Remember that red-and-green hourglass from Rodizio Grill? Turns out, it might be the best DM tool you’ve never used.
We’ve all been there. Your D&D players fought the monsters and interacted with the NPCs. Or maybe it was the other way around. Now the wizard is out of spells and encourages the others to stop for the night. The paladin and the monk could use a recharge as well, so they tell you that the party is stopping.
As a Game Master who is keenly aware that stories need pacing, you say, “You set up camp under a tree just far enough off the road to not be seen by others. The next morning, you wake up refreshed and ready to move on.”
But the players are anything but ready to move on. Your quickest player jumps in: “Wait. I wanted to spend some time working on my woodcarving for the contest in town.” The ranger wants to scout ahead, and the monk wants to study his book of katas. You spend the next thirty-or-so minutes working through these tasks, and you still haven’t heard from all the players at the table.
You can see your story goal plans just out of reach, but are held back by minor downtime actions.
Quick Caveat
It’s not that the players’ activities are unimportant. In fact, they create more depth in the characters themselves as they work on character goals. How to run quick downtime sessions while in-game is a topic for another time. For now, we’re talking about moving the story goals along.
The Worst Question
If everyone at the table is focused on story goals, then the GM needs a quick way to recognize that. In the past, I would solicit the players’ needs for a pre-rest activity. “Does anyone want to do anything before the next day?”
This appears to be a simple way to go about it, but it isn’t. Some players, when presented with the option to do something, will always want to do it. They have some character goals in mind that they want to accomplish and will speak out. That’s not a problem, but now you need to ask again so that you don’t leave anyone out: “Does anyone have anything they want to do?”
It only takes one player to suggest something they want to do, and you have to ask again: “Does anyone else have something they want to do?” By this time, even the first player might have another thing they want to do.
Even worse, there’s often a player who is ready to move on, but they don’t feel like they can say so. “Could we just move on, please?” might seem like they’re rushing everyone else’s fun. So, they get to sit and scroll through social media for thirty minutes.
Each time the GM asks, “Is there anyone else who wants to do something?” they give up the ability to pace the game. And when they do that, the speed of the game slows down to a crawl.
So, Stop Asking
To pick up the pace of your game, borrow an idea from the Rodizio Grill. The servers at this all-you-can-eat restaurant never stop moving. They bring skewers of roasted meat from table to table and offer them to customers. One carries a cut of steak. Another grilled veggies. And another juicy pineapple. The servers keep the food coming throughout your meal.
The flow of food is controlled without a word. Instead, each table comes with an hourglass-shaped piece of wood. One end is painted red, and the other is green. You indicate your desire for the servers to visit your table by which side of the hourglass is facing up. Green up? Keep it coming. Red up? Please stop.
So, without having to ask a question, the servers know who to address.
Roleplaying Hourglass
We can apply this same system to our roleplaying. When the players say they need to stop and rest, they will know they need to turn their hourglass.
- Green up? I have something I want to do.
- Red up? I am ready to move on.
Either way, there is no need to ask. The GM can move from player to player, who then turns their hourglass red side up when they are finished. When all the hourglasses are red side up, you can move on to the next day.
One thing to keep in mind: If you have a player who has a lot of things they want to do during this time, let them know they only have about an hour of in-game time. If they take more time than that, they will lose the benefit of the long rest. Just saying this will remind them that time is short.
Where Do I Get an Hourglass?
So now you’re ready to bring the Rodizio magic to your table—but what do you actually use?
Here are a few simple, low-cost options:
- Classroom sand timers — Buy cheap ones online and repaint the ends green and red.
- Wooden cylinders — No sand needed! Paint each end a different color and flip it like an hourglass.
- 3D-printed hourglasses — I am using 3D-printed fidget cones.
- Two-sided cards — Laminate one side green, one side red. Easy to hold up or lay flat.
- Poker chips, buttons, coins — Any token works. Just paint each side a color.
- Playing online? Use a virtual token, status icon, or even a green/red emoji in chat.
Your hourglass doesn’t have to be expensive, just easy for the GM to see.
Combat Hourglass
As a side note, you could also use the hourglass during combat. When a character’s turn comes up, the GM can glance at their hourglass. Green side up? They’re ready to act. This will likely be the default position in combat.
But if the player is unsure, they can flip their hourglass to red. No pressure. They’re just asking the GM to come back to them later in the round. Simple, silent, and respectful.
The Last Bite
So yeah, it’s maybe a little weird. Maybe your players will laugh. But when the turns are moving fast, when everyone’s engaged, and combat starts feeling like the action scene it was meant to be? That’s when you know it works. Sometimes, the best tools aren’t in the rulebooks. They’re on the table. Or at the Brazilian grill down the street.
Photo by fauxels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/group-of-person-eating-indoors-3184187/
All text copyright @ www.consaves.com
