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Don't Fall for the "Strict Timekeeping" Fad

Started by RPGPundit, September 19, 2023, 11:02:32 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Persimmon

Quote from: GhostNinja on September 22, 2023, 10:27:12 AM
Quote from: Scooter on September 21, 2023, 05:52:33 PM
We also track time where there are real in game consequences.  Like torches, spell duration, the day so spell caster have to sleep and renew spells and what not.  It doesn't take any real effort at that level.

Yep.   I have a player who keeps track of the time.  The players enjoy it and the love how playing OSE RAW makes the game feel like D&D the way it was in the earlier days.

Would I do it with D&D or any other game?  No probably not.

You do know that OSE IS D&D, right?  Just an earlier version of it with better organization.

Omega

#31
Quote from: Brad on September 20, 2023, 06:01:12 AM
So...did these dudes read that and decide it means something it really doesn't? Are they actually advocating for a 1-to-1 relationship at all times?

Yes they are. Its been pushed now and then.

But from what I have seen it mostly died out as anyone with two brain cells to rub together saw it was a moronic thing to try and impose.

mAcular Chaotic

1 to 1 time is not for everyone but most people here misunderstand it.

The point is that you make it a "living world" where you advance time OUTSIDE THE SESSION every day. During the session, you play D&D like normal, you timeskip over tedious segments, etc. But once the game is over, you advance the clock each day, by whatever segment you want -- it could be a day for a day, a week for a day, etc. This creates a sense of life in the world and lets long term projects exist as a factor in the game.

Usually games like this are suited to open table MMO style games where multiple tables are playing in the same setting, so you can keep it all straight and people can do stuff while they aren't in an actual session. But you can also do it for a single table group for sessions that don't need to be back to back in game-time so that you get to see characters get older and advance through life, instead of it being like most modern campaigns where it plays out like an episode of 24.
Battle doesn\'t need a purpose; the battle is its own purpose. You don\'t ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Don\'t ask why I fight.

Ruprecht

Slightly different topic on time. Shadowdark uses real time for certain things like torches, which people praised in reviews, but seems wonky to me. Is combat done in real time as well? If not how do you account for that regarding torches? Has anyone tried it?
Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing. ~Robert E. Howard

Scooter

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic on September 24, 2023, 02:47:09 AM
1 to 1 time is not for everyone but most people here misunderstand it.

The point is that you make it a "living world" where you advance time OUTSIDE THE SESSION every day. During the session, you play D&D like normal,

This isn't what the idiots are pushing
There is no saving throw vs. stupidity

jeff37923

I have the weekend free and I ventured out to check out the game stores in my city. Several had games running, most of which were D&D type. Nobody I saw amoungst the sixty or so gamers playing was using this strict timekeeping.

I think that this is just another internet only fad that doesn't reach the Real World.
"Meh."

KrisSnow

My one experience with trying to play with timekeeping was in "Stars Without Number". True to oldschool style, we had maybe 20 players and multiple GMs who would take groups on quests through space. I liked the campaign concept, I appreciate the GMs' work, and I had fun. But the time mechanic did cause problems. In particular, spaceflight even with the setting's FTL rules took at least several days to get to another star system. In my character's final series of adventures, his voyage dragged on for real-time months because we went to multiple stars and had no opportunity to get to our HQ and there was other dithering. So we missed out on some roleplay opportunities at the HQ area and were locked out of going on any other adventures while we waited for the current one to resolve.

Our server also tried using the trading rules from that game. Those are great in their own right, but work poorly with a large group. A few of us made a huge profit but again, had to miss out on any interaction with other players for long periods because we were in transit. In a smaller group we'd have done a quick roleplay session about the trade, resolved any random disasters, and mostly skipped over the travel time. (And then we were so rich we were massively out of line with the other PCs.) We also had no real opportunity to use parts of the trade system that can shine in a longer game: the parts about building a colony or corporate base, where faction turns take a month of game time.

I have my problems with Paizo but I did like what they did with Pathfinder (1E)'s "Pathfinder Society Organized Play". Can't show up this week? It's fine; in universe your PC is part of an adventurer guild and he's busy.

Armchair Gamer

Quote from: jeff37923 on September 24, 2023, 06:14:54 PM
I have the weekend free and I ventured out to check out the game stores in my city. Several had games running, most of which were D&D type. Nobody I saw amoungst the sixty or so gamers playing was using this strict timekeeping.

