Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
White Dwarf Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Nest
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
EN Publishing
Twitter
BlueSky
Facebook
Instagram
EN World
BlueSky
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitch
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
D&D without Resource Management
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Shardstone" data-source="post: 9205606" data-attributes="member: 6807784"><p>I don't think D&D does resource management in a very fun way. I never feel tension when I'm out of spell slots or ki points, I just feel annoyed. And I feel annoyed because the game gets distinctly less fun when you're out of stuff to do, and 5E doesn't do a good job of giving me a framework of heroic or adventurous things to do outside of my resources.</p><p></p><p>The problem IMO lies in the really medicore equipment and skill rules for 5E. It would be cool if my Wizard, without having to rely on spell slots or cantrips, could do Arcane things via skill checks or equipment. Like, what if my wizard could interfere with a spell the opponent cost with contested Arcane checks? Or really, just let me do something, anything in relation to the game when I'm out of resources. Let new options open up, even if they aren't as good, so that way I don't have to be annoyed waiting or looking for a rest.</p><p></p><p>This doesn't mean I dislike challenge. Actually, I really, really love challenging games. But only if the challenge is fun to engage with. And it just isn't fun in a combat-heavy game to run out of resources and have to rely on slings and daggers and the rest of the party to do anything of consequence.</p><p></p><p>Throughout Fantasy fiction, and really all fiction, you see characters who, at their absolute limit and without resources, can still find ways to achieve things. Yes, yes, you can always come up with a way in D&D. I know. But I want the game to give me some reliable and engaging options instead of putting all the onus on me. </p><p></p><p>Ultimately, the main reason people don't track things like food and water and arrows anymore is because it just isn't fun to do. You don't feel rewarded usually, and the penalties that come from tracking these things means that your character gets even worse to play. If I wanted a game about how the grind of adventuring could break my character down, I'd play Torchbearer, whose mechanics do this really well. In D&D, which is supposed to be about heroic adventure, when I'm grinded down, I want access to something special that I can use to try and still play the game.</p><p></p><p>DND Next kind of had this with the Sorcerer. Running out of spell slots and sorcery points but gaining draconic weapons or whatever was really cool. It felt like your character was entering a <strong>new mode</strong> that, while not as versatile or powerful as base, was still really fun to use. </p><p></p><p>There are many ways to address this beyond what I've suggested. Team-based mechanics like being able to use skills to enhance another party members turn would be very interesting. If my out-of-slots and out-of-dice Bard is in a fight, I want to know I can use performance checks to potentially amp up my party or distract the enemy. I want my out-of-rage Barbarian to have an adrenaline rush moment of absolute desperation that lets me doing something rage-like. I want my Druid to be able to use Animal Handling or Nature checks to effect the battlefield or get some kind of advantage for my party.</p><p></p><p>None of these are me saying that I want players to always be 'powerful.' Instead, I always players to be able to play to their class fantasy. I want resources and reliable options. There's no reason not to give me both. What we have now is not a satisfying resource management game.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Shardstone, post: 9205606, member: 6807784"] I don't think D&D does resource management in a very fun way. I never feel tension when I'm out of spell slots or ki points, I just feel annoyed. And I feel annoyed because the game gets distinctly less fun when you're out of stuff to do, and 5E doesn't do a good job of giving me a framework of heroic or adventurous things to do outside of my resources. The problem IMO lies in the really medicore equipment and skill rules for 5E. It would be cool if my Wizard, without having to rely on spell slots or cantrips, could do Arcane things via skill checks or equipment. Like, what if my wizard could interfere with a spell the opponent cost with contested Arcane checks? Or really, just let me do something, anything in relation to the game when I'm out of resources. Let new options open up, even if they aren't as good, so that way I don't have to be annoyed waiting or looking for a rest. This doesn't mean I dislike challenge. Actually, I really, really love challenging games. But only if the challenge is fun to engage with. And it just isn't fun in a combat-heavy game to run out of resources and have to rely on slings and daggers and the rest of the party to do anything of consequence. Throughout Fantasy fiction, and really all fiction, you see characters who, at their absolute limit and without resources, can still find ways to achieve things. Yes, yes, you can always come up with a way in D&D. I know. But I want the game to give me some reliable and engaging options instead of putting all the onus on me. Ultimately, the main reason people don't track things like food and water and arrows anymore is because it just isn't fun to do. You don't feel rewarded usually, and the penalties that come from tracking these things means that your character gets even worse to play. If I wanted a game about how the grind of adventuring could break my character down, I'd play Torchbearer, whose mechanics do this really well. In D&D, which is supposed to be about heroic adventure, when I'm grinded down, I want access to something special that I can use to try and still play the game. DND Next kind of had this with the Sorcerer. Running out of spell slots and sorcery points but gaining draconic weapons or whatever was really cool. It felt like your character was entering a [B]new mode[/B] that, while not as versatile or powerful as base, was still really fun to use. There are many ways to address this beyond what I've suggested. Team-based mechanics like being able to use skills to enhance another party members turn would be very interesting. If my out-of-slots and out-of-dice Bard is in a fight, I want to know I can use performance checks to potentially amp up my party or distract the enemy. I want my out-of-rage Barbarian to have an adrenaline rush moment of absolute desperation that lets me doing something rage-like. I want my Druid to be able to use Animal Handling or Nature checks to effect the battlefield or get some kind of advantage for my party. None of these are me saying that I want players to always be 'powerful.' Instead, I always players to be able to play to their class fantasy. I want resources and reliable options. There's no reason not to give me both. What we have now is not a satisfying resource management game. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
D&D without Resource Management
Top