D&D General 6-8 encounters (combat?)

[Flamestrike]

The idea that if you have a day with a reasonable number of encounters, you can 'balance' that out by having one with way, way, WAY too many down the road.

Presumably by having the players tap out entirely when a single adventuring day takes 2 months real time to complete and are nothing but combat and you start to forget what having character abilities feels like.

Hyperbole.

Most encounters in 5e are generally over inside of 5 rounds. Seeing as my players are on the clock (they get roughly 6 seconds to declare actions when their turn comes up or they take the Dodge action and their turn ends), combats rarely take more than 20 minutes to resolve.

 

[Maxperson]

The idea that if you have a day with a reasonable number of encounters, you can 'balance' that out by having one with way, way, WAY too many down the road.

Yeah, that doesn't make sense to me.

 

[tetrasodium]

Yes of course I have. Spit over several sessions.

Heck a standardmedium to large dungeon level has 12 encounters (including traps, environmental challenges, wandering monsters and so forth).

White Plume Mountain for example.

When I ran that adventure, the PCs were advised that the Wizard Keraptis was returning in 5 hours time, and it would be... unwise to still be in his lair (Archmage, with double the HP and some legendaries and lair actions plus 2 x Efreet.) Gave them enough time for up to 4 short rests (plus 1 hour of adventuring time) but ultimately they spent roughly 2 hours adventuring so only had time for 3.

I think you are describing rounds or something rather than an "encounter". Also how often does your average group meet for a "session" if your standard medium to large dungeon level is split over "several" seasons?

 

[EzekielRaiden]

@Flamestrike I promise, no matter how often this sort of thing might occur in your own campaign, it does not work for the vast majority of people. People already find just hitting 8 combats in a single day ever to be a frustrating, annoying slog, something to be endured only when forced, and even then with great resistance. To force things to 12 or beyond would make the game unplayable for them.

So what can we do?

The typical group doesn't even want to run things at the pace proposed. Very few players are willing to accept "you have six seconds to make your choice or you just dodge." Very few DMs institute such consistent, hard-line "doom clocks" in 50% or more of their adventures.

You are advocating a game that people don't actually play. That, right there, IS the problem. It's why so many have told you that your statements don't hold up. People don't even want to do 6-8 encounters per adventuring day as it is. To ask them to "balance out" things by having 10, or 12, or even more is, in every functional way, equivalent to telling them not to play the game. Because they simply will not do that. They would literally rather play some other system, or no system at all, rather than do that.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I think it is worth noting that the balance that is being preserved in the 6 to 8 encounters per day paradigm is intra party class balance which is a subject of passionate attention by a substantial group here but not, I suspect, something that the wider audience cares about.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I think it is worth noting that the balance that is being preserved in the 6 to 8 encounters per day paradigm is intra party class balance which is a subject of passionate attention by a substantial group here but not, I suspect, something that the wider audience cares about.

Rather hard to say without actual data on the subject. Most people who play video games care rather a lot about it, though, and there's a hell of a lot more people who play video games.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Rather hard to say without actual data on the subject. Most people who play video games care rather a lot about it, though, and there's a hell of a lot more people who play video games.

I suspect that even with video games it depends on the game. However, as you say without data it is difficult to say.

 

[Hriston]

So I keep hearing how the best way to balance the game is a 6-8 encounter adventuring day for every adventuring day... putting aside that I feel that is way too gamest and unrealistic... does this mean combat? or does it mean all 3 pillars?

We all agree three is more to combat then the other two pillars, but how much?


I think about it and the fighter does his best work in fights. so if it really was meant to balance the casters it would almost HAVE to have more combat then anything else.

The six to eight (medium or hard) encounters per adventuring day refers to the combat potential of the encounters only, but if they can be resolved without combat, that’s fine.

 

[DND_Reborn]

The problem IMO is the concept of the "adventuring day." What exactly is that supposed to be?

Any day during an adventure?
Any day with combat encounters?
Any day with any encounters?

Then there is the issue is an adventuring "day" actually a 24-hour ("day") period?
The (arbitrary) amount period of time in which you can take no more than one long rest?

Another issue is the (seemingly obsessive) desire for "balance" between the classes when it comes to encounters. I'm not saying things couldn't be a bit better, but I have found just making the story and having encounters whenever they are appropriate to the narrative creates the best game possible.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

The problem IMO is the concept of the "adventuring day." What exactly is that supposed to be?

Any day during an adventure?
Any day with combat encounters?
Any day with any encounters?

Then there is the issue is an adventuring "day" actually a 24-hour ("day") period?
The (arbitrary) amount period of time in which you can take no more than one long rest?

Another issue is the (seemingly obsessive) desire for "balance" between the classes when it comes to encounters. I'm not saying things couldn't be a bit better, but I have found just making the story and having encounters whenever they are appropriate to the narrative creates the best game possible.

Totally approve this message.
As long as the party is not bothered about intra party balance it does not matter. This is a coop game, embrace your inner Leroy Jenkins we do not all need to be leet raiders.