Shadowdark introduced the torch timer to stop players wasting time overthinking things during a session. You set a physical timer each time you light a torch.

Often you only have so many torches and if you run out you’re plunged into darkness. And in Shadowdark you don’t want to be in a dark dungeon. There’s no darkvision, no clever spells to help you see, but the monsters see just fine. Player characters die in the dark.

‘Delving a megadungeon with just one torch.
What could possibly go wrong?!’

Timers create tension. You stop caring about how to ‘optimize your spellcasting’ or ‘choosing the optimal sequence of attacks’ and start worrying a whole lot more about how to get past this next obstacle and complete your quest before yet another horrible thing happens.

And you know something horrible is coming because you can hear the timer ticking away…reminding you.

“It dawned on me that we could apply real world time during a game to discourage overthinking and encourage action, and lo and behold that was when the idea of the torch timer was born.”
Kelsey Dionne the designer of the excellent RPG, Shadowdark, in an interview with Dave Thaumavore from the Youtube Channel of the same name.

Here’s what’s great. You can use physical timers for a whole range of things beyond measuring how long a torch lasts.

You can set a timer on your phone or a cooking timer and once you hear that sound:

• There’s a random event or an unexpected complication or
• The villain’s master plan moves forward one step and now the ground behind you has turned to lava or
• The army of orcs that’s been chasing you gets another mile closer and their scouts start taking pot shots at you with arrows or
• The weather gets worse and now you’re dodging lightning strikes or
• The ice you’re walking on cracks a little more and your pack horse with your equipment falls through
• Or whatever evil crap you can think of

I use cooking timers because they make a lot of noise when they go off and they sit there ticking, reminding everyone that evil crap is going to happen soon so don’t waste a second. I have three of them!

‘You look so innocent but you
were born in the bowels of hell!’

I love having a random table or a sequential table of the bad things that happen in a specific dungeon or location or quest.

That adds flavor, adds to the theme of the adventure and makes everything feel terrifyingly cohesive. Ideally this list includes a large percentage of events, problems, or complications that the player characters have to use their creativity to overcome.

Here’s an example…

This random table could be easily adapted for a dungeon or any adventure in a building. It makes a great add on for a session around Halloween.

The random table and the instructions for running the timer that goes with it are free and Creative Commons by Attribution so you can use it in your own product if you want. You can download the pdf free here…
The House Of Torment Random Event Table


With a list like this, If you wanted to, you could even put most of the monster encounters for a dungeon or location onto the list triggered by the timer.

If players drag their heels, everything in the dungeon is more likely to come to pay them a visit. If they’re fast, they just might make it out without being overrun by its inhabitants.

Along with building tension, this FEELS right.

“The best mechanic I ever used in a game was time. When the timer goes off something bad happens. It moves the game along super-quick because your players are instinctively rushing against the clock.”
Tristan Radu from the excellent Youtube channel Heroes & Homebrew

It was Tristan who first exposed me to the idea of using timers. Tristan explains his first experiences using a timer in this video…

Timers are especially good for solo play. They can be used to generate random events at unexpected times.

When you play solo you can turn the timer away from you after you set it. That way you won’t know when it will go off.

This addition of unpredictability can make solo play more exciting and engaging.

In the same way as above you can have a random list of events specific for the adventure you’re in, or you can use an oracle to determine a random event.

Here’s an example of a solo event oracle…

This one page solo oracle has instructions on how to use a timer in solo play. It’s free and Creative Commons by Attribution so you can use it in your own product if you want to. You can download the pdf free here…
d10 Roll Under One Page Solo Oracle pdf

Using timers is one of the simplest and coolest innovations I’ve added to my role playing game play, both with group and solo play. It’s something you might consider trying too.

‘It’s a timer. Trust me you’ll love it!’