How to mitigate decision paralysis for new players?

[braveheart]

In my friend's campaign we have two players for whom this is there first ever TTRPG and one of them is playing a sorcerer and experiences extreme decision paralysis whenever their turn comes around in combat. She's a great play the rest of the time, but come combat her turns tend to take about as long as the rest of the party members combined. This causes combat to drag on longer per turn and makes it more cumbersome to the game than it otherwise would be.

Does anyone know of anything another player could do to help with this issue?

[Quoz]

A good rule of thumb is to steer new players away from full casters. Between the much higher number of options and resources to deal with and their squishiness it can be a very unsatisfying experience. Barbarians, fighters, and rogues are much simpler to grasp for a first play through.

Even for experienced players, cheat sheets and physical tokens can help a lot with resource management. If you have a digital copy of the books cut and paste the text of your spells and class abilities into a quick reference sheet.

I take apart an egg carton and label each compartment for spell slots, sorcery points, superiority dice, or any other expendable resource and keep track of them with tokens (pennies work great). It makes it fast and easy to see what you have to work with and track as they're depleted.

[Mercurias]

I keep a D&D Beyond character sheet and use it to help me track my numbers and spell slots, as well as spell descriptions, then translate it to my paper character sheet.

I’ve got some medical complications with my dominant hand that make a lot of writing start to cause pain in my fingers and wrist, so I really prefer a digital sheet when it comes to making my spell list in general. You can see how it all looks and erase/rewrite as needed, then only write it on your physical sheet once. Since I love playing Divine casters, and they can swap out their spells known on a whim and a long rest, that’s helpful.

[MaxWilson]

Does anyone know of anything another player could do to help with this issue?

Last time I ran a 5E game for new players, I came away feeling that I should have run D&D or AD&D instead. 5E is relatively complex especially in terms of bells and whistles for the players. Some people need that complexity to stay entertained; others may find it confusing.

If you want to help her, peer-to-peer, I suggest getting together beforehand to plan some cooperative tactics (just like adventurers would really do) and maybe give them catchy code names and/or index cards summarizing what they are. That way e.g. you can yell at each other, "Plan 66!" and she knows to backpedal 30' and Fireball the minions while you grapple/prone the biggest bad guy there. You're not really reducing her number of options but you've focusing her attention on a few options that you've jointly decided on in advance: Plan 66 vs. Stick and Slick vs. Come and Take Them, for example.

There no guarantee she'll be interested, but if she is this should help.

[willdaBEAST]

I think trying to encourage the philosophy that you don’t need to take the perfect action every time it’s your turn in combat will help. The session can be more entertaining when players do something wacky or make a huge mistake and 5e is generally quite forgiving.

Going over the spells out of session will def help, you can also run the player through some mock combat where certain spells/abilities will shine. That might help the player recognize when situational abilities are most effective.

[Lupine]

you can also run the player through some mock combat where certain spells/abilities will shine. That might help the player recognize when situational abilities are most effective.

I would do it this way. Mock combat will really help the player realize what their character can do, and when its a good idea.

[CharacterIV]

I just help ‘em out.

I DM a couple of groups that are very newb-ish with a lot of first-timers, casual players who aren’t the kind to get neck-deep in tactical planning or memorizing PHB passages, and a couple old-timers who last played in first or second edition when they were kids. As such, I facilitate on-the-fly learning about their optimum tactical choices with gentle nudges from behind the screen.

As both of these groups tend to the large size, often 5-7 players at the table at any time, a helping hand is just the best measure to ensure smooth combat.

[Laserlight]

I've been at a table with a couple of players who had played for years, and they still took forever to play, particularly when playing as casters.

I'd suggest:
a. Make a single page summary of their spells, with slot level, casting time, range, and effects.
2. Emphasize that decisions need to be fast, not perfect.
III. Go ahead and work out a decision tree. For example, "IF at least 4 baddies and no heroes in an area, THEN Fireball, ELSE Tasha's." That way she doesn't have to think about it, just run down the list of IFs and take the action listed for the highest priority item. (This is how real troops train, by the way--you shouldn't have to stop to think about what to do in combat, because you've drilled to the point that it's automatic).
D. Allow other PCs to communicate. "Hey Lucy, fireball on that blue guy!"

[ad_hoc]

Take the pressure off.

In my experience it usually comes from not wanting to let everyone else down.

Recently I saw a new player poll the rest of the party on what they should do which can be helpful at first to see options. After a time I just told them 'it is your character, do what you want, it will be fine.'

