The Combat Round
The combat round is divided into three phases: action, movement, and melee.
In the action and movement phases, the GM decides what the foes are doing, and then the players begin taking their actions/movement. The order of resolution is GM moderated. When there is a conflict, say, a character wishing to reach the far side of a bridge before their foes block it, the GM will call for a "Dash Test". Melee is always resolved simultaneously and there is no need for any sort of initiative during that phase.
Keeping Track with Activation Cards
If your group is uncomfortable with free form "initiative" in games, then you may build an activation deck. In order to keep track of whether or not a character or minion group has activated in each phase, place one card for each player and one card of a different color for each foe or group of foes into the deck. Draw a card from the deck with the side drawn activating. Continue doing so until the deck is depleted and then move onto the next phase.
Dash Tests
The dash test is a way to determine who accomplishes their goal when a character and their foe have conflicting goals. The dash test often involves movement, but other traits may be tested as well, with missile attacks being the most common.
If movement would bring two parties into conflict over an objective, make an opposed movement test. The winner reaching their goal first.
For example, if a character and their foe are similarly distant from a door, with one wishing to keep the other out as they try to get through, a test would determine who gets there first and establishes their ground.
Critical movement, like attempting to run out of line of sight before being shot, should always be handled with an opposed test like this, though you should test movement against missile even though you'll end up making the same test twice. The first to see if the character is able to move before being shot, and the second to see if they're able to avoid the missile if they failed to get out of line of sight.
For missile fire, order the characters based on what manner of cover the target has.
Those in the open are fired upon first,
Those with obscurement are next,
Those taking cover are last.
When both targets are equally difficult to target, an opposed missile test would be in order.
You can use the above two directives as guidance to handle any other situation that arises as well. Other traits could also be called into play, mastery to issue orders first or skulduggery to release a winch lock sending a porticullis crashing down before the foes can enter for instance.
Dash tests can be modified, for instance, if a character need only move 1" and their foe 4" to reach the same space, perhaps the test is assumed a success or requires only a 2 or 3. However, sometimes the dash will occur because one party suddenly realizes what the other is trying to accomplish as they move closer and wishes to thwart it, making the above example a poor one. By default, the dash test uses opposed movement.
Action Phase
Every character and foe are allowed one action during this phase.
Actions are resolved in whatever order the players choose, until the GM decides that their actions conflict with the foes and asks for a Dash Test to see what action is resolved first.
Once all participants on both sides have completed an action, the round moves to the Movement Phase.
Movement Phase
Every character and foe are allowed to move up to their speed during the movement phase.
Most characters have a speed of 6" on the tabletop (or 6 squares if you prefer). This roughly translates to 30' in the game world.
Once all participants on both sides have completed a move, the round moves to the Melee Phase.
Not all conflicting movement should result in a dash test. If a character advances on a foe that is also advancing on them, then simply splitting the difference and having the two meet midway makes just as much sense as one trying to get to the other first.
Threat and Blunder
Characters threaten the area directly around them. As soon as a character moves adjacent to a foe, their movement ends, unless they wish to blunder on.
Blundering movement means that a character is able to continue their movement, heedless of the threat that their foes present. A foe may immediately initiate one melee maneuver against a character that proceeds with a blunder movement.
Melee Phase
Melee begins by pairing each engaged character. A character may be paired with additional foes when they are outnumbered.
Players will then test opposed melee for each foe that is paired with their character.
Step One: Create Pairings
Each engaged combatant must be paired with a foe. If there are an uneven number of combats in a “chain”, the more numerous side chooses where to assign additional combatants in that engagement.
Everyone must be paired before additional combatants can be assigned a pairing.
Combatants may not pair such that they fight across one another.
Example A - Orc 1 must pair with character 1, and orc 3 with character 2. Orc 2 has the option to then be paired against either character.
Example B - Orc 1 cannot be paired with character 2. Doing so would either leave character 1 unpaired or create situation where they are fighting across orc 2 and character 1.
Example C - This is one of many possible combinations. The only pairing that is forced is between orc 3 and character 2. The other orcs can be paired in a variety of ways. Note, if character 2 had the Beneath Contempt gift, this is the only way the pairings could be made as no one can pair with a character that has Beneath Contempt if another option exists.
As it’s more likely that foes will outnumber the characters, this is largely the domain of the gamemaster, though it’s important that players understand it as their position is relevant to how these things play out.
A gang-up (see below) occurs when a character is paired more than once in the melee phase. Of course, given the opportunity, characters may benefit from gang-up against their foes as well.
Step Two: Resolve Melee
Each player resolves one melee conflict for each foe they have been paired with. This is done simultaneously. Some dramatic fights might be slowed down, but mechanically there is no difference if everyone is waiting to see what was drawn for each melee pairing.
If the player resolves a test lower than their foe’s melee, they have been bested by their foe.
If the player’s result matches of exceeds their foe’s melee, they have bested the foe.
Whoever bested their opponent in melee is allowed to choose a melee maneuver to resolve, so long as it's only once per round (see gang-up below). This is often a strike but could be something like a press to dislodge them or even an unhindered retreat.
Gang-Up
You are ↓ on melee when you've been put into two or more pairings against foes.
You may only perform one maneuver for the melee phase but may choose which foe among those bested to perform it against.
When drawing, it is assumed that the foes are being resolved clockwise around the character being ganged-up on. The player should declare who their first draw is against.
Narration
Simultaneous play is one of the biggest time savers. You can always push a model back if you think it should have been cut short from its objective or pretend a test didn't happen if it couldn't or the situation changed from what the player expected. Or, if you prefer, go around the table and you will easily keep track of people and keep all eyes on the action.
Players should resolve their actions at will. The less time spent talking about mechanics, the more time can be spent talking about the story. For instance, instead of saying they wish to inspire their allies, they could make the test, see how well they did, and launch into a narration of how that test resolved and which allies were inspired by their words.
Jumping into melee and skipping past the discussion is another time saver. Once pairings have been made, the players have all the information they typically need to resolve much of the phase.
Summarize actions, especially counter actions.
For example, a foe is attempting to intimidate the party, while their cleric wishes to rally them to remove fear. Instead of doing them in order and describing how frightened the characters are, then describing how much better they feel moments later, just describe how the cleric drowns out the foe's threats with her impassioned oratory.
If a hail of arrows descends on a character, it's far quicker to narrate the one that strikes home while the others whistle past.
Melee should always use a summarization narrative. It's not a single strike, but a series of cuts and thrusts, advances and retreats, that maybe culminate in an injury or even a couple of small ones.
For gang-up situations this is particularly important as working completely through each pairing will become narratively incongruous as the character could seemingly be failing and successful during what is supposed to be simultaneous action.