Alternate Rules & Homebrew Discussions

Thoughts on simultaneous resolution and variable initiative?

I’m comfortable so far. I don’t necessarily want to see it be an inflexible method for the DM to nullify actions. But we’re not 12, so it probably won’t come to that very often.

Might add a communication phase as part of intentions.

VI - still not a fan because of balance issues raised earlier, which don't need repeating. I think games can be more deadly or grittier without throwing balance to RNG of dice. As a plot device it could be fun, like entering a tesseract zone like at the end of Interstellar or something.

SR - it is growing on me. I still feel like I am making more dice rolls and more copying\pasting than in a standard format though. initiative roll, pre-save roll, more - if this or that...
Without VI, I think it would better. Also, maybe we don't have to c\p all the dice rolls and just adjust the #s in the template? (I tried this in my last post). I noticed Alan gave up on initiative and save rolls, lol

In a small group, with active posters, I still don't think it is necessary or actually helps speed up the game, it just gives players less control of their characters during combat. I would like to see it with a large group of slow posters to see if it helps, like in the Pirates game

Oops. I forgot initiative. Fixed. The save was the same because I repeated the same bad roll. 🤪

All good points gents. Agree that the payoff is minimal with a small group. It certainly does add more copy/paste, but I think it has potential.  Would really like to test it with a large group and see if it does what it is intended to do. Once we were down to two players it wasn't really a fair look at how it might affect pace. 

Variable initiative is a slippery slope. I'm not sure the disruption to balance it might add would outweigh the potential benefit of it. It could be visited again in the future. Check the OOG thread for a way forward.

I think in a large group it will regulate pace so that one or two slow posters don’t create a bottleneck. I am occasionally the bottleneck because I am aware but unable to post. I think copy and paste for dice rolls is unnecessary. (Anyone who wants to cheat already can). Just adjust the numbers. That will make the extra rolls much less time consuming.

It’s probably not slower for a group of 3, but maybe not faster. Chris should consider that when we played Tomb of Annihilation I was working from home and Josh was quarantined. I was posting every hour or more because I was in my basement in my underwear. 🤪

Let’s do two characters if the group is small. 🤩

navyik wrote:
It’s probably not slower for a group of 3, but maybe not faster. Chris should consider that when we played Tomb of Annihilation I was working from home and Josh was quarantined. I was posting every hour or more because I was in my basement in my underwear. 🤪

fair point, although I am still working from home in my underwear
it will be 11 months next week

Let’s do two characters if the group is small. 🤩

Yes! 

Don't neglect support/non-combat capabilities. This will be more than fighting. 

Can't believe how much happened in the last year.