Summary
In a long-runningDungeons & Dragonscampaign, sometimes, you need to give your adventuring party some downtime in between grander adventures. This not only breaks up the pace in a campaign so that it’s not so relentless but offers players a chance to pursue side quests and other slice-of-life tasks.
But, as a Dungeon Master, what are the best ways to run these sessions so that they don’t feel boring or like a waste of time? This list has everything you need to know. Here are some tips and tricks for running downtime sessions in your Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
10Setting Is Important
Location, Location, Location
Downtime sessions can be extremely fun, but only if there’s something for your players to do. If they’ve just come to the conclusion of an arc, and they’re in the middle of the wilderness, there’s not going to bemany downtime activitiesfor them to pursue.
attempt to line up longer downtime sessions with the party’s arrival in a large settlement, or other familiar locale. you’re able to also be more liberal with your time jumps and fast-travel options so that players can accomplish what they need.
9Bring In NPCs
Get The Gang Back Together
If the party has been separated from key NPCs, or other familiar allies for a while, downtime sessions are a great time to bring these characters back into the fold. Have important NPCs check in on the characters during their downtime and have them help when it comes to progressing the plot.
Additionally, writing letters or other correspondence for characters to read through from NPCs during their downtime can prove highly entertaining. Plus, this gives your world a sense of realism.
8Pull At Loose Threads
Or Pour Salt In Old Wounds
Every arc should have a beginning, middle, and end, but some narrative threads might be ongoing in your Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Downtime sessions are a great time to pull at these threads, checking in with your players regarding how they feel about their journey so far.
For example, say a character had a difficult conversation with their sibling, an NPC they’ve had a tumultuous relationship with. Downtime sessions are a good moment to bring that sibling into the story and progress that narrative arc.
7Offer Shopping Options
Shop ‘Til You Drop
While you might not want to turn your downtime into afull-blow shopping session, if players express an interest in replenishing their components, potions, and more, you should offer some shopping options for them. Obviously, the types of goods available will depend on the type of settlement they’re in.
But overall, you’ll want to let players shop if they so desire. Plus, for players that might not have anything else to do that game, this will give them an outlet for some roleplay and sense of progression, so that the game doesn’t feel completely null and void to them.
6Use Bastions
That’s What They’re There For
Player bastions are a new mechanic introduced in the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide. If your players have bastions, which they usually get at level five, downtime sessions are a great moment to ask players about the progression of their bastion.
During these games, you can have players initiate theconstruction of special bastion facilities, take bastion actions, visit their bastions, and more. If players’ bastions are far apart, make use of fast travel and time jumps to speed up these roleplay elements.
5Tease Future Arcs
Take A Look At What’s To Come
Just because the game is technically a downtime session in between adventures doesn’t mean you can’t tease what’s coming down the pike. A downtime session can be a great time to introduce a key NPC, antagonist, or other element to the players so that they’re intrigued by what’s to come.
For example, if your party is shopping in a large metropolitan settlement, you can have the party overhear a rumor that mages have been going missing all over town. This is likely to intrigue your table, and they may even start exploring the next arc early if their curiosity is piqued enough.
4Check-In With Each Player
Share The Spotlight
Some players are better than others at managing resources and time during a downtime game. Some players may arrive at the table with a laundry list of activities they want to pursue, while others may find themselves more lost.
When running a downtime session, make a deliberate point to check in with every player, asking them specifically if there’s anything they want to do. you’re able to even offer suggestions for them if they’re still stuck and not exactly sure what they can do.
3Set Time Limits
Keep It Movin' People
Similar to any Dungeons & Dragons session, you want to make sure you’re placing some time constraints on your players to keep things moving at a brisk pace. You don’t want to rush anyone of course, but if someone’s taking too long with their downtime activities, you might want to consider imposing a time limit.
You can use an in-game timer (explaining that players only have one day for downtime activities), or you can use an above-board timer to keep people moving at a nice pace. This also prevents the game from feeling too low-stakes or slow.
2Restrict Actions
Let’s Keep It Grounded
Even though the party might be powerfulor extremely high-level, that doesn’t mean they should be able to break the game during a downtime session. If a player approaches you, asking to craft or buy an outlandish item, or wants to progress the plot in a hugely significant way, politely restrict them.
This is important because you want to keep the game feeling realistic and grounded. If someone says they want to use their downtime to visit ten different locations, for example, you might want to explain that that would take weeks or months, and the party doesn’t have time for that logistically.
1Brevity Is Your Best Friend
Short And Sweet
Many tips and tricks in this list speak to this idea, but it’s ultimately the most important. Keep things brief. As mentioned, using fast travel or time jumps can help immensely in this regard. If someone needs to travel during downtime, for example, we don’t need to see the player character actually do the traveling.
Whenever someone pitches a downtime activity at your table, ensure you’re getting to the point quickly and efficiently. Ultimately, a downtime session shouldn’t run more than three hours. If you find your table is pushing four or even five hours for a downtime session, you might want to wrap it up more quickly to prevent the game from feeling stale.
