It’s hard to find a place online which talks about D&D4e that hasn’t, in recent weeks and months, been talking about the pace of 4e combat and ways to make it faster, faster, and faster still. There’s tons of advice that ranges from the practical to the extensive to the radical extreme.
And I’m a bit tired of hearing it.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you that these people are wrong. Many of the advocates for speeding up 4e are very smart and savvy people who have a lot of experience with the game. Further, D&D4e can be a game where combat goes slowly and for some people that’s a problem. And there are a lot of ways that you can tinker with the game and speed it up to your liking. My problem is that the discussion seems to me to assume that slow combat is an issue for everybody and that you should definitely be addressing it.
Although it may not be the intentions of the authors and advice givers, I get the enormous sense that the feeling is that you’re not doing it “right” if you’re not taking advantage of the tips, tricks, or overhauls that have been presented. And I think that I need to present the alternate viewpoint, namely that you should play at the pace that you and your group find most enjoyable. Slow combat, or a session largely comprised of combat, does not automatically make for a worse or less interesting experience or session. Nor does fast combat necessarily make for a better or more fun game.
There are a lot of different kinds of people who play D&D4e. Believe it or not, there are people who love having lots of options with their characters, so if you throw everything out for an Essentials game in order to speed things up, you could have quite possibly have hurt someone else’s enjoyment. Some people love the tactical combat aspect of the game and enjoy making the most effective or efficient move they can, so placing things like time limits on players to rush on through could also impact the fun that someone else has at the table. Some people just like rolling dice, so taking away their damage roll might really suck to them. I could go on, but you’re starting to get the point.
People play D&D for a lot of different reasons and it’s important as a DM and a player to address what everybody wants. Sometimes that may mean you ~do~ take some of the things suggested to speed your game up and implement them into a game. Not all of them are weird or extreme like some of the ones I mentioned up above and they can be easy to adapt to. But if your game doesn’t need it, then you should think twice about doing it anyway. It doesn’t matter what bloggers, veterans, or even the developers themselves do. You shouldn’t feel pressured to change how you play your game if it’s already working for you.
So, play at your own pace. Even if it’s “slow”, if you have fun with it, that’s what it’s all about. If you’re enjoying the time you’re spending, you’re not wasting it.
Here here! I’ve sorta felt the same way about all the “speed up 4e” talk. If you feel like it’s running too slowly for your group, then by all means try some tips and tricks to speed it up. But no one should feel like they are running a bad game if their combat goes “slowly” (which is an arbitrary statement in and of itself).
Damned right!
I’m sick of it too. It’s made me worry that my game’s too fast, to the extent that when I played I was trying to hurry my players along, and one of them pointed it out.
Let the players play at whatever speed they want to. If someone thinks it’s too slow, ask them to help along the players who they think go too slowly, but not in a pushy way. Ask them to suggest “That thing you did last round was pretty good, can you do it again?” or similar. One of my players is the girlfriend of another player and, while she herself admits that she’s slow sometimes, she asks her boyfriend if she’s having real difficulty, and he helps.
If your players are enjoying themselves, who is the DM to interfere?
I posed this pacing question to my group (all of which are new to D&D): “Are our combats too slow?” Not one of them thought so. They all enjoy the pace of combat, like to think out some strategy and see it all unfold.
More important than the overall length of each combat is how it flows. The flow of combat is what makes it feel fast or slow. If each person is taking several minutes just to take their actions combat will seem like it’s dragging slowly along. However, if each person takes their turn quickly and keeps the combat moving, it _feels_ fast.
Shortening overall combat time will just lead to the next combat that much faster. So at the end of the day you’re still in combat for the same amount of time, only your campaign will be over sooner. And who would want that?!
I don’t think I’ve ever gotten the feeling that anyone is saying “If you’re playing slow, you’re doing it wrong.” The “speed up 4e” movement is one that is in response to an issue many, but not all, have.
I agree that if “slow” (meaning tactical) play is okay for you and your group, by all means, continue doing what you’re doing. However, not everyone feels that way, and I believe that is who is targeted by the “speed it up” movement.
Personally, as my post last week discussed, I think I’ve determined that slow tactical combat might not necessarily be the problem in my group. Our combat is sluggish, no question; however, if the non-combat-time was expanded, I think I’d (and my group) would have a much better time playing “slow” combats.
I’m glad to be seeing this turn around in some parts of the community. Alas, it’s too late for the game, as official changes have already come down to try to address this problem.
Thank you for addressing the fact that there are differences not just between tables but between players at the same table.
Well, I guess great minds think alike! I’ve posted a text on the very same subject in the day before! It’s on Gamecrafters’ Guild: http://www.gamecrafters.net/archives/1415
It’s good to know I’m not the only one feeling combat speed is not… Essential (pun intended).