AMONG CATS AND BOOKS

Sandbox Settlements: Downtime

The Idle'Prentice at Play in the Church Yard during Divine Service - George Murray, 1796

Some adventurers are gambling behind a church.

Following my previous post about Sandbox Settlements, I now turn to another critical game phase: Downtime.

Although downtime is often neglected, in my sandbox-style campaign—focused on a single group of players—it has become essential for grounding the game and enhancing its overall meaning. While many excellent examples of downtime exist, I've always found it challenging to implement all its possibilities. That's why I set out to develop my own set of design goals and strive to put them into practice.

Downtime Design Goals

Downtime is a Part of Play

Just like settlements, wilderness exploration, dungeon delving, or combat, downtime is a vital component of actual play. It must be integrated into the session to be truly meaningful. Outsourcing downtime to periods between sessions not only increases the game master's workload but also limits its viability to scenarios where the party ends in a safe place. Additionally, this approach often leaves some players' actions unresolved.

Downtime Advances Time

Downtime represents the passage of time in the game world—a crucial element for grounding your narrative and making it more believable. Set a consistent time unit for downtime and adjust progress requirements accordingly. For example, if the downtime duration expands, actions might require less progress, and vice versa.

Downtime Requires Resources

Most downtime actions should cost players a resource—preferably money. In return, characters gain opportunities to grow or acquire assets that might otherwise require extensive plotting or be nearly impossible to obtain. This system supports self-directed character progression that comes at the cost of both time and resources within the narrative.

Downtime Needs a Quick Resolution

To keep the game moving, downtime actions must resolve quickly. Each action should be clearly defined—detailing its requirements, associated costs, and chances for success or complications—ideally resolved in one or two dice rolls. Even if you expand the narrative around the action when time permits, the core resolution should remain swift to maintain momentum and prevent players from waiting.

Downtime is Discoverable

To avoid overwhelming players and triggering analysis paralysis, downtime actions shouldn't be presented as a static list. Instead, tailor them to the specific location and link them to individual non-player characters of interest. These actions are unlocked during play through interactions—sometimes after improving relationships or completing specific tasks—and should be clearly communicated and visually added to the players' available resources as they are discovered.

Downtime is Player Facing

Downtime is driven by the players' own goals and creates emergent play opportunities—think of it as a series of player-driven faction turns. Players should be able to pursue actions without needing to reach group consensus first, ensuring that all procedures, options, and progress remain visible to everyone at the table.

Downtime Needs a Low Engagement Solution

Since some players might be unsure what to choose, question the benefits, or simply lack interest, providing reasonable default actions is crucial. These defaults can spark new ideas and challenges even for the less engaged, ensuring that downtime is never skipped.

Downtime Allows Collaboration

Downtime need not be exclusively an individual endeavor. Characters should have the option to collaborate on common goals. While cooperative downtime might lead to quicker progress, it can also increase the risk of mishaps and complications.

Downtime is Player Growth

Progress during downtime should foster organic, diegetic player growth. Characters learn, acquire new skills, and evolve naturally rather than relying solely on mechanical upgrades. Consistent with this narrative focus, downtime should not award experience points but offer growth outside traditional class and level systems.

Downtime is Domain Play

Downtime can act as a precursor to larger-scale domain play, laying the groundwork for future endeavors—like building a castle or expanding a bandit camp's influence. By starting small and gradually building toward grander ambitions, players can clearly understand both their progress and the steps required to advance further.

Downtime Propels Other Play Phases

Downtime and active play share a symbiotic relationship. Downtime should generate new goals and obstacles for players to tackle during active play, while events in active play, in turn, influence downtime. This mutual relationship is essential for driving the overall narrative forward.

Downtime Application

Core Resolution

The core resolution for downtime actions draws inspiration from Ben Laurence's Downtime in Zyan (or Powered by the Apocalypse) with a few modifications. Each downtime action is resolved by rolling 2d6, with the following outcomes:

A complication is a looming problem or consequence that, if unaddressed, can hinder or threaten progress down the line. A roadblock is a significant obstacle that must be overcome; once resolved, it automatically grants progress. However, until all roadblocks are cleared, no further progress can be made on that downtime action. Depending on the narrative, complications or roadblocks may be temporary or come with a deadline—and, in some cases, failing to address them could result in losing the action altogether. When an action results in a complication or a roadblock, a second roll on a designated problems table is required (ideally, each action comes with its own table).

