Downtime

Sensible Downtime Imperatives

1. Have enough food and water to cover the downtime and a food source for continued survival.
2. Have a base suitable to defend against the types of enemies they are encountering.
3. Have weapons to protect themselves.
4. Have armor that is suitable for the current situation.

If these imperatives are met, the group may consider downtime or can take downtime to work on the imperatives.

Downtime Priorities and Restrictions

• No more than 25% of downtime can be spent learning format 3 skills.
• No more than one week if the format skill is above 20.
• Skill activities must be undertaken to elevate current issues before time is spent on luxuries.
• Characters who have literacy below 15 should study literacy in their 75% time since it will help them more in the long run.
• Time-sensitive tasks should take priority over "nice to have" tasks.

Players should consider

• Learn skills using a teacher or books, rather than solo
• Balancing combat skills with useful skills
• Avoid increasing skills which don't improve with better BCSes, such as Armorer.
• Balance their skills with the skills of their group.

In Addition Players may spend their time crafting and learning. The only limitation is they can only use materials they have on hand. Once the materials have been depleted, they can no longer craft items.

Note none of these are rules but rather guidelines that make play better. Players love to sharpen Format 3 skills without thinking about what else they might be doing. I've seen people hone their Rifle Modern skill to 20/5/1 and then fail Literacy skill next time they try to learn during downtime.

Please Consider

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• Physiological needs: food, water, warmth, rest
• Safety needs: security, safety
• Belongingness and love needs: intimate relationships, friends
• Esteem needs: prestige and feeling of accomplishment
• Self-actualization: achieving one's full potential, including creating activities