Resolution Lag

Great post in RPG Blog about Resolution Lag

As many of us get older, we often find that we no longer have time to game as much as we did before we grew up and had to deal with all this responsibility business, and that a wasted gaming session is a lot more of a nuisance than it was when it seemed like we had all the time in the world. To this I say, find the lag, and control it.

He identifies possible causes of resolution lag. It might be over-cumbersome game mechanics. It might be lack of player understanding of the game mechanics, leading to constant pauses while people look up obscure rules. Or it might even be scenarios that waste time on pointless activities rather than just cutting to the chase.

I find I've fallen out of love with long-winded combat systems that take forever to resolve a fight. I much prefer simpler and faster systems like Fudge, which resolve conflicts quickly and let you get on with the story. Of course, if you really like crunchy combat, that's not for you, but there are probably other things you can cut. The point of reducing resolution lag is cut back on the bits of gaming you don't like in order to concentrate on the bits you like.

Read the whole thing.