How Do You Determine Hero Turn Order?

Games Sentinels of the Multiverse
#1

Lots of the time, I’d imagine, folks simply do what the rulebook says and have the Heroes take their turns going clockwise / counter-clockwise around the table. But what about the times when y’all don’t do that, like when you’re playing solo or multi-handed, or the players simply decide to not base the turn order on where everyone is sitting?

(As I’ve likely said on here before, I usually play 2 player / 3-4 Hero games, so we don’t just go in physical table order, 'cause then one or both players would be taking two Hero turns in a row; instead we alternate.)

What common methods do you use to choose which Hero goes when? Most commonly, I’ll just fall back on a heuristic that is simply “the more support effects a Hero has the sooner they should act,”* but I feel like that are probably some more nuanced things to take into consideration too.

So, what do y’all think? How do you do it? Any tips or suggestions?

*With some exceptions, of course — such as Unity, Guise, or DW Mr. Fixer going near the end.

#2

I’m usually just a rotation in one direction or another. I haven’t played multiple heroes except for a solo game. I guess it could get boring for another player if one is doing back-to-back turns.

As far as support, I get where you’re coming from but even switched it’ll have about the same effect, just delayed a round in most cases.

I will say my last DE game had Haunted Fanatic first so she could get Aegis back if the villain had knocked it out. This was important because Alpha was last and there were a couple times she got too wolfy and went after Fanatic, so thank goodness for resurrection!

#3

my friends and I take seats at the table, and if I’m not playing support, I go last, otherwise I go first :B

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#4

I usually play solo, and when I do I go left to right.

On the rare occasions I play with one other person, I generally ask them to run the environment, and we each run 2 decks with the other person starting. This makes it so we are constantly alternating turns, even for the environment and villain decks.

#5

I always go next turn to the left – I think I inherited that as an unbending rule from traditional card games (hearts, poker, etc).

The only exception in SotM, which I primarily play 2 player with my wife (yes, taking 2 turns in a row) is that we put the Environment play area opposite the Villain play area for reasons of table space and reading tiny print. The Environment turn still goes after the players.

#6

I too always go to the left.

I most frequently play two players, my friend and I each running two heroes. I always run the villain and my friend runs the Environment.

I normally “stack” my two heroes, effectively having one row for each, and play the one on top first. I find it more organized/less crowded that way. My friend usually goes with a “column” approach for his two heroes, playing the one on his right before moving to the one of his left.

I once played a solo game with 4 heroes: I lay everything out on a playmat as if it were a normal 4-player game, and just rotated the playmat counter-clockwise all game.

#7

I always go clockwise and place heros in strategic places when playing by myself or when I am playing a hard fight with friends.

It actually can have an effect when out of turn powers and plays happen with Captain Cosmic I want Legacy or argent adept last in turn order so the reaction gained + damage or -damage doesn’t go away for the whole team. If legacy is first in turn order a reaction galvanize is worthless.