The work was always getting done, it just slowed down for a while. Getting bought always causes a lot uncertainty and eats up a lot of time. We're still balancing this - what we're shooting for is to have a few spots in each area to rest. There are plenty of combats in Pool, so spellcasters will always need to consider whether or not to cast a spell. No, we don't have weapons that break.
Weapons breaking is realistic, but annoying.
There's a can of worms waiting to be opened. We do have to balance this against realism and the fact that we're using someone else's rules. This isn't to say that it can't be done, just that we have to make trade-offs on what we put in a game. So, to answer your question, this is something we have to handle on a case by case basis. We asked Garrett the following question.