The time system used in the Icewind Dale game series is based on the D&D ruleset and Forgotten Realms setting.
Timekeeping[]
The timekeeping system used in the in-game universe is largely the same as what we are familiar with from the real world:
- one minute has 60 seconds
- one hour has 60 minutes
- one day has 24 hours
- one year has 12 months
However, there are some differences:
- one week is called a tenday and has 10 days
- one month always has exactly 30 days
- days and are named differently than in the real world (see Calendar)
Day/night cycle[]
Daytime begins at hour 6, with one hour at the start ("dawn") that is a bit darker than the rest of the day.
Night falls at hour 21, with one hour at the start of the night ("dusk") being a bit brighter than the rest of it:
| Dawn | Rest of day | Dusk | Rest of night |
| 6:00 - 7:00 | 7:00 - 21:00 | 21:00 - 22:00 | 22:00 - 6:00 |
Combat time-line[]
Combat is divided into rounds and turns:
See the Round article for an explanation of when each round occurs, and what actions can be performed during a round.
Game time vs. real time[]
Time in the in-game universe ("game time") passes 12 times faster than time on your computer ("real time"):
| Game time | Real time | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 round | = 72 game seconds | = 6 real seconds |
| 1 turn | = 10 rounds = 12 game minutes | = 1 real minute |
| 1 game hour | = 5 turns | = 5 real minutes |
| 8 game hours | = 40 turns | = 40 real minutes |
| 1 game day | = 120 turns | = 2 real hours |
Note that:
- When you travel via the worldmap or rest, game time advances by 8+ hours but real time doesn't.
- When you pause the game, real time advances but game time doesn't.
External links[]
- Time System article on the Baldur's Gate Wiki, a wiki for the Baldur's Gate games.