House Rule: the Initiative Deck

My playgroup really didn't like the way SCRPG handles initiative.  One of my testers put it best:  everyone was having fun and things were movint quickly, but every time I asked "so who would like to go next" the table collectively stopped and said "Umm...." So we came up with a different system, and it worked so well that I thought I'd share!

The initiative deck:

Using your index cards, write the name of each hero in big letters on a card.  Then write 'Environment Turn' on a card.  Then you can either make generic antagonist cards ('Bad guy 1', 'Bad guy 2', etc) or make individual cards for each antagonist or group of antagonists.

Shuffle them all together, then put the deck on the table *face up*.  Draw the first card, setting it beside the deck in a faceup discard pile.  Now, the person on top of your discard is whose turn it is, and the person on top of the deck is who will be next.  As eavh person takes their turn, simply discard the top card and continue!  If a new person or group is added, simply shuffle a card for them into the deck!

The advantage of this setup is that it removes the cognitive load from both the players and the GM regarding who goes next, while maintaining a dynamic turn order and keeping the game flowing quickly.  The disadvantage of this system is that it reduces the availability of certain strategies which rely on being able to set the turn order, resulting in a slight nerf to a few abilities.  For instance, it reduces somewhat the effectiveness of Galvanize and it's kin (though since I find that ability to be way overpowered this is a feature not a bug in my opinion).

TLDR; while it's not for everybody any group who finds picking turn order to be more trouble than it's worth can use a deck for initiative!

I mean, you're removing a primary feature of the system.

Perhaps you're asking the question wrong. Instead of the GM asking "who wants to go next," the current player should decide. They should discuss it as a group; maybe one of them is about to Boost another, so they hand it off to them right away.

But then everyone has gone except the villain and one hero; you COULD pass it to the hero, but then the villain has to go next, and they can just pass it on to the environment and back to themselves for a devastating double turn. So maybe you give it to them first so you can pick the first player for next round.

I recommend watching the GTG sessions to get a feel for how the initiative system should look in action.

If you're looking to use a deck for initiative, you could certainly do worse than using the initiative system from Savage World:

When a conflict begins, deal out each actor in the scene one card from a standard 54-card deck.  If a character has some sort of advantage (in SW, there are Edges like Level-Headed and Quick which provide additional or alternate cards), deal that character an additional card.  That character may choose which card they would like to use.

Initiative order runs from Ace- high down to 2-low.  Suits have rank as well:  Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs from high to low (Super Heroes Don't Cry!).  An actor may go 'on hold' to go later in the round, but cannot go earlier than the initiative on their card.  A character who is still 'on hold' at the end of the round and does not act then forfeits that action.

If a character is dealt a Joker, that actor may go at any point during the round, up to and including interrupting another actor's actions.  Further, an actor dealt a Joker gains a +2 bonus on any actions taken during that round.

At the next round of conflict, cards are dealt out just as with the first round.  The deck is only reshuffled after a Joker is dealt; at the end of such a round, all cards are shuffled back into the deck.

You could also use index cards, numbered 1-52 with 2 wilds, for the same result but without having to remember what order the suits go in.

(Or, since you are unlikely to need that many cards, A-Z with one "?")

@McBehrer - I was asking the specific player.  However, just as it did in GTG's demo sessions (which I have watched, and they were awesome), it usually ends up being a group decision anyway since you need everyone's input to eke the maximum advantage out of the turn order.  I guess my table, me included, didn't consider their initiative system to be a "primary feature".  In any case, I'm not trying to force this on anyone; it sounds like your group enjoys the RaW init system, so keep using it!  I just thought I'd share what worked well for us.

@PlatinumWarlock - that also sounds like a neat system!  I think we'll stick with qhat's working for us for now, but I'll definitely keep the Savage Worlds model in mind for a game that wants a "medium complexity" init.

I haven't actually played it. I'm sorry if I came off as confrontational; I'm trying to be better about that. I wasn't intending to be, but I'm writing at work in between busy moments so I don't have a lot of time to edit for tone.

My intent wasn't to say that your feelings were wrong (although I could have done a better job of not saying that; again, I kinda rushed through writing it). I was just trying to be helpful; sometimes seeing it in action makes more sense than reading it.

It may also help to note that the book suggests that players consider who will be going next at the start of their turn, which can inform the decisions they make during it.

Another point to consider, though: having a randomized turn order means you can't do team-up actions very easily. Dynamic stuff like setting up another hero and then passing it off to them so they can follow up on it is exactly the kind of action you should see in a comic book, and not knowing who is acting next kind of takes away a lot of strategic depth and cool storytelling opportunities from the game. 

Personally I'm not a big fan of the game's initiative system, because it often can be "gamed" to give mechanical advantages or disadvantages that don't correspond to the story. With Galvanize as an example, there's a mechanical impetus to say "don't pick Legacy, everyone should get their +2 for longer" for the players. And a (mean) GM could potentially make Galvanize have no effect by having Legacy go again before any other heroes, resulting in a wasted hero turn. To me it feels like the kind of "gaming the system" that doesn't fit right in the atmosphere.

I totally understand how it can be right up someone else's alley, though. And that if you want to focus on story you can just do that, but if you know that you're choosing something mechanically poor, it feels a bit awkward.

Also, I have no solution, though I think your initiative deck is interesting, and would be worth a try!

As a counterpoint, a savvy Legacy might see that they're last in the turn order, and wait until the next round, when they can engineer things so they can be first.

Yes, that's the sort of thing I'm talking about that I don't like. Sounds like you're in the category of it being up your alley =)

You can’t pass to yourself… Starter Kit, page 10, preview Ch 2 p 31.

I’ve considered an FFG Star Wars/Genesys style initiative…
FFG sequencing is each character/minion·groupgenerates a slot for their side… but the slot is for the side, not the individual. As one of your side’s slots comes up, one of your side who has yet to act must act… the sequence of slots remains fixed for the combat, but who goes in which slot of your side’s slots isn’t.

But I’ve found another game with a similar, but simpler. system… Alien (by Free League)…
Start by dealing a card for each PC, major NPC/Monster, and group of identical NPCs. Players may trade slots at the start of the turn. An initiative modifying ability gets you a second card, which you pick from for the one you keep, discarding the other. Some actions allow redrawing from the remaining cards and/or swapping with the target at the end of round. (Alien also uses the card for showing how much of your action allowance was used, something not as needed in SC.

Both modes retain much of the freedom that SC’s system has, while making it more predictable. I will admit that Alien’s system does allow I went last and now go first…

I didn't say he could pass it to himself. I said the group could arrange for him to go early on in the round.

As for it being right up my alley, I've always leaned hard into the roleplay of being a room of writers building out a comic book; therefore, any "metagaming" on the part of the gm/players is in service to "what makes the story more exciting" as opposed to breaking the narrative of "what the characters would know".

As MigrantP said, it's not for everyone, but our group has always been one for out of character table talk to plan out things, so it's a more natural progression than it might be for a group that's used to the type of play/gm that encourages very strict in-character table talk.

I definitely want to try this just for keeping track of turns.

For deciding turn order, I've found there are better options. My group seems to be leaning to "if players are dithering over whose turn it is, an antagonist or the environment takes its turn".