Managing light without the bookkeeping – thoughts on simplified torch tracking

Hey everyone,

I know that resource management is a core aspect of OSR games. It is part of Gygax’s original design and is crucial for maintaining that constant sense of pressure. However, tracking torches in particular has always felt particularly tedious to me for several reasons:

  1. Some areas already have lit torches or other light sources, altering the usual tracking.
  2. Not all players may have a torch lit at the same time.
  3. Torch duration is tied to time progression (1 turn = 10 minutes, 6 turns = 1 hour).
  4. Different light sources have different durations: i.e, a torch lasts for 1 hour, while a lantern can last for 4 hours per oil flask.
  5. Lanterns and torches can be turned on and off multiple times, meaning their usage doesn’t strictly align with time passing in turns. If a lantern lasts for 4 hours but is used intermittently, it can stretch far beyond that, making strict tracking even more complicated.

For example, in a six-player party, one might have a lantern, another a torch, another chooses to preserve resources by keeping their light off, and there are also rooms with existing light sources. Suppose that over an hour (6 turns), the lantern is kept on the entire time, while the torch user turns theirs off for two turns because the room is already lit. That alone is tricky to track, but if the lantern user decides to turn it off at times to conserve oil, its effective duration becomes a completely separate counter rather than following in-game time.

Because of all this, I’m considering completely abstracting torch tracking. Instead of counting every individual torch, I’d assume that the party has taken the necessary precautions to carry enough torches and lanterns, or that they find them along the way and swap them out with existing light sources.

The only thing I would ask from players is to tell me at all times who has a lit torch or lantern so I know how much attention they might draw. Instead of strictly counting torch durations, I’d focus on abstract factors like:

  • If the entire party is well-equipped with torches or lanterns, I’d consider the lighting "good."
  • If someone has lost their torches (fell into water, got soaked, ran out of oil, etc.), I’d say they don’t have enough light, making perception checks harder.
  • If they are running low on light sources, I’d start introducing darkness mechanics and increasing penalties accordingly.

This way, I keep the pressure of managing resources without the excessive bookkeeping. Has anyone tried a similar approach? Is there a system that already uses something like this? Do you have an alternative approach?