I came to the realization that most of the time, I just plain hate rolling for initiative.  I mean, oh sure maybe if I'm trying to test whether the half-dragon emerald knight or the badass pirate captain reach the Talisman of Ra before the bridge collapses, or something like that...  but combat?

Nah, I like a natural flow and I find checking initiative and stuff just interrupts the pacing too much.  It's much more fun to just have a set order or some other way to get the rolling and checking off the table.  Attack rolls and stuff?  Fine, we're jabbing the volleyball over the net at each other at that point so why not?  But initiative?  BORING!

So I'm shouting it to the world and calling all my initiative-hating brothers and sisters to join me and DECLARE WAR ON THE INITIATIVE-ROLLING NAZIS!

Those bastards are just too smug about their initiative-roll loving ways and must die before our superior flames.

Because we pick initiative arbitrarily, and that means WE BEAT YOU!  

There are a lot of things that come under the concept of "initiative" and they don't all have to be done at once, by the same mechanic.

Such as: declaring actions, executing movement, executing attacks.

TFT for example has the winner of initiative decide which side will move first. Then there's movement and finally attacks are carried out in order of dexterity.

Aside from muddying the waters of what it means to "roll for initiative", there are also ways to turn initiative into a fun element. E.g., Deadlands uses card draws for initiative in an interesting sort of way. And both Sorcerer and One Roll Engine (Godlike, Nemesis) combine the order of action resolution with the success/fail mechanic.

Damn, you've used Deadlands against me!  Well umm...  okay in some games we should throw away initiative!

...that doesn't sound nearly as divisive, does it?  Damn.

IMHO, Initiative is an element that most players want to randomize in some way.

I've seen some GMs pre-roll initiative, put it in a spread-sheet, and away you go.

In my PbP game, since you can't really control when people post, I basically let anyone who acts before the enemy act in any order they want.

Quote from: JongWKIMHO, Initiative is an element that most players want to randomize in some way.

It isn't a problem if you get rid of the reason for it being there.

Because things have a habit of happening when you least expect them, and you can never predict when you'll get a chance to do something. All you can do is stay alert for any opportunity to act.

Unless one side is seriously disadvantaged (surprised) I usually let the players decide who goes first in many games. Because who goes first is sometimes an advantage, and sometimes a disadvantage. (You can't defend if you go first and didn't declare it then for example.)

Why roll for initiative?  Because gamers like to roll dice!!  Just look at the buttload of shiny dice the average gamer carries.  Sure, you can cut out dice rolls where possible to speed things up, and smooth out the game.  But eventually you'll end up completely diceless.  And who the fuck wants that??

In my StarCluster games, initiative is a resource that the players can use to their advantage. If I take that away, I take away a lot of flerxibility for the players.

-clash

Awe man, everyone's taking the joke post way too seriously.  Didn't ya'll notice me calling for a jihad against initiative rollers?  

Honestly I don't think it's a universal axiom, just something I've been thinking of doing for my BESM game because I've felt at the table that it's interrupted the flow of combat and something more loose (ala how Cinematic Unisystem does it) might work better for that game.

Cheers.

Quote from: RedFoxAwe man, everyone's taking the joke post way too seriously.  Didn't ya'll notice me calling for a jihad against initiative rollers?  

Honestly I don't think it's a universal axiom, just something I've been thinking of doing for my BESM game because I've felt at the table that it's interrupted the flow of combat and something more loose (ala how Cinematic Unisystem does it) might work better for that game.

Cheers.

We're just fox hunting. Dibs on his brush!

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceWe're just fox hunting. Dibs on his brush!

-clash

Yeep!

Maybe I should've been a fox-bear animal, like in Hunter X Hunter.

Quote from: Tyberious FunkBut eventually you'll end up completely diceless.  And who the fuck wants that??

*cough*

Quote from: GrimGent*cough*

Back of the bus, freak.