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Message: <blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 8402171" data-attributes="member: 71699">In another thread, the question came up of what time represents in an RPG? I had the thought that perhaps it best represents the relative number of other things that can happen while something is happening. A torch burns for 1 hour. How much can happen while it is burning? That varies from table to table - at some tables each character will get six exploration actions. In WWON, an hour can contain from 4 scenes to 6 turns of focused exploration, and the variability of those units is called attention to. 5th ed RAW is clear that a light spell should last exactly as long as a torch... but does it really make sense that every natural torch in the world burns for precisely one hour? And if it doesn't, what does that say about a light spell? I find that time in fiction contracts and expands as to what it contains - to suit our narratives.I wondered how other DMs and players see time in TTRPGs?Relatedly I've been thinking how I wanted to manage time for a campaign I am planning after my current one ends, using marches (about 8 hours), watches (about 4 hours) and scenes (about ten or fifteen minutes of intense activity). My (probably controversial) current take is that the ratio of scenes to watches is not as one might assume, 24:1, but nearer to 4:1. My thought is that surrounding short periods of intense activity are long periods of preparation, planning, pacing and personal hygiene that go unnarrated. A day in which a rogue investigated a dozen doors for traps, disabled any they found, and picked the locks, is thus taken to be a long one!5th ed examples of a march -<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the listed distance for a mode of transport is travelled without exhaustion</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a character gets enough sleep to recover from a level of exhaustion</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a random encounter check is made</li> </ul>5th ed examples of a watch -<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">travellers cover two hexes on a kingdom map, or twelve on that of a province</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a character gets enough sleep to avoid further levels of exhaustion</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">several scenes are narrated; amid mundane activity - like preparation and personal upkeep - that goes unnarrated.</li> </ul>5th ed examples of a scene -<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a party carefully climbs around a pit, using pitons to belay ropes</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a bard persuades reluctant community leaders to assist them</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a rogue investigates a door for traps, disables them, and picks the lock</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">characters ponder lore, prompting one another with suggestions</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a party investigates a room floor-to-ceiling for secret doors</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a party takes a breather</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a torch burns 1/6th of its fuel</li> </ul>Ordinarily, it should be sufficient to track to the granularity of scenes - even for actions and effects that use a 1-minute timing - but where it is crucial to do so, such as when a battle is ongoing, time (as container) might be tracked in minutes</blockquote>

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