D&D 5E I have never once worried about "encounters per day" when prepping D&D 5E (a poll)

[Helldritch]

I liked them significantly more at 5 minutes than 1 hour.

Narratively, taking a 5 minute (or, heck, even 10 minutes like the required once an hour 1 Turn rest in the Basic dungeon exploration procedures) break in the action to bandage wounds and catch your breath is much more plausible in the middle of an adventure than a whole hour lunch break.

Agreed on that. But the hour long... woah! Very long and foes have time to adjust, flee or whatever else they have in mind. "Sorry darling, we know you died and got sacrificed but we had to take a five, ahem... an hour break before we could save you!"

 

[el-remmen]

This has inspired another poll. Look for it tomorrow!

 

[Umbran]

But we need both long and short rest classes to prevent sameness!

Sure, it does prevent sameness, but it does more than that. In practice, I've been seeing the short-rest based classes acting as an inducement to avoid 5-minute workdays, for example.

 

[Burnside]

Sure, it does prevent sameness, but it does more than that. In practice, I've been seeing the short-rest based classes acting as an inducement to avoid 5-minute workdays, for example.

I have never seen it in play, but I have wondered what the game is like if everyone at the table is using short-rest focused classes (or classes such as champion fighter or some of the rogues that barely have resource management at all apart from hit points).

You might run into some healing issues, but if you had a Celestial warlock and/or Way of Mercy monk I think you'd be all set.

 

[Helldritch]

Sure, it does prevent sameness, but it does more than that. In practice, I've been seeing the short-rest based classes acting as an inducement to avoid 5-minute workdays, for example.

Then, if I believe posts on this forum and others, the short rest mechanic failed miserably in that respect. I am one of the biggest opponents of the 5mwd and if not careful, a DM and the Narative will be plagued by the 5mwd even more than in 3rd.

 

[Umbran]

Then, if I believe posts on this forum and others, the short rest mechanic failed miserably in that respect. I am one of the biggest opponents of the 5mwd and if not careful, a DM and the Narative will be plagued by the 5mwd even more than in 3rd.

I think maybe I wasn't clear. I have seen short rest REDUCE the incidence of 5mwd. I cannot speak for others, of course, but that's my observation.

Short rest characters can spend all their resources over a short time period, but, the amount they have is small, but regenerates quickly. If you have short-rest characters, you plan to take engagements in stages, not all at once.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Then, if I believe posts on this forum and others, the short rest mechanic failed miserably in that respect. I am one of the biggest opponents of the 5mwd and if not careful, a DM and the Narative will be plagued by the 5mwd even more than in 3rd.

So the narrative and resource management are pulling the game in two different directions?

The dolpins assulting that bridge are quite strong.

 

[Helldritch]

I think maybe I wasn't clear. I have seen short rest REDUCE the incidence of 5mwd. I cannot speak for others, of course, but that's my observation.

Short rest characters can spend all their resources over a short time period, but, the amount they have is small, but regenerates quickly. If you have short-rest characters, you plan to take engagements in stages, not all at once.

And over here I get endless questions from young DMs about whether or not it is normal that players tries to get only "one" fight between long rests. The days of the 5mwd are not over.

Now your experience is great. If you had nothing to do as a DM to reduce the 5mwd but have short rest, great. But that is hardly the case for everyone. When I talk of "enforcing" the 6-8 encounters per day I get angry stares and the: "It breaks the narrative!". To which I respond, which one does, the 5mwd or the 6-8 encounters?

The other solution is to go full gritty with short rest = a day and long rest = a week. And what do I get? the infamous: "It breaks the narrative!" again. Then, some come and watch my live games at our hobby store and see that I do allow the 5mwd when it does not break the narrative but I enforce the 6-8 encounter per day when the 5mwd is just "breaking" the narrative. It is mainly a matter of pacing and I strongly regret that the DMG does not address this. It should've talk a lot more about pacing and how short rest and long rest classes should interact. Instead, we got a few pages worth of world building and other stuff that can be easily found on the internet, that could have been addressed in a setting box set (or book).

And to make it clear, I really really like 5ed. But some decisions and emphasis were not really made with young DMs in mind.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

And over here I get endless questions from young DMs about whether or not it is normal that players tries to get only "one" fight between long rests. The days of the 5mwd are not over.

I wonder is Critical Role a contributor to this, at last at higher levels. I have been watching the first series and a lot of the time there is only one fight between long rests.. Now it is usually an exceptionally killer fight.