Modifiers on the downtime roll come exclusively from the fiction. For example, if players have access to abundant building material when constructing something, you might grant a bonus or extra progress. Unlike in Zyan, these actions are not influenced by character stats such as Charisma or Strength. If multiple players opt for the same action (provided it makes narrative sense), each makes an individual downtime roll. All progress points accumulate toward the goal, but complications and roadblocks also factor into the outcome. An action is not considered complete if any roadblock remains attached—even if the progress clock is full. The downtime action is only complete once the final roadblock is resolved. Complications, on the other hand, do not block completion; however, they may lead to adverse consequences if left unaddressed.

For example, if five players choose to build a church as their downtime action, their rolls might be 12, 7, 3, 10, and 4. The 12 and 10 are successes, each contributing one progress point. The 7 indicates a mixed result, adding one progress point along with a complication. The 4 and 3 are roadblocks and are added last. Both roadblocks must be resolved—each resolution adding further progress—before any additional downtime actions can further advance the goal. The action isn't complete until all roadblocks are cleared, regardless of the total progress achieved.

How to Make it Player Facing

One strong inspiration comes from John Harper's Blades in the Dark, particularly its integration of downtime phases and the use of visual clocks. Since a single downtime action may require several steps to finish, you can track progress by setting a target and creating a clock where each segment represents one progress point. When the clock is full, the action is complete.

Downtime Clocks Image

Example of a simple, player-facing clock—more intuitive than a basic numerical counter on a sheet.

The key is visibility. Whether you play in person (using a table) or online (via a virtual tabletop, whiteboard app, Discord channel, etc.), the progress clocks must be accessible to all players. Use similar visual cues for complications and roadblocks—clear indicators paired with annotations that explain each issue. If a complication or roadblock comes with a timing element (such as a deadline), add a countdown clock. Keeping these elements front and center ensures that players remain aware of ongoing issues, rather than having them hidden away on a character sheet until it's too late.

How to Make it Discoverable

Downtime is primarily conducted in settlements or other key locations, with each action tailored to a specific NPC. These NPCs are the gateway to unlocking downtime actions, and building good relationships with them is crucial. Although downtime actions may share a common base type, they can vary widely in terms of cost, reward, risk, status, consequences, and complications.

Start by creating a manageable number of actions. When players discover a downtime option, announce it clearly and display it visibly on the game board—grouped by location. Begin with a couple of easy, no-prerequisite actions per settlement neighborhood (one to three options). Then, gradually add more as players build reputation, complete quests, or face consequences from their actions. As engagement grows, you can also ask for player input on long-term goals and adjust the available actions accordingly.

This approach beats handing out a generic list. It fosters a stronger connection between the players, the locale, and its NPCs—making downtime a tangible, evolving part of the game. It also simplifies decision-making by starting with fewer choices and gradually expanding them over time. Additionally, linking specific actions to character classes or backgrounds (for example, a musician performing at a theatre or a religious character bolstering a local church's influence) can further enhance player interest.

How Long Should it Take

Avoid designing actions that are completed in a single downtime cycle—except for a few trivial options that can serve as defaults for players who just want to keep things moving. Instead, assess the task's difficulty as follows:

This isn't an exact science—it depends on your designated downtime cycle (e.g. one week versus one month). Even if an easy task remains easy with a longer cycle, consider increasing its output or reward. For example, you might forge several swords instead of just one, or produce a higher-quality weapon.

What are the Costs

The cost should feel both substantial and realistic—typically a monetary cost. Sometimes you might combine the cost with a prerequisite item or narrative hook to add extra interest. The cost represents what players must invest to achieve progress (whether it's building materials, hired help, bribe money, or a trainer's fee). It should be high enough to encourage careful spending and prevent unchecked wealth accumulation. For instance, in B/X costs might range from 500 to 5000 gold per step. When in doubt, consult your players for a reasonable range, but avoid getting bogged down in haggling.

What are the Benefits

Rewards can be either mechanical or narrative, but they should emphasize meaningful progress over mere stat boosts. Instead of offering simple stat increases—which can feel unexciting—consider providing new abilities, exclusive information, improved relationships, access to unique NPCs, increases in organizational rank, fresh rumors, passive income, or other narrative gains. Completing a downtime action might also trigger follow-up actions; for example, building a tavern could lead to hiring staff, which in turn raises its popularity and broadens its influence. Each subsequent step may further enhance or modify the benefits of the previous one.

