This is really just me copying another article on Campaign Mastery, with some of my own thoughts. Rewriting I’ve found is the best way to remember things, so that next time I’m running a face-to-face game I can implement some of this. Also, perhaps my D&D 3.5e DM and other players will read this – it’s not really the DM’s fault, but that game can shudder to a halt due to out-of-game distractions.
This is mostly geared towards speeding up combat, specifically in tactical-style games such as D&D 3.5e and 4e – but a lot of it is applicable to any play style. There’s what looks to be a much more comprehensive guide to faster combat behind a paywall, but I think their chapter headings are a decent enough guide to start with.
Presenting Table Rules
“Table Rules” might be a bit of a misnomer in our game. We play Theatre of the Mind style in comfy chairs, with no table. But that doesn’t change the semantics.
First? Have a codified list. Something to refer to. Making a rule and forgetting it is ineffective (I’m learning that this is totally useful as a parent too). Also, make sure your players are aware of the rules.
Second, explain the why of each rule with a clear because statement. My long-running campaign had several house-rules that when I look back, didn’t really need to be there. I didn’t set a clear why/because for them.
Third, listen to your players. Chuck things that don’t work, and evolve things that do.
Rule 1: Ask
Just ask your players to light a fire under their asses. If it’s a table rule applied to everyone, it’s not personal.
Once this becomes part of table lexicon, there’s no harm in just saying “Dude, Rule 1.” Remember, in an actual combat or other stressful situation, the characters are not going to have minutes to deliberate their actions.
Rule 2: No Take Backs
Just like in chess – once your intent is solidified, it doesn’t change. This totally reminds me of the scene in “Gamers” where the thief describes increasingly more careful actions as take-backs to avoid a trap.
Player describes -> GM confirms -> GM arbitrates. Every once in a while, you have a situation where an O4e striker forgets their action tax for bonus damage (Hunter’s Quarry, Warlock’s Curse). I’m usually ok with letting this kinda thing slide, but only if it’s super quick to resolve.
Rule 3: Reroll misrolls
I’m gonna simplify the original article a little here. Every roll should be clear and evident. In our circle-of-comfy-chairs situation, there’s no central table for people to roll off of, so that’s not really an issue? But yeah, if a die goes out of vision, just grab another and roll – recover the first one when your turn is done.
Rule 4: No cross-talk or interruptions
This is pretty standard for groups looking to emphasize roleplay. It’s some of the same theory as Rule 1 – characters don’t have metagame knowledge or a constant psychic connection with their teammates (although that’s not unheard of in certain genres). It’s just the player and GM, hashing out a single turn.
I had a player once who constantly ran into analysis paralysis. As a spell-caster with dozens of available spells (and multiple ways to cast each one, thanks to Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved spell system), she would get over-frustrated if she hadn’t prepared the perfect one the other players with higher system mastery were suggesting on the fly. She probably would have fared a little better without the other players causing her to second-guess her choices.
Rule 5: Use clear language
This kind of thing is honestly why I totally prefer a battle grid to theatre-of-the-mind. It’s a lot easier to be completely clear by pointing at a mini than by describing “the orc that’s been hit at least once, and is engaged by both me and Aragorn”.
Also, “I hit 19 Reflex for 22 damage” is way better than mumbling “Ok, that’s 10 on the die, plus 5 to-hit, plus 2 from the bard, plus 2 CA. And it’s 5 from my short sword, 9 from sneak attack, plus 3 from the warlord, plus 5 static.”
A lot of this can be shored up by working on system mastery, and pre-game prep. Having all your common to-hit and damage expressions worked out before-hand and prominently listed makes this easier.
Speaking of system mastery, one of our players is pretty new to D&D, and I’m not sure anyone’s really sat down to explain the finer points to her. She was trying to use her companion’s hit dice to roll damage, and constantly swaps initiative and intelligence. These are rookie mistakes, and totally forgivable, but also totally avoidable.
Rule 6: Snack after combat
This isn’t an issue with our current group, as we all have dinner right before game. But I’ve seen it in the past where it’s suddenly someone’s turn, and they have to finish chewing their Cheetos and wipe off their hands before they’re back in the game. Unnecessary delay.
Rule 7: Make passive checks
This is heavily codified in Mutants & Masterminds 3e, as well as in D&D Next. If your character is good enough at something, or bad enough at something, there is absolutely no reason to slow down gameplay by making a roll, adding modifiers, and comparing to a target number.
Again, I’m reminded of “Gamers”, when the mage opens a heavy gate that the barbarian couldn’t. Can Aragorn track someone? Yes. Can the Hulk break something? Yes. Can the awesome thief in your party pop a simple lock? Yes. Can a normal dog fly or talk? No. Pretty simple.
This is something our current DM is freakin’ awesome with. First example that comes to mind: our rogue just plain gets a 30% discount when shopping. Makes sense in a way.
Rule 8: Seating = initiative
Ick. Just… no. I could see this being optimal in an Encounters session, or FTDM. But not casual play. Can you imagine Marvel Heroic RPG (which gives each player the choice of who goes next) with this system? No.
Rule 9: Stand up
This is great if you’ve got a table to stand around, minis to slide, etc. Comfy chairs? Not as interested. I totally agree that it increases energy, intensity, and focus – and as a GM I try to remember to stand as often as possible, combat or not.
Rule 10: No dice massaging
… Is this a thing? The worst I’ve ever seen is a player who shook their dice the entire time they would describe their action, but it didn’t slow anything down beyond the narration – in fact, the dramatic clatter and reveal after the exposition was great.
Rule 11: Announce end of turn
This is great. The finest example in the original article is “Done, Dave’s next and Andrea – you’re on deck.” Crisp, clear, and exact. This is probably best achieved by combining with Rule 8.
FasterCombat.com
So that’s the end of the teaser that Johnn Four and Tony Medeiros left us on Campaign Mastery. Because I’m a bit of a cheapskate, I might dedicate another blog post to reverse-engineering some of the course based on the descriptions, and gleaning from other blogs.
Anyway – I hope this is helpful to anyone reading. I know it’s gotten my own mental juices flowing.
First of all, just try to enjoy combat more. Our combats are generally long, but they’re enjoyable.
I remind my players that it’s not necessary to get everything exactly right. It helps that they trust that failure in combat doesn’t mean their deaths. I try to make failure interesting. If the fail, the game goes on, but with some kind of consequences related to the reasons for the combat in the first place. Death is not a primary outcome, though it can occur if a player thinks it’s appropriate for his or her character.
My monsters always have alternate goals too, so the combat can plausibly end (with either success or failure for both sides) long before either side reaches zero HP.