Shadow of the Initiative

Let’s dive into initiative, specifically focusing on the systems used in Shadow of the Demon Lord and Shadow of the Weird Wizard. Why these games? Because the first introduced a cool, innovative system that the designer later changed in the second edition. But why?

5e DnD

In Dungeons & Dragons, when combat begins, everyone—including monsters and players—rolls a d20 and adds a modifier that reflects their skill level. The Game Master then organizes the results from highest to lowest, determining the turn order for the encounter.

Pros:

• Excitement of Rolling: The phrase “Roll for Initiative” is thrilling and has become a conditioned trigger that gets players in the mindset for battle. Personally, I enjoy using triggers like these, though lately, I’ve been setting the mood with a specific song when fights begin.

• Realistic/Simulative: Your position in the turn order is influenced by your skill or quickness, adding a layer of realism to the game.

• Unpredictable Yet Predictable: You never know the order of combat when it starts, which creates an element of surprise. However, once established, the sequence remains the same each round, allowing players to find a rhythm.

Cons:

• It Breaks the Narrative: The main drawback—and the reason Schwab adjusted the initiative system for Shadow of the Demon Lord—is that it disrupts the flow of the game. Organizing, writing down, and managing the turn order can take a long time, pulling players out of the story and slowing the pace of the action.

It’s worth noting that modern Virtual Tabletop (VTT) platforms have largely mitigated the main criticism of this initiative system. Automation allows the GM to handle the process with just a click, instantly rolling and organizing all player initiatives.

Shadow of the Demon Lord

This system focuses on Fast Turns and Slow Turns. The structure of the round is:

• Hero Fast Turns

• Enemy Fast Turns

• Hero Slow Turns

• Enemy Slow Turns

At the start of each round, the Game Master asks the players, “Are you taking a fast or slow turn?” This choice determines the order of actions: players taking a Fast Turn go first, and if multiple players choose Fast Turns, can choose among themselves their order.

There’s a trade-off to this system. In Shadow of the Demon Lord, you get one ACTION and one MOVE on your turn. If you take a Slow Turn, you can do both. If you take a Fast Turn, you can only do one—either ACTION or MOVE.

Variations of this system exist, such as in the Cosmere TTRPG, which uses an Action Point system. There, players normally have three actions per turn, but taking a Fast Turn reduces this to two actions. Another variation is Foglands (if you don’t know, go find out 😏).

Pros

• Risk/reward: I love decisions. Decisions create drama, and forcing players to give something up to gain more control over the scene enhances their engagement. Schwalb emphasizes being dynamic as a Game Master, reacting to players' choices—if all the heroes take a Fast Turn, consider having all the monsters take a Slow Turn to gain extra actions or features. This makes the scene feel more dramatic, like the players' decisions have a significant impact on the unfolding action.

Cons

• Speed: While this system has a smaller slowdown compared to “Roll Initiative,” it does require players to decide their actions every round, meaning the GM needs to ask players what they’re doing each time. However, this process tends to speed up as everyone becomes more familiar with the system, keeping the game’s pace flowing smoothly as it progresses.

• Effectiveness: Choosing between MOVE or ACTION means you’re potentially half as effective on your turn. If you’re already positioned where you need to be, giving up a MOVE isn’t a big deal, as it’s not always necessary. However, in a system like Cosmere, where actions are more flexible, losing one of your three actions feels like a bigger sacrifice, significantly limiting your options and strategic choices.

Shadow of the Weird Wizard

So what was changed in SoWW? There are no longer Fast and Slow Turns, but there still is a choice to be made by the players. What is the structure of the round:

• Heroes who “Take the Initiative”

• Enemies go

• Heroes go

The first key change Schwalb made was deciding that monsters act first. He believed that if players always go first, they could quickly neutralize the biggest threats, reducing the encounter’s overall danger too early, especially when players emphasize spike damage in their builds as a party. However, he still wanted players to retain agency, so he introduced the option for Heroes to "Take the Initiative".

In the player’s Action Economy, each turn includes an ACTION, a MOVE, and a REACTION. The REACTION is crucial here. If you want to Dodge or Withstand an attack to avoid damage or gain bonuses on Strength/Dexterity checks, it uses a Reaction. If you want to Cover an Ally and take the hit for them, that’s also a Reaction. Even making a Free Attack (like an opportunity attack) requires a Reaction. And critically, if you want to act before the enemies, you have to use your Reaction to Take the Initiative.

Pros

• Maintains Player Effectiveness: Unlike the Shadow of the Demon Lord initiative system, this approach doesn’t limit the player’s effectiveness on their turn. They can still MOVE and ATTACK without feeling weakened by acting before the enemy.

• High-Risk, High-Reward Decision: Although players can go before enemies, it comes with a significant risk. Since REACTIONS are crucial for defense, if you take the initiative, you lose the ability to Dodge or Withstand attacks, making you more vulnerable, especially with a low Armor Class.

• Balanced Trade-Off: Players still feel powerful and effective, but the choice to act first introduces a real sense of danger, making decisions meaningful without penalizing them outright.

Cons

• Turn Slowdown: There’s still a slight slowdown at the start of each turn when asking, “Anyone Taking the Initiative?” However, this isn’t a major issue, especially with tools like Foundry VTT that help streamline the process.

• Perceived Targeting: Some players might feel targeted when enemies consistently attack those who Take the Initiative. While it makes sense for enemies to exploit perceived weaknesses, this dynamic can be a point of discussion between the GM and players.

System Dependence: This system doesn’t translate well to games where REACTIONS don’t significantly impact defense. For example, in 5E D&D, Taking the Initiative wouldn’t put players at greater risk of harm; it would only limit actions like Opportunity Attacks. This method works best in systems where Reactions are crucial for mitigating damage and where enemy attacks are particularly punishing.

Conclusion

I might be experiencing some recency bias since I'm currently playing Shadow of the Weird Wizard with friends and am very excited about it. I haven’t had a chance to playtest the Cosmere RPG yet, but I think it could be an interesting evolution of the Shadow of the Demon Lord system, and I'm eager to see how it turns out.

Overall, incorporating risk/reward into the initiative system is a fascinating concept. However, it's not the only place where risk/reward can be applied. There are other opportunities to integrate this dynamic into a player's turn, so feel free to explore and develop additional methods.