the tension of "do we press on or go back" doesn't work on them. it's just a chore they have to do. even if i make them hex crawl to/from safety. even if i restock the dungeon in their absence. that's not the juice for them. so why do i keep it in? well for one, there is no perfect game—

—we've tried a lot over the years and there's always some aspect that some of us find dull or dislike. we have fun despite that. also, for pacing. i have removed resource management before. i've done 100% dungeon sessions, for weeks on end. they get tired. the tension of the dungeon works on them—