Roll for Initative… Next Tuesday at 7pm?
Welcome to this month’s RPG Blog Carnival and the topic for this month is time.
We’re not talking just about time in your campaign world, and everything that comes with it – things like combat rounds, travel time, and rest periods. We’re also taking a look at real-world time: managing your session, survivng the scheduling of the boss fight, and finding that all important balance between rolling the dice and punching the time clock at work.
Which path will you take? Will you look to the in-game clock, the real-world clock, or will you try the impossible and do both and beat the buzzer? Tick-Tock.
The In-Game Clock
Inside the game, time is a tool for pacing, tension, and worldbuilding. This is where a single 6-second combat round can take 40 minutes of real time to resolve, and three months of overland travel can be hand-waved in a single sentence. How GMs and the systems we use handle time drastically changes the feel of a game – from the gritty urgency of a ticking-clock dungeon crawl to the long slow burn of a sandbox campaign.
A few ideas to get you rolling:
- How do you handle campaign pacing and time jumps?
- What are your favorite mechanics for tracking in-game time (clocks, tension pools, calendars)?
- How do you manage downtime, crafting, or long-distance travel without losing momentum?
- Have you ever run time travel, time loops, or time distortion in your games?
The Real-World Clock
Away from the gaming table, time is our most precious resource. Between jobs, family, and adult responsibilities (oh to be young again!), the hardest monster in any TTRPG isn’t the ancient dragon – it’s scheduling. Balancing your creative passion with real-life commitments requires strategy, whether that’s streamlining GM prep, running shorter sessions, or setting healthy boundaries so you don’t burn out.
I’ve forgotten how many times I’ve rolled a Nat 1 when it’s come to this.
A few ideas to get you rolling:
- How do you balance GM prep time with real-life commitments?
- How do you handle player scheduling, missed sessions, or shifting availability?
- What strategies do you use to start and end sessions on time?
- How has your relationship with gaming time evolved over the years?
How to Participate:
- Write a Blog Post: Create an original blog post on your own site that explores the theme of time.
- Link Back to This Post: In your blog post, please include a link back to this kickoff post so others can easily find the carnival and see what it’s all about.
- Share Your Post: Once your post is live, come back here and leave a comment with a link to your entry. This will help us compile all the fantastic contributions!
The carnival runs throughout August, but don’t wait to share your post! Tempus fugit!
May your dice roll well!