The Weird Physics of My Campaign Timeline

I prefer to run long-term campaigns. Doing so means tracking time carefully. I don’t want to be inconsistent with past gameplay and details. I also have world and region events to trigger, villain moves to plot, and played encounters to mine for ripples and consequences.

In Campaign Logger, the % symbol is used as the Timeline Tag. It has baked-in features for sorting and supporting different date formats (mm/dd/yyyy, yyyy-mm-dd or dd.mm.yyyy).

Also, the Tag is free-form, so whether you have 8 months in your world’s year or 23, Campaign Logger doesn’t care.

Here’s a Timeline snapshot from my Basilica campaign, starting 10,000 years ago in its history:

Ok, so that’s my Source of Truth for my campaign timeline. I use Logger and the %Timeline Tag.

Now, here’s how I use my Campaign Timeline.

The Three Periods of My Timeline

To keep things simple, I use three time periods in my timeline: past, present, and future.

The Past

This is what players know, plus historical details I need to adhere to for consistency.

Also, details from the Present (gameplay) get filed away via session logging as new details and events in the Past.

The Past also contains Character Backstories, Origin Stories, and adventure backgrounds.

The Present

We play to find out what happens next. The Present takes place during the moment of gameplay. What’s happening in the game, campaign, and setting right now?

I also created a Log in Campaign Logger just for taking session notes. Later, I mine this Session Log for details, ripples, and consequences to update my plots and Loopy Planning with.

I do not care about spelling or formatting in my Session Log. I log details fast and clean things up after the session.

Here’s a screenshot of Basilica session log entries:

The Future

This is where plot. Plot is planned encounters and events that haven’t happened yet. In my GM Toolbox, I wield tools like Loopy Planning, Plot Factories, Faction Pyramids, Wandering Encounter Tables, Prepare to Improvise, 3 Clue Rule, and more.

I try to never make plans that require specific character actions or encounter outcomes. That just causes me a lot of mental load during sessions trying to herd the cats and hoping what I prepped will make it into play and survive contact with the party.

So, while I try to predict the future with my plotting, I never count on it.

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Time Travelling

From a GMing perspective, I actually time travel in the opposite direction.

Generally, we look at things from Past to Present to Future. That’s habit from real life.

But, when prepping and planning my campaign, I like to start in the future, visit the Past, and then end in the Present.

The Future

While I don’t need or depend on future party actions, dice results, and gameplay outcomes, once I get clarity around where I’d like the campaign to head for its next milestone, based on the party’s goals and intentions, I create or update my Plotlines.

So I travel into the future, note where I’d like things to go, and then generate ideas for how I might guide the party there. For example, adding or improving hooks, clues, and treasure.

To be clear, I’m only creating possibilities. Players still have agency to do what they want. However, my hints, nudges, and beckoning loot can all help the party get to my desired milestone.

The Past

Once I’ve updated my plots for the Future, I check that there are no Logic Bombs in the Past.

I might also change details that aren’t canon, and add new details to support my plans.

The Present

Finally, we arrive back at gameplay. The Present is what emerges during sessions as players make choices and characters take actions.

The Future guides my GMing, and the Past gives me a foundation of details, conflicts, and ideas for what could happen in the Present.

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Past, Present, Future = Prep, Play, Plot

By starting with hopes, dreams, and ideas for what might happen in my campaign’s Future, I can use this to guide prep of the Past and to GM the Present.

Breaking my timeline into three periods helps me keep things simpler and clearer. I know what the Future, Past, and Present each need in order to serve my long-term campaign ambitions.

Cheers,
Johnn
roleplayingtips.com
https://discord.gg/6MxTRAqQ76
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