Adventuring Gear: Timekeeping Tools

A chess clock can be a useful tool for tracking turn length, albeit a pricey one.

Running On Time

Nobody should feel rushed when gathered around the game table. It's a time to relax and take it easy, to escape from the pressures and demands of the day-to-day into a fiction shared with good friends. Jokes are to be told, roles are to be acted out as you feel, and there isn't any particular pressure to 'win' the campaign within a time limit.

But there are times when some players will move at a different pace than others, and the campaign comes to a grinding halt. When trying to determine whether this is happening, one should remember that (in general) the players set the pace and the DM guides them based on what they are most comfortable with. If they are fine with preparing their plans carefully ahead of time, so be it. Only limit their time to add the challenge of a ticking clock scenario, the added drama of flying by the seat of the pants... don't push them because you're getting bored or annoyed. I always use these lulls in the action to my advantage. This is when I either take a bathroom break or review my notes and references. Better to use the natural ebbs and flows of the game to keep yourself on the ball than to have to call your own time out later.

The DM's part in pacing is to determine when the group has wrung the value from a scene and is ready to move on, then provide the opportunity. You are guiding the game forward, not forcing it.

The Basics

The first tool for keeping track of pacing is of course a clock. A wristwatch is an easy solution, though you may want to take it off and place it somewhere in your work-space and field of view, so it is easier to keep track. 

The "Buzzer"

The next tool is less of a time-keeper and more of an attention-getter, but its purpose is to help move things along, so I still include it on this list. A metal bell like this one is invaluable to your games if used properly. By establishing the 'ding' as a sign that you need everyone's full attention, you can bypass the awkwardness of trying to interrupt or yell across the table when a couple of players have started to get bogged down.  

The Countdown

A nifty addition or encounters and combat is a countdown device, like an egg timer or an hourglass. A countdown  application for your smart phone works best, and many phones come pre-loaded with one. I find this is a must for large groups and tactic-heavy games. Players will often take more time than they need to to think out every move, and it can hurt the overall enjoyment of a game when it takes two hours to fight a pair of goblins. 

By reducing turn time to a reasonable limit, you prevent any single player from bringing things to a halt. It also helps to encourage players to think about options for their move while their team-mates are making their own. Finally, it keeps things compelling and exciting rather than drawn out and excruciating. Rather than having a timer that starts at the beginning of each turn, I like to do this... after a minute or so has passed without the player finishing their turn, politely inform them that the clock is ticking (for their character, that is) and then start a timer of 15-30 seconds or so. This way the players don't feel like the time limits are over-bearing or obnoxious. As always, you want to keep things at a pace that the group as a whole enjoys.

Happy Ventures!