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COMBAT!

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The more common way of putting it is "roll for initiative," but I don't know how game-specific that phrasing is, and I'm aware not everyone reading this knows common RPG mechanics.

(That latter part is also why I left out any mention of initiative modifiers that they'd to their dice rolls.)

Turn order!

Like George, I've mostly experienced Table Top RPGs by listening to others play them, and I have noticed that combat turn order just sort of happens instead of being rolled for.

Part of that could be the context of the games being played, that being with an audience in mind, but it also just seems to happen naturally at times when things are happening quickly, and an organic order of actions presents itself.

In the case of the last fight in this game, Nanase ran into a room, ran back out, was chased, and the first person they naturally ran into (Rich) responded. The third enemy who would've been right behind the other two got to do something, Ellen selected George to act next, and that was that.

That, to me at least, felt like a situation where you might skip rolling to see who acts in what order, and just go with what seems most natural.

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Comments

Anonymous

Hold up. Was that four twenties in a row?

IvyReed

I was about to say "HEY just because 4 of them succeeded doesn't mean it was a nat 20" but then... yes actually, it was that many twenties at once!

Brooks Moses

Was what four twenties in a row? If you're talking about panel 3, I'm pretty sure that's just Ellen confirming with George that twenty is the correct number of sides of the dice to be rolled. (Not 10, and not 12. 30 is Right Out.)

Brooks Moses

Amusingly, the game I'm playing now handles this by simply alternating sides between PCs and enemies, and whichever PC went last gets to choose the next PC to go. Thus, instead of being random, it becomes a Fun Tactical Decision, especially when there are (positive or negative) conditions that last "until the end of your next turn". (Then again, the game is all about the Fun Tactical Decisions. We've had epic five-round battles that took up most of two two-hour gaming sessions.)

AstroChaos

I was going to say that sounds like it would slow down combat in a heart beat if you aren't careful... but ya kind of already said that yourself there at the end 😬

Mark

Just so long as you make sure that everyone gets a turn once per round.

A Red Mage Named Blue

TBF, Larry would probably just lean over and say "Add that number"

Some Ed

That sounds likely to freeze out the most tactical players by the most popular players.

Wild Card

Nervous new GM asking for confirmation that she is doing something right from the players with more experience. Good sign that Ellen is not trying to make this up as she goes on the game-play.

Brooks Moses

I suppose I should have clarified that whichever PC went last gets to choose *from the players who haven't gone yet that round*. So, yes, everyone always gets exactly one turn per round. (Except elite enemies, who get two turns per round.)