As far as casters go I love using spell cards. If you want to cast a spell it becomes super easy to flip through them to find one.

One final thing you can do, we use a simplified Greyhawk Initiative for this exact purpose. Everyone chooses what they want to do at the same time. This saves a lot of time.

[Pelle]

Recap the situation when it's their turn. "Your friend Alice is holding off the goblins decently, but Bob is assaulted by an angry ogre. Frank just went down after being hit by arrows and is going to need aid soon, and it looks like the villain is preparing to cast a probably nasty spell. What do you want to do?"

Make them decide what they want to do in the fiction first, and then you can help them out to choose a spell to cast or another action they can take. And don't fuss around all their options, just suggest something. If attacking, have a default spell you just suggest they cast. Don't worry about all the tactical nuances, they will figure that out themselves after a while if they are interested.

[JakOfAllTirades]

It also helps if they have their spells broken down by function. This spell attacks one target; this spell attacks an area; this is your defense spell; this is your buff spell, etc. Same goes for metamagic. Sometimes it's easier to figure out generally what they need to do first, then pick the right spell to do it. And make sure they don't have any redundant spell picks; that's simplify their choices during combat.

If they still have trouble, it's most likely not a system mastery problem, just everyday indecisiveness. That can happen to anyone.

And let them know it's okay to just blast the bad guy with their best cantrip if they're not sure what to do. That might take some pressure off them.

[Max_Killjoy]

Make sure they understand that a single mistake or suboptimal choice is not going to doom their character or the party.

Don't be afraid to give them some guidance, or tell them "here are your default options in 5 different common situations, don't be afraid to spam these until you get comfortable".

[Kane0]

1) Relax. Stress makes decision-making longer and harder. No single decision should be do-or-die.
2) Simplify. Spell cards, bullet-point summaries, single page reference sheets, premade plans, etc.
3) Communicate. The whole table should be able to help out where needed without taking control.

[Anymage]

Depending on how new they are and how willing you are to bend rules, either giving her a straight warlock class (refluffed to be sorcerlike innate magic as opposed to a dark pact) or else allowing her to grab Eldritch Blast as one of her cantrips. Fullcasters have a lot more moving parts you have to be mindful of, and having a strong at-will fallback option means that you don't feel bad if you just go with that instead of picking just the right option off your sheet.

And just to clarify that I'm reading you right. It sounds like she gets the mechanics down decently well (so no real need for mechanical aids), she just doesn't really like the resource management game even though she does like the idea of a magical character.

[Jerrykhor]

My table enforces a 10 second rule. Each player gets 10s max on their turn, failing to decide would result in the PC taking a Dodge action.

As a player, you are supposed to be attentive during the fight, and start making decisions before your turn comes. Decision paralysis happened to me only once in the whole campaign, and lets just say Dodge action isn't the worst action to take at that time.

[jjordan]

Really enjoying the helpful tone behind these many excellent suggestions. Lots of good ideas here. Thanks.

[Max_Killjoy]

Depending on how new they are and how willing you are to bend rules, either giving her a straight warlock class (refluffed to be sorcerlike innate magic as opposed to a dark pact) or else allowing her to grab Eldritch Blast as one of her cantrips. Fullcasters have a lot more moving parts you have to be mindful of, and having a strong at-will fallback option means that you don't feel bad if you just go with that instead of picking just the right option off your sheet.

And just to clarify that I'm reading you right. It sounds like she gets the mechanics down decently well (so no real need for mechanical aids), she just doesn't really like the resource management game even though she does like the idea of a magical character.

IMO this is a great idea for this situation -- use the warlock for an "innate magic" character.

If I recall correctly, the sorcerer even has a "fluff option" for "granted magic by a powerful being", why not flip the script for warlock?

[Tanarii]

Is it not knowing spells known? If so, spell cards. They really help. Have her read over them a few times each until she gets familiar with them.

Is it not being able to decide if they use a resource or just cast a cantrip? Picking targets? Where to move? Some people really struggle with that kind of thing. Other than having a rigid standard adventuring day (matching guidelines or your own) there's not much you can do on resource expenditure. She needs to find her own feet. But on basic tactics, you can make some basic tactical suggestions though. Or better yet, have the party work together to give her some "default tactics" suggestions. (I recommend that in general, it helps players know what they're doing as a team and generally speeds up play.)

If it's generally not knowing the rules, work with her to find the most problematic areas and drill them in a bit.

