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<blockquote data-quote="Squire James" data-source="post: 4428961" data-attributes="member: 548">My solution to the &quot;15 minute workday&quot; (which is more a play-style issue than a rules issue) is a combination of several things, each used when it seems appropriate.&nbsp; From most frequent to least frequent:- If this isn't an &quot;orc lair&quot; scenario, make the first few encounters easy enough that resting after them will make the PC's feel rather foolish.&nbsp; There's nothing quite like using shame to change player behavior!&nbsp; On the other hand, some players are bored with easy encounters and obviously this approach won't work all the time.-&nbsp; Make the next encounter abnormally difficult without adding monsters.&nbsp; A bit of &quot;prep work&quot; on the terrain work wonders.&nbsp; In the &quot;orc lair&quot; example, the PC's decide to rest, so the orcs build a barricade, dig a pit in front of the barricade (cover optional), and use more archers than normal.-&nbsp; Just because the PC's rest, it doesn't mean the monsters rest.&nbsp; In the &quot;orc lair&quot; example, the orcs send a &quot;brute squad&quot; or two after the PC's.&nbsp; This can actually be used by the PC's as a tactic of sorts if they'd rather fight the monsters in the open and they aren't as hurt as they seem...-&nbsp; Put the PC's &quot;on the clock&quot; a little.&nbsp; Some console RPG's use this mechanic to good effect, and I don't see why it won't work once in a while for tabletop RPG's.&nbsp; In the &quot;orc lair&quot; example, make it clear to the PC's somehow that the orc shaman recently got access to a demon-summoning ritual.&nbsp; If they retreat, they may be fighting a demon tomorrow!&nbsp; Of course, this only works if the demon is powerful enough to scare the PC's a little (party level +2 by itself, plus a shaman of party level, perhaps).-&nbsp; There are several other ways to punish the group for their timid behaviors.&nbsp; Perhaps there's a big pile of treasure nearby, and someone else (friend or foe) will waltz in and get it if the PC's retreat and rest.&nbsp; Maybe the high-level orc chieftain is busy with his harem, and the PC's would have geeked him easily if they had interrupted him.None of this is intended to be the &quot;final&quot; solution, because the root problem is likely that the players are not &quot;invested&quot; in your game enough to act &quot;realistically&quot;.&nbsp; They need some motivation to enter into a risky situation, and sometimes you need to try to think &quot;outside the box&quot; to provide it.&nbsp; All the stuff above are &quot;in the box&quot; solutions that may or may not have occurred to you.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Squire James, post: 4428961, member: 548"] My solution to the "15 minute workday" (which is more a play-style issue than a rules issue) is a combination of several things, each used when it seems appropriate. From most frequent to least frequent: - If this isn't an "orc lair" scenario, make the first few encounters easy enough that resting after them will make the PC's feel rather foolish. There's nothing quite like using shame to change player behavior! On the other hand, some players are bored with easy encounters and obviously this approach won't work all the time. - Make the next encounter abnormally difficult without adding monsters. A bit of "prep work" on the terrain work wonders. In the "orc lair" example, the PC's decide to rest, so the orcs build a barricade, dig a pit in front of the barricade (cover optional), and use more archers than normal. - Just because the PC's rest, it doesn't mean the monsters rest. In the "orc lair" example, the orcs send a "brute squad" or two after the PC's. This can actually be used by the PC's as a tactic of sorts if they'd rather fight the monsters in the open and they aren't as hurt as they seem... - Put the PC's "on the clock" a little. Some console RPG's use this mechanic to good effect, and I don't see why it won't work once in a while for tabletop RPG's. In the "orc lair" example, make it clear to the PC's somehow that the orc shaman recently got access to a demon-summoning ritual. If they retreat, they may be fighting a demon tomorrow! Of course, this only works if the demon is powerful enough to scare the PC's a little (party level +2 by itself, plus a shaman of party level, perhaps). - There are several other ways to punish the group for their timid behaviors. Perhaps there's a big pile of treasure nearby, and someone else (friend or foe) will waltz in and get it if the PC's retreat and rest. Maybe the high-level orc chieftain is busy with his harem, and the PC's would have geeked him easily if they had interrupted him. None of this is intended to be the "final" solution, because the root problem is likely that the players are not "invested" in your game enough to act "realistically". They need some motivation to enter into a risky situation, and sometimes you need to try to think "outside the box" to provide it. All the stuff above are "in the box" solutions that may or may not have occurred to you. [/QUOTE]

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