Using a dice app to speed up combat.

[McFacemelt]

1. I'm curious as to what dice apps, if any, you might currently be using and why you like that particular app.

The current app I am using is RPG Roller 2.6 from Moondog Software, available for free from iTunes. This app allows you to create your own dice roll formulas, allowing you to do things like automatically reroll ones. It also allows you to set up your own hot buttons for these formulas for anytime you want to use them. It also has a roll history, allowing you to look back over your rolls so you don't miss anything, and numbers those rolls so any GM can easily spot number fudging during character creation if they wish to do so.

2. How I've used the roll history to speed up combat.

At the beginning of the session I have my players pull out there phones and hit d20 for the first 10-20 minutes, ensuring we have all the d20 rolls we could possibly need for the night. Once we hit combat we take our phones and put them on the table. Whoever's turn it is declares their action and what the bonus to that is, then uses whatever their first roll was adds the bonus then deletes the roll. GM does the same for all opposition/NPCs.

3. Has anyone else tried this or something like it? I'm sure it could be done even without the app, just constantly rolling and writing it down for later use, the app just saves more trees which I am all for. My group only consists of 2-3 players but it has sped up combat more than enough that I don't dread my players insisting on starting all out slug fests that would normally take 2 or 3 sessions to resolve.

[Bill]

Sounds like you'd lose the tension of rolling in the moment, which is something I'd really prefer to keep.

[Fell]

I have tried a few online dice rollers. I run a Rifts game with 9 players and me. Ten people is a lot, but my game group is some adults (40-50+) and their teenage kids (13-16 yr olds). Can't exclude anyone without losing a whole family. So in order to have combat go faster with so many people I've tried a bunch of things.

Pre Rolling takes the spontaneous natural 20 die roll, or the dramatic absolute failed (darn it I'm last) natural one roll out of the game. (I promise I'm not trying to sound like a butthead, but if you spend 10-20 minutes rolling dice on phones you haven't really saved much time). If you are going to do that you might as well, as GM, roll all the dice yourself behind a GM screen and just say you hit, or you missed. That'll speed things up until your players realize they never hear the dice rolling and you are just pretending to roll dice, but don't in order to speed things up even more

I really like technology but when we play Rifts we tend to stay low tech like we did 25-35 years ago when we played RPG's. Dice. Pencils. Paper. I do some stuff with tech. I use my Apple TV and iPhone to display larger pictures on my massive TV. We went into the Carlsbad Caverns in a Rifts game and I could show pictures of it as we played. I also print massive maps and dungeons or landscapes (4 ft by 6 ft usually, get them at a Staples for cheap).

For fast combat I went with this:

To speed up combat I use my own self made Init Cards and a card holder I got at Amazon.

The Cards: are the size of a business card, or poker playing cards. I just printed on card stock and cut them out with scissors. I did buy some blank playing cards (200 for like $5) but haven't used them yet (just got them).

On the cards I wrote the players name on one side. The side that faces the players. I have one card that says Bad Guys. I only roll one init roll for all the bad guys.

On the other side of the card I wrote the players name, and character name. Also their HP/SDC and Armor level (I like to know if I'm about to kill them with my next attack).

So when the cards are lined up in order of who goes first to last the players can see their names and know when they go.

The card holder is a Ableware 15" Playing Card Holder. Was about $8.

So combat looks like this:
Roll init.
I then count down from 20 to 1. As I say the number they rolled, they let me know that was their roll and I place their card into the holder.
Then everyone takes their turn.


So

Long story short.

Use the dice. It's old school and still cool.

[Fell]

http://www.roll-dice-online.com

I have recently used this for character creation.

[McFacemelt]

I should clarify, the dice rolling takes place while we are still playing. No time is lost only rolling dice, which is probably what would take place if regular dice and paper were used instead.

I agree it does take some suspense out of it, and even allows for some pre-planning on the players part. My one possible solution to this is to take the phones as GM and inform the players as to what their roll is.
They might be able to remember the first 10 or maybe even 20 rolls, but eventually I think it could bring the tension of, "Come on dice don't fail me now!", to "I hope my dice didn't fail me 20 minutes ago!"

Just a thought, a certified CS credit for yours.

[Fell]

Just wondering.

All the pre determined D20 rolls are used for Init and Strike and Dodges?
Or just Init?

I'll think about a response

But I'm on a CS hit list and need to be paid in Black Market goods.
Your CS credits are no good on the West Coast will use gold!

[Fell]

As GM pre roll the dice:

Roll(50d20) for each player. (Several online places to do this at).

Tom

18,3,15,9,5,6,4,19,17,9,13,10,20,15,14,20,11,11,4,1,2,9,14,7,9,18,4,12,8,6,3,9,4,8,6,20,11,2,1,15,6,1,16,5,15,16,5,7,18,19,

Sam

14,8,10,10,7,5,13,14,12,5,12,2,14,13,18,9,8,1,4,5,13,14,12,3,2,11,2,16,19,16,16,14,18,12,3,15,4,20,20,7,13,10,8,5,9,15,12,13,13,4,

Bob

5,16,15,5,10,13,4,4,8,6,17,18,16,4,7,3,20,1,7,10,15,19,17,10,7,7,2,4,4,8,14,8,17,5,10,18,9,9,3,5,4,4,17,13,17,19,16,9,6,6,


Then print sheet out, tear into three parts, and randomly give roll results to players.

I still prefer to just roll dice at time needed but am trying to find possible solutions for you.

Otherwise just toss dice out. Use a deck of cards. Keep deck shuffled between uses and deal out a card to each player as needed. High card goes first.

[McFacemelt]

The rolls are used for every combat action, initiative, perception, saves, everything that uses a d20. I only roll initiative once to decide combat order, it does not change until the current combat ends and another begins.

I realize other dice are needed for combat and the game, but the d20 is the most repeatedly used dice in the game without multiples being rolled at the same time.

None of my players or myself like the idea of me rolling their numbers, we are the superstitious type even if we don't use physical dice.

*Hands Fell a gold tooth pulled from the head of a CS grunt.*

[Crow Splat]

I have an ingrained distrust of random number generators. In my experience they tend to be "streaky." As in they can get stuck in their programming and run strings of similar or identical results rather often. Some are better than others however, and when playing online, they are mandatory.

As for pre-rolling dice, I have never been a fan.. it takes the suspense out if certain situations and can dictate players actions. If they know they rolled a critical failure for their next roll, a player isn't going to try and do something super critical. They are going to burn actions until they get to some better rolls.