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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 8062181" data-attributes="member: 82106">All of this just makes me think of the most typical sort of process of play in D&D:The GM goes out and buys a 'module', which consists of a series of situations which the players must expend PC resources to overcome in some sequence. Maybe the sequence is not entirely defined, maybe some parts can be bypassed, there may or may not be a single precise end goal beyond "loot everything", but the fundamental dynamic is that the GM has purchased resources to play with, and is motivated to use them.The upshot is, the resource game just gets in the way. At best the module is like B2, a sort of unstructured looting process where the PCs can retreat, barring tactical issues, as-needed and then return with little consequence (maybe the orcs will flee with their treasure, possibly, but the GM isn't required or even motivated to do that). As soon as the module is more structured, then resources get in the way. Being defeated by a lack of resources is an end-condition, the rest of the material is not available for use, the result is a sub-optimal play experience. Someone needs to go dig up a new module, go through a new set of introductory narrative, etc.No really universal 'solution' exists for this. You can simply play crawls, like B2, and don't try to push D&D beyond that, and it works OK, but it is a fairly niche kind of play. You can 'cheat' (IE the resource game is subverted, this is the classic typical response, the PCs find something to 'get back on track' when needed, this may even be coded into the module). You can let the PCs die (IE play it out hard, the PCs, motivated by whatever narrative concerns, fight to the bitter end and perish, or maybe not). Again this implies incompletion of modules on a regular basis (and PC wipeouts). 4e's solution was actually pretty darn elegant. You have resources, and a resource game, but it is loose and gets in the way less. If you break the short/long rest from specific narratives (IE Hallowed Temple and such) then it becomes a fairly interesting game where different sorts of resources get traded for each other. 5e CAN work this way too, if you want, but it is a bit less well implemented for this, as the designers were pretty stuck in crawl-derived resource mechanics. So you do run into problems that aren't addressed by the rules explicitly.</blockquote>

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