Speed Round 5E: A Guide to Streamlining Remote Tabletop Games

Speed Round speeds up “roll-play” to make more time for “role-play.”

Moving from a live tabletop to a virtual online setting requires patience and, at least initially, some effort, and a bit of advance preparation will pay off during the game session. This publication enhances the flow of play in D&D 5E by reducing administrative overhead and shifting the spotlight away from the rules and back to the characters with an eye toward sustaining interest and engagement. 

Speed Round includes mechanical adjustments to combat, characters, spells and spellcasting, and monsters — to include a mathematically-sound method for creating monster clusters — that are designed to streamline online play and make it quicker, easier, and more enjoyable. It helps to make online gaming smoother, quicker, and more pleasant with tips and guidance on teleconferencing; use of virtual tabletops and features associated with them like windows where maps can be displayed; and preparing for, running, and wrapping up sessions. It is lavishly illustrated and includes more than 100 images by noted fantasy artist Amanda Kahl. 

Skirmisher Publishing and its development group have been gaming virtually online for nearly a decade and established through their experiences the best practices that have been distilled into the contents of this guidebook. Primary author Octavius Knorr has a background in science and management, a Ph.D. in geology, and extensive experience with teleconferencing, arranging virtual gatherings, and developing online protocols. 

~ TSRPG (Travel-Sized RPG) ~

Be sure to check out Skirmisher Publishing's popular and Platinum-bestselling TSRPG (Travel-Sized RPG)! This rules-light storytelling game can easily be played anywhere, from the airport waiting area you are stuck in, to the overnight in some hotel where there is nothing to do (and also, of course, in your own home). All the basic rules fit on one page; no dice are needed; characters have just two stats; and any bookkeeping that might be required can be done on a cocktail napkin with a pen borrowed from a waiter. TSRPG is fully supported with sourcebooks that include "Arms, Armor & More," "Wands, Wagons, Whips & More," and "OS-TSRPG," along with 10 compelling scenarios, "A Long Way to the Top," "Beating Around the Bush," "A Midsummer Night's Scheme," "On the Plane of Magma," "A Violet Shade of Death," "A Rose for Erato," "Into the Terrorium," "Whiskey in the Jar," "Krampusnacht: Night of the Krampus!," and "Temple of the Banished Suns," all of which include pregenerated characters and the basic rules for the game, allowing them to function as quick-starts for it. We have also had TSRPG translated into a number of other languages, including German (along with three adventures, „Eine Rose für Erato,“ „Auf der Ebene des Magmas,“ and „Tempel der Verbannten Sonnen,“ along with the „OS-TSRPG" supplement), Spanish (along with four adventures, "Una Rosa Para Erato," "Un Tono Violeta de Muerte," ""¡El Plan de Una Noche de Verano"," and "En el Plano de Magma" and the "Armas, Armaduras y Más" and "Varitas, Vagones, Látigos y Más!" supplements), and Ukrainian! 

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