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.
38I'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.
6I 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.
1Working through options isn't necessarily bad, but it can disrupt the game and make it less enjoyable for other players. The idea with adding time pressure is to add to the fun.
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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.
In my experience (and from what I've heard of other groups) optimisers are rarely the cause of this problem, usually it's the more casual or inexperienced players.
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I read this as time turner at first and was a bit confused.
30I 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.
17I 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.
8But at least then you still have the broken remnants of what used to be a plan, that you can adapt off of.
One of the players in my game consistently waits until his turn comes up before he even surveys the map and begins forming a plan, and I'm about to kick him out of the game about it. We cover an average of two rooms of exploration per 4-5 hour session because of this.
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The idea of a timer is that you already do that, so that you're ready to go when yours comes up.
And I don't know any GM who won't give you a break from the timer if the person who went before you changed something huge. Like, if someone summoned a demon, you blew up a bridge, you get some extra time to work out a new turn..
4That's not the point of the timer. The point of a timer is to cut off people taking too much time. As a side effect, people are pre-planning their turns so they don't get cut off by the timer. The solution is the pre-planning, which does not need a timer, nor is it a guaranteed result of a timer.
There was a problem, and in trying to fix it, the DM created a second problem. The players then found the actual solution to the first problem to avoid the second. The DM then took credit for fixing the problem.
Do you remember that episode where Homer became Mr Burns' assistant, and was so bad that Mr Burns became more independent so he wouldn't need Homer's help? It's basically like that.
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I don't always run a timer, but it is a tool in my box.
Mostly it comes out when I feel like the players are spinning their wheels. Like, they know they need to get into the server room on the 10th floor. There's a front door with security, a back door with an alarm, etc. The players are just going round and round with ideas but not doing anything.
I'll say "I'm starting a five minute timer. If it hits zero, something interesting will happen".
If it hits zero and they're still stuck, then as foretold something interesting happens. A rival group rolls up and firebombs the entrance before heading inside. A security drone spots them and is calling the cops. Whatever. Something that forces them to act.
In combat rounds I sometimes do the same, but only if it feels like they're not making progress. Maybe it's a little rude sometimes, but I value keeping the scene moving forward. I don't want to keep spending three minutes on "should I move? How far can I move again? Is there a range penalty? What if I use a spell first can I still shoot?" stuff. Especially if it's rules minutia they should already know.
The amount of times I had to remind an old group's bard that yes, in DND 5e you can move AND take an action was too high.
11I might inject, that this is a very drastic measure that some groups will find to be annoying. As long as they are actually debating constructively, then the example above isn't even needed. If, as the comment says, the debate is going in circles, some groups can be brought back on track by simply telling them: "So guys... What are you going to do? Because you've been doing the same back and forth for half an hour now?"
Not saying that you should not use the above method. Just saying that some players will find that to be an "extreme" solution. Instead, simply reminding them, that they should probably get to a result within the next five minutes can do.
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A turn timer?? I'm out.
6Yeah I'm new and this would put me off, honestly.
4Turn timers are not for every situation. They use turn timers to turn up the heat on a scenario. Like a bank heist or a time bomb.
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It's necessary when someone is taking 8+ minutes to take their turn. Things that person does every time they're in combat, but it still takes them 8 minutes
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this is a funny situation I have with this sub. I tend to subscribe to rpg stuff but I tend to block meme stuff. they like nullify each other. I can't imagine a dm using a timer although with some groups I would have rather liked it if it was generous enough.
6Me, who picks spells that have their down sides listed at the end and use the time to my advantage.
5d6 damage.
Is there a save? *Beep* times up, take the damage please.
3Even at a paid table, an actual timer would be the last resort.
I get that some players just drag ass, and it can be annoying. But damn, you gotta have a degree of freedom to really think. If one player is dragging ass often enough to be a problem for the table, it's talk time as a first option.
Before a timer, I would even insist on a different character that plays in a more simple way.
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