D&D 5E Time

[Umbran]

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

What are these "cells" you speak of?

Oh, yeah, those are structures in real-world biology. Fantasy memory can be whatever we want it to be, because it isn't beholden to real-world biology.

 

[Tonguez]

I work on the assumption that a standard adventure is done over a ‘season’, so even if it takes a couple of days real time, the PCs will be doing a whole lot of other stuff in their downtime.
The season long downtime also makes it easier to track ’world events’ happening around the PCs

 

[Umbran]

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.

"Oh, yeah. There was some human empire thing going on there. You guys change it up so frequently. I wasn't really paying attention."

On a magical Earth/D&D Earth

Undead could theoretically remember the dinosaurs

Well, yes. But if you are talking about Earth... there's about 60 million years and more between the dinosaurs and the first hominids. So, if there's an undead that had been around in the time of the dinosaurs... it isn't a human undead.

Now, there's an interesting concept. Like, an undead Myconid that can remember... back to half a billion years or so...

"Oh, you vertebrates! So fancy with your... skeletons and closed circulatory systems! So new-fangled!"

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.

Well, that's figuring that they have active, relatable memory of those days. And, were actually cognizant of the things that the characters are interested in. And, that they don't have their own long-game agendas such that they don't feed you a pack of lies to manipulate you...

"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons," goes tenfold when that dragon is animated by the eldritch powers of the negative material plane that are inimical to your very existence.

 

[clearstream]

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.

Given a fantasy world, we don't necessarily need to take a scientific view of memory and cognition. Perhaps memory is found in the spirit. For some creatures it might remain clear, for others it could become cloudy. Or maybe some moments clear, some cloudy like a patchwork. Who knows.

I think your point is a fair one, but it seems to me there is plenty of scope to work with @Zardnaar's line of thought.

 

[Eltab]

The "time problem in D&D" that I ran into was when my group fought Arauthator (Rise of Tiamat), it took us almost 4 hours of IRL time ... and maybe a whole 45 seconds as experienced by the characters.

 

[dave2008]

...and Space

 

[Jd Smith1]

What are these "cells" you speak of?

Oh, yeah, those are structures in real-world biology. Fantasy memory can be whatever we want it to be, because it isn't beholden to real-world biology.

'We?'

Sure, some GMs just shrug. "meh. Magic." when a setting issue comes up.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

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.

I was always dubious of game chronology talking of events happening millions of year before the game time -- eberron denizens remembers the revolt of the dragons 1,5M years ago and get detailed events and named persons from 10,000 years ago... but the realistic explanation is that such being are granting interviews of what they remember. The undying court has been established 26,000 years ago so technically you can speak to eyewitnesses of events that in real life are only deducted trhough scant archeological remains (domestication of cattle...)

 

[ART!]

There's this great moment in the film Shadow of the Vampire where Willem Dafoe's vampire talks about forgetting how to set a table after 300 years with no guests.

 

[ART!]

What are these "cells" you speak of?

Oh, yeah, those are structures in real-world biology. Fantasy memory can be whatever we want it to be, because it isn't beholden to real-world biology.

My thoughts exactly.

'We?'

Sure, some GMs just shrug. "meh. Magic." when a setting issue comes up.

This seems dismissive. I think by "we" they meant..."we". Memory in fantasy races can work just like it seems to work with real-world biology, or they could have racial memory, or their memories could be forged from raw Ore of the Ages, etc. It can be whatever we want it to be. It isn't beholden to real-world biology - unless you say it is, for this race or for your world, or whatever.