[Dork_Forge]

I'd recommend making a cheat sheet of things they can do for easy reference but also checking in on when they start deciding what to do. Are they waiting until the start of their turn in order to decide? They should be encouraged to start thinking about how to handle their turn as combat is happening so that they're ready to act. It's also handy to have a 'go to' tactic, something that they can default to if they aren't prepared to do anything else, like casting their damage cantrip of choice or Magic Missile.

[Torpin]

do some minor handholding
prompt them with questions like "do you want to do damage or crown control" then based off their answer make a recommendation.

[ad_hoc]

do some minor handholding
prompt them with questions like "do you want to do damage or crown control" then based off their answer make a recommendation.

I recommend against this. This presents the game more like a boardgame (unless that is what you're going for...).

I think it is easier to ask them what their character wants to do. Get away from looking at it as a tactical combat game and look through the character's perspective.

[Paeleus]

Like many have said, a quick pre-session meeting is in order. Remind the player that a cantrip like Firebolt or Ray of Frost can be used as a fire and take cover strategy to fall back on. With that covered, the player can then monitor the battlefield and apply their spells as the situation demands. I have found that a cheat sheet of available movement/action/bonus action/reaction per turn is really helpful for a new player.

Let your Sorcerer player know that I'm cheering for them!

[Laserlight]

I think it is easier to ask them what their character wants to do. Get away from looking at it as a tactical combat game and look through the character's perspective.

The problem with that suggestion is if the player says "I don't KNOW what my character would want to do", which is what it sounds like is happening.

You can break it into small bites, like this:

"Okay, you have four basic options: attack one bad guy, attack a bunch of baddies, do something to make your buddies better, do something to hinder the bad guys.
You're still not sure? Okay, do you want a quick suggestion from someone else on the team? Jana has a higher initiative than you do, she can yell out a short comment.
Okay, you're going to hamper the baddies. You've got a low cost spell that will take one out of the fight, you're got a higher cost spell that will take one out and let your buddies do more damage, or you've got another high cost spell that will probably make several of those guys stand around and do nothing.
Low cost single target it is, so that's Tasha's Hideous Pun, which is not complete until it's full groan."

But you don't want to be doing that for every round of every fight, which is why you should (IMHO)
1) make up a cheat sheet--I emphasize single page--of her spells, and
2) set up a few default options.

[DarkKnightJin]

Take the pressure off.

In my experience it usually comes from not wanting to let everyone else down.

Recently I saw a new player poll the rest of the party on what they should do which can be helpful at first to see options. After a time I just told them 'it is your character, do what you want, it will be fine.'

As far as casters go I love using spell cards. If you want to cast a spell it becomes super easy to flip through them to find one.

One final thing you can do, we use a simplified Greyhawk Initiative for this exact purpose. Everyone chooses what they want to do at the same time. This saves a lot of time.

My first character was a Cleric. Difference being that I'd watched a lot of things like Acquisitions Incorporated and Critical Role before I started playing. And I'd theorycrafted about ~30 characters before I got a group to play with.

And I tend to have 2-3 options in general to fall back on if something I was planning to do is blocked by enemy or ally positioning.
Cantrips are always a good option for this purpose.

I've suggested that other players work on something like that as well. It's fine to think about a cool thing to do, just do so before it's your turn. And to avoid bogging combat down, have 2 or 3 things you can do in pretty much every situation so you can default to that if you can't get a cool cinematic moment to happen.

[tallian]

I have found that some people - particularly people with little experience of a a system - are paralysed with fright when it comes to making a decision because they are scared of making the "wrong" choice. They do A because they forgot about B so they go over their option again and again; or they do c then later find out that d would have been a better choice.

The fist thing is to take the pressure off them. Reassure them that its just a game and if they make the "wrong" choice no one is going to beat them over the head.

The next thing to do is to make their decision process as easy as possible. There are lots of suggestions above; spell cards, index sheets, tokens, etc.

Finally I would recommend having the other players explain why they are taking the action they take with their characters and what they hope will happen. This needs to be done carefully or it could make the rounds take even longer. It needs to be limited to a sentence and could be RPed as the characters calling to each other during the fight., "I need to kill this guy fast because he is doing so much damage." or "We need to blind those archers." This could also be done by having a quick tactics phase at the top of the initiative. The DM gives them 30 seconds or so to quickly lay out general plans for the round. Again this needs to be kept short, something like, "Bob will move here to hold this choke point so that Sally can drop a fireball on the clustered mooks. Cedric will attack this guy who slipped though or maybe heal - we'll see after the BBEG goes. Roger will try and sneak around to here and take out that mage."

As the new player gets used to the system and adventuring party tactics in general this can drop away.