Combat Becoming A Slog? Here's How To Fix It...
Plus, play in person with Bob World Builder!
Greetings dungeon masters! I seem to have made a horrible mistake.
Two weeks ago I started my new job, heading up the marketing department for a geopolitical strategy startup… however, I still haven’t left my current job, which means I’ve been doing DOUBLE the work!
Friday, was my final day from my old employment, and it’s been a bittersweet goodbye.
Otherwise, I’ve still been hard at work organizing Green Dragon Fest, where you’ll get the chance to play TTRPGS in person with myself and other fan favorite game masters, including Bob World Builder!
Today’s topic is something Bob and I both love — fixing boring combat encounters.
Combat Becoming A Slog? Here’s How To Fix It…
You know exactly what I’m talking about… when combat goes for hours, every player’s move (usually due to lack of decisiveness or ability knowledge) is torture, and the narrative tension of the whole scene is thrown off.
Little ‘fixes’ like rolling your attack and damage at once and different or no initiative systems don’t make a noticeable difference. I firmly believe the way you fundamentally design your encounters will have have a greater impact on the way your combat flows and feels.
Let’s take a real life battle as an example…
King Henry the Fifth’s victory at the Battle of Agincourt in late 1415 was so groundbreaking, this event reshaped and influenced battlefield tactics till the end of World War One.
In short, it was the English vs the French, where the French had blocked the English’s retreat to Calais. The English, with their supplies running low and more French troops arriving daily, knew they had to battle as soon as possible.
The English forced the battle to occur in the icy, hilly farmlands where they fortified their position with stakes like tank traps, and their archers fired upon the French from a hill.
The French, unaware that they were in longbow range, charged with their cavalry. A combination of the snow, the barricades, the horses creating a horrible battleground, picked off by the archers, followed by being surrounded by infantry, made it a disaster. This led to the French’s eventual capture, which the English used to bargain for safe passage to Calais.
How can we use this?
Firstly, terrain, terrain, terrain. If there isn’t already an interesting battleground, make one. Have several mages with battlefield control spells casting from the shadows. This can drastically change the stakes of the battle without causing any damage at all.
Secondly, utilize different types of troops. Every dangerous or significant combat encounter should have ranged and melee troops. Use your melee troops to lock party members in combat who could cause trouble for your ranged troops, which forces the players to make quick decisions.
Think about restricting the players movements, what actions they can take, and how that opens them or their allies up to attack. And if in doubt, study some real life battles for more tactics!
What does Bob recommend?
Bob World Builder has some great tips to make combat more fun as well, such as:
Fight to live vs fight to the death
Monsters want to survive too! It shouldn’t be the case where they will continue to fight at low HP. Most creatures will run away, which opens up possibilities for chase scenes, which could even attract more enemies.
This also leaves the door open for more interesting outcomes and decisions the players have to make, like whether they have time to chase them at all.
Tweak the numbers
The easiest way to make combat go faster is simply to lower their HP, AC or other stats. It can help make things more cinematic and exciting. You don’t have to use the stat block as intended.
Have an assistant GM
Do you have an eager (or bored) player? Get them involved and let them help out with tasks like tracking HP and damage, initiative, or let them take on some of the NPCs for you. The right arrangement can drastically speed up combat, take some pressure off your plate and engage another player more.
Be prepared
There’s no substitute for simply being prepared. Know your stat blocks. Have cheat sheets ready to go. Maybe write down some potential outcomes or complications you can throw in. And of course, remind your players to know their character skills and abilities as well.
Want the chance to play in person with Bob? Come to Green Dragon Fest!
Find out more about Bob World Builder on his channel here.
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Spice up a ‘non’ combat encounter with this little guy here! This D&D monster is by DMSlash.
The 3 M’s Of Adventure Context Using The Ink Bloat
What Might Have Happened A Millennia Ago:
Created when a spell of knowledge went awry, the first Ink Bloat sought to consume all the world's words.
Born from the spilled inkwell of a god of knowledge, accidentally mixing divine essence with black ink.
A wizard's library was cursed by a rival, turning the protective spells into an ink-hungry ooze.
What Might Have Happened A Month Ago:
A librarian wizard tried to enchant a book to contain all knowledge, but it absorbed the spell and became the Ink Bloat.
The Ink Bloat escaped containment from a secret society of archivists, who studied its ability to absorb written words.
A flood in the magical library spread enchanted ink across the volumes, giving birth to a new Ink Bloat.
What Might Have Happened Minutes Ago:
The Ink Bloat just consumed the last word of an ancient tome, gaining forbidden knowledge that threatens the balance of magic.
A curious cat knocked over a bottle of magical ink onto an open grimoire, unwittingly feeding the Ink Bloat.
The Ink Bloat seeped through the library’s floorboards, drawn by the fresh ink of a scribe’s new manuscript.
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