Day by Day
Time is the best tool you've got
Recently, I was a guest on Alexander Macris’s show ACKS to Grind and during our talk we had spent a significant portion in an in-depth discussion regarding timekeeping in RPGs…more specifically, my preferred method of 1:1 time. The topic is first brought up around the 6:20 min mark.
Listening back, I felt that my thoughts on the subject were somewhat scattershot and wanted to go further into what I mean when I defend the use of the 1:1 timekeeping method.
To reiterate for the reader: 1:1 time is “1 actual day = 1 game day when no session is active”; i.e. days outside of a session count as time passing in the game and the players can issue orders for character actions via text or discord between sessions.
Typically, the method is pigeonholed as only useful in large multi-party campaigns the likes of which would have been enjoyed at conventions and club play in the 70s. So 1:1 Time is dismissed as neither necessary or especially useful in a typical campaign consisting of a single modestly sized group.
As noted in the interview, I dispute this.
When I consider the pros and cons of different methods, I take into account two perspectives:
the integrity of the simulation.
the effect of the rule on the real.
Time-As-Mechanic is tricky to measure, because it’s effect on both the simulation and the real is not immediately clear to the observer and even more obfuscated when the discussion can’t be brought past the theoretical. The conversation tends to go in circles because without first-hand experience, the skeptic can only be lead along from the initial premise via chains of argumentative logic. If the listener does not buy the premise, then the whole argument is rejected the moment they run out of patience for the logic chain and the dialogue tree resets.
Simulating a World
Conventional wisdom would suggest that detailed histories or elaborate descriptions of scenes throughout the game are what drives player immersion and that if the DM wants to hook the players, they can do so by really taking the time to establish mental imagery. I don’t buy this, because it is not true in any other context in real life. A key characteristic of human perception is that it unconsciously filters details that the mind does not consider to be relevant to the objective at hand. Histories and aesthetics are important in the long run for initial buy-in, but they can’t carry the immersive quality all by themselves forever.
Time is the transcendental quality that really makes those things stick - everything on Earth with even a little gravitas also carries with it the weight of ages. In real life, things need to sit around for a few hundred or few thousand years to really matter to the observer, but since we’re simulating a world and asking others to treat it as if it exists (but doesn’t), we’re only required to borrow these qualities in an imperfect way so that the willing player can get the rest of the way themselves.
We’re all stuck in time’s flow and we can neither speed it up or slow it down. Everything in our lives is measured against what was, which colors what is, and affects what will be. Yes, a million or more little details make up the kaleidoscope of our lives, but all of it is run through time’s sieve. This is what I think Gary Gygax is ultimately alluding to when he wrote the (in)famous, all-caps passage below:
Aligning Player and Character perceptions is actually great for immersion and incentivizes the players to think about their characters throughout the week. We almost never recap the previous session because we don’t need to…everyone is at least aware of how events flow from one into the other due to (at least) low grade exposure to events as they happen.
What Happens in Real Life
So we’ve taken the dimension of Time and applied it to the simulation, what is the consequences on the real lives of the players? Are they required to spend hours of their life on homework the way their DM used to?
Answer: not really. They may feel compelled to do more than before depending on the player and the circumstances of their PCs, but they aren’t going to have hours of homework demanded of them between sessions. Time tracking in this way optimizes the game to allow for enthusiastic players to nurture their enthusiasm, but does not negate the need for a real game night with other people. The real effect on the lives of players compared to other contemporary campaigns is negligible: just as before they’ll be expected to keep their commitments, audit their character sheets, and pitch in to the Snack Fund.
The only significant change is that interested players have an avenue for their PCs to be themselves outside of the influence of a group between sessions. The only real change is in their perspective by the addition of another means of affecting the game world in the space outside of the dedicated game night.
As Compared to What?
Under this method, players get exactly the game they deserve. It’s common to sight DMs on the internet feeling frustrated by the lack of enthusiasm from their players. Whether or not this is justified must be taken on a case-by-case basis, but it is true that there are DMs who really put the work in only to get a lukewarm reception - to say nothing of what happens at some tables when the players actively aren’t enjoying it.
When we take events and put them inside of a chronology, the burden of maintaining the campaign is spread out between all participants and the DM:
The Dungeon Master still has to run the world. This includes factions making moves, NPC patrons/villains taking actions, incorporating player choices, and managing what monsters are moving into the play area.
If the players want an interesting story of intrigues, twists, and turns, they’re going to have to go out and find it. We’re off-rails now, which means when the party discovers evidence of an evil cult’s activity, there will not necessarily be contrivances that put them in the path of that faction’s plans. They’ll need to pursue their leads proactively!
To that end, if the players don’t have the self-motivation to engage with the game meaningfully on their own…it seems a non-sequitur to say that reducing their need to participate will suddenly make them better players.
As I say in my book: character downtime orders are functionally the players writing the DM’s session notes for them by explictly laying out what they care to pursue…it sure feels good to never have any wasted hooks!