Incorporate narrative hooks as well. For example, a successful action might reveal the location of a hidden treasure through information from a retired adventurer-turned-cook, or improve an NPC relationship that yields vital intelligence. These hooks can uncover enemy weaknesses, secret entrances, or entirely new areas for exploration.

What are the Complications

Creating complications and roadblocks is challenging but crucial. They should be specific and actionable. Instead of a generic statement like "the roads are unsafe", be precise—for example: "The Red Hand Bandit Gang has been spotted on the southern road, increasingly targeting timber shipments to build a secret village for outlaws". Such specificity provides a tangible threat and an investigative hook, making complications more engaging and fully integrated with your setting.

If you need inspiration, consider using the following Spark Table:

Complication Spark Table
d20 Descriptor Complication
1 Acute Backlash
2 Bleak Bureaucracy
3 Capricious Challenge
4 Clandestine Deadline
5 Dire Delay
6 Escalating Deviation
7 Erratic Error
8 Imminent Fee
9 Imposing Hitch
10 Inexplicable Interference
11 Insidious Liability
12 Mounting Obstacle
13 Ominous Omission
14 Perilous Penalty
15 Persistent Predicament
16 Relentless Rival
17 Sudden Sabotage
18 Troubling Setback
19 Turbulent Shortfall
20 Wild Threat

When a complication or roadblock arises, have the players roll on the table and collaborate to determine a fitting solution. If you're not comfortable using spark tables on the fly, consider pre-rolling a few sparks for an action (say, 4 to 6) to use during play. Although this extra preparation requires more time, it's a worthwhile practice that will help you employ spark tables more effectively in the future and ultimately speed up play.

What is an Action Category

Not every downtime action needs to be built from scratch. There are categories of downtime actions—each representing a type of activity—that you can adapt and customize for a specific NPC, location, or narrative context. While each action is unique, those within the same category generally share similar requirements, rewards, risks, and complications.

Here's a non-exhaustive list to jump-start your ideas:

Select individuals from your settlement and assign them one or more of these downtime action types. Keep in mind that not every person needs to offer a downtime action, though they might—and their roles can evolve over time. Also remember that a single person can fulfill multiple roles simultaneously. These are simply ideas to guide you; feel free to adapt them as needed.

And most importantly, the player characters are the ones doing the work in downtime actions. The people offering the actions are there to help and guide them—they won't act on the players' behalf when they're not around. Otherwise, players could simply hire them to get results without engaging with the downtime process, which would defeat its purpose. And of course, it's not like player characters work nonstop during downtime. They live normal lives and work on downtime tasks only a couple of hours a day or on specific days, with the rest of their time spent on mundane activities. Remember, downtime is an abstraction, not a simulation.

Create Downtime Actions

Anatomy of a Downtime Action

Each downtime action is defined by several key elements:

Getting Started

Creating customized downtime actions can feel daunting—like staring at a blank page. To help you get started in a specific settlement neighborhood, I developed a simple workflow:

Downtime Action Creation Workflow

A chart illustrating the basic downtime creation workflow.
  1. Review Neighborhood Residents:
    List all known residents in the neighborhood and assign them broad potential downtime categories. This gives you a quick starting point and a general overview of possibilities.
  2. Select or Create a Category:
    If you notice a missing category, create a new role or tweak an existing one to fill the gap.
  3. Summarize the Action:
    Write a brief, evocative description of the action—who is involved, how it's accomplished, and what the results will be.
  4. Establish Requirements:
    Identify any prerequisites for the action, such as necessary knowledge, previous events, established relationships, or other conditions.
  5. Set Difficulty and Duration:
    Determine the clock size or number of downtime actions required based on the task's difficulty.
  6. Define Rewards:
    Specify what players receive upon completing the action. Rewards can be narrative, mechanical, or both.
  7. Determine Costs and Resources:
    Outline the cost required for each progress step. This is typically a monetary value, though sometimes special resources (like a specific item) may be required.
  8. Develop a Complications Table (Optional):
    If desired, predefine a set of possible complications and roadblocks for the action. If you're comfortable improvising with spark tables, you can skip this step to speed up preparation.

