You’ve read all seven parts of this series, obviously, so you already know it’s a Governor’s job to set the tone of a game.

Part of that is story, and part of it is game balance. But another big part of it is timing!

Exiles is a fast, frenetic game at heart, and it’s best to keep play going at a brisk pace. The first thing you should be doing as the Governor is calling out every phase, every time.

The Governor also starts the Movin’ phase timer, which of course is a big part of keeping the game movin’, so getting a feel for when to start the Movin’ timer is important.

The great thing abut the Movin’ phase timer is that it immediately tells the players what’s going on in the game, and what they’re supposed to be doing.

When in doubt, start the Movin’ phase timer!

• If you lose your place in the turn structure, start the timer.

• If the pace of the game seems like it’s dragging, start the timer.

• If the players are yabbering about their plans for the Movin’ phase, start the fucking timer!

Don’t worry about the turn structure, and don’t worry about the odd player complaint.

When in doubt, start the fucking timer!

The tempo of the game is far more important than whether Carl got to resolve his Haul Ass action. Most player complaints get swallowed up in their Pavlovian response to the Movin’ phase timer anyway, so don’t sweat it.

Because the player part of the Movin’ phase is timed, things should be fine as long as you move the Bad Guys quickly. Occasionally someone might ask a question while the timer is going, or make some kind of roll, in which case you can be a little lenient with the timer.

But the Doin’ phase isn’t timed, which means it’s up to you to set the tempo! Next time we’ll talk about how to keep the game moving in the Doin’ phase.