Time moves inexorably forward. EVERYONE moves forward the game clock. This is more important as people spend more time in towns (because the number of expeditions is potentially lessening.)
The game is more interesting as months pass. In 2.5 years of game play, the world has only advanced four months. Faster advancement is expected and okay. You're changing the world - more time passing as you do so should be the norm.
Our goal is to move the clock forward.
Moving the Clock
When you take an action in town, get the timestamp from here and put it on your post. If it is a simple less-than-a-day thing, you can just do it on the current-day.
If you do something that takes more than a day, take the current timestamp and add the required number of days. Put that timestamp on your post in the correct forum. Then come back and post that timestamp here in THIS thread to move the overall clock forward. Leave a summary (one sentence) of what you did that moved the clock just to help everyone.
Example:
It is September 5th.
Baxtaw and Bremen spend the day meeting with the Archduke (one day), then go to I'didmi'dum to treat with the dwarves (one day travel). That means they advance the clock to 07 September when they post in I'didmi'dum:05 September 2021
...and then post here:07 September 2021
Arriving from Gaul with a horse heavily-laden with tribute, Bremen and Baxtaw request an audience with the dwarven elders and....
This advances the clock for the whole game. Everyone doing actions now looks at this clock thread and sees the current date is 07 September and uses that date on their new town posts.07 September 2021
Bremen and Baxtaw travel from Gaul to I'didmi'dum to treat with the dwarves.
When Bremen and Baxtaw finish negotiations with the dwarves (full day) and return to Gaul (1 day travel), they'll post in the Golden Tooth Tavern and advance the clock to 09 September 2021. If Bremen then leaves to travel through Frogmorton Ford to the White Tower, he'll advance the clock again when he arrives there.
Things that always advance the clock:
These are noted in their individual forums already. This is just a summary.
- Audience with the Archduke (takes a full day)
- Travel from Gaul to I'didmi'dum (takes a full day)
- Round-trip from Gaul to Frogmorton (takes a full day) or from Gaul to Frogmorton before then setting out with a caravan the next morning (add a full day)
- Travel from Frogmorton to Amistad (two days)
- Travel from Frogmorton to the White Tower (two days)
- Travel from Gaul to Beith's Watch (one day)
- Travel from I'didmidum to the Halls of the Dwarf King (two days)
Expending Downtime
It is not expected that everyone "fill in all gaps." You need to pay housing and food, but otherwise it is assumed that your characters fritter away time enjoying their lives. You do have options, as outlined below, if you wish to do more.
As time advances build to significant movements, do the following:
- Find your own time stamp and catch it up. (This is the only activity that is actually required.) This is generally answered by asking "when was the last game date that I posted an expenditure for room and board?" Then, look at the current game date on this thread and find the difference in days. Pick a home-thread or tavern-thread where you're staying and eating. Post an update with the current date stamp that generalizes your activities and spends your coin. (Remember to specify if you have Poor, Common, or Good meals per the house rules.) Always catch up your personal timestamp before joining an expedition.
- Track when major projects are done. If you're building a house or hold or other construction project, commissioning fancy new armor, or paying an NPC to do any other long-term task, it begins on the current game date and projects into the future. (This also applies to objects d'art sold to the Merchants that will produce coin in three months - calculate forward your return-date and keep track of it.) Make sure you keep track of your own dates for when those things are finished and coordinate them with the appropriate sub-DM. Players generally have the option of waiting and doing other things while hired NPCs finish or advancing the clock to have it done now in the real world -- whichever is best for plot.
- Spellcasters research. If a spell caster has access to a private space or tower, they can conduct research to develop new spellsor discover the properties of magic items. This is generally done a week at a time. As time-jumps forward happen, it is acceptable for spellcasters to backdate the research they conducted during any gaps. Include it in your "catch up" post where you get food/lodging. Use a spoiler tag if desired. You can also post in a private forum to get answers to any secret questions, but the fact that you're doing research should be postable in the tavern where you're renting a room or in the IC location that represents your tower/sanctum. We're playing this game together.
- Read books and research leads. Assuming you're literate and have access to books, you can research information that those books contain - usually information about the Northlands History. There are a number of PCs that have books already from expedition loot. The dwarves also have a grand library that Friendly PCs can access. The sage in Gaul researches for you, or you might pay him for access. Every two days spent in research allows you to ask one specific question of a GM. Complex requests will be broken down into multiple specific questions.
- Work for money. If your character lacks means or has a fervent desire for the honest work of non-adventurers, you can earn income for each full month expended in the task. Income is earned based on non-class skills: "For each month a character works their trade, they'll earn an amount of coin specified for that profession. If they are working for an established NPC, they earn 1x, if they're competing with an established NPC at the location they earn 0.5x, and if they're operating as the only practitioner for the location they earn 2x." The Sub-GMs will decide on the rates and availability of work within their regions and post that information in the Non-Class Skills thread. They govern if you have Friendly relations and can get hired, and set the base rate of pay according to the house rule quoted here.
• Work for yourself. If you have a non-class skill that can produce products and you have access to a suitable place to perform the work, you can manufacture your own goods at half-cost from the book. Assume you spend a week doing so. It is up to the sub-DM for where you live if this requires a skill check, varying time, or additional cost for doing something exceptional.
• Live it up. You're free to describe your lifestyle appropriately. If you want to throw around coin or spend your time/skills on a non-monetary gain (increasing relationship with a group, etc) that is up to your sub-GM to adjudicate.
I will occasionally award XP for those who do exemplary things and create scenes that engage others.