I was reading and then answered to a discussion about the passage of time in our fantasy worlds. Although it was mostly about the methods used for calculating time in fantasy worlds in general, and not specifically d&d, it got me thinking about how time works in our d&d based game worlds as well.
I will cut and paste the answer that I gave to the discussion mentioned above, below, as it accurately describes the way I imagine time working for the people of my d&d games.
The answer:
The concept of time held by the peoples of Erda differs from a real-world perception of time in that the people of Erda do not perceive time as being exclusively ‘linear’ (i.e. past-present-future). Instead, events occur in a ‘circular’ pattern of time according to who exists at the centre of the ‘time-circles’ and events are placed in time according to their relative importance for that individual and his or her respective community (i.e. the more important events are set ‘closer in time’, while the least important are more distant).
The way the people of Erda perceive time is very complex and something that even I, the narrator, am still trying to wrap my head around because, on Erda, time is very personal to both individuals and communities. Although everybody shares time, in that everyone agrees that certain events did take place, or will occur; when said events happened, or will occur, is personal to each community or individual and because of this, times perception differs from person to person, and from place to place.
So how do people on Erda calculate time?
Well, they both do and don't. It is possible to calculate time on Erda, by the number of moon cycles between significant events. As I have just discussed, however, the point in time which events take place differs depending on who is doing the calculation. Even then, because there is no conventional 'passage of time' it's impossible to be exact in how you calculate how much time has passed and this makes it extremely hard to assign any numerical value to time on Erda, in the way we do in the real world.
So that's it. That accurately describes how I envision the usage and passage of time in my games.
How does time work in yours, and what do you think of mine?
Yeah, this just sounds like a whole lotta faff that your players will get bored with quick. I use different names for the days, weeks and months and that's too much.
Also, your whole "time is measured subjectively and inconsistently" shtick kinda just makes it pointless as a 'measurement' of time. Like, what use is it to your players if, when you say the necromancer will complete their ritual in "twenty two blarns", a blarn doesn't actually mean anything?
Yeah, this just sounds like a whole lotta faff that your players will get bored with quick. I use different names for the days, weeks and months and that's too much.
Also, your whole "time is measured subjectively and inconsistently" shtick kinda just makes it pointless as a 'measurement' of time. Like, what use is it to your players if, when you say the necromancer will complete their ritual in "twenty two blarns", a blarn doesn't actually mean anything?
The issue with the measurement of time is one of the problems that I have with the way time works in my game. None linear, circular time is good from a story standpoint, because it allows each person to place their clan/family/community or themselves into the story. It also allows each person to tell the story from their unique perspective. As a result, the story becomes very personal, as everybody's own story gets told through the main story, arcs.
From a purely mechanical perspective though, as in the example that you have given, circular time fails.
When calculating how long it will take for the necromancer to perform a ritual, for instance, we would fall back on our real-world perception of time. However; in my world, this different method time reckoning is something new, that was introduced to the peoples of Erda by the Harpers when they brought Present Reckoning to Erda. Resulting in a new type of calendar becoming more prevalent in areas where the Harpers have more influence.
I have had to fall back to linear time in this way because I have not been able to reconcile timed effects with my circular time.
Having the Harpers bring Present Reckoning to Erda though has also resulted in an interesting point of contention that I did not expect. This point of contention was largely down to one of my players refusing to give up the circular time that they had worked so hard to wrap their heads around. This player resisted all attempts made by the Harpers to standardise time and was able to convince another character and NPCs to resist as well.
They formed a resistance movement that has painted the Harpers as conquerors, who have come to strip a proud people of their cultural heritage.
It is interesting because this movement formed and spread almost organically amongst a people whose circular time is so deeply ingrained into their stories and cultural identity, as to have become part of their collective being. What is even more interesting is that I had not planned for this to happen. It just did, almost as if the story had taken on a life of its own, and chosen its own path without needing me to direct it.
