Issues of timing for DMs

[Stone Angel]

I totally agree with Primitive Screwhead, the main point I want to emphasize is starting on time. My group is notorius for "Gonna start at 6" then two hours later having talked about everything from kids to politics not even rolled a single die.

But as to stopping mid combat, I just provide index cards, write down any ongoing effects rounds left, hit points general info about what has happened. Make notes on graph paper where each character and monster is and why they went to that square"Ogre wanted to attack ranger that shot him"


I also try to make notes as the battle goes on as to anything that happened. Casting of spells and use of one shot items. Though I fail more than I succeed at this.

Though I do try to avoid this since I like to do leveling and shopping out of game through email and such.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

My current gaming schedule is a bit weird (for me, at least). My group meets at 8:30 am on a weekday, and I when leave the game session I go from there straight to work. So I absolutely cannot run over.

This has led to a couple of instances where we had to stop in the middle of a combat, or an important bit of exposition, or whatever happened to be going on at the time. So... I've taken some steps to attempt to avoid such instances, and some steps to mitigate their impact.

In an effort to avoid repeated cold stops, I've started keeping track of the amount of time it takes for my group to complete various encounters. Personal combats usually take 30 to 40 minutes (depending on the number and relative importance of the opponents involved). Starship combats take somewhat longer, somewhere around 60 to 90 minutes. Exposition via conversation usually takes around 30 minutes... And so on.

And, to help mitigate the effects of stopping in the middle of things, I write an "after action report" or a summary of what transpired during the session. I do so as soon as possible (usually at work on the same day) and I post that to my campaign wiki. This allows me to get everything down while it is fresh in my mind, and helps keep the players informed on what is going on in the campaign.

In order to help the players remember what resources they've used, I created a character sheet specifically for the campaign, and have asked that the players use a standardized method for keeping track of said resources (ammunition expended, powers used, current hit points, conditions gained, and so on) which can be done right on the character sheet. I don't actually check to see whether or not they are using that method, but everyone seems to be keeping pretty good track of what is going on with their characters.

 

[EricNoah]

Well I am the chair of a 10-person department and run about 4-6 meetings per year, and yeah I do almost all of that stuff. I do an agenda, budget time for each item, have a timekeeper who nudges me if we go over budgeted time, etc. There are some similarities but ultimately it's different enough that I probably will need different solutions. I could, however, see if someone has a technology solution (all of my players are computer people so one of them must have something with a timer/alarm on it and could alert me when we are, say, 30 min before ending).

I think even if I could record what was going on in a combat and come back to it, I would still prefer to not do it that way. A cliffhanger in the story, you bet - that's awesome. But D&D fights drag on enough without there needing to be a 4-week lag in there (my games are about once a month).

I do know I need to slow down a bit during the non-combat parts - I do tend to rush through descriptions, roleplaying opportunities, etc. So it's not always about shortening things up, it's about having exactly the right amount of material to fill the time in an entertaining fashion - and if I have too much, how to end it at a good stopping point.

Thank you all for your ideas!

 

[Skallgrim]

We use index cards to track HP, Healing Surges, and Action Points (so we don't erase the sheets too much). Any mid-session stuff would go on that sheet (what spells were used, what items were used, initiative rolls). That sheet then goes with the character sheet. The counters and maps are photographed on my phone (and the photos stay there, so I can just whip out the phone next week). It doesn't seem too unmanageable, but my biggest problem is keeping them in the "mindset" of one session (or at least, getting them back into that mindset by next week).

 

[Vaslov]

I've seen this problem in my own games. One group I have gamed with has one session every 1-3 months. Typically any powers mis-used really do not tip the power scale so much so I typically do not loose any sleep over it. We trust each other enough it isn't an issue one way or another. I guess if I were really worried about it I would ask one of the players to track it for everyone. Keeps it off my to do list and someone that is concerned about it can join in the book keeping fun.

Now if I could just get some players to remember where they kept their character sheets....

 

[S'mon]

I had this problem my last 2 3e sessions:

1. We had to leave the pub early, while the combat was ongoing. I declared everyone, PC and foe, fatigued and in need of rest, so the game resumed a few minutes later - no spells recovered, but no need to keep initiative order.

2. When the battle resumed next session, a near TPK prematurely ended the session. Several players were absent, while I had 2 new players. I had to come up with a 'side quest' on short notice to give everyone something to do. I had a bad cold so it wasn't my greatest session ever.

Edit: I certainly expect players to track their hit points and spells used from session to session, but not normally spell durations; I'll end combat early if necessary and have at least a several-minute break in game time between sessions so spells are expired.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Eric, I have found in both RPG and corporate meetings that things run smoother if you can keep the 'management' controls out of sight from the majority of the attendees. I tend to get a seat at the table that faces the wall clock so I can unobtrusivlely check the time. In a game setting, the 30 minute chime might get you to end on time, but it also breaks the players mindset, potentially at a high point of the session.

I like S'mon's example of 'breaking' combat. There are many real world examples where pitched battle simply stops for a breather without any outside influence. No reason why DnD can't simulate that as well.

Spell durations are problematic, given the impact spells can have on the battlefield. Perhaps in the last combat of the session have someone assigned as 'recorder' who writes down the spells {with durations or standing effects} and the round they were cast. Then you can simply mark what round you stopped at for an easy 'reset' the next session. Not too much impact at the table and lets the players know that the game is starting to wind up.

... my biggest problem is keeping them in the "mindset" of one session (or at least, getting them back into that mindset by next week).

I like the idea of using 3x5 cards for tracking items/powers in combat... might have to try that!

But you hit one of my greatest challenges. Like Eric, my game is once a month and it is very hard to maintain a mindset, let alone having the players remember where they are in the storyline.
{...or where their character sheets are }

In the last year of the campaign, I have become less concerned about it since my group mainly plays for social entertainment and has been having fun the way it is. But it still bugs me that I might be able to do better at maintaining the campaigns 'presence' throughout the month. Perhaps another thread?

 

[Richards]

Whenever we play, I (as DM) have two tracking sheets at hand. One has all of the abbreviated stats of the monsters being used that session (just enough that I can run them), and the other is a PC tracking sheet, that has their various ACs, hit points, box matrices for each of their spells (I tick them off as they are cast), and a large area assigned to each PC where I jot down any spells in effect and so on.

The players, for their part, have printed out sheets with a quick description of each of their spells, and a chart showing how many of each level spell they can prepare each day. They make little boxes by each spell prepared, and when it's cast, they check off that box. (As they level up, I updated their spell sheets accordingly and print them up a copy.)

As a result, it's generally fairly easy for us to pick up where we left off, mid-adventure, even if it's been four or five weeks since the last time we played. (Sadly, this is becoming more and more the norm.) I generally try not to finish a session in mid-battle, but we always establish a "quitting time" before we start (my players have young children), so I can generally call it quits before we get involved in a big battle that we won't have time to finish that session.

Johnathan