September 16, 2026
How long should an RPG combat encounter actually last? Three rounds? Five? Ten? Until somebody finally remembers what their spell does? In this episode of Art of the Game, we react to a video by Questing Beast and debate the idea of putting a three-round limit on RPG combat and what that could mean for Game Masters and players.
How long is TOO LONG for an RPG combat encounter? Would you try a three-round rule, or would it ruin the kind of encounters you enjoy? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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A three-round cap sounds great for pacing, but wouldn’t it punish resource-heavy classes like casters who need a few rounds to set up? Curious how you’d handle that in practice.
I once played a game of Gorkamorka at a Games Workshop in my nearby town where everyone’s turn happened at the same time (there were about 8 people playing). I guess from a certain point of view it was fun but a living nightmare to an autistic person.