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I personally don't bother that much about this in FbL, since I see it as a light survival game (compared to MYZ). One method that I think has been mentioned is to cap the number of steps that you can carry. The average number of rations (rolls) is:

d12: 11 rations (always at least four rations)
d10: 7,5 rations (always at least three rations)
d8: 4,5 rations (always at least two rations)
d6: 2 rations (always at least one ration)

If using the Alien variant instead, the average number of rations (rolls) is:

4d6: 11 rations
3d6: 9 rations
2d6: 6,5 rations
1d6: 3,5 rations

This way you only are guarantied one ration because you can roll multiple ones in a roll, but the chance of that is very small.

Increase frequency of checks at appropriate times. That’s the way!

Increase frequency of checks at appropriate times. That’s the way!

I am all for that. For example let people drink twice a day, plus one extra when sick or injured and plus one extra during a day of really hard labor.

Increase frequency of checks at appropriate times. That’s the way!

I really like this way of doing it. Makes a lot of sense.

I could see 1 roll per day just being for bedrest. Regular activity such as walking or regular work 2 rolls per day. Strainious activity such as fighting or carrying heavy loads could call for extra rolls.

Yeah my personal guideline is to keep it to one if they’re staying local. Have additional water checks with travel, combat, and heat.

I also think I’ll apply water and food checks to rest for the purpose of recovery.

I had a player get sick once and I was having him make a water check every quarter day.

Hi!

I hope you don't mind the resurrection of this topic.

I also find the d12 of water per day is not enough gritty, but the solution to ask for multiple roll per day slow down the game and arm the pacing. By the way, the problem we raise with water is the same with food.

I came with an untested solution: more gritty, not more rolls.

The food / drink test occurs at each end of the day when the camp is ready. It's a time where the adventurer are all together recollecting the day: "such a long day... we hike in the morning, fought some errand monsters then back on our feet until the end of afternoon and finally making the camp or foraging". Which is: 4 physical activities (hike, hike, combat, making camp).

Roll for Food and Water, but now the Consumable Dice will go down with a result between [1 - X]
X is the number of physical activities during this day +1 (basic requirement for your body)

Only one roll, but a more difficult one which will tackle the player resources. It's at the end of a day, so easy to remember and the players can plan their next day accordingly.

Can't be sure about the interval [1-X] without tests. Should X be 2+ number of physical activities? So that if players do nothing we still have the basic failure with 1-2. But the number might be too high.

Important to cap the interval at [1-5], this way even with D6 there is chance of success.

I believe the Consumable Die roll represents your daily needs in a more abstract way. Like you eat and drink during your journey, only to realise at night you have reduced consumables (rolled a 1 or 2). Assuming life is dangerous and largely unknown beyond villages, adventurers would probably keep themselves sustained, concerning food and water, at all times. That being said, I find it reasonable to increase it to 1-3 if a day has been particularly strenuous (at least one combat event), but no more.

Funny thing is, if the adventurers stick to rivers (the main source of water, after wells), they will never run out of water. That got me thinking whether I should allow for a random roll to check if the source has been contaminated, say a 1 in 6 chance that a dead animal lies a few metres away. In case it does, whoever used that source is now carrying tainted water and upon drinking it must make an Endurance check against disease with virulence of X; you could require the check right before rest/sleep.

Thanks for this idea.