So let’s say the party is able to make camp after turn 3. They spend whatever check(s) they have and are back in adventure phase. They manage to get another check and make camp after turn 3 again. Etc. etc.
At this point, these characters are still Fresh but have not eaten over the course of 6 adventure phase turns and two camp phases. I’d be pretty hungry, wouldn’t you? Yet there’s nothing forcing the characters to eat unless they acquire the hungry and thirsty condition?
Obviously this scenario likely means the characters are over-leveled or the dungeon is insufficiently challenging.
But what would you in this case? Force a Cook test?
Split from the old thread. As noted above, please don’t post to old threads.
To answer your question, yes it is theoretically possible to avoid the Hungry condition. This does not mean that the characters in the fiction have not eaten. It just hasn’t been important enough to matter.
I would take noclue’s advice and just throw it at them when they fail. Surely they’re not passing every test? Alternatively, a good twist on the third turn that makes it impossible to camp will do the trick.
Given how often this has come up, I wonder if it’s worth house ruling that if you camp you lose fresh. Since you only get it back after your debts are squared and a good amount of rest, it makes sense that it wouldn’t stick while you’re camping in ruins.
You are meant to be able to keep fresh if you camp before the fourth turn. A very disciplined group will camp after every third turn like clockwork. That means using traits against yourself constantly. But doing so increases the odds that you’ll fail and generate a twist that prevents you from camping every third turn…
If your players are falling into this rhythm, that’s good! It means they’re learning the game and getting good at it. And it means that you as the GM need to step up your game are start challenging them in new and inventive ways.