Tabletop Gaming Advice: The 5 Requirements of Combat

There come moments in every combat scenario when your turn devolves into “hit it with a thing until it stops doing what it’s doing” and those moments are pretty rough on some people. If you feel that way – today we’re going to discuss the flow of combat and how your Actions and Reactions can change the entire face of a combat encounter to be far more fun*.

*Fun is subjective – not everyone’s fun will be the same. However, by focusing on the actions and reactions that give your character agency, it gives you more control over the fun you and everyone else enjoys at the table.

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TTRPG Advice: How to Narrate Combat

“I run up to it and attack.” “I shoot it with my bow.” “Uhhh, I guess I run up and swing at it?” “I attack it.” “I’m going to create a ring of ice around it, that goes up 30 feet, and it’ll have to dive out of the way to keep from being trapped inside: Dex save.” “I poke it twice.”

Narrative combat should not be just flavor text for spells and abilities. It should fuel decisions and give each player a springboard to jump off of every turn. But it’s tricky to actually do in-game. Hopefully by the end of this article, you’ll have a better grasp on how to draw your players, peers, and friends into the combat!

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TTRPG How-To: Centerpiece Combat

We all diversify eventually – and today marks my expedition into GM/DM/Player guides. Some of my players have brought up my adroitness for “centerpiece combat” encounters. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you’ll understand how to plan out a story filled, interactive, and memorable combat encounter for your favorite RPG – a capstone for a story arch only solvable through violence. Let’s get to it.
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