Keep Evolving

Earlier, I mentioned that downtime is like faction turns for players—not only because it features player-facing progress bars, but also because it comes with long-term goals. Downtime actions can be linked together so that one action serves as the prerequisite for unlocking or discovering another. You should ask your players about their individual goals—or anticipate them yourself—to create interesting chains for players to uncover.

For instance, if a player aspires to delve into the mythical domain play of high-level D&D, you can chart out a possible path using downtime actions. Over time, they might earn their own territory or control their own faction. It takes a long time—just like reaching high level in a traditional game—but the difference is that the player is actively working toward this goal, making it feel more rewarding when achieved on their own merits. Moreover, complications and roadblocks will inevitably create scenarios that require players to address issues through active play or adventuring, ensuring that downtime remains integrated with the rest of the game rather than feeling disjointed.

Speyford Example

We'll continue from the example in my previous settlement post. While the context of downtime examples is provided there, reading about the neighborhood's creation might help clarify things further.


✱ Info

The following section features icons—here is a description of each.

| ⚓ → Anchor | 🐵 → Landmark | 🙈 → Hidden | 🙊 → Secret | ⚠️ → Complication | 🚧 → Roadblock |


Here's a sample list of residents—remember, this isn't a definitive roster, just a brief overview and some ideas:

I like to add symbols (such as an anchor/landmark, hidden, or secret) to remind me that even if a downtime action doesn't have a prerequisite, the NPC offering it might still need to be discovered first. The initial downtime actions are usually a couple of options that become available immediately as players enter a neighborhood. I always ensure there is at least one or two trivial actions available, serving as default options.

Mr. Briddle: Hire

Despite running a modest guest house, Mr. Briddle is keenly aware of the employment needs in Tattertown. For the right price, he can send out word and find desperate opportunists looking for menial work.


This is a relatively straightforward example of a common activity for adventurers. However, the hiring action can become even more engaging when complications arise. A more moderate hiring action might not only increase the quality of hirelings but also focus on recruiting very specific individuals—such as a skilled spy or a sage specialized in a particular field. You could expand the search beyond the current settlement by sending scouts or writing letters to promising candidates from neighboring areas, enticing them to travel to you and potentially get hired.

"Bingo" Clarkson: Gamble

Want to prove yourself in the ring? "Bingo" Clarkson is always on the lookout for new fighters—offering a chance to gain fame, glory, and potentially win some money.


This example offers steady progress with promising follow-up actions—a potential pathway to a successful boxing career. As players pursue this action, they could acquire specific skills along the way or make it an engaging narrative background. It also highlights the flexibility of the system by adding the gambling component; it gives players a unique chance to earn money instead of merely incurring a cost (though be careful that the mechanics aren't easily exploited or the payouts too high). Best of all, even a victory in the ring can still trigger complications or lead to roadblocks, keeping the action exciting and unpredictable.

Tug Tugger: Build

Renovate your apartment in Tattertown—or even build a new establishment—with Tug Tugger as your go-to expert.


This example includes a prerequisite. Players can acquire it through active play—perhaps as a reward for a completed quest—or as another downtime action. Typically, this action isn't advertised until its prerequisite is met. However, if a player wonders how to build their own structure in Tattertown, you can subtly hint at the requirements through conversation or a rumor table. It's an opportunity to spark ideas and encourage exploration. Remember, you don't need to plan every downtime action in advance—add them as needed while keeping the overall goal in mind.

Conclusion

That's my take on downtime. I hope it gives you something to use—or even steal—as inspiration, and at the very least, helps you appreciate this often neglected game phase a bit more. My approach isn't a one-size-fits-all solution, but it works for me. If you're running a multi-group campaign in a West Marsh setting or using 1:1 time, you might need to tweak this proposal, but many of the general principles will still hold true. Ultimately, downtime should be customized, specific, and “sticky” enough to encourage and generate dynamic play.

While a well-designed carousing table can be fun and serve as an acceptable compromise under time pressure, I believe that the extra effort of implementing my approach will create a much richer experience. It offers players clear guidance and the potential to pursue their individual goals. Let me know what you think!

Further Reading

Here are some resources on downtime that have inspired me or offer alternative approaches. Use these as inspiration if you want to learn more about enhancing your downtime mechanics:

#advice #downtime #guide #tables