Role initiative: a digital tool for a physical game

Tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) feature several natural inefficiencies due to the adaptable and sandbox nature of D&D campaigns and the game’s wargaming roots. One of the core failings of Dungeons & Dragons’ Fifth edition, according to users, is slow and disengaging combat. It is my belief that digital tools can be added to Dungeons & Dragons in such a way that their implementation does not limit physical gameplay while providing a variety of new tools to players. This paper proposes a tool that can avoid these pitfalls while improving combat and gameplay flow.