Is it possible to have enjoyable survival and travel mechanics in a RPG?I like some of what Forbidden Lands did but it has some questionable travel stuff. Resource dice instead of counting resources is neat, but also can be somewhat immersion breaking.Basically I want my players to have to at least think about food and supplies but not to the point where it takes over the whole game (although I'd lean towards it being more important than less)
Yes, it is possible for people to enjoy things, but it depends on what they enjoy and how it's executed.
>>93937542It matters more if the players see their PCs mechanically impacted by the journey. If you just say "everyone who's hungry gets a -2 to all rolls" that isn't going to impact their play decisions very much. However, if you start taking away hit points due to hunger and capping their max HP they can regain from healing because they're not getting good food, suddenly they'll sit up and pay more attention to rations.
>>93937815Even with this method, though, it's about doing it because you have to, not because you enjoy it.It's like if you don't enjoy moving boxes, but someone stronger than you says he'll kick you in the nuts for every box you don't move; you still aren't going to enjoy moving the boxes, but you do it so you don't get your balls turned into paste.
>>93938656If you like getting your nuts kicked, however, you will probably enjoy it.
>>93938879The nutkicking, sure, but you still aren't going to enjoy moving the boxes
>>93937542I'm actually rereading the Alexandrian's Ptolus campaign journals and he touches on this a lot. His point is that the system itself isn't the important thing, but the drama and decisions that arise from dealing with the system is the important thing. So, involved travel mechanics don't matter if they are just book keeping forced on the players, but if the system is causing them to think about the situation and decisions, it's a good thing. In his game, a lot of drama is created in them going out of and back into the dungeon, essentially planning mini expeditions, because of these kinds of systems. It really requires the players to really be leading the story to a certain degree though.
>>93938656One doesn't need to enjoy the bookkeeping itself to enjoy the impact it has on the game.
>>93937542>Is it possible to have enjoyable survival and travel mechanics in a RPG?This is only something you and your group can answer, retard.
>>93938656>>93938879>>93938910bravo, anons. well done.
if you don't like travel and survival mechanics you won't enjoy themthere is a distinct probability that you in particular just like the idea of them and not actually having procedures for them but the fact of the matter is that if you want to put mechanical emphasis on something in a game it's going to take up game timeit's no more or less a slog than rolling a bunch for a combat. they're just a different part of the game
>>93939615This is the real answer to the question. It's not about actually enjoying it, it's enjoying the process and benefits when you do it right.
>>93939615>>93940026I think the problem is that, for a pretty long time, a lot of games have just been heavily plotted railroads. Players need to have a lot of agency for some of the more fiddly mechanics to actually have a bearing on the game in an interesting way.
