How do you do initiative in YOUR game?

[Breakdaddy]

I recently had the opportunity to play C&C under another GM. He handled initiative in a very different way than is listed in the C&C PHB, but it ended up being very entertaining. Not only did we roll D6s instead of D10s, but he grouped us into "mini combats". If three of us were attacking a particular Orc, we would all three roll off against the orc on that round. Then if another of us was attacking a hobgoblin at range, he would roll off against the hobgoblin that round. At first it seemed a bit odd, but after a few rounds I found that it added a really cool cinematic feel to the combat. I suspect that many of us have our own take on initiative in our C&C game, whether its to change the default D10 roll to another die or perhaps adding dex bonuses to the roll, or something else entirely...

So, how do YOU do initiative in your C&C game? If not the default method, had your method proven more fluid or just plain cooler than standard method?

[PeelSeel2]

d10 vs d10. One roll for the party, one for the Ck's critters. If tie, everything is simeltaneous. I am thinking I am going to have to make a declarations phase, however. That way I can interrupt some spells. Of course, then the PC's could interupt my spells........
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[serleran]

1) Declare actions

2) Resolve immediate actions before initiative rolled (long reach weapons, pre-loaded missile weapons, held actions from the round before...)

3) Roll initiative (d10, modified as I see fit, based on declared action; each person and creature gets its own initiative -- group only used when dealing with 5+)

4) Resolve actions in order of initiative; ties are simultaneous, but players roll their dice first

5) Repeat until combat concluded

[meepo]

Also d10 vs d10 like PeelSeel2, but I let the PC's break ties.

[dunbruha]

Breakdaddy wrote:
So, how do YOU do initiative in your C&C game? If not the default method, had your method proven more fluid or just plain cooler than standard method?

I use a deck of playing cards. I deal out one card to each player, and one to myself. The highest card goes first (spades > hearts > clubs > diamonds). Each player puts their card out in front of them, so it's easy to see who goes next. After everyone has gone, I deal out new cards for the next round. Very simple, very fluid.

I have never played with declared actions, and do not currently require them in my games. But I am considering it. Why do those of you who use them like them?

[Breakdaddy]

dunbruha wrote:
I use a deck of playing cards. I deal out one card to each player, and one to myself. The highest card goes first (spades > hearts > clubs > diamonds). Each player puts their card out in front of them, so it's easy to see who goes next. After everyone has gone, I deal out new cards for the next round. Very simple, very fluid.

I have never played with declared actions, and do not currently require them in my games. But I am considering it. Why do those of you who use them like them?

That is very savage worlds-ish, which is another game I really like!

[serleran]

I use declared actions because it adds a sense of realism, and allows a "hole" for the interruption of actions. For example, if the caster has to say "I'll be casting a spell" the spell starts at the beginning of the round, but is completed on the count, so if any creature hits him before then... the spell is lost. Otherwise, some arbitrary method must be used to determine such things, making combat a bit more complex. In addition, if a person is not going to be doing a combat action, like "I'll run to the stairs and pull my shield to block anything from coming down," the exact timing is not that important unless something happens to be coming down the stairs... so, the player had better hope he won initiative, and since he can't know they're coming, it makes it a bit more dramatic.

I've also discovered that declared actions cuts down on some types of metagaming, like... when a wizard rolls a 10, and is melee combat, but whips out a fireball, just because they get to go first. Its unlikely the caster would have done that without the 10... so, if they have to say what they do first, it helps make the game a bit more "real" in that sense.

[meepo]

Breakdaddy wrote:
That is very savage worlds-ish, which is another game I really like!

That's what it was, I knew that sounded familiar. Hard to remember with out Smiling Jack cacklin' at you!

[serleran]

Torg uses the drama deck to determine initiative, too. So do many other games, like Witchcraft (or rather, can.) Still, an interesting method, though I would have to include the use of jokers, just because.

