TIME

tracker
TIME IN RPGs.

Riccardo Canton
TIME
tracker
TIME IN RPGs.

Author & Graphics

Riccardo Canton

Editing & Translation

Valentina Musolla
Glossary
This guide assumes you already know how Role-Playing Games (RPGs) work,
but still, here is a quick glossary of the terms you need to know:

Player: An individual (generally human) who has decided to participate in

an RPG.

Fiction: Everything that includes the imaginary world, its logic, its rules and
whatever happens in it.

Game Master (GM): A player who acts as an arbiter of the rules and inter-
prets the fictional world.

Player Character (PC): A fictional character who lives in the fictional world.
Unlike a normal character, this is played by a player who is not the GM.

Session: The time that passes from when the players sit down at the table to
play to when they decide to stop.

Application
These rules are designed to be applied to a multitude of RPGs. Into the Odd,
Cairn, Knave, Dhaka Jaar, On Mighty Thews, Dungeon World, Dungeon Crawl
Classics, Daggerheart... are just a few examples.

If a player wants to introduce them to their table, all they need to do is pre-
sent them to their fellow players. If everyone agrees, they can be implemented
immediately.

Along with the manual, a printable file and a file for integration into your fa-
vorite VTT are available.
TIME
“We’re leaving the tavern, GM, what time is it?” That question made the GM shi-
ver, who started frantically investigating his notes trying to remember what
happened last session. After a minute of careful analysis, the GM realised he
didn’t have a proper answer and he decided to use his final weapon, impro-
visation: “Looking at the sun, you can clearly see it should be 12:00?” The GM’s
trembling voice showed his fear, and the doubtful player asked another que-
stion: “Didn’t our PGs have dinner an hour ago? Didn’t we enter the tavern for this
reason?” Shaken by a cold shiver, with a single drop of sweat running down
his forehead, the GM made the only possible decision: “Hahaha, just kidding,
I just wanted to see if you were paying attention… it’s 10 p.m.” But another player
raised his voice: “No, we came here to have lunch, not dinner”. The poor DM, now
helpless, had no other choice: “It looks like 10 p.m. because a meteor is about to
destroy the earth and is blocking out the sun. Also, your characters will be dead in 5
minutes. Who wants to create some new PGs?”.

Alright, maybe our poor GM was a bit drastic, but managing the pas-
sing of time in an RPG is not easy. We lose track of time between our
actions, and we don’t even realise that it has been 12 p.m. for three ses-
sions in a row. This guide is for the GMs who want to uncover the se-
crets of the passage of time in a simple and abstract way, to turn it
into a tangible and conscious element of the Game.
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But first, Scenes!
Scenes are narrative game units in which the PCs participate and interact in
a certain context. These are determined by the space and the time of the fi-
ction. The GM has the role of limiting the Scenes using the PCs interactions as
guidance.

An RPG Session is made up of one or several scenes one after the other. The
duration of a Scene is determined by the GM and the interactions of the PCs
within that Scene.

Some GMs prefer creating an ongoing narrative where the time in-game and
the time in real life are the same: in this case, a Session will be made up of 1 or
2 Scenes. Others prefer a more "cinematic" approach, breaking up the game
time and focusing on crucial moments, resulting in Scene-heavy sessions.

It’s advisable to discuss with the group which style is preferable, to find a ba-
lance and take advantage of both styles.

Scenes During a Session

Scene

Scene Scene Scene

Here's what a gaming Session might look like once it's over. As you can see,
some Scenes took longer, and others were quicker.

However, this sequence is not prepared beforehand. Nobody knows how

many Scenes a Session is made up of, because the evolution of the narrative
occurs based on the choices of the players at the table.

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Scene Control
Opening a Scene
In the opening, the GM presents the environment and the initial positions
of the PCs. The GM asks the players to specify the location of their PCs in the
Scene if it is unclear.

The GM also defines the moment in fiction in which a Scene opens: this occurs
when the PCs initially encounter the interesting elements of the Scene.

Closing a Scene
When a Scene has nothing left to say, the GM will declare "End of Scene". If a
player still has a pending issue in the Scene, he declares it and the closure is
postponed until it is resolved.

Once the Scene is closed, the PCs may have already stated how they intend to
continue. If this is not clear, the GM will ask the players directly. The inten-
tions of the players are always what guides how the GM will open the next
Scene.

A lot of time can pass in fiction in between two Scenes. This is the time it takes
before anything interesting or challenging happens to the PCs. This will be
handled by the Time Tracker, next page.

