I DM’d a group that tried to optimize every situation, and every turn off combat. That’s okay as long as it stays fun, but once they start spinning their wheels, or one player turns combat into a slog, then I take measures.
Outside of combat, that means the real world keeps ticking along. Usually that just means NPCs ask the PCs to stop blocking the street, or a beggar starts asking for money, or the person they’re chasing fades further into the distance.
Combat in 5e can be a slog (even with the usual DM busywork), so I’ll give players a visual countdown and then move their turn to after the next character in initiative order. As soon as they start doing something, I stop, but I want to set the expectation that this is a high stakes scenario and they need to keep up with the pacing.
I’ve spoken with my players and they’re cool with it.
I’ve got optimizer tendencies, but we’ve also got another member who is 100% “What would my character do in this high stress situation with the knowledge they have” and I’ve found myself leaning that way during combat more and more.
I will still scrutinize everything outside of combat though, and I’m thankful for the IRL time pressure to get me out of that.
I think there can be some intra-group tension when half the group is going for “how can we win this fight cleanly with minimal resources spent?” and half is going for “what would my character do? What would be dramatic?”
It’s something to clear up in session 0, I think.
My personal fantasy right now is being part of a highly skilled and competent team. I’m tired of always being the three stooges.
Also bad: when part of the group wants to play for clean victory, and part of the group does but it really bad at it.
My party tends to try to optimize starting positions, and it makes sessions kinda long. Last session, I decided I would add extras to a boss fight that would aid the players during the fight. The players started debating what the best approach would be after successfully sneaking into an already good position.
Decided right then and there that the extras were red shirts. While the players were debating, I interjected saying that one of the zombies took a chunk out of one of the gunmen (one of the extras). The energy in the call heightened immediately and they started to frantically make a battle plan and triggered the fight quickly.
I’m thinking I’ll start doing that more often. Adds narrative weight to their dilly dallying.
I like shenanigans characters, where you always have a trick up your sleeves. I’m not a super-powerful D&D character in real life, so it will take me a moment to come up with those tricks and put them in my sleeves. As such, I think of turn timers as a problem, not a solution.
I saw advice which was just that, whenever someone starts their turn, give a nudge to the person next down the line. That way, they’ll have more time to plan before their turn starts, and it’s not like they were doing anything then anyway. Way better.
I am totally planning my next turn the moment I finish one. It sorta stinks because someone does something and its like. shit. that derails my plan.
