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Handling immediate actions in PbP

   
Handling immediate actions in PbP

I'm having a great time running a 4e game here on MW, but have recently started running into logistical problems during combat. Specifically, the PCs have started to get immediate action-type powers, and I'm unsure how to best deal with them.

In a tabletop setting, it's easy to have the players jump in and say clearly when they want to activate an immediate action. But in PbP, there's a struggle between keeping things moving and giving enough time for players to post their desired intent. Right now I'm favoring the former (as combat is already quite slow) by having the players give general guidelines as to when they want to activate immediate powers and the like.

Unfortunately, this adds to an ever-increasing number of things for me to keep track of each round. I'm feeling like I need to push this back to the players, but I don't want to turn combat into a weeks (or months!) long slog every time it comes up.

Any suggestions?

Retroactivity is the only option if you want your players to be able to throw in immediate reactions without using a series of if/than statements...

Some immediate reactions can be called whenever and it won't matter as much (swordmage aegis of shielding, shaman's spirit), but other will drastically change the battle (swordmage's Dimensional Vortex). In the latter case, I fear that there's no option but let the player (up to a predetermined time limit) declare his action and then edit the corresponding posts backwards from there.

I'm not happy with the retcon approach for two reasons: first, it's extra work for me to resolve things without the immediate and then go back and re-work them with it. Second, though my players are good about not meta-gaming, it still gives an unfair advantage for them to see what might have happened and then use that information whether or not to kick in the immediate. A good example of this second situation is where a +1 Staff of Defense wouldn't make any difference, so the wizard just saves it.

As a player, I try to include a list of immediate actions I have available to me in any given round when I put up my combat post, along with the conditions I'd like to trigger them. Once you've typed that once, you can just copy/paste, or slap it in your statblock, then the DM has it there without extra back and forthing.

Yeah, I'd definatly ask your players to do something like an if-then. Seems like the best solution for keeping things moving, as well as keeping things simple.

The if/then conditionals is probably the best way to go. It won't cover everything but can definitely speed things along. It also puts the onus on your players rather than you having to keep track of it.

The if-then is what we're using now, and it works well enough. My only concern is that the number of things I have to keep track of for each combat update is getting unwieldy: status effects, expiring power effects, linked effects (eg., marking), triggered monster powers, environmental triggers, etc.

Ah, well. I hoped someone had some brilliant idea I hadn't thought of, but at least it sounds like I'm doing the best I can. I guess I'll just keep on keepin' on.

Thanks, everyone.





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