Chapter 9: Downtime Management

Fate's Edge GM Guide — Chapter 9

Downtime is the narrative space between adventures — days, weeks, or even months when characters rest, train, build assets, settle debts, and pursue personal projects. As GM, your role is to:

• Set duration and DVs based on fiction, not XP budgets.
• Hear player declarations and call for appropriate rolls.
• Apply the Outcome Matrix to determine progress/complications.
• Spend Story Beats from player rolls to introduce rumors, rival actions, or unexpected events.
• Manage campaign timers (Mandate, Crisis, faction) based on player choices.
• Track Asset/Follower upkeep and enforce neglect consequences.
• Run the Echo Character system for off-screen PCs.
• Adjudicate Rush Rules for accelerated development.

Unlike many games, Fate's Edge treats downtime as an active phase where your adjudication shapes the fiction — not a mere pause. This chapter gives you the tools to run downtime efficiently and dramatically.

GM Procedures for Running Downtime

Each downtime phase follows this loop. Follow these steps as GM:

1. Set the Duration. Determine how much time passes based on fiction (usually 1–4 weeks for standard play; longer for epic campaigns). Example: "After the siege, two weeks pass while the army regroups — what do you do with this time?"
2. Hear Player Declarations. Each player states one or two major goals (training, research, carousing, etc.). Note: Players declare intent — you set DVs and call for rolls.
3. Call for Rolls & Resolve. For each declaration:
   • Set a Difficulty Value (DV) using the Common Downtime Rolls table (below) as a guide; increase by +1/+2 for rushed/dangerous projects.
   • Have the player roll Attribute + Skill d10s; count Successes (6–9 = 1, a 10 = 2) and Story Beats (1s).
   • Apply the Outcome Matrix (Clean Success / Success with SB / Partial / Miss).
   • Note all Story Beats generated for later spending.
4. Spend Story Beats. Use any Story Beats generated during downtime to:
   • Introduce a minor rumor (1 SB): "A street urchin whispers you're being watched by the Black Ledger."
   • Signal faction awareness (2 SB): "The City Guard captain mentions your name at roll call."
   • Advance a complication timer (3+ SB): "The Harbormaster's Grudge [4] timer ticks +1–2."
   GM Tip: Spend SB to create immediate hooks for the next session — never waste them.
5. Manage Upkeep & Timers.
   • Asset/Follower Upkeep: Remind players to pay upkeep — Efficient, max(1, cost ÷ 3) in XP; or Intensive, 1 XP and a scene. If neglected, degrade condition (Maintained → Neglected → Compromised) and apply consequences.
   • Campaign Timers: Advance Mandate/Crisis/faction timers based on player choices.
   • Obligation Clearing: When players clear Obligation via acts of service, describe the narrative cost (e.g., "You spend the day repairing the temple roof — your hands blister, but the priests nod in approval").
6. Handle Off-Screen Characters. Process Downtime Logs using the Echo Character system. GM Tip: Treat off-screen characters as active NPCs — their logs are your source for complications and opportunities.
7. Log the Results. Use the downtime log template to record key outcomes for session-to-session continuity.

Common Downtime Rolls Reference (GM)

Use this table to set DVs for player declarations. Increase DV by +1 (risky) or +2 (dangerous) as fiction demands.

Rush Rules: GM Procedures for Risk Timers

Players can attempt to rush downtime activities. As GM, follow this procedure:

1. Player declares rushing (e.g., "I want to learn Acrobatics in 3 days instead of a week").
2. You create a Risk Timer of 4–6 segments, named after the potential consequence (e.g., Pulled Muscle [6], Backlash [4], Patron Ire [4]). Narrate the risk: "Pushing this hard could tear a tendon — I'm starting a Pulled Muscle [6] timer."
3. For each downtime action related to the rush, the player rolls as normal.
   • On a Clean Success: The timer does not advance.
   • On a Partial or Miss: The timer advances by 1 segment (or more, at your discretion for extreme failure).
4. When the Risk Timer fills, choose one outcome based on fiction:
   • Project fails entirely, but the player gains 2 Boons to use on a later attempt.
   • Project succeeds, but the character suffers a permanent Condition (e.g., Twisted Ankle, Migraines) that lasts until treated.
   • Character gains the new ability, but immediately marks 1 Harm (overexertion) and gains a Debt Timer [4] to a terrestrial patron who "helped" them cheat time.
5. If the timer never fills, the rush succeeds as normal with no extra cost.

Using Downtime to Advance Campaign Timers

Downtime lets players actively shape campaign threats and favor. As GM, adjudicate these declarations:

Mandate and Crisis

Players can declare they are working to increase Mandate (public favor) or decrease Crisis (threat level).

• Increase Mandate (public favor): Player declares charity, problem-solving, or alliance-building. You set DV 4 for Presence + Sway.
  • On success: Increase Mandate by 1 (to a max of 6).
  • On a Miss: Increase Crisis by 1 (enemies notice their growing influence).
• Decrease Crisis (reduce threat): Player declares sabotage, truce-brokering, or conspiracy exposure. You set DV 5 for an appropriate skill (e.g., Stealth, Deception, Lore).
  • On success: Reduce Crisis by 1.
  • On a Miss: Mandate also decreases by 1 (collateral damage — you describe how).

