Action Pool Example - Mario Speedrunning

A complete action set for Mario speedrun streams

Action Pool Example: Mario Speedrunning

Here’s a well-balanced action pool for Mario speedrun streams. This set has been tested in real streams and provides good variety while maintaining gameplay flow.

Complete Action Set (87 actions)

Common Actions (62 actions - 71%)

These happen frequently and keep the game moving:

Movement & Basic Actions

  • Enters painting/level
  • Exits painting/level
  • Collects star
  • Collects red coin
  • Collects regular coins
  • Ground pound
  • Long jump
  • Triple jump
  • Wall kick
  • Dive
  • Slide kick
  • Backflip
  • Side flip
  • Ledge grab
  • Swimming
  • Flying with wing cap
  • Metal cap collected
  • Vanish cap collected

Common Events

  • Takes damage
  • Collects coins from enemy
  • Enemy defeated
  • Reads sign
  • Talks to Toad
  • Talks to NPC
  • Camera adjustment
  • Pauses game
  • Enters pipe
  • Exits pipe
  • Enters door
  • Cannon shot
  • Grabs tree/pole
  • Bowser grabbed
  • Key collected
  • Opens key door
  • 100 coin star
  • Switch pressed
  • Platform riding
  • Shell riding

Level-Specific Common

  • Bob-omb grabbed
  • Penguin interaction
  • Bully knocked off
  • Box broken
  • Cap lost
  • Cap recovered
  • Teleport used
  • Slide section entered
  • Race started
  • Underwater section
  • Lava bounce
  • Wind pushing Mario
  • Rolling log/ball
  • Elevator ride
  • Moving platform used

Meta/Stream Events

  • Runner comments on run
  • Chat gives advice
  • Donation read
  • Sub/Follow alert
  • Runner checks splits
  • Controller shown on cam

Uncommon Actions (20 actions - 23%)

These create exciting moments without overwhelming:

Speedrun-Specific

  • Trick failed
  • Trick succeeded first try
  • Frame-perfect trick
  • Backup strat used
  • Wrong warp
  • New route attempted
  • Time save
  • Time loss
  • Gold split
  • Comparing to PB

Game Events

  • Death
  • Game over
  • Falls out of bounds
  • Gets crushed
  • Bowser defeated
  • 50+ coins collected at once
  • Perfect boss fight
  • Misses star grab
  • Forgets star exists
  • Wrong painting entered

Rare Actions (5 actions - 6%)

These create memorable moments:

  • Personal best achieved
  • World record pace
  • Run reset
  • Controller malfunction
  • New skip discovered

Why This Pool Works

Good Distribution

  • 71% common keeps boards active
  • 23% uncommon adds variety
  • 6% rare creates hype moments

Clear and Observable

  • Every action is visually distinct
  • No subjective judgments needed
  • Easy for mods to identify

Speedrun-Focused

  • Includes both successes and failures
  • Covers routing decisions
  • Acknowledges community interaction

Flexible Difficulty

  • New viewers can spot basic actions
  • Experienced viewers watch for tricks
  • Everyone can participate

Tips for Your Own Pool

  1. Watch your content first - Note what actually happens in 2-3 typical streams
  2. Be specific - “Enters Bob-omb Battlefield” is clearer than “Starts level”
  3. Include failures - They happen and create engagement
  4. Add stream elements - Donations, chat interaction, technical issues
  5. Test and refine - Remove actions that never happen, add ones you missed

Adjusting for Your Stream

Casual Playthroughs

  • Reduce trick-specific actions
  • Add more exploration actions
  • Include story/dialogue events

Race Events

  • Add competitor-focused actions
  • Include position changes
  • Add commentary mentions

Practice Streams

  • Focus on specific trick attempts
  • Add repetition-based actions
  • Include improvement milestones

Remember: Start with more actions than you think you need. You can always disable ones that don’t work, but adding new ones mid-stream is harder.