Fight boredom in combat by making it more narrative. "I get stabby with +3 sword" invites boredom, however "I make a bold thrust using my favorite sword, Vera" sounds much more interesting, but mechanically you are using the same sword, and making a "general" attack. I once had to do a 1-on-1 combat where we had to pantomime the whole thing. It was very memorable. Look up fencing and other combat terms to help your descriptions.

One rule I've heard about (but haven't tried) is that you have each round go twice. The first part is a very quick and mechanical (rolling normal attack, hit AC2 for 10 damage), then the "effects all take place. Either the DM does it all themselves, or the players each say their actions in very narrative text (for example, "I took a bold feint to the enemy's head, only to dip my sword at the last minute, catching him in the mid section for a significant wound"). It will slow down combat, but should make it more interesting.

In oWod another trick we used was to take the extra successes in the to-hit roll and apply them as damage. I suppose you could also do the same thing in D&D, but I haven't tried it. This bonus damage can help make combat more interesting since your damage calculation changes every swing (although not recommended if your group drinks enough to make quick math calculations difficult).

Finally, use the tools you have. Let the brute hit in the first round (or 2) of combat, while you are setting up flanking maneuvers. Read the combat section of the rulebook to learn all the unusual maneuvers available to you, write them down and go through each of them. However, if you are going to do this, make sure your list also contains the page number and rulebook (or a very condensed version of the mechanics) so you know what needs to be rolled and the modifiers are at hand for the DM to apply as s/he sees fit.

Fight boredom in combat by making it more narrative. "I get stabby with +3 sword" invites boredom, however "I make a bold thrust using my favorite sword, Vera" sounds much more interesting, but mechanically you are using the same sword, and making a "general" attack. I once had to do a 1-on-1 combat where we had to pantomime the whole thing. It was very memorable. Look up fencing and other combat terms to help your descriptions.

One rule I've heard about (but haven't tried) is that you have each round go twice. The first part is a very quick and mechanical (rolling normal attack, hit AC2 for 10 damage), then the effects all take place narratively. Either the DM does it all them self, or the players each say their actions in very narrative text (for example, "I took a bold feint to the enemy's head, only to dip my sword at the last minute, catching him in the mid section for a significant wound"). It will slow down combat, but should make it more interesting.

In oWod another trick we used was to take the extra successes in the to-hit roll and apply them as damage. I suppose you could also do the same thing in D&D, but I haven't tried it. This bonus damage can help make combat more interesting since your damage calculation changes every swing (although not recommended if your group drinks enough to make quick math calculations difficult).

Finally, use the tools you have. Let the brute hit in the first round (or 2) of combat, while you are setting up flanking maneuvers. Read the combat section of the rulebook to learn all the unusual maneuvers available to you, write them down and go through each of them. However, if you are going to do this, make sure your list also contains the page number and rulebook (or a very condensed version of the mechanics) so you know what needs to be rolled and the modifiers are at hand for the DM to apply as s/he sees fit. Also study various tactics that the masters have described in their books (Machivelli, Sun Tzu, et al.).