How do I encourage more character movement as part of the narrative during combat?

Question

For a long time I've been having a problem with most Tabletop RPGs: They feel way too static during combat, and it gets reduced into an exchange of who hits harder until everything is dead.

Recently, I started with Mutants and Masterminds, a game that features no need for a map, playing everything in the Theatre of the Mind.

Wanting to emulate comic/manga action, I think it's important to give everything movement once the battle begins; after all, in battles between powerful individuals, their blows send them flying through the city, they fly while punching each other, crashing through buildings, or chasing each other running on treetops while exchanging powerful projectile attacks.

However, I've always had trouble doing all this in a game, since characters usually get one movement action and one standard action per round. It's hard for me to be dramatic, describing how a blow could send a villain flying down the street, making the heroes and their adversaries move arround, but without giving any character a "free" movement just to do so.

How do I handle combat situations, then, where I want the PCs and adversaries to move around in a scenario without giving them any real tactical advantage?

Answer 1

You may want to re-think your position on "no tactical advantage from moving" in combat. In "real-life" combat, movement often gives some sort of tactical advantage. Removing tactical advantage to movement removes most of the incentive for your players to move.

If your desire is to have them move more during combat, you probably need to provide some sort of tactical bonus, even if it is a slight one. For example, you might give a charging player a slight bonus to damage done, along with a slight reduction in defense.

Games attempt to simulate complex situations while using a limited set of rules to avoid making the game too complex (and thus unplayable). The job of the DM is to make the game feel more real by interpreting the game rules, or even sometimes adjusting or changing them to make the game more fun for the players. After all, the end desire for most players is to have fun; not to play the game exactly according to the rules.

Answer 2

I think there's two aspects going on here. First, you have the idea of a running battle that you want happening. Sometimes, that's just a matter of inserting it yourself. Have the villains taking Move actions. Have people knocked back a few dozen feet. Have the enemies running behind buildings and cover. Have serving trucks trying to get out of there break sightlines. If you aren't using maps, it will be a bit abstract, but it can work.

The second issue you can run into is the action economy. Since players only get a Move and a Standard, having them expending a Move each turn to get into place limits what they can do. You can either make the movement narrative-only, or you can just accept that a running battle will limit options, and players that need both actions will have to do things to make that possible.

Does that address your concerns?