Pacing is one of the most difficult aspects of game mastery in tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons. But it’s not rocket science. Published adventures throughout D&D’s history have relied on time pressure for everything from large-scale plots to individual dungeons. While there are a lot of tools like that for pacing (including my favorite), one big problem precedes most of them: controlling the clock. More specifically, who controls the clock. Give players a completely open world with no clear direction or choices to make and you’ll find out why.
The Core Loop
D&D is a collaborative game where part of the core loop is asking players “what do you do” and then responding. It’s a back and forth. But this back and forth can create massive problems for pacing when we slide into simulating decisions for every moment in the game world. Here’s an example of the problem I’m getting at:
- GM: “You see the baron’s keep atop a hill at the far end of the city. What do you do?”
- Player 1: “Is there a road leading to it?”
- Player 2: “Is there a blacksmith in town? I’d like to buy new gear at some point.”
- GM: “You’ve never been here. But there does appear to be a main road. And there would be a blacksmith.”
- (back and forth between the players while they overcome the analysis paralysis they’ve just been put in with an open-ended settlement)
- Player 1: “Well, we’ll follow this main road.”
- GM: “The main road leads you into an open market.”
- Player 1: “Does the main road continue to the keep?”
- GM: “Yes.”
- Player 1: “We go that way.”
See where that’s headed? Absolutely nowhere. That GM is letting the players control the clock. They’re making every move and decision. In that mode of play, the “what do you do” is often completely open-ended with no clear choices to make. That way lies madness for most groups. When the GM controls the clock, they’re giving intentional situations for players to respond to—choices to make. Here’s an example of what that might look like:
- GM: “You see the baron’s keep atop a hill at the far end of the city. But along the path, scents of fresh baked bread and newly tapped ale waft from a boisterous tavern. Where do you go next?”
- Player 1: “A short rest stop at the tavern would be nice.”
- Player 2: “After the baron. We need to get him the news.”
- Player 1: “Right. We head to the keep.”
- GM: “You arrive at the keep, passing an open market and festival along the way. Would you like to seek out the baron or see if that old mage you heard about is around?”
“What do you do?” should be in response to a situation, not an open-world simulation. Set the scene. Don’t make your players find it.
Combat
Combat is another area where this feels tricky. Players have legitimate turns. Doesn’t that mean they own the clock? At least for a time? No. Players get to act on their turn but without the game master controlling the clock, it becomes a slog.
- GM: “Drex is up.”
- Drex: “I’m going to use my sword. That’s a hit and 25 damage.”
- GM: “Great, anything else?”
- Drex: “Uh, yeah. Let’s see. That was my move and action. I’ll, uh, bonus action Misty Step over here.”
- GM: “Ok. Is that it?”
- Drex: “Hmm. Yeah, I think that’s all I can do this round.”
This is awful. And I’m as guilty as anyone of bringing up the dreaded “anything else?” It’s the GM’s job to keep the turn order moving, not exhaust player options. There’s an excellent video on this by Esper the Bard1. The fix:
- Allow the player to declare their main intent.
- Pause briefly and listen.
- Move to the next person in the initiative order.
That’s it. Players will definitely have “one more thing” for a while if you’re transitioning to this strategy but you’re sending the message that they need to be prepared on their turn. Because you’re going to move on.
Retconning
With any of this, it’s not perfect. Players will want to rewind and visit that festival you skipped or add extra damage they forgot on their turn. GMs shouldn’t be dictators. We just have a responsibility to be the arbiters of the clock. Retconning is simple.
If the player wants to rewind to drastically change an outcome, politely let them know that it’s too late. If they want something minuscule like adding extra damage or having purchased rations at the market, allow it. But don’t focus on it. “Yeah, that’s fine,” is the perfect response. We’re not rewarding or spotlighting retcons. But we acknowledge that no system is perfect and allow flexibility when necessary.
Conclusion
Game masters are the arbiters of time. Control the clock by setting scenes for the players to respond to. Move on when the fun is fading or the pacing struggles. Allow retcons for small things and keep the story moving forward. Control the clock. Control the game. Control your destiny. Or something like that.
Game on.
Footnotes
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“Why Your D&D Combats Take SO LONG (Here’s the Fix)” a YouTube video by Esper the Bard, 2026 January 16 ↩