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2011-04-20 The Passage Of Time In Your Campaign

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Summary: This has worked for me so far, but I don't have any long term experience.

Changed:

< Here's an example:

to

> I generally use weeks as a unit: Travel to a dungeon, explore for a day or two, return to base: it takes a week.
> Here's an example of how it works:


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I’m running two groups in the same campaign region. At least, I try to when they don’t cancel! So basically the two groups share the same Campaign Wiki. That means that the first group can sell a treasure map at the inn and the second group will be able to buy it for a price at the same inn. A hireling can be found at the inn talking about the adventures he had with the other group. Stuff like that.

This necessitates a certain amount of synching between the two parties.

I’m not using the Table of Despair. That would make the synchronization very easy: Every session is a trip to a dungeon. Those who don’t make it back out by the end of the session must roll on the table—and despair. sardonic

Worse, I use the Death and Dismemberment table. That means I sometimes have characters with broken bones that need to rest for many weeks. When the players return to the table and feel like playing these characters again, this assumes a big gaps in the time line.

The solution I’m using right now is that the party sitting down at the table implicitly determines how much time has passed.

I generally use weeks as a unit: Travel to a dungeon, explore for a day or two, return to base: it takes a week.

Here’s an example of how it works:

  1. Party 1 goes on a trip, the elf breaks his arm and needs to rest for 14 weeks.
  2. Party 2 goes to the Ancient Academy. We assume this happens in the same week.
  3. Party 1 explores a little dungeon without the elf. We assume this happens in the next week.
  4. Party 1 meets again, and the elf player is playing the elf. Thus, implicitly, 13 weeks must have passed!
  5. Party 2 wants to return to the Ancient Academy. 14 weeks have passed!

I just need to remember to announce the jump in time at the beginning of the session and ask: “So, what has your character been up to all this time?”

Alternatively, I ask them via email. I create a Google Group for every campaign. Sometimes players will post their plans for the next few games in-game.

This has worked for me so far, but I don’t have any long term experience.

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