BECMI Initiative House Rule ideas
by DM NedleedsVery cool ideas. I'll post mine here with my thoughts (assuming B/X, BECMI/RC here).
If you just use straight group initiative the benefits are:
1) super easy for the DM
2) eases the beating of having a low Dex on magic users if you are ruling that damage in a round limits spells (X11, but not RC)
The down side of straight group initiative is:
1) very swingy
2) lots of ties and the complexity of simultaneous action (maybe not a down side, but I see it as one)
3) halflings and thieves get hosed since one of their few benefits is going earlier
Individual initiative salves many of these things but introduces lots of fussy dice rolling at the table.
My house rule is a hybrid.
1) a 'caller' rolls 1d6 for the players.
2) I roll 1d6 for the 'monsters', sometimes allowing for a special 1d6 if a clear boss or different monster is in play
3) the players add any initiative bonuses to their sides roll (Dex, Halfling Racial, perhaps magic)
Count down from about 7 or 8 depending on how high the rolls were. This minimizes rolls and keeps play moving, but allows for thieves to actually be useful in combat.
I don't use declare intentions from X page. 11. I use RC. If this matters.