Ok you are running a module, textbook style, one encounter after another, page after page, and the session is getting long, or maybe the players are losing interest, whatever the case, the party is two or three encounters from the finale, and you sense you need to move the game forward, but you don’t want to just give the game away. Here is a method I use:
I call it the quick summary with damage (QSWD) method
I quickly summarize the events I am time warping the party through like: “You found a trap on the staircase which ended up being more difficult than usual, but you powered through into a room full of undead, who’s organs smelled of liver and onions, but in the end, were no match for your blades. It took some time, but eventually you found an odd key amongst the remains of the undead that was the final piece of the puzzle needed to open the sinister door you now stand before.”
I ask each player to roll 3d6 and add their PC level in damage.
For added tension I will roll a 6 sided dice out in the open and say that is how much time you have in rounds to prepare your party.
I let the party decide on how to manage their resources in the allotted time, and move the action forward.
This method is helpful for groups who run games on a set schedule or at a convention where the time for the session is running out.
I don’t QSWD often. It is just part of my mental DM toolkit. I have on hand to help on those special occasions where the game needs to end, but I don’t want the party to miss out on the flavor of the dungeon as written by the mod authors.
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