Real Time as a Resource


Sessions have time limits. I play D&D with colleagues at our office, which closes at 21:30. After pizza and some chit-chat we start around 18:15. That’s 3 hours of play for a group of chaos monkeys… It’s clutch every time.

We play a westmarches-style campaign where they tackle a one-page dungeon each session. Narratively, that’s a day’s work. So what if I use the knowledge that the players play out ~24 hours of game time in ~3 hours of real time?

Sectioning the Day

Just setting a 180 minute timer is no fun. Multiple timed intervals can help evolve the scenario over time. 


The most important change during the day is sunset. Light dies, monsters emerge, tensions rise. The other important milestone is the end of a session (or day); important enough to deserve some kind of set warning. The following procedure is the result:


  1. (optional) Everybody describes their downtime activities since last time.

  2. Set a timer for 90 minutes. Dawn breaks. The party explores the dungeon’s surroundings, interacts with its hooks, and enters the place. 

  3. Have a short bio break. 

  4. Set a 60-minute timer. The sun sets. Tensions escalate with an absence of natural light and safety. I wrote about escalating encounters last time; this is why.

  5. Set the last, 30-minute, timer. Night has fallen. If time runs out, everyone still in danger succumbs to fatigue. Do they find what they’re searching for? Will they make it out alive?

Setting a Narrative Clock

Ideally the players have a narrative clock on top of this mechanical clock. Otherwise, they’d just return the next day and try again. Adventure or dungeon design often takes care of this, but any GM can add a clock if necessary:

  • Vital resources are running out.

  • Collapse of the dungeon is imminent.

  • Party’s presence has a negative effect on them or the environment.

  • Bad guy’s plan will be completed today.

  • Only a small window of opportunity given by a natural phenomenon.


The narrative and real-time clock should run parallel, leaving the crescendo of the session for its end. Don’t be afraid to end a session early if its conflict is resolved quickly.

Conclusion

Real-time as a game element is primarily useful for one-shots, where the session needs to end in a certain timeframe. Besides this, the procedure could provide mechanised tension. I hope some of you find this useful, and let me know when you try!

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