Time in Iron & Myth is measured in Phases, not exact hours.
Each Phase represents roughly six hours, shaped by light, activity, danger, and the natural rhythm of the world.
Phases are used when time matters.
Phase | Nature |
|---|---|
Dawn | First light, preparation, quiet movement |
Day | Full light, travel, labor, trade, and activity |
Dusk | Fading light, return, gathering, transition |
Night | Darkness, rest, danger, secrecy |
The four Phases repeat each day:
Dawn → Day → Dusk → Night
Phases track meaningful progress, not precise time.
In one Phase, characters may usually do one major activity, such as:
Travel a set distance
Explore a hex
Forage, hunt, or fish
Make camp or rest
Shop, gather rumors, or socialize
Search, scout, repair, or prepare
The Referee frames the Phase:
“It is Dawn. You break camp. What do you do?”
The players choose how to spend their time.
The world responds.
Time advances when actions matter.
A Phase may end when:
The chosen activity is resolved
A meaningful delay occurs
The characters rest, travel, or wait
The Referee advances danger, events, or consequences
Several Phases may pass quickly if nothing interrupts play.
Use Phases when risk, resources, travel, recovery, or decisions matter.
Do not track time when nothing meaningful changes.
TThe world follows natural rhythms.
Phase | Common Activity |
|---|---|
Dawn | Camps break, travel begins, fish bite, guards grow weary |
Day | Roads fill, shops open, labor begins, visibility is clear |
Dusk | Camps are made, taverns fill, gates close, predators stir |
Night | Most sleep, danger rises, secrecy and stealth are favored |
These are guidelines, not restrictions.
Characters may act against the rhythm of the world, but doing so may carry risk.
Rest is measured in Phases.
A short rest may take part of a Phase.
A full rest usually requires a safe Night Phase, or enough uninterrupted time determined by the Referee.
Unsafe rest may be interrupted, limited, or fail to restore what the characters need.
Food, water, shelter, and safety matter.
A night beneath a leaking ruin is not the same as a night in a warm hall.
Phases measure consequence.
Threats, delays, and events can be counted in Phases.
Examples:
A poison kills in 3 Phases
A ritual completes at Dusk
A storm arrives by Night
A prisoner is executed at Dawn in 2 days
A hunting party catches up in 1 Phase
The Referee counts forward in Phases, not hours.
If it is Dawn, and a poison kills in 3 Phases:
Phase | Count |
|---|---|
Dawn → Day | 1 |
Day → Dusk | 2 |
Dusk → Night | 3 |
At Night, the poison takes its final effect.
Unless the characters act before then, the victim dies.
Use Phases to create pressure, not bookkeeping.
Let time pass when characters travel, rest, wait, search, recover, prepare, or delay.
Do not measure every small action.
Use exact time only when it matters, such as a burning fuse, a chase, a combat round, or a ritual measured in minutes.
Most of the world moves by rhythm.
Track the Phase.
Mark the consequence.
Ask what they do next.