Surprise Scene: The PCs' goal may not always be reached in the fol-
lowing Scene. Sometimes the world holds surprises that may strike
when you least expect them. When something can disrupt the PCs'
path, the GM will open a surprise Scene. While the PCs are traveling to the
castle of the wizard Martiflax the Terrible, they are surprised by the Cultists
who live in the forest.

3
Watch & Bit
The Watches and Bits are the two units of measurement that will be used to
determine the passage of time.

• Watch: a day is made up of 4 repeating Watches: Morning, Afternoon, Eve-

ning and Night.

• Bit: each Watch is divided into 3 Bits. This subdivision will help us manage
the scenes that take place close to each other.

These are the time indicators and will determine which part of the day the
PCs are in.

To summarize this concept, we’ll use the Time Tracker:

This will have to be printed out or drawn and shown to every player. We will then
place a die or marker of our choice above the current Watch and Bit box.
Using Time Tracker
When starting a new game Scene, the GM moves the Time Tracker forward.
How much will be determined by the GM based on these factors:

• The new scene happens right after the previous: the Time Tracker
moves forward one Bit (1/3 Watches)

• The new scene happens much after the previous: the Time Tracker
moves one or more Watches forward based on how much time has passed
in the GMs opinion.

When moving the Time Tracker forward, we move the die on the new section
of the Watch and Bit.

Actions in Game
Here are some examples of common actions that can happen during the game
and how to interpret them:

• Rest: resting uses up one Watch; a long rest uses up 2 or more Watches.

• Travel: based on how long the journey is, the GM decides how many Bits
or Watches to use up.

• Passive Activities: hunting, searching for information, training, etc... use

up 1 or more Watches.

• Time Skip: sometimes, several days can pass between two Scenes. In these
cases, the GM simply chooses the Watch suitable for the new Scene.

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 Game Example (1)
GM: From what I understand, you want to go and talk to the
innkeeper about the recent disappearances?

PLAYER: Yes, we have to start somewhere. We're at the black-

smith's now, so he shouldn't be far away.

GM: Correct, you will reach it in the next Bit.

PLAYER: I don't know what we're waiting for then.

GM: You exit to head to the tavern. You pass several alleys
until you reach it. We are at the end of the morning, the
inn is now starting to fill up for lunch. You don't see the
innkeeper, but you hear him shouting and from what
you understand he's late preparing the meals.

The GM moves the marker over the right box (+1Bit) and this
indicates the end of the Morning.

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 Game Example (2)
PLAYER: We need to get to the castle of Martiflax the Terrible, we
absolutely need to talk to him.

GM: Do you all agree? Martiflax’s Castle lies beyond the Dark
Forest. That's at least 3 Watches of walking.

PLAYER: It doesn't look like a nice place, but I don't see any alter-
natives right now.

GM: Great! You are traveling to the castle of Martiflax the

Terrible, a Watch has passed since you left and you find
yourself in the middle of the Dark Forest. It is now late
and the sunset gives the forest a bloody look. You feel
watched, as if the trees have eyes.

The GM moves the marker over the right box (+1 Watch) and
this indicates the start of the Evening.

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 New Scene Starts

Bit Watch
A bit later A lot later
Time Tracker How long
moves 1-2 Bits after does this
forward. happen?

Watch Watch
During the Day Days Later
Time Tracker The GM picks
moves 1-3 the most accu-
Watches. rate Watch.

Extra material can be found here:

https://riccardocanton.itch.io/time-tracker

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 extra: The Weather
The sun doesn't always shine! The Weather, which helps to create a cer-
tain atmosphere, also adds a challenging aspect to the game. Every
Morning one of the players rolls 2d6, then compares the highest result
with the Weather Table.

d6 Weather Examples
1 Extreme Thunderstorms, hailstorms, lightning…

2 Harsh Heavy rain, sharp cold, strong heat...

3 Hostile Light rain, cold, humid heat, strong wind...

4 Acceptable Clouds, wind, fog…

5 Nice Clear, mild, slightly cloudy...

6 Lovely The best day possible.

This table provides some generic examples, which can be adapted to

the setting. Extreme Weather in the desert presents itself differently
than Extreme Weather in the plain.

OPTIONAL - Unstable Weather: In case your setting requires more

unstable weather and generally has more severe weather, only roll a d6
when making a Weather roll.

Catastrophic: If you get Extreme Weather twice in a row, it becomes a

Catastrophic Weather. Tornados, Volcanic Eruptions, the Fall of a Meteo-
rite, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Storms of Wild Magic...
 Author & Graphics
Riccardo Canton

Editing & Translation

Valentina Musolla