Any tips that makes the flow of combat smoother

[shawnhcorey]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Or download these little thigns and print copies.
http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=SJG37-0202

I agree. You can have your players create there own on index cards, especially if they have extras moves like the cinematic Martial Arts manoeuvres.

In addition, have them create an index card for each weapon. For each combat round, they choose one move card and one weapon card. It makes things faster than looking up the stats on the character sheet.

BTW, there's more goodies on the Resources & Play Aids page.

[Crakkerjakk]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

Having a player be descriptive with their actions is great and all, but its no reason to believe the rest of the gaming universe is going to go along with their mad little plan.

Sometimes their mad little plan ends with them bouncing off the big orc and getting chopped into unconsciousness instead of knocking him into a stream. :-(

[Edges]

Everybody's given so many good ideas. What a successful thread. Lots of good ideas, on topic, and no bickering. I totally agree with everything so far. There's hardly anything I can think to add.

One thing that I like to incorporate is the Lull. Weaving a break in the action in mid combat gives a chance for characters to do those longer actions without being bogged down in 1 sec turns. Maybe the characters (either side) fall back behind a door. Now one group can reload, patch a wound, talk tactics, cast a long spell, etc. while the other group bashes at the door. Or in a firefight, at some point, everybody might take cover. Now there's time to pull out you phone and call for back-up, roll some tactics and stealth rolls, gesture to your buddy to support, etc. But don't pack up your combat cards/cheatsheets/markers/whatever because the action can start again any time. This can work with the mini-scenario that others have suggested too. While everyone else takes long actions, maybe one warrior is still in the thick of it. One guy reloads, one guy calls for back-up, one guy sneaks around for the snipe, and the GM says, "OK, that gives you about 10 sec. of melee." If it's the melee artist he should be familiar enough with the melee rules to be able to shine without hogging too much time. So you give him 3-5min. of heart pounding combat. It's long enough to satisfy the scenario and short enough that everyone else stays interested.

Other tricks can break up the time and make things more intersting. Stun is a good tool. If you don't want the above melee guy to hog 5 min. of real time, have him get stunned for a few seconds. I don't usually have people roll every second to recover from stun, instead I go with how well their initial HT roll went and give a flat stun duration. It's usually only a second or two but if the plot demands more...

Skills such as Intimidation can be employed to buy time, making long actions possible. If the fight hasn't gone too sour, Diplomacy can change things ("At least hear me out").

Then there's the escalation approach. Firing a gun in the air during a brawl can cause everyone to stop and think.

Some fights are at range, where it takes a few seconds to load a knock an arrow and peer through the leaves before there is even anything to attack.

I basically only use the 1 sec. turns only when every sec. counts (and then I stick to them). People in real life spend a lot of time behind cover, evaluating from a distance, talking, etc. when their life is on the line. Finding ways to go in and out of 1 sec. turns makes for an interesting fight and gives all different types of characters a chance to do their thing.

[Luke Bunyip]

If a player wants his character to do something which takes more than one turn to perform, get them to put a dice next to the character. If, say the action is reloading a revolver, set the dice with the three facing up. Next turn, the player sets it to two, etc. At zero the PC can fire his gun.

You could do the same thing for Non Player Characters.

[combatmedic]

I've been learning GURPS 4E by running it. Based on that, and on my years of GM experience with other systems:


# 1
Use a map and minis for any 'big fights' with multiple opponents or a complex battleground (doors, angles, pits, streams, low walls for cover, etc). It doesn't matter if the minis are 'improvised'. I like battle mats. Using a simple map and some kind of minis does not force you to use the whole of the advanced combat system. These simple tools will allow the players to see where things are in relation to each other, which helps to cut down on confusion and questions in play. Line of sight, range, etc can all be estimated more easily with such props.

# 2
Don't let people dawdle on declaring actions. That is, don't let a player take ten minutes to decide what his PC will do for this upcoming one second combat round. Give them a little time to think, but don't allow play to degenerate into long out-of-character debates over tactics.

# 3 Combat action cards- a free handout and they really do help. The cards have helped me as a GM new to 4E, and have helped my players, several of whom are also new to the game. Print out a set for each player, and keep one in your GM screen/folder.

# 4 Don't be afraid to make a judgment call if poring over pages and pages of text to dredge up some obscure point of the rules would drastically slow the game or impede the fun. If you make an effort to be reasonable, fair, and consistent, your players won't complain about a little 'winging it.' That is, unless they are a bunch of rules lawyers. :)

# 5 Don't use a bunch of optional rules unless you really think that they will improve play and fit the style of your campaign.

[The Benj]

Originally Posted by Refplace

"i'll warily circle around and evaluate" is a fast descrription or wait and attack, etc

That really sounds more like a fast description for Evaluate.