Question about time duration from a new adventurer


Beginner Box


So we've read the handbook and I know its not the full version and we can play a semi enjoyable game but it feels like we are missing something with not fully understanding how time passes in game.

For combat it is explained, the six seconds per turn, so time of spells and other effects such as poison are easier to keep track of.

The confusion comes in to play when the manual talks about 8 hours, 1 day etc in non-combat time ie exploration time. Spells can be cast 'once a day' for example, how do we know when a day is over. At the moment we just count a major encounter in a room as a day for simplicity and we bought extra rations to begin with if things take too long.

Liberty's Edge

Hi there, and welcome! Specific time tracking is important only during combat or spell casting situations, as you mentioned because of various game effects. Besides that, a lot of it is hand-waived by the GM depending on circumstances.

Walking down a 50 foot hallway carefully, a couple of minutes maybe. Exploring a room after combat depends on the size of the room. Going over an average-sized room maybe 6x6 squares might take a half hour or so. Let’s say the PCs have used their abilities and spells and need to rest.

PC: “Time to rest, we head back to town”.
GM: “It’s a mile away and takes you about a half hour to get there”.
PC: “We book a room at the inn and go to sleep”.
GM: “Ok, 8 hours pass and you wake up refreshed. Renew your spells and check for healing.”

Otherwise a lot of the things PCs try can be guesstimated by the GM based on real-world ideals and common sense. Sometimes the players will even help you out.

PC: “I know that guy is waiting around to meet someone. I’ll watch him for an hour or so”.

If time needs to pass to get to nighttime, as GM you can control that with some give and take from the players (if they having nothing to do and you are just driving the story, whole days can pass if needed). Sometimes keeping a time tracking sheet handy like graph paper to check off hours means you have an idea when it’s night or day.

Hope that helps!


Ok, that helps. I guess since i'm new to rpg board games and used to playing more structured games it'll feel a bit awkward to begin with. Any other tips for newbs?

After the beginer's box what is good to play? I've basically just downloaded whatever was free such as the bash demos, the society first steps and master of the fallen fortress module. I think this should keep us busy for a bit at least.

edit: o i just found the gm kit with the next quest following the beginner's box

Scarab Sages

There's also a short adventure that takes place after the Black Fang adventure in the Game Master's Guide. You can get it from the GM Kit download here (also free): GM Kit

If you want a paid option, 0OneGames has an adventure specifically for the Beginner Box mechanics here: Fangs From the Past. 0One Games also has another coming out in February called Curse of the Sickled Hand.


A handy tip is to use the old 10-minute 'Turn' from pre-3e D&D. Basically, during dungeon exploration a combat encounter + aftermath took 10 minutes, so did carefully creeping down a 120' passage while mapping and conferring, and other routine activities. The GM typically checked for wandering monsters every 2 or 3 turns, 1 in 6 or 1 in 10 chance.


Someone said wrote:
Spells can be cast 'once a day' for example, how do we know when a day is over

Once a day means just once every 24 hours. It is not based on encounters. I'd guess that most people treat "morning" as the start of a new day and the time when those once a day things can be used again -- but that's not a rule. A day could start whenever you want or even vary - maybe a "day" starts at dawn for the elves, at dusk for the cleric of the night god, or varies slightly to match high tide for the druid.

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16

You just need to use this trick :-)

Seriously, though, "once per day" abilities essentially refresh when the characters sleep for the night. The reason it's only allowed once per day is so that people don't take a 5-minute nap after each encounter to refresh their spells and such.

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