Alternative initiative in D&D

Some people find standard initiative in D&D unsatisfactory. Here is a few house ruled initiative systems we have used and found useful. Some people like things to change from round to round without adding complexity to the game. Here is a few options.

At the top of every round have every player roll initiative. The highest roll goes first. Then players take their turn going around the table either clockwise or counterclockwise from the first player. If you want the direction random base it on the winning roll. On an even roll play goes clockwise, on odd play goes counterclockwise for that round.

Another option is to have initiative rolls at the top of every round. This is actually my favorite option, I like the totally random turn order. When I use this option I have players roll a D10 rather than a D20. When I use this option the rolls are totally unmodified, I like the chaotic randomness of combat.

Lastly, an option that we found fun was to roll seperate for each round of combat, but roll multiple rounds all at once. Have each player roll 4-5 dice at once. Take scratch paper and fill in every roll with the players name from highest roll. Then run down the list as players take each action. With this option the DM rolls for enemies/monsters individually or in groups.