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How does 1:1 time work?

That_Scumbag

Literate
Joined
Nov 4, 2024
Messages
17
Hello again. I came across a few posts and blogs promoting 1:1 time keeping for ttrpgs, and undoubtedly many of you did too. To be honest, I am not sure how this is supposed to work or what purpose it serves. I mean, you are supposed to go with 1 real time day = 1 game day outside of sessions, but why would you do that? Why not just freeze game time while still keeping strict records? Is there something I am missing or missunderstanding?
 

Sacibengala

Prophet
Joined
Aug 16, 2014
Messages
1,154
Hello again. I came across a few posts and blogs promoting 1:1 time keeping for ttrpgs, and undoubtedly many of you did too. To be honest, I am not sure how this is supposed to work or what purpose it serves. I mean, you are supposed to go with 1 real time day = 1 game day outside of sessions, but why would you do that? Why not just freeze game time while still keeping strict records? Is there something I am missing or missunderstanding?
ADnD1e specifically has advantages with that mechanic. Like training, get new spells and stuff.
 

That_Scumbag

Literate
Joined
Nov 4, 2024
Messages
17
Hello again. I came across a few posts and blogs promoting 1:1 time keeping for ttrpgs, and undoubtedly many of you did too. To be honest, I am not sure how this is supposed to work or what purpose it serves. I mean, you are supposed to go with 1 real time day = 1 game day outside of sessions, but why would you do that? Why not just freeze game time while still keeping strict records? Is there something I am missing or missunderstanding?
ADnD1e specifically has advantages with that mechanic. Like training, get new spells and stuff.
Yes, but why pass the downtime at 1:1 instead of just taking the game time days it takes?
 

Berengar

Learned
Patron
Joined
Sep 5, 2021
Messages
318
From what you describe here it sounds like it's mainly for immersion. Sounds like a nightmare for whoever has to keep that log though.
 

That_Scumbag

Literate
Joined
Nov 4, 2024
Messages
17
From what you describe here it sounds like it's mainly for immersion. Sounds like a nightmare for whoever has to keep that log though.

I did some more reasearch on the matter and I can see the advantage only with a large number of player characters, probably with patron type characters included and where everyone is dedicated to the game near constantly. If you play a normal game with a consistent normal sized group and no patrons, just strict time keeping is more than enough.
 

Zed Duke of Banville

Dungeon Master
Patron
Joined
Oct 3, 2015
Messages
13,110
"How does 1:1 time work?" It doesn't work, and Gary Gygax didn't actually play with 1:1 passage of time. He did engage in detailed record-keeping of game time, necessary because his Greyhawk campaign revolved around a megadungeon and had a large floating group of players, each of whom had several characters, while he was determined to maintain continuity so that changes to the Castle Greyhawk megadungeon occurring in one game session with certain characters would be reflected for any group of characters later in the megadungeon.

By the end of the '70s, the typical AD&D group consisted of a single, fixed group of players, each of whom attempted to be present at every game session, so even this record-keeping of time became much less important (though not entirely irrelevant) to the campaign for this type of group, regardless of whether the campaign focused on a megadungeon.
 

That_Scumbag

Literate
Joined
Nov 4, 2024
Messages
17
"How does 1:1 time work?" It doesn't work, and Gary Gygax didn't actually play with 1:1 passage of time. He did engage in detailed record-keeping of game time, necessary because his Greyhawk campaign revolved around a megadungeon and had a large floating group of players, each of whom had several characters, while he was determined to maintain continuity so that changes to the Castle Greyhawk megadungeon occurring in one game session with certain characters would be reflected for any group of characters later in the megadungeon.

By the end of the '70s, the typical AD&D group consisted of a single, fixed group of players, each of whom attempted to be present at every game session, so even this record-keeping of time became much less important (though not entirely irrelevant) to the campaign for this type of group, regardless of whether the campaign focused on a megadungeon.

That's what I understand from what reliable (as far as they go) sources say. So at this point I am honestly wondering what Jeffro and other 1:1 promoters are going on about when they talk about 1:1 time being the "real" D&D. What is their point anyways? Did they all manage to omit the very specific conditions on which 1:1 supposedly works, or are they just promoting bs?
 

Arrowgrab

Arbiter
Joined
Jan 20, 2016
Messages
643
"How does 1:1 time work?" It doesn't work, and Gary Gygax didn't actually play with 1:1 passage of time. He did engage in detailed record-keeping of game time, necessary because his Greyhawk campaign revolved around a megadungeon and had a large floating group of players, each of whom had several characters, while he was determined to maintain continuity so that changes to the Castle Greyhawk megadungeon occurring in one game session with certain characters would be reflected for any group of characters later in the megadungeon.

By the end of the '70s, the typical AD&D group consisted of a single, fixed group of players, each of whom attempted to be present at every game session, so even this record-keeping of time became much less important (though not entirely irrelevant) to the campaign for this type of group, regardless of whether the campaign focused on a megadungeon.

That's what I understand from what reliable (as far as they go) sources say. So at this point I am honestly wondering what Jeffro and other 1:1 promoters are going on about when they talk about 1:1 time being the "real" D&D. What is their point anyways? Did they all manage to omit the very specific conditions on which 1:1 supposedly works, or are they just promoting bs?
They're just promoting bullshit.
 

Zed Duke of Banville

Dungeon Master
Patron
Joined
Oct 3, 2015
Messages
13,110
"How does 1:1 time work?" It doesn't work, and Gary Gygax didn't actually play with 1:1 passage of time. He did engage in detailed record-keeping of game time, necessary because his Greyhawk campaign revolved around a megadungeon and had a large floating group of players, each of whom had several characters, while he was determined to maintain continuity so that changes to the Castle Greyhawk megadungeon occurring in one game session with certain characters would be reflected for any group of characters later in the megadungeon.

By the end of the '70s, the typical AD&D group consisted of a single, fixed group of players, each of whom attempted to be present at every game session, so even this record-keeping of time became much less important (though not entirely irrelevant) to the campaign for this type of group, regardless of whether the campaign focused on a megadungeon.

That's what I understand from what reliable (as far as they go) sources say. So at this point I am honestly wondering what Jeffro and other 1:1 promoters are going on about when they talk about 1:1 time being the "real" D&D. What is their point anyways? Did they all manage to omit the very specific conditions on which 1:1 supposedly works, or are they just promoting bs?
They're just promoting bullshit.
Last time I checked in with that set, they were congratulating themselves on having discovered that wargaming exists and insisting this was an amazing event that uncovered the key to real D&D. Not people who should be taken seriously.
 

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