[Hack] Strategy RPG Initiative

[TavishArtair]

So a common feature of a lot of Strategy RPGs (or Tactics RPG, but SRPG I think is more acronymically distinct from TTRPGs so), though by no means all, is simplifying all action sequences into a side-based action phase sequence. This hack was introduced to me by a fellow referee on an online game, and I use it in my in-person game, both in order to allow for speedier resolution, and improve coordination on the player team.

Basically, the referee takes 10+the highest Enemy initiative bonus (no d20 roll), and the players all roll Initiaitive against that as a DC. The players who win act on a "zero" round in any order they choose. Then the enemies all act on the first round in any order they choose. Then the players all act in the first round in any order they choose, and second, and third and so on, following the pattern for enemy-then-player-phases.

If someone is sitting there thinking on their action still when you call for the player phase, they can think while others take their turn. If the players need to coordinate and rearrange their turn order slightly, they can do that freely. This results in a more coordinated, but also faster game, since you spend less time waiting, and it works especially well in the online medium where people often wait to type. Be careful as some people might feel they never "go first" however, and if this is a problem you should not use this variant.

It does have a slight "flaw" in that if you have an enemy who is named Swift McHyperspeed leading a team of five Golames, the Golames act before characters faster than them but not faster than Swift, but whatever. This trades all that granularity in action order for speed in actual play.

[IGTN]

That bug with granularity is even fixable. Monster initiative bonuses that are close together act together, those that aren't are counted as separate DCs.

So you might have:
Fasty McFastFast the PC Rogue
Swifty McHyperspeed
Blackmage Evilwizardington, the PC Wizard, and Thog the PC Barbarian
Golames
The rest of the PCs