Popcorn Initiative - By the Angry GM

#1

Continuing the discussion from Matthew Colville's Action Oriented Monsters:

I’ve been integrating this new way of doing initiative at my table but, we’re a only a GM and two players. I’ll be using it for the next D&D one-shot (7 players. :star_struck: ) but, in the meantime, I would love to see what you guys think about it. Here’s the article: https://theangrygm.com/popcorn-initiative-a-great-way-to-adjust-dd-and-pathfinder-initiative-with-a-stupid-name/

I personally think it’s a great way to make the game more engaging, while also allowing coordination between the players or the monsters to achieve greater things in battle. Those feats of legends we seek when we roll up a character!

#2

Good post! The idea of PCs choosing as a group seems wicked cool and get’s by brain thinking…

I like the idea of them planning as a team, but worry it would lose momentum in a game designed around fast rounds at the table. Could totally work for super-bullet-slow-motion-moment during final boss fight!

#3

Woah, what happened? Your message was way longer when I came back to the thread! XD

But I think it does make gameplay faster if people are engaged and planning. Perhaps not for bigger, more complex games such as Pathfinder. But definitely D&D or even ICRPG!

#4

I’m going to make a new topic w/referrence to you as I didn’t want to overtake your post. This initiative order has enough ‘umph’ to be a discussion on it’s own and I was afraid my post may go down a rabbit hole. Posting it shortly, stay tuned!

#5

I definitely will! :smiley:

#6

“No creature can pass the initiative if it comes to them. Life doesn’t work that way. In a panicked combat, you act when your reflexes allow and try to win.” this is a really good way of thinking about this. I think I would use this as long as it doesn’t slow down game play.

#7

I tried this with the group I play with and it was cool at first, but it quickly devolved into all the heroes going, then all the monsters going, then all the heroes going, etc.

It also tended to slow the game down too much for us. The players would take a long time choosing the next actor. And sometimes the actor wouldn’t be ready.

My players wanted to know when their turn was up so they could prepare. Popcorn initiative requires the players to be ready to go the entire time, and that just didn’t work out for us.

When someone finished their turn, they had to choose between several interested players. And that meant they had to turn down people, which they didn’t like doing. This contributed to the choice taking a while.

It also meant that some players would pop up, be ready for their turn, and then not get chosen, and then pop up again, and not get chosen. Which lead to people not preparing for their turn.

Cool idea in theory, but didn’t work out for me in practice. That’s just my two cents, try it out for yourself!

#8

Thank you for giving me more information!
And it’s normal if not every hack works for every table. Every table has their own style!

#9

I concur with Drake. I had a similar experience. Looks good on paper, but slows things down. Having said that, it is still an option for some encounters even if you don’t like it at your table. Sometimes chaos can be fun.

#10

This is not possible, if all the Heroes take their turn, them the Monsters take their turn the round ends.

As the Monsters went last they decide who takes the first turn next turn. So the GM can punish the players for being so stupid by have the Monsters taking another full turn in each before the players can react!

#11

Another option you can use for initiative is every player makes a Dex roll against the room Target Number. All those that succeed go before the Monsters in any order they like. All those that failed their roll go after the monsters!