D&D 5E Time

[Zardnaar]

One thing that D&D often does t handle well is the passage of time. I suspect this is because you can probably hit level 20 in 1 or 2 years of in game time.

On Midgard in using an optional rules that's along the lines of that for each day that passes IRL 2 days pass in game. I've been using the downtime rules and the PCs are hitting level 6 with close to 250 days if downtime.

This means the will pick up their first language or tool Proficiency soon if not in this week's session. We started playing in August.

In game various races also live a lot longer or are even immortal. Consider.

The older elves would remember the 14th century. They could have participated in the hundred years war or witnessed the fall if Constantinople.

Older Dragons could remember the Roman Empire. Some if the oldest may remember the Roman Republic.

On a magical Earth/D&D Earth

Undead could theoretically remember the dinosaurs, realistically though they could date from Sumeria, Ancient Egypt etc if they're wizards, maybe earlier if they picked up magic via sorcerery instead of learning to read a'la wizards.

Undead Elves or dark elves could predate the descent if the Drow.

Makes the mystery of the world a lot harder to work in if such beings grant interviews, write history books, or can be interacted with even if they're isolated from the general populace.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Your theory assumes memory is the same for all races, which takes us back to the 'Human with cosmetic changes'. Such creatures' brains would have to have a cell death and regrowth process, which would mean that memories would be lost with the passage of time as the brain renews itself.

There's also the issue of involvement. Sure, an ancient creature could have been around in Roman times, but what was its life back then? If it was young, still living with its parents, it might have seen a Legion on the march or overheard its parents discussing current events, but that's it.

For example, I remember the Six Day War, but I had no idea who was fighting, where, or why; I just recall the name and the pictures in the paper.

This could explain why there are dusty tomes with terrible secrets written in them: because they long-lived creatures know their memories are fallible, and they keep notes against future need.

 

[Zardnaar]

Your theory assumes memory is the same for all races, which takes us back to the 'Human with cosmetic changes'. Such creatures' brains would have to have a cell death and regrowth process, which would mean that memories would be lost with the passage of time as the brain renews itself.

There's also the issue of involvement. Sure, an ancient creature could have been around in Roman times, but what was its life back then? If it was young, still living with its parents, it might have seen a Legion on the march or overheard its parents discussing current events, but that's it.

For example, I remember the Six Day War, but I had no idea who was fighting, where, or why; I just recall the name and the pictures in the paper.

This could explain why there are dusty tomes with terrible secrets written in them: because they long-lived creatures know their memories are fallible, and they keep notes against future need.

Very true.
I remember a lot more of my childhood than most.

We know a lot of ancient major events but not so much about day to day life.

Any such long lived being would still be limited by memory and experiences.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I'd imagine that what passes for a "major event" depends upon what one's memory is like. How long one lives (and how one lives it, I imagine) frames what is significant, and what is not.

The long-lived will more easily remember a sprawling century-long conflict better than a years-long regional one. And the long-lived are more likely to have experienced something truly earth-shattering in their time, so all but the biggest catastrophes might be mere kittentastrophes to them.

The humans might very well whisper for generations scary campfire stories about "the horrific times of flesh-eating scalp locusts". To the elves, on the other hand, it was just a bad hair day decade.

(edited to correct a necessary negative!)

 

[Jd Smith1]

Another factor would be information distribution. It's easy to forget in this day of instant world news that in a pre-industrial era news didn't travel as far or accurately. So a young dragon in the Baltic coast could have heard of the Roman Empire by rumor, but it wouldn't have much in the way of lore, assuming it recalled those rumors much later in life.

 

[Coroc]

Time tracking becomes really important if you run an "active" "living" campaign world which would include that things happen in a given order unless the PCs intervene somehow.
This results in the PCs being under time pressure almost constantly though.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Keeping track of time in an RPG has always been tough. I've done the whole in-game calendar, and that was too much work. Tracking all the time spent adventuring, travelling, and the time spent healing was a hassle.

These days I generally just sync the seasons to IRL. It's not perfect, but it's better than it just always being a generic comfortable spring/summer thing.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Keeping track of time in an RPG has always been tough. I've done the whole in-game calendar, and that was too much work. Tracking all the time spent adventuring, travelling, and the time spent healing was a hassle.

These days I generally just sync the seasons to IRL. It's not perfect, but it's better than it just always being a generic comfortable spring/summer thing.

I keep an on-line log, just a brief one:

Dark Age | Adventure Log | Obsidian Portal

Obsidian Portal enables you to create campaign websites for tabletop roleplaying games. Better manage your group and your campaign, and have a better game.

darkage.obsidianportal.com

That way players can keep an eye on what is going on.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I suppose I should've mentioned that the last time I kept an in-game calendar was 1991 or so...

I keep an on-line log, just a brief one:

Dark Age | Adventure Log | Obsidian Portal

Obsidian Portal enables you to create campaign websites for tabletop roleplaying games. Better manage your group and your campaign, and have a better game.

darkage.obsidianportal.com

 

[Jd Smith1]

I suppose I should've mentioned that the last time I kept an in-game calendar was 1991 or so...

Different strokes. I like to keep news and rumors floating around, and to work out the impact of the PCs separation from their families. I've been doing that since the 80s; before them I was like you, but as I kept adding roleplay aspects to my campaign, keeping track of things required more detail.

Plus PC investments require time accountability; retirement plans don't build themselves.

YRMV.