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<blockquote data-quote="Aberzanzorax" data-source="post: 5127112" data-attributes="member: 64209">IMO you've done a reasonable and smart thing, that unfortunately, has&nbsp; exacerbated the issue rather than helping to resolve it.&nbsp;The players seem timid/fearful...and their dailies are like &quot;insurance&quot; that they'll have a whopper for when things get out of control. &nbsp;So, to encourage them to use dailies, you've made fights HARDER...trying to FORCE the use of dailies...which makes sense...BUT...&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then they know there are going to be situations that will force them to use them...FOR WHICH THEY WILL HOARD THEM ALL THE MORE.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You've proven their strategy to be correct...there really are situations which they need to save the dailies for, that they'd really regret not having them for.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To teach people courage/remove timidity, a graded series of increasingly difficult challenges to their fear (not challenges to the characters here) is usually the best way to go.&nbsp;&nbsp;I'd do this:1. They get to daily rest after 3 encounters REGULARLY...Force them to use dailies not through challenging them, but by making them bored if they don't use em. Make the dailies currency, not insurance.&nbsp;2. Do this reliably. Frustrate them with easiness. Make it so the lives of their characters are charmed and dull...but the combats are boring grinds unless they whip out the dailies, which make the fights go faster.&nbsp;*Basically teach them that all the benefits of daily use you espouse are true.*&nbsp;3. Once they're comfortable with using them, and using them a lot, up the ante. On some &quot;days&quot;, i.e. character rest days, make this 4 encounters, randomly, but only do so if they have used at least a few dailies. Here you are teaching them that, despite the fact that they've used some dailies, they still overcome all odds. You teach them that they can take risk (use dailies) and not have their fears realized (they die because they don't have dailies in reserve). I'd do this, maybe once every three &quot;days&quot;.&nbsp;4. Keep the standard 3 encounters per day (the super saftey zone), and sometimes when you throw a random 4 encounters in the day...instead make it 5 or 6. The idea is to have have it random and for them to be rewarded with an exceedingly successful day. &nbsp;5. Ideally, eventually, the players will learn to &quot;test their world&quot; and be bold with daily use. If you ever throw a &quot;you can't win this fight without dailies&quot; fight at them during this process, you can expect to basically set them back to their current &quot;fear&quot; or &quot;timidity&quot;. &nbsp;&nbsp;ALTERNATELY: They (and you) LIKE the way you're DMing and they're playing. If this is the case...don't change a thing.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Aberzanzorax, post: 5127112, member: 64209"] IMO you've done a reasonable and smart thing, that unfortunately, has exacerbated the issue rather than helping to resolve it. The players seem timid/fearful...and their dailies are like "insurance" that they'll have a whopper for when things get out of control. So, to encourage them to use dailies, you've made fights HARDER...trying to FORCE the use of dailies...which makes sense...BUT... Then they know there are going to be situations that will force them to use them...FOR WHICH THEY WILL HOARD THEM ALL THE MORE. You've proven their strategy to be correct...there really are situations which they need to save the dailies for, that they'd really regret not having them for. To teach people courage/remove timidity, a graded series of increasingly difficult challenges to their fear (not challenges to the characters here) is usually the best way to go. I'd do this: 1. They get to daily rest after 3 encounters REGULARLY...Force them to use dailies not through challenging them, but by making them bored if they don't use em. Make the dailies currency, not insurance. 2. Do this reliably. Frustrate them with easiness. Make it so the lives of their characters are charmed and dull...but the combats are boring grinds unless they whip out the dailies, which make the fights go faster. *Basically teach them that all the benefits of daily use you espouse are true.* 3. Once they're comfortable with using them, and using them a lot, up the ante. On some "days", i.e. character rest days, make this 4 encounters, randomly, but only do so if they have used at least a few dailies. Here you are teaching them that, despite the fact that they've used some dailies, they still overcome all odds. You teach them that they can take risk (use dailies) and not have their fears realized (they die because they don't have dailies in reserve). I'd do this, maybe once every three "days". 4. Keep the standard 3 encounters per day (the super saftey zone), and sometimes when you throw a random 4 encounters in the day...instead make it 5 or 6. The idea is to have have it random and for them to be rewarded with an exceedingly successful day. 5. Ideally, eventually, the players will learn to "test their world" and be bold with daily use. If you ever throw a "you can't win this fight without dailies" fight at them during this process, you can expect to basically set them back to their current "fear" or "timidity". ALTERNATELY: They (and you) LIKE the way you're DMing and they're playing. If this is the case...don't change a thing. [/QUOTE]

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