I want to have it here as well for people to see. It's very well thought system in my opinion
OK. I've been trying really hard to create a mechanic that is simple and yet provides value for both long and short rest, Survival skill, etc. This mechanic also encourages short rest and discourages long rest. I developed this idea while attempting to write up my BG3 Unofficial EA D&D Tabletop Campaign: Chapter 1. Please understand, it is a long explanation because I needed to actually explain all the details for it. However, the actual implementation of it (what the player in the video game would experience) would not be so complicated (well, at least, I don't think so). So, as you read this, consider what the player would actually experience. (Also, I would probably not count NPCs and animal companions towards Camping Supplies costs in the video game as I did in the Tabletop, if they were to adapt this concept for the video game. I'd probably just include the primary party members).
What the player would experience: Party picks up food item. Food item is instantly converted to Camping Supplies and applied to the party's total Camping Supplies Score. No item management. No inventory clutter. No send to camp. The items vanish because they were converted to the Camping Supplies Score total. Player checks the log (if they want) and sees that the character with the highest Survival skill automatically rolled with advantage (assuming the character was assisted). The roll determined how many Camping Supplies were converted from the item into the party total based on the food item found. (Details on how this works are below.)
Party takes a short rest and spends 5 camping supplies per character in the adventuring party (so most often it will be 20 camping supplies because you'll probably be traveling with a party of 4). Player clicks a button to initiate the short rest. A menu pops up. All the characters are, let's say, level 4. There are 4 Hit Dice under each character's portrait. Click on a dice and it rolls to see how much HP is restored to that character (just like 5e rules and just like Solasta). Instant dice rolls, mind you, and instantly applied. No dramatic animations needed here. Fast clicks - 1... 2... 3... 4. You can use as many Hit Dice as you want, but once they're gone, you have none for later until you long rest (again, just like 5e; you get half your Hit Dice back when you long rest). Quick and simple. Warlock spell slots restored, as are certain class special abilities, and the Wizard can ONLY use Arcane Recovery from this window. It will no longer be some sort of skill on the hotbar that he/she can use whenever. However, it's just a few fast button clicks. Click Arcane Recovery, choose which spell slot level you want to restore (again, Solasta did this well, so something similar). Close menu. All party members are cleaned up - no filth or grime. They rested and mended wounds, cleaned themselves, etc.
As for long rest, the player clicks the long rest button. Party goes to camp. Party pays 20 camping supplies per character at camp (companion characters only. Again, this is different from the Tabletop details I've listed below). So MCs and origin characters - not Halsin, Withers, Volo... If you can't afford that, partial rest for 10 camping supplies per character at camp. Partial rest means full spell slots restored and special abilities, but not necessarily full HP and NO Hit Dice restored. This is the true drawback of a partial long rest. Basically, it simulates that the party didn't rest as well as normal and weren't as well nourished/refreshed. So, full rest for MC and 5 origin character would be 120 camping supplies. partial rest would be 60 camping supplies.
To add to the strategy of this, add Purify Food and Drink to maximize on the amount of camping supplies you get per food item. Also, casting Goodberry makes it so that as long as each character eats a berry, they don't contribute to the camping supply costs during rests. This could be managed via a tag called "Nourished" or something like that. This makes Goodberry a VERY useful spell in the game, but it comes at the price of having to spend a spell slot every day so you don't have to worry about camping supplies. You'd also need a ranger or druid to utilize this, adding value to those classes. Create Food and Water would act similarly for artificers, clerics and paladins, making it so you don't have to worry about camping supplies for anyone (everyone would get the "Nourished" tag), but again you're forced to expend a level 3 spell slot. Either way, it's just another way to strategically manage resting resources and add value to various mechanics.
To add to this, vendors will supply rations (getting rid of Camping Supply Packs - or whatever - call them Camping Supply Packs if you want). 1 Ration = enough camping supplies for 1 character to basically long rest once and short rest 2 times (30 camping supplies). Again, converted instantly upon purchase so not taking up room in your inventory. However, rations at the vendor are limited, so you can't just buy up all their stock and expect to be perfectly fine.
And finally, if none of this provides you with enough camping supplies and you really need to long rest, every time you do long rest, the character with the highest Survival makes a Survival check to hunt/gather (roll with advantage assuming someone is helping them). The higher they roll, the more camping supplies they gather to help meet the cost for a long rest. Guess it pays to have a character in the party with good Survival skill.
