07/25/2024

“You can not have a meaningful campaign if strict time records are not kept” – Gary Gygax

Timekeeping is one of the most important things for a GM to do while running a campaign. It gives purpose to the players’ actions. Otherwise, everyone is static and just waiting for the heroes to arrive before they take action, like in a video game.

Once you introduce a plot hook to the campaign, you should note a timeframe for that hook’s viability. Goblins are raiding the local farms for food? Create a timeline for the goblins. Maybe in a week or two, the heroes hear tales of goblins beginning to kill the farmers for food or kidnap them for slaves. You can pepper rumors of the growing raids and attacks during the hero’s downtime in the village or while interacting with NPCs on the road. After a month, the goblins have gathered enough strength and courage to raid the local village and kill the citizens as they expand their territory. This makes the world feel more realistic. Now, the village is just another set of ruins in the region.

To track time, you will need a calendar for your campaign. You can use a real-world calendar (you can repurpose an older calendar for this), a pre-made calendar from a game (like the one for the Forgotten Realms), or create your own. I made a calendar years ago that I like to use with my games. It is unique but familiar at the same time. I talked about the calendar here.

Here is my calendar:

Keep on gaming!