If you want time to be abstract, keep a solid footing in the "now" for measuring time. "A little later..." "A few minutes have passed..." "Around an hour ago..." "You figure you have 24 hours before you have to..." "It happened a couple days prior..."
Beyond that, other people measuring time in obscure ways is largely immaterial to what the players are actively doing, and for what they are currently doing, they need a solid foundation if a measure of time is necessary.
When a distinct time is not necessary, you can go with "many moons" or "several ages" or "five generations of flumphs" or "three seasons" or whatever, but I cannot stress enough how necessary it is for time in the "now" to be something familiar to players. Spells, rounds, actions like don/doff, and the like all have time defined in D&D using common measures.
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
I keep basic track of days in my games, both the ones I DM and what I play in. Partially because it's useful mechanically in some cases (especially with spells and magic items that rely on refreshing at dawn, or after so many days), but also because it helps give context to role playing. D&D groups are often super surprised by how long they've known each other...especially if it hasn't been that long at all! My podcast was shocked when I reminded them that while we've been playing for a few years, their characters have only known each other for about 9 months. And every so often on Heroes of the Vale we all have to remember that the last few episodes have taken place over one day.
SocialFoxes, it's amazing to hear that your players are using this new concept of time as a plot point and role playing hook in your game! I say as long as your players continue to want to use it, even if it's just for plot purposes, then enjoy!
My podcast was shocked when I reminded them that while we've been playing for a few years, their characters have only known each other for about 9 months. And every so often on Heroes of the Vale we all have to remember that the last few episodes have taken place over one day.
This is something that I also have to remind myself if when I am playing. When I first started to play, I was shocked at how a whole session might only be an hour of game time, and even now I sometimes have to remind myself, just how little time has passed in the game as apposed to real life.
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A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
Quote from SocialFoxes>>The concept of time held by the peoples of Erda differs from a real-world perception of time in that the people of Erda do not perceive time as being exclusively ‘linear’ (i.e. past-present-future). Instead, events occur in a ‘circular’ pattern of time according to who exists at the centre of the ‘time-circles’ and events are placed in time according to their relative importance for that individual and his or her respective community (i.e. the more important events are set ‘closer in time’, while the least important are more distant).
That is a real-world perception of time. If you are a subsistence farmer in a culture that hasn't changed much for thousands of years, the recurrence of seasons and the events associated with them is the main 'clock'. History only extends back as far as your grandparents' recollection, and future planning is only knowing that a certain food plant needs planting now in order to be harvested in its season. Age is not measured in years but in what you're considered capable of doing.
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I was reading and then answered to a discussion about the passage of time in our fantasy worlds. Although it was mostly about the methods used for calculating time in fantasy worlds in general, and not specifically d&d, it got me thinking about how time works in our d&d based game worlds as well.
I will cut and paste the answer that I gave to the discussion mentioned above, below, as it accurately describes the way I imagine time working for the people of my d&d games.
The answer:
The concept of time held by the peoples of Erda differs from a real-world perception of time in that the people of Erda do not perceive time as being exclusively ‘linear’ (i.e. past-present-future). Instead, events occur in a ‘circular’ pattern of time according to who exists at the centre of the ‘time-circles’ and events are placed in time according to their relative importance for that individual and his or her respective community (i.e. the more important events are set ‘closer in time’, while the least important are more distant).
The way the people of Erda perceive time is very complex and something that even I, the narrator, am still trying to wrap my head around because, on Erda, time is very personal to both individuals and communities. Although everybody shares time, in that everyone agrees that certain events did take place, or will occur; when said events happened, or will occur, is personal to each community or individual and because of this, times perception differs from person to person, and from place to place.
So how do people on Erda calculate time?
Well, they both do and don't. It is possible to calculate time on Erda, by the number of moon cycles between significant events. As I have just discussed, however, the point in time which events take place differs depending on who is doing the calculation. Even then, because there is no conventional 'passage of time' it's impossible to be exact in how you calculate how much time has passed and this makes it extremely hard to assign any numerical value to time on Erda, in the way we do in the real world.