Now your experience is great. If you had nothing to do as a DM to reduce the 5mwd but have short rest, great. But that is hardly the case for everyone. When I talk of "enforcing" the 6-8 encounters per day I get angry stares and the: "It breaks the narrative!". To which I respond, which one does, the 5mwd or the 6-8 encounters?

To be honest I regard the 5mwd as more realistic. After a knock drag down fight the last thing you want to do is have another one straight after. It is like playing multiple football matches back to back

The other solution is to go full gritty with short rest = a day and long rest = a week. And what do I get? the infamous: "It breaks the narrative!" again. Then, some come and watch my live games at our hobby store and see that I do allow the 5mwd when it does not break the narrative but I enforce the 6-8 encounter per day when the 5mwd is just "breaking" the narrative. It is mainly a matter of pacing and I strongly regret that the DMG does not address this. It should've talk a lot more about pacing and how short rest and long rest classes should interact. Instead, we got a few pages worth of world building and other stuff that can be easily found on the internet, that could have been addressed in a setting box set (or book).

To be honest the 5mwd is not something I have ever been too bothered. But I would prefer 2 to 4 harder encounter than what is recommended in the DMG.

And to make it clear, I really really like 5ed. But some decisions and emphasis were not really made with young DMs in mind.

 

[Helldritch]

I wonder is Critical Role a contributor to this, at last at higher levels. I have been watching the first series and a lot of the time there is only one fight between long rests.. Now it is usually an exceptionally killer fight.

The 5mwd exsited way before CR. But I do admit that you might have had a point. Except most young DM and players in my area are barely able to read English, much less speaking and listening to it. This is the reason that I think that the 5mwd is related to DM's styles and a lack of explanations of what is expected in both the DMG and the PHB.

To be honest I regard the 5mwd as more realistic. After a knock drag down fight the last thing you want to do is have another one straight after. It is like playing multiple football matches back to back

Both yes and no. It depends on the narrative you want to instill and inspire. It can be at la Jackie Chang where one fight leads to the next (not necessarily funny) or in preparation for a big show down like westerns of old. The 5mwd has its place in the narrative. The problem arises when the 5mwd is the only thing the players want to do.

To be honest the 5mwd is not something I have ever been too bothered. But I would prefer 2 to 4 harder encounter than what is recommended in the DMG.

Agreed. Setting it for a lower amount could work too. Again, follow the narrative of what is happening and go ahead.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

The 5mwd exsited way before CR. But I do admit that you might have had a point. Except most young DM and players in my area are barely able to read English, much less speaking and listening to it. This is the reason that I think that the 5mwd is related to DM's styles and a lack of explanations of what is expected in both the DMG and the PHB.

Agreed

Both yes and no. It depends on the narrative you want to instill and inspire. It can be at la Jackie Chang where one fight leads to the next (not necessarily funny) or in preparation for a big show down like westerns of old. The 5mwd has its place in the narrative. The problem arises when the 5mwd is the only thing the players want to do.

Then like the Jackie Chan movie you bring the fight to them Jackie's character never wants the extended fights either but he keep running in to them. The 5mwd is a problem because of the habit of location keyed encounters and the initiative resting with the party. If a DM wants to change it up then the fight comes to the party.

 

[Helldritch]

Then like the Jackie Chan movie you bring the fight to them Jackie's character never wants the extended fights either but he keep running in to them. The 5mwd is a problem because of the habit of location keyed encounters and the initiative resting with the party. If a DM wants to change it up then the fight comes to the party.

This is exactly what I tell young inexperienced DMs to do. The group wants to rest? Fine, bring the whole adventure to them. Especially if there is a boss or overlord in the dungeon/crypt/cave network or whatever. A lord will not let his underlings get killed an not try to find out who or what is up against him/her. It will actively seek the perpetrators, mount seek and destroy expeditions and lay traps. There is nothing more satisfying than having the group get ambushed and hear them saying: "BBBBUUTTT! WE HAD CLEARED THAT ROOM!!!!" It not only discourage the 5mwd but it also makes the dungeon and the world much more alive and organic. The world reacts to what the players are doing and it enhance their experience as well as the DMs experience too.

 

[cbwjm]

One day I want to do a dungeon like one of the comics I read in dragon or dungeon (Zogonia, I think the name was). The lich was at the dungeon entrance but the characters were all, the lich is never at the start of the dungeon, and so they got disintegrated.

 

[el-remmen]

Bumping this, the first of my now 25 polls. . . in case anyone didn't get a chance to see it/vote. . .