I am thinking of implementing Speed Factor Initiative, but I don't really want to use all of it.
Speed Factor Initiative "RAW" would work like this:
- Everyone must declare an action prior to rolling
- Initiative is rolled after each round
- There are additional modifier to be added based on weapon type and size
While I love the unpredictability of this initiative variant, I am not sure that my player are experienced enough to declare their action this early. I am looking at only taking the portion of this variant that causes everyone to re-roll each round.
I don't want them to have to declare their action ahead of time, or make the formula for initiative more complex.
Has anyone else tried this? Did it work? My main purpose is to kind of stop meta-gaming naturally. Because there are some brand new player, I want them to be able to converse with the people who have played before, but I don't want a conversation like this to happen:
PC1: I don't really know what to do here
PC2: Well if I move here and
you move there we can flank the goblin. Because we have higher
initiative, he won't be able to act before this happens
While this is constructive for PC1 to learn some of these battle tactics, I think by simply mixing up initiative each turn, that will be enough to really thwart the meta-gaming because they don't really know who acts when.
Best Answer
Your problem as described doesn't sound like meta-gaming. It sounds like making tactics, and working together. You should encourage this! If your team can act faster than the goblin, it makes perfect sense to take it out before it can take an action.
From your comment:
To me it sounds like you feel your players are spending too much time planning out every single decision in combat, which to be fair can definitely eliminate any sense of dramatic tension.
If you want to up the pace of combat, you can put them on a time limit. Get a timer, an hourglass or something similar and tell your players they have until the sand empties to make your move. 60 seconds is usually plenty of time to make a decision, and once your players get used to it they probably won't even need the timer any more. The problem is that this might put undue pressure on a newer player, since you did mention you have some in your group.
While speed factor is certainly an option, in my experience re-rolling initiative is tedious, and can drag down the pace of the game even more, especially with new players. As pointed out in the comments, messing with initiative order can have other undesired effects. Monsters or players can effectively get two turns in a row, which throws off the balance of a lot of things, such as "until start of your next turn" abilities. Not to mention, re-tracking initiative every round puts even more work on your plate as DM. It also doesn't really solve the root problem of players over-analyzing combat; it just makes things more unpredictable.
As always, talk with your players before you change anything. Make sure everyone is on the same page about what you all want out of the game. If everyone is enjoying the way things are, there may not be a problem and trying to force them to change their ways could cause them to resent you.
Another option is to just up the tactics of your monsters! Make them flank, co-ordinate, ambush, lead players into traps, etc. Let the players feel like their planning pays off when they outsmart an equally intelligent enemy.