Faction and Debt Timers

Players can influence visible timers through downtime actions.

• Faction Timers: Player declares action to help or harm a faction (e.g., "I bribe officials in the Dyers' Guild"). You set DV 4 for Presence + Sway.
  • On success: Tick the faction timer back by 1 (less threat).
  • On a Miss: Tick the timer forward by 1 (more threat).
  • Example: Success on bribing officials: "Your coins find the right palms — the Guild Influence timer retreats one segment."
• Debt Timers from Terrestrial Patrons: Player accepts a Debt Timer during downtime. You resolve it via:
  • A service scene (roll to clear 1–2 segments),
  • Or spending XP (1 XP = 1 segment cleared).

Handling Off-Screen Characters: The Echo System

When a player has multiple characters or steps a character off-screen, you use this system to keep them active in the fiction:

Core Principles

• Off-screen characters are not frozen. They continue to act, gather information, and face consequences.
• The player provides a brief Downtime Log for each off-screen character (you provide the template).
• You spend 2–3 minutes per log, describing outcomes and possibly ticking a personal Crisis Timer [6] for that character.

Switch Mechanics

When a player wants to bring an off-screen character back into play (or send one off-screen):

1. Declare — Player states: "I'm switching to my other character, the scholar, for the next session."
2. Status — You assign the current character one of three statuses based on fiction:
   • Supporting — Works toward active PC goals (gathers intel, manages assets). Minimal risk.
   • Advancing — Pursues their own agenda (research, training). May uncover opportunities or trigger a complication.
   • In Peril — Their absence has made them a target. You tick a personal Crisis Timer [6] each session until they return.
3. Re-entry — When returning, the character gains 2 Boons for a dramatic entrance. The player rolls Wits + Spirit (DV 3) to re-establish presence. You adjudicate the roll:
   • On a Miss: A complication follows them back (you describe it using 1–2 SB).

Downtime Log Template (Provide to Players)

Give players this simple log to fill out for each off-screen (or on-screen) character between sessions:

Off-Screen Crisis Timer

Each off-screen character tracks a personal Crisis Timer [6]. You tick this timer when:

• The player rolls a Miss on a downtime action.
• The character's status is In Peril.
• You spend a Story Beat to introduce trouble for that character.

When the timer fills, you introduce a major off-screen consequence: a rival strikes, an asset is destroyed, or they are captured. This creates immediate hooks for the active party.

Additional Downtime Tools and Advice (GM)

Use these tools to make downtime a tension-filled narrative phase:

Asset & Follower Upkeep

Remind players to pay upkeep (Efficient or Intensive) for each asset and follower. Use the templates from the Assets and Followers chapter. If they forget, degrade the asset to Neglected or a Follower one step along Faithful → Strained → Broken. You can also use the Rush rules to restore a degraded asset in half the normal downtime.

Resolving Complications

Downtime is an excellent moment to clear lingering Complications. Players can spend a downtime action to resolve a complication — roll appropriate skill (DV 3–5). As GM, adjudicate:

• On success: The complication is cleared (describe the narrative resolution).
• On a Miss: It worsens — you advance a related timer by 1 segment.

Using Story Beats from Downtime Rolls

Any 1s rolled during downtime generate Story Beats. Do not waste them. Spend them as follows:

• 1 SB: A minor rumor begins about the character ("A beggar claims they saw you arguing with the watch captain").
• 2 SB: A rival or faction becomes aware of their activities ("The City Guard captain mentions your name at roll call").
• 3 SB: A complication arises — a theft, a broken item, a social faux pas ("Your safehouse door is jammed — spend 1 Boon to force it open").
• 4+ SB: A major twist — a Patron demands an audience, an enemy strikes an asset ("The Harbormaster confronts you at dawn: 'Your games end today.'").

These complications will ignite the next session's opening scene.

Downtime as Collaborative Worldbuilding

Encourage players to ask questions during downtime ("I try to find a fence who deals in cursed coins. Is there one in this city?"). Use their rolls to establish new NPCs and locations:

• Clean Success: The fence exists and is reliable ("Old Jem's stall in the market — he'll take any cursed silver for fair price").
• Partial: The fence exists but has a price (Debt Timer) — you describe the cost ("Old Jem nods, but his eyes flick to your purse: 'Five silver upfront, or no deal.'").
• Miss: They exist but are working for an enemy ("Old Jem's stall is abandoned — in its place, a Black Ledger enforcer eyes you coldly").

Sample Downtime Sequence (GM Script)

Use this template to frame downtime at your table:

"[Time period] passes. You each have [number] downtime actions. I need: a roll for skill training, a roll for asset upkeep, and a roll for whatever personal project you declared. You can also use a downtime action to interact with the campaign timers — tell me how you want to affect the Mandate or the Cult's Progress timer. Describe your goal, I'll set a DV, and we'll roll. Any 1s will give me Story Beats to complicate your return to action. Ready?"

Downtime Quick Reference (GM Cheat Sheet)