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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 8197827" data-attributes="member: 2629">I just don't get these problems.  If you tell a good story, it rarely results in "1 encounter per long rest" situations (outside of road travels, which can be made interesting with other techniques).  I run 5E roughly how it was meant to be played: Every 1 to 4 encounters per short rest (or at least have the opportunity to do so), and generally have 5 to 10 encounters per long rest in an adventure/dungeon setting.  It isn't even something we discuss as intentional - they just have their eyes out for a time to rest to reset their abilities, but recognize there are usually time pressures that make resting risky.  It is rare that things are violent in the real world and there is no time pressure.An example some of you might recognize from a very common adventure (but perhaps not recognize how it plays out) that I have run a good number of times as an introduction to D&D: PCs encounter the scene of a goblin ambush on the road.  They have an opportunity to investigate, which usually results in an encounter.  They can short rest after the battle with a small chance of an easy wandering encounter.  If they take a long rest, goblins will come to investigate their missing allies and an encounter will disrupt the rest (unless the PCs manage to hide from them while resting, in which case a long rest might be possible - although there will be a chance of a wandering encounter).  If they do not rest, there is a small chance of an easy wandering encounter (and some prefab traps) along the path to the goblin lair.There are guards outside the lair.  If the PCs can take them out quietly, they can proceed on into the cave and try to ambush other goblins.  If they dawdle, there is a small random chance every 15 minutes that goblins come out to check on the guards, bring them food, etc...  If they find the guards dead or missing, a hunting party will try to track the PCs.  The PCs might be able to short rest, but if they do, the enemy might prepare.  Once inside the goblin caverns, there are 6 locations (really 5 encounters) where enemies exist.  If there is a sound of combat, or the PCs trip a trap or alarm, the enemies will start to congregate.  Each group of enemies will arrive a few rounds after the prior group.  While the PCs clean up one encounter, the next is starting.  Of course, the PCs might be able to use stealthy tactics to cut out some of those groups before they get to attack in waves.  The PCs might withdraw during the waves of combat and try to flee.  If they do, the goblins will try to pursue and press their advantage.  There are two leaders in the cave that might organize the goblins should they get a chance.  If the PCs retreat, the goblins will spend a few rounds getting organized before they pursue and try to finish off the PCs.  That gives the PCs a chance to flee hide, and try to rest (although there will be a chance the goblins can track them, or that the PCs will face a wandering encounter).Once all these enemies are handled, the PCs will have a chance to long rest with little chance of being disrupted (although there is always a chance something will come across the PCs or the battlefield smells).That is a pretty typical (low level) story for how PCs proceed through enough encounters to provide a challenge before a long rest in my games.  Some of those encounters are easy, others are harder.  I've run it this way * a lot* and except the one time the dice just hated the players (max damage crits are max damage crits) it has worked very well. (Full disclosure - I replace the biggest bad in the dungeon with a slightly lesser bad as the big bad can one shot 1st level PCs pretty easily).</blockquote>

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