[moriarty777]

I use a d20 as opposed to the d10... player's roll individually but I roll the opponets as a group or groups depending on the scenario.

I initially tried to do one roll for the party and one for the monsters but ran into a bit of chaos a couple of times (basically everybody also rolled their attack rolls at the same time when it was the party's turn!) I figured it was easier to allow the PC's an individual initiative roll from that point on.

Because of this, the d20 has a greater range to accomodate individual initiative for the party members and the groups of critters I have lined up for them.

Moriarty the Red
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[BeZurKur]

I handle initiative similar to Seleran's method for the same reasons. For a more detailed run down for why I prefer declaration check here.

[Dragonhelm]

I'm pretty basic. Each player rolls 1d10 + Dex modifier per combat (rather than per round). Bad guys roll as well. Actions are determined on the player's turn. I haven't determined yet what bonuses, if any, the monsters will get.
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[Traveller]

I expounded upon initiative in another thread. But in short, DEX determines order of actions, with die rolls breaking ties. Individual initiative, which means that if a guy is whacked by two orcs, both orcs swing at him, and he swings at both orcs in return.
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[BASH MAN]

1d6+DEX bonus, +1 for Halflings. So a halfling with 18 Dex would get a +4 initiative modifier! For simplicity, initiative order just replays every round, no rerolling every round.

Also, you don't move on your initiative. Movement occurs throughout the round. A character with 30' move moves one square per segment, a character with a 20' move moves 2 squares every 3 segments. Thus, if you beat a crossbowmen who is 20' away on initiative by 1 segment, he will probably still get to shoot you before you reach him!
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[seskis281]

I just now finalized it with my house rules -

Each character adds both DEX and WIS modifiers, whether they are + or -, and create an initiative modifier. 1d10 roll + mod at start of combat sequence (once for all rounds), players will declare their actions at start of each round.
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[Melkor]

Still debating it, and I haven't quite settled in on a method for my current play-by-email C&C game based on "Pod Caverns of the Sininster Shroom" conversion.

I have always been a big fan of having 1) Luck, 2) Character Ability, and 3) Chosen Action modifiy initiative. That said, I had kind of 'gotten over' the need for all three, and accepted that DEX bonus broke ties in C&C...

...so I was planning on using 1D10 with ties broken by DEX in my games...but the fact that there is no Initiative Score for Monsters, and monsters don't have a DEX still bugs me.

Still up in the air, and probably will be until the CKG comes out, and (hopefully) includes a way for generating an Initiative score for monsters.

[DangerDwarf]

I've been playtesting a new method.

I yell "Fight!" then all of the players scramble to open-hand pimp slap another player. The combat goes in order of who pimp-slapped who first.

I like it.

[Breakdaddy]

DangerDwarf wrote:
I've been playtesting a new method.

I yell "Fight!" then all of the players scramble to open-hand pimp slap another player. The combat goes in order of who pimp-slapped who first.

I like it.

ROFL

[meepo]

Pshh, thats not even a house rule where I grew up. It was just the way the game was played!

[DangerDwarf]

meepo wrote:
Pshh, thats not even a house rule where I grew up. It was just the way the game was played!

Dude. That's hardcore.

[Camazotz]

Dragonhelm wrote:
I'm pretty basic. Each player rolls 1d10 + Dex modifier per combat (rather than per round). Bad guys roll as well. Actions are determined on the player's turn. I haven't determined yet what bonuses, if any, the monsters will get.

I use the same method you do; I don't worry about the monsters' bonuses if they don't have a Dex score determined unless it's a "name" monster, then I roll one for them.

[irda ranger]

d20 + Dex mod + Level, once at the beginning of combat. Baddies have a fixed initiative of 12+HD

Yeah, higher level characters (and monsters) have more highly trained reflexes.

