Prompt – RPGaDAY 2025 Day 2

RPGaDAY 2025 day 2 has the recursive prompt “prompt”.

Looking at Collins again gives a plethora of definitions:

1. Performed or executed without delay
2. Quick or ready to act or respond
3. Punctually
4. To urge (someone to do something)
5. To remind (an actor, singer, etc) of lines forgotten during a performance
6. To refresh the memory of
7. To give rise to by suggestion
8. (assorted commerce definitions)
9. The act of prompting
10. Anything that serves to remind
11. An aid to a computer operator…showing the equipment is ready to proceed and the options available

See all my RPGaDAY posts here.

Promptness during combat

I think I will take a few different definitions and look at how they can affect combat.

Combat in D&D 5E is noted for dragging, and there are various factors which said to affect this:

• The turn-based initiative means players don’t necessarily have a reason to pay attention when it’s not their turn…and lose track of when their turn is coming
• All the many options a player has can lead to analysis paralysis – when their turn does come, they find themselves needing to consider all the different options before deciding which to go for
• (Particularly with spells) they often feel the need to check the details
• Reactions and other interruptions can derail the flying train of combat
• As GM, I have lots to mentally keep track of regarding what the players are doing, so I don’t have the chance to plan their opponents’ next actions until their turn comes up

So how can you prompt the players to act promptly?

Here’s what I do to help me and my players (though I’m not saying I have it perfect…).

Making the initiative order visible

I have initiative tents, one for each actor in the combat, and hang them over the top of my screen in initiative order, left to right. As we move through the turn, I take the next actor and move them to the left while they are acting, then further left once their action is done.

This means everyone can see who is acting, and who is next. The player whose turn is next can get ready.

I also call on the character as I move them, and when I remember, I flag up who will be next. The Angry GM recommends using “<player>, what does <character> do” – see Inviting the Principal Player to Act – but I’m still not very good at that).

Speeding up player response

The player should know their actions, and already have a good idea what they might do once their turn comes round – they can see when they’re coming via the initiative tents. So the time when it isn’t their turn should be used thinking what they might do, and checking any details.

Of course things change as a result of other actions, but the character will still only have a handful of options, so they should prepare them.

And if they’re not ready, harass them. Remember we’re talking life-or-death here (literally for their characters). Combat is fast-paced, messy, confusing. It’s not chess. There isn’t time to get out the manual for that fancy combat manoeuvre or spell when an angry foe is slashing at you with their sword thirsting for your blood.

It’s also not time for a strategy conference between all the players – there’s only 6 seconds in which everything is happening. That’s just about enough time to shout “hit the one with the staff” or “back to back”.

I had new players in my campaign; I was a bit more lenient with them while they got up to speed, but they have had long enough now they ought to know their attacks.

So now if I don’t get a response to “Mark, what does Ansimo do” within a few seconds, I have taken to counting down “10, 9, …”. If I reach 1, they’re just dodging (sorry, taking the Dodge Action) and I move on. I’ll also insist that they stick to their first response if another player tries to start a discussion of “oh, no, you should do…”.

At least, that’s my intention. I’m still working on it.

Speeding up GM response

The best way to allow me to respond quickly is to already have an idea (before the session) of how the NPCs will act. My notes should be organised to prompt me with the most appropriate action.

I have a collection of A5 sheets with creature stat blocks in a ring binder, one A5 sheet per creature, and before the session I will extract the sheets for the creatures I expect to use and put them handy (and mentally review them). Then at the table I just need to make sure the right sheet is on top.

Since it’s a standard stat block, I know exactly where to look for everything I might need.

If there are any strategies, I will try to put these in my notes in the appropriate scenario location as bullet points (yes, ideally it should be on their stat block, but I haven’t quite got that organised yet, and it may change from one scenario to another anyway).

Alphastream suggests (in his Discord) numbering the actions on the stat block in the order the NPC would use them.

And remember this isn’t the full “Declare-Determine-Describe” cycle – you don’t need to tell yourself what the situation is and ask what you’re going to do. The opponents you’re running are part of the world, so you just need to resolve any randomisation (hit/damage) and describe the result, then move on to the next player in the order.

Conclusions

D&D 5E combat can descend into a muddy morass of indecision and slow action. It’s your job as GM to prompt the players to act sufficiently promptly, and give yourself sufficient prompts within your prepared notes that you can as well.

For more suggestions, see The Angry GM’s recommendations on How To Manage Combat Like a True Game Master.

See all my RPGaDAY posts here.