurodivergent concerns, and pressure as a tool will just lock them right up.

For those folks I find one of the examples listed above to be best: i.e. talking them through it via in game terms.

I have dealt with this issue. One things that works is to help them get prepared. Give the player 'flash cards' with actions on them. Then they just pick an action. And they often pick the 'hide' or 'take cover' card, but it works out great.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I will probably try: ready is a full turn action. You may ready a move on top of your action or bonus action.

 

[Charlaquin]

I do think this is a good technique for DMs to use. That said, there is a flaw here depending on your style of player. I find most of the time when I have players debating...the need to ask me questions to push to the decision. Ok how far away is that monster, am I capable of doing action X, etc etc. This is especially true in theatre of the mind games where things are not all laid out.

you can't answer a player's question if your launching into a big descriptive monologue. So often what happens for me is, I'll do that description, the player goes "oh cool.....so now back to my questions"

This is why I encourage players not to ask questions but to declare actions that would result in them learning the answer.

@Charlaquin
Love your initiative system, especially how size effects the first round's roll.

I ran something similar in my last 5E campaign (weapon damage die), but couldn't decide if any of the ability scores should modify it. I knew I didn't want it to be DEX (since it was already OP), but it seemed the right stat to use was always the class's main one. This effectively meant everyone got a +3/+4 bonus, so figured it was easier to just drop it all together.

Oh, yeah, I don’t have ability scores/mods affect it other than having Dexterity be the tiebreaker when it’s between a PC and a monster/NPC. Partly because lower rolls are better in this system, and translating an ability bonus into a penalty, though not hard, would make the system more fiddly than I want it to be. I prefer to try to keep the cognitive load of my house rules low, so they’re easy for the players to remember in the moment and don’t have to stop to ask for a reminder how it works.

 

[BenjaminPey]

The "establish, action, consequences" loop as seen for instance in Legend in the Mist is a very good way to frame what @Charlaquin is referring to in posts #4 and #5. You don't go from player A to player B to monster C. You go "here's the situation, what do you do, A? [A declares an action, it is resolved]— Ok, so B, monster C is still at your left, the tree is now burning at your right, what do you do?" etc.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

That's a cool idea, but think my head would explode trying to keep it all straight, haha. I think I would have to have everyone write it down on index cards, sort them by Init, then resolve them one at a time.

That's the thing though, you don't really need to keep it all straight, you mostly just let the players manage their own results. It works better for lower stakes combats or where you're pressed for time on a session ending, I wouldn't recommend it for an important boss battle. It's messy but fun as a change of pace, and really conveys the frantic feel that DnD combat probably ought to have but generally doesn't

 

[Zardnaar]

Terrain helps but it slows things down and more work for DM. Pick your poison.