Arelith

There's an elephant in the room sometimes, during extended lengths of RP, and it's called:

*drinks*
*drinks*
*drinks*
*drinks*
*drinks*
*eats*
*eats*
*eats*

*ZZZZZZZZZZZ*
*ZZZZZZZZZZZ*

"Does anyone have food? I forgot to go to the bar this year."
---
While I'm being facetious for effect, I have seen this a few times as well as had to partake.

I ask: what does the mechanical enforcement of eating, drinking, and sleeping provide that RP can't provide itself?

I think the necessity of food and water should be removed.

Rest is more difficult to address because it has an element of balance to it, and I don't have an alternative in mind either. It is still humorous to imagine mages and priests saying, "Sorry. I'm too well-rested to go on an adventure."

Maybe piety and spell components are enough of a viable balance to consider removing rest too.

The food/thirst are simply reminders of time passing. In all the years I've been here, I've never found it to be a nuisance, but I think it helps when you embrace it, make it part of your RP, and avoid the awkward moments where you HAVE to eat and drink many times in a row.

If you are with a group and people are starting to get hungry/thirsty, build it into your RP by starting to cook some dinner.

I think that many people try to make it awkward, and succeed at it. It's so totally easy to be sure that you are fed and slaked.

It also adds to immersion in certain environments. People who adventure in the desert need to be sure to bring water, as it can be a real threat to have none.