D&D General Resource Management should not be your only tool to challenge players.

[Asisreo]

I know that the most famous tool for challenges in TTRPGs are resource management, and, in a way, all games with resources can be resource management games, but I feel like people consider it the only way to challenge a player, especially in D&D.

In reality, though, I've found that resource management can get quite stale and even infruriating if its used as a crutch rather than a single tool in a toolbox of challenges.

Another tool to challenge players are puzzles. Not necessarily just exploration-type puzzles, but also combat puzzles where if the players try to blast through an encounter with only their bread-and-butter abilities, they'll struggle, but if they have an open-mind and think through their actions, they might be able to win at least more easily. Puzzles should never rely on a player's abilities, though, as there's no guarantee that they'll even have the ability, for whatever reason, when they get to the puzzle.

What other tools do you like to challenge players with besides just resource management?

 

[Reynard]

I don't feel like resource management is used as a challenge much anymore. Maybe in earlier editions, but not currently.

 

[Composer99]

Resource management is likely a "sometimes food" in more character-driven play, especially in modern D&D. In such play, dilemmas or "character-defining" questions are IMO a suitable approach for challenging the players.

What I mean is, we're not as interested in asking whether the players can measure out their hit points, spell slots, and other character resources over an adventuring day.

Instead, we're interested in questions such as:

• "What does your character want, and what price are they willing to pay to get it?"
• "How will your character choose between competing demands on their attention?"
• "What does the aggregate of your character's choices say about your character, who they are, and what they value?"
• "What does your character fear, and what are they willing to exchange, give up, or sacrifice to avoid or flee from it? Or are they willing to confront it, and what price will they pay to overcome it?"
• "Who is your character now, compared to ten or twenty sessions ago?"

I'm sure one can think of other questions along this vein.

(This is not to say that play groups emphasising resource management can't be or aren't interested in those questions, only that play groups not interested in resource management want to cut to the chase and get to those questions, rather than also dealing with questions such as "do I have enough room in my backpack for loot?" or "do I have enough spell slots for another big fight or should we retreat from the dungeon for today?")

 

[jmartkdr2]

I broadly agree; I wish resource drain over the course of the day wasn't so integral to challenge in DnD, though if you got rid of that I'm not sure I'd even call it a dnd-style game. But I would love a fantasy adventure ttrpg where the game was built to make each combat interesting regardless of how many other combats there were since the last full heal-up. (4e came close but not quite there)

Although at a certain point all gameplay is resource management, since turns and actions and hit points are also resources.

 

[TiQuinn]

The advantage of resource management, and in the case of 5e, I’ll say that’s stuff like Hit Points and Spell slots, is that it’s a finite, measurable thing with a clear downside if you run out. Puzzles are much more difficult to do well consistently. It’s going to be more situational, tied to the story, potentially uses player knowledge versus PC knowledge, and often only creates a single solution unless well designed. All that compared to “here’s a big monster with a sack of hit points who does a lot of damage” - the latter is much easier to deploy in a game.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I could go for it becoming a sometimes food.

I'm an advocate of encounter-based design which odes have resource management, but less for its own sake, but to 1) allow for stronger abilities than at-wills and 2) to force diversification of action on the encounter level scale.

 

[payn]

I think of D&D resource management in two forms. There is the tracking of every arrow and morsel of food simulation attempt at resource mgmt, and there is the adventuring day form thats more abstract part of the "G" of the RPG. The first form died back in TSR era. It's got it's fans still, but WOTC D&D let that well dry up. The second form has a mixed history. 3E tried to keep the adventuring day balanced around HP, spell slots, abilities, etc.. problem is they built in a cheat code in spell in a can that just borked the entire endeavor. 4E tried to give the game more legs and make encounters more tactical and team based, but let healing surges work as the adventuring day clock. Not a bad idea, but a bit of a departure that came before that ended up being a bit divisive leaving non-combat to skill challenges. 5E split the difference between them which has worked out to some very very long adventuring days. Part of that is removing a uniform utility spread of 4E and doing a mixture of long and short rest classes. Experiences vary greatly as some mixtures are copecetic, and others are vexatious.

Puzzles have traditionally been part of the exploration pillar. They are rather varied as some are mere traps to disarm, and others are mazes that require navigation. The trick long has been how to make a puzzle on par with a combat. How do you engage every character, sap some of their reources, and account for the adventuring day allotment? How do you keep adding them without things getting repetitive? I think these are questions that were raised during NEXT but have still gone unanswered.

I like running social situations. Protests, ballroom jaunts, courtroom standoffs, political intrigue, etc.. There is information to be gained, allies to make, enemies to thwart, and every character has their role to play. Although, some of the same questions about social encoutners arise as the puzzle/exploration pillar; how do they fit in the adventuring day? There is even fewer tools provided by modern D&D to engage the social pillar. Making the three pillar philosophy a bit of a mystery in execution.

You may be saying, "who cares about the adventuring day, I just want varied challenges!" but I think its important to examine challenges into the dynamic of D&D play. 5E retreated from an encoutners design back into the adventuring day. That might be why a lot of challenges are limited to combat and reource mgmt. There is a tangible element to combat that has ate up an enourmous amount of deisng space. You could just slip puzzles and social events into the adventuring day and let combat be the realm of resource mgmt, but those are going to be some even longer days. This is largely been my puzzle with 5E and also largely the reason ive stayed away from it. Trying to fit too many forms, while neglecting some of the most enticing parts of play. YMMV.

 

[GMMichael]

Another tool to challenge players are puzzles. Not necessarily just exploration-type puzzles, but also combat puzzles where if the players try to blast through an encounter with only their bread-and-butter abilities, they'll struggle, but if they have an open-mind and think through their actions, they might be able to win at least more easily. Puzzles should never rely on a player's abilities, though, as there's no guarantee that they'll even have the ability, for whatever reason, when they get to the puzzle.

Puzzles should 99% rely on a player's abilities, otherwise they're not puzzles: they're just dice-rolling. The GM should reduce the difficulty or change the outcome as necessary to ensure that the player both enjoys the puzzle and doesn't get stuck.

What other tools do you like to challenge players with besides just resource management?

I also plan social encounters, which is an encounter with the primary outcome of exchanging information. Sure, it could include a puzzle or turn into a fight, but social encounters add spice to the adventuring day without forcing mortal combat on anyone.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I don't feel like resource management is used as a challenge much anymore. Maybe in earlier editions, but not currently.

What do you use instead?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Resource management is likely a "sometimes food" in more character-driven play, especially in modern D&D. In such play, dilemmas or "character-defining" questions are IMO a suitable approach for challenging the players.

What I mean is, we're not as interested in asking whether the players can measure out their hit points, spell slots, and other character resources over an adventuring day.

Instead, we're interested in questions such as:

• "What does your character want, and what price are they willing to pay to get it?"
• "How will your character choose between competing demands on their attention?"
• "What does the aggregate of your character's choices say about your character, who they are, and what they value?"
• "What does your character fear, and what are they willing to exchange, give up, or sacrifice to avoid or flee from it? Or are they willing to confront it, and what price will they pay to overcome it?"
• "Who is your character now, compared to ten or twenty sessions ago?"

I'm sure one can think of other questions along this vein.

(This is not to say that play groups emphasising resource management can't be or aren't interested in those questions, only that play groups not interested in resource management want to cut to the chase and get to those questions, rather than also dealing with questions such as "do I have enough room in my backpack for loot?" or "do I have enough spell slots for another big fight or should we retreat from the dungeon for today?".)

Who is "we" in this?