Time Tracker - Time in RPGs

Time Tracker is the essential guide to master fictional time in Role-Playing Games. In this zine you'll find out how to manage time easily, adding depth and substance to your sessions and making the experience feel even more engaging and gratifying. Time Tracker is now available in English and Italian.

Time Tracker Contents:

• Scenes in an RPG.
• Time Tracker.
• Extra: Weather.

“We’re leaving the tavern, GM, what time is it?” That question made the GM shiver, who started frantically investigating his notes trying to remember what happened last session. After a minute of careful analysis, the GM realised he didn’t have a proper answer and he decided to use his final weapon, improvisation: “Looking at the sun, you can clearly see it should be 12:00?” The GM’s trembling voice showed his fear, and the doubtful player asked another question: “Didn’t our PGs have dinner an hour ago? Didn’t we enter the tavern for this reason?” Shaken by a cold shiver, with a single drop of sweat running down his forehead, the GM made the only possible decision: “Hahaha, just kidding, I just wanted to see if you were paying attention… it’s 10 p.m.” But another player raised his voice: “No, we came here to have lunch, not dinner”. The poor DM, now helpless, had no other choice: “It looks like 10 p.m. because a meteor is about to destroy the earth and is blocking out the sun. Also, your characters will be dead in 5 minutes. Who wants to create some new PGs?”.

Alright, maybe our poor GM was a bit drastic, but managing the passing of time in an RPG is not easy. We lose track of time between our actions, and we don’t even realise that it has been 12 p.m. for three sessions in a row. This guide is for the GMs who want to uncover the secrets of the passage of time in a simple and abstract way, to turn it into a tangible and conscious element of the Game.

Author & Graphics: Riccardo Canton

Editing: Valentina Musolla

People I'd like to thank:

• Gil
• Jacopo "Faust" Buttiglieri
• Marcello
• Pietro
• Tinaz