I love #dnd travel logistics, y'all. Love it.
I know not everyone does, and that's okay, but I live for figuring out how to carry enough water to survive a trek across the desert to an ancient tomb.
— Dan Dillon 👥 (@Dan_Dillon_1) July 26, 2019
I mean, that’s all DnD is: a combat simulator with a resource management mini-game built in. Oh. That's all?
Starting to feel like I've wasted my life.
— Dan Dillon 👥 (@Dan_Dillon_1) July 26, 2019
That basic interaction is why my players in my Al-Qadim campaign coined the term "the tyranny of mules."
Water is heavy, so pack animals are a great option to carry more stuff. Pack animals need water. 😂
Fun story: my players spent 1/2 of an adventure in my desert based 5e game figuring out these logistics. They purchased 2 camels, then someone Googled “how much water do camels need?” And the resulting discussion was absolutely hilarious: the realization that 1 camel drinks a LOT Finding the tomb, and planning the round trip trek was a full session.
— Dan Dillon 👥 (@Dan_Dillon_1) July 26, 2019
AND IT WAS INCREDIBLY FUN.
Consulting with sages and cartographers to find the most accurate maps of the desert region possible, using part of the rod of seven parts to triangulate the next portion (thus the need for an accurate map), sourcing supplies and planning routes…
— Dan Dillon 👥 (@Dan_Dillon_1) July 26, 2019
See, 5E has too many “get out of jail free” cards when it comes to resource management. My current campaign was going to be grindy, resource heavy dungeon crawl. Oh, hello good berry. Guess that’s over. Lost in the woods? Nope, Ranger Dan never gets lost. Sigh. I think making house rule tweaks to help get the specific feel you want out of a campaign is a-okay.
Requires some more work and player buy-in up front, of course.
— Dan Dillon 👥 (@Dan_Dillon_1) July 26, 2019
How strict are you with the details of weight and just overall logistics of carrying things? I use encumbrance and expect players to keep track of their own weight, track ammunition, costly spell components, etc.
— Dan Dillon 👥 (@Dan_Dillon_1) July 26, 2019