Saturday, March 2, 2013

TIME MEASUREMENT upon Barsoon


            “The Martian day is a trifle over 24 hours, 37 minutes duration (Earth time).  This the Martians divide into ten equal parts commencing the day about 6 AM Earth time.  The zodes are divided into fifty shorter periods, each of which in turn is comprised of 200 brief periods of time, about the equivalent of the earthly second.  The Barsoomian Table of Time as here given is but a part of the full table appearing in Captain Carter’s notes (GM, XVI):  

                                                                                                Table 1.1              

200 tals = 1 xat
50 xats = 1 zode
10 zodes =  1 revolution.”
                                                                                 
     Game action is resolved in rounds (rd); each representing 20 tals (17.7seconds) of simulated time. 10 rounds = 1 xat.   In the course of a round, most characters are presented an opportunity to attack, defend and/or move.  Other game actions such as parleying, searching and complex tasks (traveling or skill usage) require greater amounts of simulated time and are measured in

 

 xats (a little less than 3 minutes),

zodes (a little less than 2 ½ hours),

days ( 24 hours, 37 minutes),

weeks ( 7 days = 1 week),

months ( 8 weeks = 1 month), or

years (12 months,  96 weeks or 672 days).

 
            It is important for the game master (GM) to keep close track of the passage of game time (simulated not actual) during an adventure or action sequence.  This prevents confusion between the interrelation of the activities of the player characters (PCs) with the f actions of important NPCs as well as time and history upon the Red Planet.

 

Date          Historical Event
 

-50000 Nation of Helium established

 -7500  First great canal completed

     0      Atmosphere Plant completed  

  1066   First Aerial Battleship constructed

  1864   Tardos Mors becomes Jeddak

  1987   John Carter Arrives upon Barsoom     

  2000   The death of Issus 

  2002   Heliumite fleet sacks Kadabra 

  2005   Improved navigation compass invented
 

No comments:

Post a Comment