So that's it. That accurately describes how I envision the usage and passage of time in my games.
How does time work in yours, and what do you think of mine?
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
While I like these kinds of ideas, in a game it all becomes too complex unless you have VERY invested players. So I just use standard linear time.
No reason to overcomplicate things. Standard seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, millennia.
Yeah, this just sounds like a whole lotta faff that your players will get bored with quick. I use different names for the days, weeks and months and that's too much.
Also, your whole "time is measured subjectively and inconsistently" shtick kinda just makes it pointless as a 'measurement' of time. Like, what use is it to your players if, when you say the necromancer will complete their ritual in "twenty two blarns", a blarn doesn't actually mean anything?
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The issue with the measurement of time is one of the problems that I have with the way time works in my game. None linear, circular time is good from a story standpoint, because it allows each person to place their clan/family/community or themselves into the story. It also allows each person to tell the story from their unique perspective. As a result, the story becomes very personal, as everybody's own story gets told through the main story, arcs.
From a purely mechanical perspective though, as in the example that you have given, circular time fails.
When calculating how long it will take for the necromancer to perform a ritual, for instance, we would fall back on our real-world perception of time. However; in my world, this different method time reckoning is something new, that was introduced to the peoples of Erda by the Harpers when they brought Present Reckoning to Erda. Resulting in a new type of calendar becoming more prevalent in areas where the Harpers have more influence.
I have had to fall back to linear time in this way because I have not been able to reconcile timed effects with my circular time.
Having the Harpers bring Present Reckoning to Erda though has also resulted in an interesting point of contention that I did not expect. This point of contention was largely down to one of my players refusing to give up the circular time that they had worked so hard to wrap their heads around. This player resisted all attempts made by the Harpers to standardise time and was able to convince another character and NPCs to resist as well.
They formed a resistance movement that has painted the Harpers as conquerors, who have come to strip a proud people of their cultural heritage.
It is interesting because this movement formed and spread almost organically amongst a people whose circular time is so deeply ingrained into their stories and cultural identity, as to have become part of their collective being. What is even more interesting is that I had not planned for this to happen. It just did, almost as if the story had taken on a life of its own, and chosen its own path without needing me to direct it.
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
If you want time to be abstract, keep a solid footing in the "now" for measuring time. "A little later..." "A few minutes have passed..." "Around an hour ago..." "You figure you have 24 hours before you have to..." "It happened a couple days prior..."
Beyond that, other people measuring time in obscure ways is largely immaterial to what the players are actively doing, and for what they are currently doing, they need a solid foundation if a measure of time is necessary.
When a distinct time is not necessary, you can go with "many moons" or "several ages" or "five generations of flumphs" or "three seasons" or whatever, but I cannot stress enough how necessary it is for time in the "now" to be something familiar to players. Spells, rounds, actions like don/doff, and the like all have time defined in D&D using common measures.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
My system is don't worry about it. My game's been going on for two years and 30 sessions in has only been a couple months in-game
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InsiderI keep basic track of days in my games, both the ones I DM and what I play in. Partially because it's useful mechanically in some cases (especially with spells and magic items that rely on refreshing at dawn, or after so many days), but also because it helps give context to role playing. D&D groups are often super surprised by how long they've known each other...especially if it hasn't been that long at all! My podcast was shocked when I reminded them that while we've been playing for a few years, their characters have only known each other for about 9 months. And every so often on Heroes of the Vale we all have to remember that the last few episodes have taken place over one day.
SocialFoxes, it's amazing to hear that your players are using this new concept of time as a plot point and role playing hook in your game! I say as long as your players continue to want to use it, even if it's just for plot purposes, then enjoy!
Find me on Twitter: @OboeLauren
This is something that I also have to remind myself if when I am playing. When I first started to play, I was shocked at how a whole session might only be an hour of game time, and even now I sometimes have to remind myself, just how little time has passed in the game as apposed to real life.
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.