I’m sorry, but you’re just coming across very standoffish. I already explained that tracking ammo creates interesting choices, and I already explained that players and DMs can come to a compromise. I also explained that no one is obligated to play with anyone else, which is a clear difference from your comparison to your son. If you’re going to gloss over what I have to say, I don’t feel particularly inclined to keep saying anything.
But I’ll give a little more benefit of the doubt.
Let’s say I want to run a gritty, low-powered game. The players are down-on-their-luck, going into dangerous wilds and deep into forgotten ruins, in search of treasure to at least eke out a living, with a glimmer of hope that one day they’ll strike it big and make their fortune. I want players to begin poor, where every bit of coin counts, and I want survivalism to be a big deal, so it’s important what they buy and bring with them. Ammo would naturally be a part of that, and the tension of potentially running out—or what to do after actually running out!—is compelling. You think that’s boring. And… okay. Infinite ammo would be kind of antithetical to the vibe I’m going for. Plus, if you have an issue with arrows, I don’t expect you’d take kindly to tracking food, water, light sources… I doubt we’d see eye-to-eye. And that’s it. I’m not willing to compromise on the kind of game I’m trying to start, and you’re not willing to play in this one. Both are valid. I’ve been on both sides of this situation. And no one owes anyone a justification for their personal preferences.
And if you want to look at how other people manage inventory, look at “slot-based” solutions. A bundle of arrows would contain however many arrows, and take up one slot. No need to calculate the weight of each, just tick them off as you use them. Simpler, while still making inventory matter. And if some people like the bean counting of tracking individual weights… that’s it. It’s enough to understand that they like it, even if you don’t.
Finally, if you truly want to understand other people’s positions, you can’t take such an aggressive stance, because that creates a framework where you’re rewarding yourself for being obtuse. The less you’re willing to consider another perspective, the stronger your position feels, and the better you think you’re doing. That obviously falls apart when we’re dealing with issues that have no objective answer and don’t require a compromise, but even outside of that, you’ll have a firmer grasp of any issue when you truly try to understand what other people believe and why. Repeatedly challenging people and not accepting their answers doesn’t do anything but cause resentment as you appear hostile. A debate doesn’t have to be a competition, it can be two people trying to understand, rather than win.
You know what. This makes sense. This actually makes sense. Yeah ok, some settings will benefit from counting ammo. Althought the setting you used as example is an extreme example where a lot of things would be different from the average campaign.
So yeah, there are exceptions to my idea that ammo shouldnt be kept unless players actually want to.
I’m sorry, but you’re just coming across very standoffish. I already explained that tracking ammo creates interesting choices, and I already explained that players and DMs can come to a compromise. I also explained that no one is obligated to play with anyone else, which is a clear difference from your comparison to your son. If you’re going to gloss over what I have to say, I don’t feel particularly inclined to keep saying anything.
But I’ll give a little more benefit of the doubt.
Let’s say I want to run a gritty, low-powered game. The players are down-on-their-luck, going into dangerous wilds and deep into forgotten ruins, in search of treasure to at least eke out a living, with a glimmer of hope that one day they’ll strike it big and make their fortune. I want players to begin poor, where every bit of coin counts, and I want survivalism to be a big deal, so it’s important what they buy and bring with them. Ammo would naturally be a part of that, and the tension of potentially running out—or what to do after actually running out!—is compelling. You think that’s boring. And… okay. Infinite ammo would be kind of antithetical to the vibe I’m going for. Plus, if you have an issue with arrows, I don’t expect you’d take kindly to tracking food, water, light sources… I doubt we’d see eye-to-eye. And that’s it. I’m not willing to compromise on the kind of game I’m trying to start, and you’re not willing to play in this one. Both are valid. I’ve been on both sides of this situation. And no one owes anyone a justification for their personal preferences.
And if you want to look at how other people manage inventory, look at “slot-based” solutions. A bundle of arrows would contain however many arrows, and take up one slot. No need to calculate the weight of each, just tick them off as you use them. Simpler, while still making inventory matter. And if some people like the bean counting of tracking individual weights… that’s it. It’s enough to understand that they like it, even if you don’t.
Finally, if you truly want to understand other people’s positions, you can’t take such an aggressive stance, because that creates a framework where you’re rewarding yourself for being obtuse. The less you’re willing to consider another perspective, the stronger your position feels, and the better you think you’re doing. That obviously falls apart when we’re dealing with issues that have no objective answer and don’t require a compromise, but even outside of that, you’ll have a firmer grasp of any issue when you truly try to understand what other people believe and why. Repeatedly challenging people and not accepting their answers doesn’t do anything but cause resentment as you appear hostile. A debate doesn’t have to be a competition, it can be two people trying to understand, rather than win.
You know what. This makes sense. This actually makes sense. Yeah ok, some settings will benefit from counting ammo. Althought the setting you used as example is an extreme example where a lot of things would be different from the average campaign.
So yeah, there are exceptions to my idea that ammo shouldnt be kept unless players actually want to.