[Arazmus]

everything rolls a d10 ties are handled with higher dex.
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[Breakdaddy]

We have recently developed a roshambo system for initiative. Everyone attempts to kick each other indajunk as swiftly and powerfully as possible. Whoever is standing up at the end wins initiative for the round. I guess it's a good thing that we are all dudes or this initiative system could become problematic.

[Omote]

I go pretty much BTB, but had to settle ties with DEX scores in the past.

Question for you initiative guys: In C&C initiative ties are considered simultaneous actions. How the hell do you do actions at the same time if the orc and the fighter are both going at the same time?

~O
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[Relaxo]

Omote wrote:
I go pretty much BTB, but had to settle ties with DEX scores in the past.

Question for you initiative guys: In C&C initiative ties are considered simultaneous actions. How the hell do you do actions at the same time if the orc and the fighter are both going at the same time?

~O

IN 2nd ed, when there were ties, we'd just rule they hit at the same time and suffer damage at the same time, sometimes killing each other at the same time. We'd usually try to roll at the same time too, just to be goofy.

Made things interesting once, when a Mind Flayer did it's mental blast at the instant it was killed by the fighter... it got killed, but everyone was still stunned for a few rounds as the MF's underlings, previously fleeing, regathered their lines and prepared to attack the stunned PCs. it got hairy and was really cool to let the tide shift in such a random way, which I think is realistic (you know, having fought so many real battles with mind-eating monsters in real life... LOL but you get my point)

or am I missing something in your question?

[Omote]

No sir, you are not missing anything. I understand that type of simultaneous action can occur when you are conducting combats via your imagination. In my particular situation, we use the old Chessex Battlemat. When two (or more) beings go at the same time with these tactical situations being worked out on the grided battlemat, how can one determine this fairly?

~O
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[kwheatonca]

Hi all

It has always bothered me that D&D weapons that scored D6 or D4 damage had no real advantage in the game (except in 2nd edition when speed factors were used or in the official 1e rules from the DMG that no one actually used). Also I wanted a way to award mobility when characters chose not to wear armour. The short of it is that each individual rolls D10 modified by dex, weapon speed and armour. The system is crunchy and takes time to establish order but we like the detail.

I'm not going to go into how spells, charges, etc. work... but its the same idea tied into this system. Additionally, if the roll is 11+ I allow an additional action such as an attack (similiar to an old dragon magazine article on attack priority that did away with multiple attacks).

Lately, however as I run games for a younger gamers I have tried to make things simplier. Order is established by the speed of weapons : generally by how much dam they do. D4's go 1st, D6 2nd, D8 3rd, and D10 4th. A character's speed is set-up similarily so that faster charcters that are not in combat can act first. Spells are divided up by level as to how fast they can be cast, etc. Initiative is only rolled if 2 characters both have the same attack prioity (i.e they both have D8 weapons). This is similiar to the initiative system found in the skills and powers combat book from 2e, although far more stream lined.

Cheers

[Arazmus]

Omote wrote:
I go pretty much BTB, but had to settle ties with DEX scores in the past.

Question for you initiative guys: In C&C initiative ties are considered simultaneous actions. How the hell do you do actions at the same time if the orc and the fighter are both going at the same time?

~O

If the fighter kills the orc, the orc still gets his action regardless of his status of dead at the end of the round. The orc does not disrupt the spellcaster but gets to damage him...etc etc.
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[Traveller]

kwheatonca, OD&D had a simple answer to what bothered you, pre-Supplement I. All weapons did 1d6 damage. Of course, I don't like that and use the variable damage types that I'm familiar with.

I can't comment much on how well your system works, except to say that it would be too crunchy for my tastes, especially since I never used weapon speed factors and believe the encumbrance penalties given in the PHB were sufficient. Of course, some out in la la land think that Holmes' initiative is too crunchy given the fact that you have to roll monster DEX scores on the spot in order to determine combat order. Others believe my interpretation of it to be decidedly so because of my belief that the Holmes system is an individual initiative system. To each their own.

Welcome to the crusade.
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