Streamlining Combat in Earthdawn® 2nd Edition

To make a combat more streamlined, it takes a bit a work between the gamemaster and the characters. Have your players sit in what is likely initiative order, that way people will get used to seeing what the character in front of them is doing, and they should be more ready for their own action. Have your characters decide their actions in advance, and be ready to drop the action dice when they're called on. Both the PCs and opponent's armor and defense numbers should be right in front of you during a combat, and it doesn't hurt to have a copy of the Success Level Table handy, either, so you can know very quickly whether a given roll was armor defeating. Another tip to speed up combat is to have bad guys of the same initiative step act on a single initiative roll, rather than rolling for each seperately.

Example: Three players: a windling warrior (Kip), an elf thief (Maximillian), and an obsidiman elementalist (Lundo) are in combat with a like number of ork scorchers. The players are sitting in the order of warrior, thief, then elementalist.

GM: Okay, next round, declare your actions and roll initiatives.

Warrior: I'm going to be attacking the ork in front of me.

Thief: Me too.

Elementalist: I'm going to be weaving a thread for a spell.

GM: Great, roll your initiatives. Counting down, anybody better than 15?

Warrior: I rolled a seventeen.

GM: Somewhere in Barsaive, I'm sure something happens at better than seventeen, but in this combat, you're up.

Warrior: I fly around the ork, weaving and bobbing in an erratic path, and finally lunge at him, hopefully when he least expects it. I rolled a twelve on my acrobatic strike.

GM: That hits, not armor defeating. Roll damage.

Warrior: Ten.

GM: The scorcher's hide armor absorbs alot of the force of your lunge, but the ork gives a yelp of pain as your blade pierces through. Counting down initiatives, fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten...

Thief: I go on ten. Is it possible for me to use a surprise attack?

GM: No, you're engaged in melee, the ork is aware where you are.

Thief: Joy. Maximillian shouts, "Any time now, Lundo!" as he swings wildly at the ork in front of him, thinking just how much he hates stand up fights. Ugh! Six on my melee weapons.

GM: That misses, the Ork sidesteps your wild swing with a deep, rumbling chuckle. Initiatives counting down... nine... those are the orks.
Warrior: Aw... I don't get a second attack for my air dance, then.

GM: They swing their wicked, serrated blades at each of you, relying more on raw strength than skill at arms to win the day. (dice clatter, three sets of different colored dice, one for each ork) Kip and Max, today is your lucky day. The brutish swings miss their mark. Lundo, one connects with your rocky skin with a clang. Eight points of damage get past your armor. And, you're the only one left to act this round. You're up.

Elementalist: Lundo takes the hit without even flinching. "You will pay for that, little ork." he intones, "if you were wise, you would flee now" I move my arms in a slow, methodical pattern, making it very obvious that I'm weaving a thread for a spell. I try to weave both required threads... and I made it. Just wait 'til next round... this is going to be big.

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