Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 14 hours ago
Dr. Ben discusses guiding principles to make combat feel and be faster. (Episode #146). #dnd #pathfinder #ttrpg #wfrp
Website rpgphd.com
RPG PHD swag!!! rpg-phd.myspreadshop.com
Facebook facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089593636905
Instagram instagram.com/rpg_phd
Bluesky @rpg-phd.bsky.social
Patreon patreon.com/user?u=87730462&view_as=patron
---------------------------------------------
00:00 Intro
01:05 The Diagnosis
05:25 A Note on Tables, Styles, and Finding What Works
07:00 Principle 1: Shorten Decisions, Not Possibility
12:15 Principle 2: Architect the Fight Before It Begins
18:16 Principle 3: Streamline the Math the Audience Never Sees
23:50 Principle 4: Pre-Commit to Rulings that Favor Flow
29:52 Principle 5: Make Every Round Do Story Work
35:43 Principle 6: Help Players Move Before Their Turn
40:48 Thoughts?
---------------------------------------------
Berlyne, D. E. (1960). Conflict, arousal, and curiosity. McGraw-Hill.
Brook, P. (1968). The empty space. Penguin.
Gigerenzer, G. (2008). Rationality for mortals: How people cope with uncertainty. Oxford University Press.
Harper, J. (2017). Blades in the Dark. Evil Hat Productions.
Huron, D. (2006). Sweet anticipation: Music and the psychology of expectation. MIT Press.
Juul, J. (2005). Half-Real: Video games between real rules and fictional worlds. MIT Press.
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Laws, R. D. (2010). Hamlet’s Hit Points. Gameplaywright.
Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. (2003). Rules of play: Game design fundamentals. MIT Press.
Schechner, R. (1988). Performance theory. Routledge.
Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257–285.
Music and Sounds:
epidemicsound.com/track/Erdns8jA3D
epidemicsound.com/track/MRyCi54t7M
epidemicsound.com/track/AQBpWzOsID
epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe
Music: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ
epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe
Music: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
epidemicsound.com/track/bWHPOsoaql
epidemicsound.com/track/uDAHxg3lIS
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/2dLRmfzdA5
epidemicsound.com/track/jrNZjxJQqZ
epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ
epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/tracks/8c51eca6-dbb5-4925-b4ec-7ee51630322e
Dr. Ben discusses guiding principles to make combat feel and be faster. (Episode #146). #dnd #pathfinder #ttrpg #wfrp
Website rpgphd.com
RPG PHD swag!!! rpg-phd.myspreadshop.com
Facebook facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089593636905
Instagram instagram.com/rpg_phd
Bluesky @rpg-phd.bsky.social
Patreon patreon.com/user?u=87730462&view_as=patron
---------------------------------------------
00:00 Intro
01:05 The Diagnosis
05:25 A Note on Tables, Styles, and Finding What Works
07:00 Principle 1: Shorten Decisions, Not Possibility
12:15 Principle 2: Architect the Fight Before It Begins
18:16 Principle 3: Streamline the Math the Audience Never Sees
23:50 Principle 4: Pre-Commit to Rulings that Favor Flow
29:52 Principle 5: Make Every Round Do Story Work
35:43 Principle 6: Help Players Move Before Their Turn
40:48 Thoughts?
---------------------------------------------
Berlyne, D. E. (1960). Conflict, arousal, and curiosity. McGraw-Hill.
Brook, P. (1968). The empty space. Penguin.
Gigerenzer, G. (2008). Rationality for mortals: How people cope with uncertainty. Oxford University Press.
Harper, J. (2017). Blades in the Dark. Evil Hat Productions.
Huron, D. (2006). Sweet anticipation: Music and the psychology of expectation. MIT Press.
Juul, J. (2005). Half-Real: Video games between real rules and fictional worlds. MIT Press.
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Laws, R. D. (2010). Hamlet’s Hit Points. Gameplaywright.
Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. (2003). Rules of play: Game design fundamentals. MIT Press.
Schechner, R. (1988). Performance theory. Routledge.
Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257–285.
Music and Sounds:
epidemicsound.com/track/Erdns8jA3D
epidemicsound.com/track/MRyCi54t7M
epidemicsound.com/track/AQBpWzOsID
epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe
Music: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ
epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe
Music: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
epidemicsound.com/track/bWHPOsoaql
epidemicsound.com/track/uDAHxg3lIS
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/2dLRmfzdA5
epidemicsound.com/track/jrNZjxJQqZ
epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ
epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/tracks/8c51eca6-dbb5-4925-b4ec-7ee51630322e
