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Old 01-02-2018, 08:56 PM   #14
shadowjack
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Endor
Default Re: Managing combat rounds...

Another combat time management trick I use is "moving the camera around". I don't usually go strictly round-by-round in rigid initiative order.

Like… if a squad is under fire, at long range, I'm not going to play that out second by second. You're under cover, they're under cover, bullets are flying all around. Are you trying to flank, hold the line, pull back? Okay, you start to do that. People who dash through the open suffer a die roll or three to see if they catch a bullet. A marksman rolls for their aimed shot, then I move the camera to someone else.

Then you run around a corner, and oh no! There's an enemy soldier right there! That confrontation I play out second by second until it's over one way or another. Then it's back into narrative time.

A swashbuckling brawl between four PCs and four NPCs could be handled as four separate duels. So I'll focus on one of those duels for a while, going back and forth only between those two characters for a few combat seconds, then swing over to a different duel happening at the same time. Say one PC gets knocked down and disarmed by their foe. Perfect cliffhanger moment! I immediately change perspective to another pair of duellists—does the second PC interrupt their duel to go their friend's assistance, or are they too busy? And if the other PCs can't help, I've given the player a minute to try to think of something clever for when I put the spotlight back on them.

I find this really helps players get the hang of the one-second turns, by thinking of it as motion-by-motion, as movie fight choreography.

"He knocks your sword out of your hand! It lands somewhere over there."
"I back up, quickly!"
"He charges at you, swinging!"
"I try to step in and grab his weapon arm!"
"Success! The two of you struggle back and forth for… roll again? …a couple of seconds."
"I kick him!"
"He staggers back!"
"I draw my dagger and come for him!"
"That's two actions. You draw your dagger, but before you can strike, he's already recovered from the kick! He hefts his ax back up, but is still off-balance."
"Okay, now I come for him."
"You strike—and meanwhile, on the other side of the room, our wizard and his adversary…"

I save the strict combat order for when it really matters. Say, a SWAT-style room entry, or a group of fighters vs. some big monster. In those moments, players mind less the added detail, because we all can feel its importance.
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