Five-Minute Workday Article

[ForeverSlayer]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this before so I apologize if it's been said already. Hell, maybe it needs to be said more than once but I believe the whole "5-15 minute work day" is an internet forum problem and not one that happens at most tables.

I'm not at every table so I can't confirm this but it's what I believe.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Some Goblins in a cave can send Assassins to my loved ones*?
They can build Ballistas in 8 hours?

Some examples seem a little far-fetched.

*) As if a decent min/maxer has loved ones. "My family is dead, everyone one of them. And so are all my mentors and pets." "If they want my loved ones, they have to take them out of my cold, dead hands!"

By assassin, I mean a bad guy with a knife, not a trained assassin. But it doesn't have to be a goblin. It can be whatever adversary the pcs are facing from, goblins to high level elven assassins to dragons.

And dozens of ballistas can be built in 8 hours if enough man power is present. Are you telling me that if the pcs wanted to build a ballista, and had the knowhow and materials, and 8 hours to build it in, you wouldn't allow it? What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

By assassin, I mean a bad guy with a knife, not a trained assassin. But it doesn't have to be a goblin. It can be whatever adversary the pcs are facing from, goblins to high level elven assassins to dragons.

How do they know who my loved ones are? How can they get there in 8 hours?

I've never played a campaign where it was that trivial to get anyone's family or loved ones, usually the player characters were days or weeks off their home towns. If it could be reached within 8 hours, then my PCs would probably rest around there and keep their loved ones protected.

And dozens of ballistas can be built in 8 hours if enough man power is present. Are you telling me that if the pcs wanted to build a ballista, and had the knowhow and materials, and 8 hours to build it in, you wouldn't allow it? What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

I don't know, when you tell me the crafting rules for Ballista's, i may know. Know-How and materials already seems to disqualify most enemies, otherwise they'd already have some of them and comtemplate using them. (And Ballistas aren't exactly a in-door/dungeon weapon anyway).

 

[JRRNeiklot]

No, eight hours really isn't a long time to be starting a military expedition. And it's certainly not long enough to build a ballista, or even assemble one from existing parts. And if they send a group out to do some mischief, they might run right into our ambush; or they might find that we come in again while that group is away, making it easier for us; or they might find that we don't really care about a bunch of people stupid enough to live near a known lair without being able to protect themselves, and we're off in town buying selling the loot and planning a raid on some totally different place.

Sure. They might run into trouble, just like the pcs. But they might not.

As for the ballista, really? By 1e rules, a 10x10x10 stone wall takes 3.5 days to build, 2.75 if enough resources are present. Wooden structures take 1/2 that. A ballista requires a bit more finesse, but 8 hours? Come on. It's a glorified crossbow. At any rate, the ballista is just one example of what can be done given 8 hours to prepare. Kick in the door right now, and you might catch the owner barefooted and shirtless. Come back tomorrow, and it won't be anywhere near as easy.

When I ran G1 years ago, SPOILER ALERT




The pcs opted for a frontal assault against the hill giants. They handled it well, slaughtered most of the giants, the remainder fled to the protection of the frost giant Jarl. The pcs rested. The giants didn't. As punishment for their failure, the hill giants got the pleasure of portal guard duty. When the pcs popped through the portal, they got their asses handed to them. The floor was greased, a furniture blockade was set up, and every rock in the place was gathered for ammo. It didn't go well for the pcs.

 

[B.T.]

I don't see the fifteen-minute workday as a problem.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

How do they know who my loved ones are? How can they get there in 8 hours?

How do the pcs know who/where the bad guys are? How do they get there in 8 hours?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

How do the pcs know who/where the bad guys are? How do they get there in 8 hours?

Hmm. So the goblins go into a tavern and talk with a mysterious stranger:
"Some adventurers broke into our lair a few hours back. Can you tell us anything about them?" "Yeah, the Fighter is called Bob, he has a niece here in town. She lives Baker's Street 42. Wanna know more?" "The Wizard burned 10 of my men with a Fireball." "Oh, so it's personal. His name is Averix. He's not a local, unfortunately, but there's a whore he visits regularly. Lives in Madame's Bigbosoms house."
"That should be enough for now. Oh, one more thing. Can you write me a letter in Common?" "Depends, what is supposed to be in it. "Just the following: This is for murdering the folks of my tribes, bastards. Chieftain Torsen of the Skullcleaver Clan".

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Why are you so hung up on goblins? That's one monster out of the mm. But, if it has to be goblins, the shaman can cast divinations, or they can abduct a townsperson, etc. Any tactic available to pcs is generally available to npcs as well.

I'm not saying such things will always happen, I'm saying in a living breathing world they can. If your game is static and nothing changes til the pcs kick in a door, then yeah, the 15 minute day might occur. But then, that's not the problem, is it?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The point is that, in a "living world", sentient beings like goblins will not simply sit there and wait for the PCs to hit & run attack them until they are all dead. At some point, they will act proactively, either by fight or by flight.

You ask how goblins might find out about the PCs? Well, depending on the goblins, they may have trackers (rogues, scouts, rangers, etc.) among their number- do your PCs take anti-tracking countermeasures?

Even if they don't find the PCs camp, they may track back to the township where they resupply, boiling out of their warrens like agitated Africanized bees, killing everything in sight...

 

[ForeverSlayer]

The point is that, in a "living world", sentient beings like goblins will not simply sit there and wait for the PCs to hit & run attack them until they are all dead. At some point, they will act proactively, either by fight or by flight.

Not to mention the fact that goblins are usually accompanied by Hobgoblins and Bugbears.