I think that this is just another internet only fad that doesn't reach the Real World.

  As far as I can tell, the BrOSR is a couple dozen campaigns and a group of posters on Twitter. Outside of that, I expect there's some presence but overall, it's a drop in the water that we only notice because both the proponents and the critics have extremely large and vocal online egos. :)

Omega

Quote from: Ruprecht on September 24, 2023, 08:50:39 AM
Slightly different topic on time. Shadowdark uses real time for certain things like torches, which people praised in reviews, but seems wonky to me. Is combat done in real time as well? If not how do you account for that regarding torches? Has anyone tried it?

Sounds ruthlessly stupid.

GhostNinja

#39
Delete please.  Weird double posting
Ghostninja

GhostNinja

Quote from: Persimmon on September 23, 2023, 04:24:37 PM
You do know that OSE IS D&D, right?  Just an earlier version of it with better organization.

Yes, I am aware that it is the D&D B/X rules cleaned up and the rules made more clear.  I also have a copy of the actual B/X books and OSE does a much better job explaining things.

When I said I wouldn't do it with D&D I meant 5e which is something I am also running.
Ghostninja

Abraxus

Quote from: jeff37923 on September 24, 2023, 06:14:54 PM
I have the weekend free and I ventured out to check out the game stores in my city. Several had games running, most of which were D&D type. Nobody I saw amoungst the sixty or so gamers playing was using this strict timekeeping.

I think that this is just another internet only fad that doesn't reach the Real World.

I think it's Pundit as usual bring the equivalent of a Schlock Radio personality blowing something completely out of proportion to get more clicks and views.

Domina

I don't care that much about accurate time because I don't do dungeon crawls and resource expenditure isn't a significant part of the gameplay. I only need to know what various characters are trying to do, and how long it will probably take them to accomplish.

Scooter

Quote from: Domina on September 26, 2023, 11:39:14 AM
I don't care that much about accurate time because I don't do dungeon crawls

Time comes into play out side of dungeons.  Why the fuck would you think that time doesn't matter outside of a dungeon?
There is no saving throw vs. stupidity

RPGPundit

Quote from: King Tyranno on September 22, 2023, 03:19:15 PM
I'm really not a fan of the way the BrOSR carry themselves. I have to be honest with you though Pundit. You've been guilty of this same behaviour of declaring your way is the only correct way and dismissing all others. 

I wouldn't call a 1:1 real time with patron play game a "fad". But I wouldn't call it "Strict timekeeping" either. Because it really isn't all that strict. It's just time. It progresses.  It's just one more way to play your games. If you don't want to play it you don't have to. 

I've now got two ongoing games using 1:1 time. Both with different rulesets. I know you're probably going to dismiss whatever I say. But I am speaking from experience. Not just nice ideas in my head. I've had to change things up a bit from the BrOSR stuff I've seen. But not much.

I think people are really scared that the timekeeping will in some way be hard to manage or ruin the game. It doesn't. But people who don't ever want to try it out assume it will and won't listen to people like me with the experience to say it's much less complicated than you make out. Just understand from the minute the game world "starts" that time progresses in real time without pauses or rewinds. It's not complicated so long as you note where various groups are and how long it's taking them to travel from A to B.

Most hexcrawl campaigns already establish that one hex = x miles or km. From that it's not hard to establish how long it will take to walk from one place to another. And how worth it it is to walk that distance. I just set alarms on my phone or Computer. If groups intersect on the map, they meet up. If not, they don't. And may never meet. If someone doesn't turn up to a session, they message me to say what they're doing. If they don't, they do nothing and stay put until they do message me. (I've never had a player just idle and starve to death by the way. At worst a player wanted to leave the game so he retired his character.) It's really not hard to keep an eye on a clock and go "hmm, we've been in this dungeon for 4 hours. We should head back and rest.". 10 real time seconds per round to say an action. And then Actions are done in a second or however long it takes me to describe the action. If for whatever bizarre and very rare reason a party decides to take longer than a couple of weeks to trek from one place to another, or is otherwise occupied for large periods of time roll up some new characters. Now one group of players has become multiple different parties in a dynamic sandbox world with lots of events happening even when the sessions are over. It's pretty cool and gives you options.  If you can manage time effectively in the real world you can GM a real time game.

Now this is the part where you tell me all the worst case scenarios that never actually happen in order to "prove me wrong."

No, I just point out that the BroSR has never managed to make a single long-term campaign work.
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