Turns non combat

#1

I unstand the turns in combat. moving around in the world. but I need a bit of clarification, ex. a player wants to do either a perception, investigation, lore check, does that count as his action? bacically all non physical action count as an action? also coversation, a pc talking to a npc to what extent do allow the conversation to continue before you say okay next pc your turn.

Stars in my pocket like grains of sand: The End
#2

What turns really mean outside combat is that you you continue to go round the players asking them what they are doing.

If a subset of characters are in conversation with an npc, a few lines back and forth might be the run before moving to the other players asking what they are doing in the meantime.

So basically No stopping of the game as a whole to do a large side thing with just a subset of characters. Keep all players involved all time.

When I was asking similar questions this video helped me get my head around it.

#3

I go with the flow. If a player wants to “perform an action” - search, quaff a potion, read a book - I let them do it as long as their action isn’t likely to interrupt any other players goings-on.

One or more players can interrogate the Smith, and another player can happily browse the wares and yet another player can carefully inspect the wagon parked next door. Turn order doesn’t really matter here, as long as no one is trying to dominate the table.

Even when combat is underway, I often let my players announce their intentions and perform various tasks out of order. Combat is messy, and to say “you can only move and do one other thing in this six second slice of time, after that guy had his six seconds” is silly to me. People can move and talk at the same time, and as long as their actions don’t drastically threaten any combat resolution, I don’t worry too much about it.

#4

Generally, yes. A player can take an action (make a check or attempt) and make a near move on his turn.

Not always. For example, sometimes I’ll have a player roll a dex check as part of her move (or climb) and still allow an action. Sometimes I’ll allow a perception check (or even ask a player for one) beyond his or her action. Other items may not rise to the level of a full action: swapping weapons, picking up something, closing a door, or pulling a lever, for example. Generally, I let the moment in the fiction dictate whether the intended action counts as the action for the turn.

Conversation is generally always free in my games (unless it’s an attempt to persuade/intimidate/etc.). I’ll allow meaningful dialogue and RP for a while (maybe a question or two), around 30 seconds max, before I’ll cut to the next player. The goal is to keep the game moving and always make sure everyone (even the shy players) have equal time in the spotlight. I find that most of my players fall into an easy rhythm and don’t take up a ton of time.

#5

Going clockwise around the table is just a tool for the GM to track who hasn’t contributed to the conversation recently, but it is the GM’s responsibility to make sure everyone gets to talk and does so by addressing them and asking what their character does (barring special situations like having a dead character). I think it’s okay to allow the turn order to breathe a bit, but not to the extent that any player could make two or more actions before others have even had the chance to make one action.