So some matches drag on for a ridiculously long time. Can we put in a default "extra" that says beyond 10 rounds the combatants may re-negotiate extras as long as everyone agrees. For example: "Everyone gets +10 to attack/damage/DCs for the rest of the match" or "everyone's HP drops to half it's current amount" and whatnot to help speed up a battle?

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What do you all think? Are there other solutions you'd prefer?

Since this is renegotiating terms, I would be open to the idea. I vote yes on the ability to renegotiate after 10 rounds. Perhaps, as a side or included in this, renegotiate after every 10 rounds?

Either way, I vote yes.

Once the game has started, it becomes harder to find consensus as everyone will be very ware of what extra benefits most to them or others..

How about a standard "after 10rounds, each gladiator loses half their hp rounded up each round" -- so that you can't hide and hope for the best.

This or some other rule that speeds things up, but it has to be agreed upon before, or standard, otherwise you'll never reach an agreement and it might even slow things down.

Rather than half you need a hard number - if you've got one combatant at 1 hp and one at 100 hp, in two turns the second combatant has lost 75 hp and the first has lost none. If you make it something like 10 hp/round (or an amount that goes up each turn - maybe you receive damage equal to the turn number?) then it will actually end matches.

Maybe a "sudden death" effect that fills the outer squares with deadly gas that deals damage, and each round the arena gets a little smaller?

I like Hiro's idea.

Also how about instead of rounds its counted in posts say after 50 posts meteors rain down upon the areana with a 75% miss (25% hit) chance moving to 50% at 75 posts and 25% miss (75% hit) at 100 posts and 100% hit at 125 posts and every 25 posts there after.  Each meteor deal 25 unmitigable damage no DR, Resistance, shields, cover, or dodge can lesson the damage.

With a clause that either states a player/NPC can not be killed by the damage or a player can not win by meteor if the last opponent is killed by meteor match is a draw.

I say it goes by posts for two reasons:

A) it makes the player want to have thier Charracter Sheet/ information supplied to referee and battle posts as complete and correct as possible.

B) Hopefully lessen the arguing with the referee once a decision is made

Hmmm you could combine these things.

How about every 50 posts everyone/everything loses 50% of their current HP at the start of the next round (minimum 1 damage to target, in case they have only 1 hp).

You can't win by...let's call it "Rocks Fall" damage but you can get a draw.

We could write up multiple options and have them as extras (but one of them is default).

In reply to Hiro (msg # 4):
  Note I said rounded up ;)

 Counting in #posts seems odd... You could have one team deliberately bickering to trigger the meteor fall...

I think I'd like best the "shrinking arena" style - otherwise stalling might become more prevalent as weaker opponents hope to wait it out and hurt opponents with a higher HP total.

In reply to Hiro (msg # 8):

Thats why I put a given amount of damage and a miss chance that way until you hit top tier there is no guarantee that your opponent is going to take damage.

I also like the "shrinking arena" idea. It lessens the are where one might hide and force them to be more strategic. Let's say after 40 or 50 rounds and every 5 rounds after, the arena shrinks by 5 inches.

This makes the game more proactive specially to players with monstrous size as they would be more careful how to move. Same for medium and small size players as they would be considered as dead if they will be hit by he shrinking walls.

We also don't want to encourage people to pause matches for long periods of time and bicker either.

Shrinking arena...

Damage over time...

What if the damage WAS the shrinking arena?

Interval 1: All except the center 10x10x10 space in middle of map takes [x] rocksfall damage
Interval 2: All except the center 5x5x5 space in middle of map takes [x] rocksfall damage
Interval 3: All except the center 2x2x2 space in middle of map takes [x] rocksfall damage
Interval 4+: All take [x] rocksfall damage

I like your first option. It is the least likely favorable to one or the other comabatant. HP is favorable one way or the other, so is shrinking arena. There are better up close and personal fighters and better ranged fighters. Fighters is a loosely used term in this instance. Not referring to class.

However, the +10 attack/damage/DC etc, favors everyone in a closer to equal balance(even I know there probably isn't a legit equal boon to both parties). Spell casters can throw a spell with increased effect(ability to land the attack/effect), fighters can launch a physical attack with increased effect(damage and ability to land it).

In reply to GM Arkrim (msg # 11):

 Love it.
 Like the sudden death in the NES Dynablaster.

I personally have no clue how to combat this as most matches i've been a part of don't last very long. The only exception being Opal's matches and those were due mostly to rules and what not so i'm down with anything everyone else puts forth. :P