So, even if they did no presets, I'd be happy with the Solasta reactions approach. It really isn't any different from a true Tabletop experience where the DM says, "Hey John. Goblin 4 is casting Fireball. John! Stop watching TV for a sec. Goblin 4 is casting Fireball. Wanna Counterspell?"
That's an...interesting "true Tabletop experience" you have there. xD
As a DM, I'm certainly not going to prompt a distracted player to take an optional action outside of their turn. If they stepped away for a minute to go to the bathroom or get a snack, sure I'll wait for them if I know they could respond to an enemy action. But watching TV?!?! Nah; you're getting your ass fireballed.
Originally Posted by 7d7
Originally Posted by Tuco
Ok, we have considered and we still want it. Now what?
We <> all players
I don't mind both but would prefer a default preset settings to allow proper flow especially in MP
Include me (and likely a sizable chunk of the 80+% of people who prefer prompts over auto-reactions) in that "we."
lol.
Actually, that experience is more related to other RPGs: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc. where turns take forever, so if I'm controlling like a dozen Stormtroopers or something plus any NPCs in the group, enemy turns can take awhile.
But that's my point about D&D 5e Reaction system. Part of the purpose of it is that players SHOULD pay more attention to combat so THEY interrupt and say, "Wait! That Goblin is casting what now? Counterspell!"
But, in the same respect, as a DM, I'm also pretty lenient about such things. Most of the time, when it's not a certain player's turn, they are goofing off with other players who aren't taking their turn. They're not always paying full attention to what the enemies are doing unless I bring it to their attention.
Some might say, "But this isn't Tabletop. It's a video game. People will be paying more attention." Not true necessarily. I've gotten up and left my PC for a few minutes after taking my turn knowing full well that when it's my turn again the game will pause combat. I don't always watch constantly what the enemies are doing. Yeah sure. That makes it sometimes harder to see what the enemies did, but that's partially what the battle log is for and such. I'm just saying, the prompts idea allows players the freedom to not be shackled to their PC during enemy turns. Someone enters the room and interrupts you, "Take out the trash!" or "Hey, when are you doing some laundry?" you don't miss some Quick Time Event Reaction thing when you have prompts.
