Avoiding Boring Combat
I love Dungeons & Dragons, and all role-playing in general, but there is one aspect in the trinity of RPGs (social interaction, combat, and exploration) that can become especially tedious and sometimes downright boring. Surprisingly enough, this is combat. Combat should be the most interactive and the most intense of the three aspects of roleplaying. Right? Yet in many systems, especially D&D, combat can break down to a dice slog of: roll initiative, roll to hit, hit, now roll damage. . .and so it goes until the monster dies. . .hopefully. Surely we as game masters (and players as well) can do something to help inject some flavor and some fun into our combats to make them more interesting. But how?
My first suggestion is to make sure that the combats that you are running are necessary. I love random encounters; however, they need to have a point or else you are wasting not only the players’ health and resources, but also their time and yours. So my first suggestion is to cull any unnecessary combats. If the combat isn't progressing the story or it isn’t a fun fight for the players to engage in with interesting mechanics or rare monsters, then consider cutting the combat entirely or reducing the number of monsters to help move the session along.
Never stop combat to look up a corner-case ruling.
Secondly, keep combat moving! Make use of an initiative tracker, either digital or physical, so that players know whose turn it is and whose turn is coming up next. This will help players be more prepared for their turn. And it helps move combat along. Also, never stop combat to look up a corner-case ruling. This will cause the fun and the drama of the moment to grind to a screeching halt. Just make a ruling that makes sense in the moment, make a note to look it up later, and move on. If you get it wrong, no need to dwell.
My third suggestion is to add in descriptions to your combat to make it more dramatic and more interesting. Let’s take a look at two examples:
“You attack the demon with your sword and roll to hit. You hit, roll damage, and the demon takes 5 damage due to his damage resistance.”
OR
“As you square off against the demon you notice a brief opening in the demon’s defences and you drive your blade point first into the demon's flesh, spilling black icor across the floor as you tear your weapon free. The demon cackles as you regain your footing. You look down at your freshly bloodied weapon, realising that blow would have killed or gravely wounded any mere mortal.”
Obviously the second one is perhaps a little dramatic and over the top, but it is an example of how a good combat description can make a player feel more immersed in the combat and can give the players clues about the special abilities of the monsters they are fighting. If you need inspiration for narrating your combat, I recommend reading books by fantasy authors such as Brandon Sanderson, R.A. Salvatore, Erin M. Evans, and too many others to list.
Get creative with your descriptions and try to add something new and exciting in the background of each of your combats, even something as simple as a cool set piece that your characters can use for cover or to jump off of.
Another way to make combat more interesting is to let the die rolls, especially critical successes and failures, help add to the story. Perhaps the aforementioned devil rolls a one on his attack and in a moment of furious bloodlust he charges recklessly at a member of the party, misses and crashes against a stone pillar, cracking it as he falls prone. The players now have two new things to interact with. The demon with his defenses down and the freshly cracked stone pillar.
This is a good segue to the next point, which is the environment. You can absolutely make use of the environment to make combat more intense, more fun, and more memorable. Before combat starts be sure to describe any and all fixtures that the players might be able to interact with and be sure to remind them/ make mention of them as the combat goes on. Are there tables to be flipped? Ropes to be cut? Chandeliers to be dropped? Balconies to be jumped off of? Perhaps even lava to knock opponents into? One of my favorite battles took place on the rain drenched ramparts of a gothic castle. Get creative with your descriptions and try to add something new and exciting in the background of each of your combats, even something as simple as a cool set piece that your characters can use for cover or to jump off of.
Encourage your players to interact with each other in combat.
So now that I have talked about how we as game masters can add to the excitement of combat, how might the players add to the fun? The easiest way is to encourage them to describe their actions much like we did above for the attack against the demon. For example: “My character slips into the shadows, silent as death, and works their way methodically down the hallway, careful to keep an eye ahead and behind.” OR “Muttering to themselves in an increasing tone, my character makes a series of gestures. Arcane runes appear in midair and as the words of the spell end in a crescendo, a devastating wave of energy erupts from their hands.” Encourage your players to interact with each other in combat. In the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, at the battle of Helms Deep,Gimli and Legolas engage in some good- natured banter as they keep score of each enemy they defeat in combat. This adds some much needed levity to a serious situation as they are literally fighting for their lives. Movies are another good place to look for inspiration when it comes to combat.
One final note. In combat, it can be easy to fall into the trap of trying to remember and to follow all of the rules. While it is important to provide your players with a consistent experience, it should not be at the expense of the fun of the game. Always reward your players for interesting ideas in combat and using the fixtures of the room creatively. If you do this and utilize the other tips I’ve mentioned, you will create a fun and memorable experience for all involved and your players will thank you for it.
Take Heart!
Karington Hess
Game Master and Founder of Open Heart Games
