Why One Good Position Beats Three Extra Attacks Every Time
Notes Torn From the Secret Logbook
I’ve watched fighters swing themselves breathless, rogues chase angles that weren’t there, and casters empty spell slots just to feel useful. All that effort. All that noise. And the fight still drags on like a bad song.
Then I’ve seen one quiet step to the side end it.
One door blocked.
One choke held.
One ledge claimed.
By me beard, position kills faster than muscle ever will.
If you’ve been taught that more attacks mean more wins, this page is going to unsettle you. Good. Comfort makes sloppy fighters.
What Position Really Means at the Table
Position is not just where your miniature stands.
Position is who can reach who.
Position is who has to move to act.
Position is who risks punishment for trying.
A well-positioned character forces enemies to spend turns fixing their mistakes. A badly positioned one spends turns fixing their own.
If you want to understand why position quietly controls turn value, reread The Action Economy Goldmine: How to Squeeze Three Turns Into One with fresh eyes. Position is where action economy becomes real.
Attacks Are Loud. Position Is Permanent.
Extra attacks feel powerful because they are immediate. You roll. You hit. Something bleeds.
Position works slower, but it lasts.
A creature knocked prone stays vulnerable until it stands.
A creature pushed into a corner stays trapped until it escapes.
A creature cut off from allies fights alone whether it likes it or not.
That is why smart fighters stop chasing damage once they learn to shape space.
If you want proof that angles matter more than swings, study The High Ground Isn’t Just for Archers: How Position Wins Fights and notice how often enemies lose turns just trying to exist.
How Position Steals Turns Without Rolling Damage
Here’s the dirty truth.
Every time an enemy spends a turn moving instead of acting, you dealt damage without rolling.
Good position forces enemies to:
Dash instead of attack
Disengage instead of threaten
Climb, stand, or reposition
Break formation to stay relevant
That is turn theft, and it stacks faster than any damage buff.
Forced movement makes this cruel. A shove that costs no resources can undo an entire enemy turn.
If you want to master that cruelty, The Power of Forced Movement: Shove, Slide, and Toss ’Em Off a Cliff shows how one step decides a whole fight.
Position Is How You Win Without Hogging the Spotlight
This is why position is polite power.
When you hold a doorway, everyone else gets to hit freely.
When you block a lane, the caster lands safely.
When you force enemies together, someone else gets the big moment.
Extra attacks make you the star.
Good position makes the whole party shine.
If you struggle to coordinate without sounding bossy, May I Interject? How to Share a Plan Without Stealin the Turn helps you call positions without commandin the table.
When Extra Attacks Actually Matter
I’m not sayin attacks are useless. I’m sayin they’re conditional.
Extra attacks matter when:
Position is already secured
Enemies cannot escape
Reactions are exhausted
Targets are isolated
Until then, damage is just noise.
If you swing three times at a target who can walk away freely, you didn’t win ground. You just made sparks.
If you want examples of damage that works because position is already won, Top 7 Damage Spells to Drop the BBEG Before It Drops You shows how finishing power only matters after control is established.
The Fights Where Position Decides Everything
Some encounters are decided almost entirely by space.
Choke points
Narrow bridges
Cliffs and pits
Rooms with limited exits
Crowded terrain
In these fights, initiative and attacks matter less than who controls movement.
If you’ve ever wondered why some fights feel easy no matter the enemy stats, it’s because someone quietly won position early.
A Line Written in the Margin
👉 If this changed how you see the battlefield, there’s more quiet wisdom like this scattered through Mike’s Secret Logbook, where fights are won with brains instead of bravado.
