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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Flamestrike" data-source="post: 8301572" data-attributes="member: 6788736">The argument invariably goes like this:DM: 5E is to easy, the PCs are steamrolling my encounters!Everyone else: How many encounters are they getting between long rests?DM: Huh? Why does that matter?EE: Well DnD is a resource management game. Mechanically speaking. Long rest resources are expected to last around 6 encounters before being expended. If your group are dealing with less than around 6 encounters per long rest (with those encounters XP totals adding up to roughly the figures given in the DMG under the 'XP per adventuring day' table), then of course they're going to steam-roll your encounters. The can nova the crap out of them, dumping all their potent resources and button mashing.DM: But I cant fit 6 encounters in the time I have during a session, the best I can do is 1-3 per session.EE: Long rest recharges of resources have nothing to do with 'session length'. They're an arbitrary amount of time in game between long rests.DM: But my stories pacing doesn't support that kind of encounter/ rest ratio. Six encounters in a single day is bonkers!EE: The DMG literally gives you several options to alter those encounter/ rest ratio, including the 'gritty realism' variant that spaces those 6 encounters out over several weeks of game time, with a long rest in that variant taking entire week of downtime to happen.DM: But my players just keep resting whenever they want.EE: You're the DM. Why are you (and their adversaries and the story) letting them? Why is there no time pressure or environmental reasons stopping them? Random encounters and doom clocks.DM: Whats a doom clock?EE: A time limit on the quest at hand. You know: stop the ritual by X or else bad thing Y happens.DM: That doesnt fit my narrative of my game.EE: OK then, alternatively tie resource replenishment to session length.DM: My players would never buy into that.EE: They already have been; you've been averaging 1-3 encounters per session in your games, and giving them a long rest every session at the end. Instead of a long rest, just give them a short rest at the end of every session with the third such short rest, instead being a long rest.DM: NO! (Rage quits).Every. Single. Time.</blockquote>

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