Fast Forward
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Not every moment in a TTRPG campaign needs the spotlight. Focus in on the moments that matter to you, your players, and your campaign themes. Embrace the idea that you can hit fast forward at any moment.
Most of my weekly games are between 90 and 105 minutes long. That’s not a lot of time to experience meaningful progress in terms of an ongoing campaign. Every moment we focus on is precious. One thing that’s helped me focus the campaign is the idea of fast forwarding. It’s just what it sounds like: skip thru the stuff that isn’t important to you, your players, or the campaign. Only you and your group can determine what that stuff is but here are some ideas:
- Shopping. Do a special shopping session if your players really miss it.
- Traveling across town. Solves a lot of the problems with running towns.
- Greetings with familiar NPCs. Just get down to business.
- Collecting rewards. Do a job, get the money, move on.
- Rest. You don’t always need to roleplay rest or set a sophisticated watch.
- Downtime. Save it for between sessions.
Embracing the fast forward model will let your group focus on the moments that matter—giving them time to breathe and adding weight and drama where you want it.
“You check on your room at the inn, gather your payment from the last job, and finally find yourselves in the audience chamber of the Lord Warden. ‘Are you ready to begin our quest?‘”
Game on.