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Message: <blockquote data-quote="abirdcall" data-source="post: 6811538" data-attributes="member: 6748898">Pacing is very important in stories and RPGs, and getting it right has never been more important in D&D.The short and long rest mechanics are great tools to manage pacing in the game. However, because they are integral to the game they also cannot be ignored.The following is my attempt at creating a pacing guide. Tips and resources for managing pacing in 5e. Please add additional topics/problems in the comments. And of course, criticisms and additions to the topics already listed.What is a short rest and long rest in narrative terms?I think of standard D&D as having pacing like in an action movie. Taking a long rest resets  the tension. Many movies have the part where the protagonists hide out  for a while (Terminator 2) but some don't (Die Hard). Those sorts of  movies wouldn't work if they took 10 long rests over the course of them.One day isn't a long time narratively, and the gritty mechanic seems too long and rigid.It doesn't have to be rigid. A long rest resets the tension, and it should be reflected in the story. Here are example ways to handle longer or more difficult to achieve rests:For overland travel a short rest is building a fire, eating something,  and taking a nap. So that takes 4-6 hours. It's cold, miserable, and  there are wolves after you. A long rest is roughly 24 hours. You spend the entire day getting some quality  rest, repairing equipment, etc. It generally requires a defensible  position which is also sheltered and such.A long rest at an inn only takes 8 hours though. Resting in luxury will do that for you.What about needing 6-8 encounters to keep classes balanced? That is a lot of combat, and the story doesn't always work out that way.Keep in mind that they are encounters, not necessarily combats.Not all times between long rests need to be like that either. It could just happen some of the time to be effective. The most important part is that it could happen each time.If you might end up having many encounters then the characters with long rest powers will likely save some in reserve. If they don't, and there are more encounters then they risk a TPK, or at least failing the mission. The amount of encounters between long rests will naturally vary with the story. Random encounters are a way to have a truly variable outcome, where even the DM is not sure just how many more encounters are in store.Pacing Models:One of the best pieces of DM advice I have read was in the Ravenloft 3e  DMG about pacing techniques. The most important thing not to mess up in a  horror game is keeping the tension rising throughout the session. I did my best to time rests to happen at the end of each session, so the next one could have continually rising tension. It is  still important in action/adventure stories and can be accomplished a number of  ways.Here are some examples of pacing models:"The Pendulum" - Encounter difficulty ramps up slowly and then down again. This is the typical pacing model of most D&D games."The Pit" - Difficulty starts out quite low then suddenly peaks. After  that difficulty lowers again but not quite as low at the start. The  later low difficulty encounters are quite hard because of the very hard  one.The classic pit scenario is where the PCs are captured and their gear  taken from them. They must then escape and get their gear back."The Vise" - Difficulty starts low and slowly but steadily ramps up.  Eventually the players will realize that they need to do something to  stop it as they can't hold out forever.Zombies are the classic vise scenario.Rest Variant for 5e patterned on 13th Age by Blue<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Every 3 encounters the characters gain the advantage of a short rest.  The counter resets after every long rest, so it takes 3 more to have another short rest.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Every 8 encounters the character gain the advantage of a long rest.</li> </ul>The DM should count particularly tough encounters as 2 or more.  A rule  of thumb is that a Hard encounter or one with other disadvantages for  the party should be 2, and Deadly encounters or a Hard encounter with  overwhelming disadvantage should count as 3, but this will vary by  table.</blockquote>

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