Suppose I mess with the default time frame of the game...

[Dalzig]

I love the idea of divorcing world-time and time required for short/extended rests. It makes you able to run different types of adventures out of the norm.

The one that comes to mind is a kind of political adventure with a lot of skill challenges and roleplaying, over a long period of time. With the normal rest system, the party is at the top of their game for every combat, as you might only have 1 combat encounter in a single day. But if you make every day a short rest and every week an extended rest, it gets a bit more interesting combat-wise.

However, trying to codify a single system or change won't work. It is absolutely dependent on the type of adventure you are trying to run.

One idea I want to play around with to flesh out adventures while keeping the long workweeks is "level 0 minions." These are your basic red-shirts. They exist solely for the PCs to mop the floor with them. They present absolutely no physical danger to the PCs. If they players attack them, they die. Their sole purpose for existing are for roleplaying combats and to populate dungeons, etc. without greatly increasing the difficulty of the adventure.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

However, all the slowing down takes place in the game narrative, not at the table. After all, it is just as easy for the DM to say, "You rest for six hours and get all your encounter abilities back." as it is for the DM to say, "You rest for five minutes and get all your encounter abilities back."

Do you consider this an issue and if so, why?

As others have pointed out, this is the 15 minute adventuring day.

And you bet I want to know what my character's been doing all day. I will not, normally, accept a hand wave. As usual, however, some will love it, some will hate it, and some won't even notice the difference!

 

[Mr. Wilson]

IMHO, I think this system could work decently well for intrigue or city driven adventures where one encounter a day or so is the norm. It may even be better suited for that style so not every fight is nova'd.

That said, if you head into dungeons you'll be quickly moving into the 15 minute dungeon days unless you dramatically shift the expected XP budget for each encounter.

 

[Rechan]

True, but this might not sit well with players and DMs who have a more simulationist approach and would prefer to tie the recovery of certain abilities to a specific period of rest.

Not to start a SNG fight, but 4e takes Simulationism out by the woodshed and beats the tar out of it.

 

[FireLance]

Not to start a SNG fight, but 4e takes Simulationism out by the woodshed and beats the tar out of it.

I don't think it's that bad. They may have grown apart, but a good intermediary can still get them to agree with each other.