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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Swarmkeeper" data-source="post: 7641903" data-attributes="member: 6921763">The theme I sense here is that it seems many DMs look at 6-8 encounters and immediately think 6-8 Combats.  I agree, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N36bCj5_Yrg" target="_blank">that's a lot of Combat!</a>  And why wouldn't we think this?  Most of the rules of the game center around Combat so it just makes sense to fall into this line of thought.  I'm not saying you all do, but from how I'm interpreting what I'm reading it seems plausible that some of you might equate combats with encounters.  I certainly used to and I know other DMs who used to as well. When I look at 6-8 encounters now, yes several might include combat, but certainly not all.  As the Angry GM points out, <a href="https://theangrygm.com/three-shocking-things-you-wont-believe-about-dd-combat/" target="_blank">Combat is not an actual encounter</a>, it is just another form of conflict resolution.  There are often opportunities for the players to use skills (Stealth, Persuasion, Intimidation) instead of weapons to resolve a potential violent conflict.  Many encounters don't really even have combat as an option for resolving the challenge, such as:- Seeking out the black market shop that has the special doo-dad the party needs for their journey into the wilderness.  - Finding a skilled, trustworthy guide and negotiating a fair price- Figuring out a way to overcome an environmental hazard like a wide fast flowing river  - Avoiding a trap set up by some unknown foe  - Investigating the strange statue in the middle of the grove.  - Etc.  Using 6-8 encounters as a target then doesn't feel like "squeezing them in" to one day, and you need not utilize a traditional D&D menagerie "artificial" dungeon to achieve this targer, when you parse out what the DMG (p81) is describing as an encounter.  Reading the section over, they really don't do a stellar job of it, but it is there.  For example, look at the sample encounter table on p87 - not all are encounters resolvable by combat.  "That day we were amazed to discover that when the DMG was saying 'Creating a Combat Encounter', what it meant was, 'Creating an Encounter Resolved Via Combat' And even more amazing was the day we realized the DMG truly loved us back."  Wait... what?I like this.  If I were to go with the one week long rest, this would be the primary reason.  The overnight "booboos all better" has mildly bugged me, but then again not enough to really ruin the fun.</blockquote>

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