Chain timing

Each round of a chain has three parts: writing, a window to give your word count, and a break. The length you give is the writing time, the same as in a single sprint. This page shows in diagrams how long each part is, when the next round starts, and how the options gap, break and round change these times.

The usual way to start every round on the hour and half hour is gap. For example, /sprint at 10:00 for 20 gap 10 x3 starts rounds at 10:00, 10:30 and 11:00, because 20 minutes of writing and a 10-minute gap add up to 30 minutes.

Every diagram uses the same colours: the join window, striped, writing, collecting word counts, break. The stripes also mark the break’s last minute, when Sprinto invites the room to join the next round.

When the next round starts#

The three parts of a round come one after the other, and the next round starts when the break ends. for 25 x3 starts a new round every 34 minutes: 25 minutes of writing, then 4 minutes for word counts, then a 5-minute break.

at 10:00 for 25 x3, typed at 9:59, opens with a one-minute join window. Writing runs from 10:00 to 10:25, word counts from 10:25 to 10:29, and the 5-minute break from 10:29 to 10:34, when round 2 starts. The striped last minute of the break, from 10:33, is when Sprinto invites the room to join round 2.

The word-count window is longer for longer rounds: 3 minutes after 15 minutes of writing, 3 minutes 30 seconds after 20 minutes, and 4 minutes after 25 minutes. How long the word-count window is has the full table.

Three options change the parts of a round:

Set the time between rounds with gap#

gap sets the whole time from the end of one round’s writing to the start of the next round’s writing. The word counts come out of the gap first, and the break is what’s left. next 10, next in 10, next round in 10 and next focus in 10 mean the same as gap 10. Sprinto writes a gap back as next, for example next 10 in /explain.

This diagram compares the default timing of at 10:00 for 25 x3 with at 10:00 for 25 gap 5 x3, which is the same as at 10:00 pomo x3:

Both commands are typed at 9:59. Both chains start with a one-minute join window, write from 10:00 to 10:25, then collect word counts for 4 minutes, until 10:29. In A, at 10:00 for 25 x3, the 5-minute break comes after the word counts, so round 2 starts at 10:34. In B, at 10:00 for 25 gap 5 x3, round 2 starts 5 minutes after the writing ends, at 10:30. Those 5 minutes are the 4 minutes of word counts and a 1-minute break. at 10:00 pomo x3 is the same as B. The striped last minute of each break is when Sprinto invites the room to join round 2.

This table shows how a gap is split between the word-count window and the break in more chains:

To put rounds on tidy clock times, use gap: /sprint at :15 for 20 gap 10 x3 typed at 10:05 starts its three rounds at 10:15, 10:45 and 11:15.

endtime 2 sets the word-count window to 2 minutes, and round puts the word counts inside the length.

gap always counts from the end of the writing, even with round: round 25 gap 5 writes for 21 minutes, and the next round starts 5 minutes after the writing stops, so a new round starts every 26 minutes.

The time’s up message gives both the word-count window and the time until the next round. For for 20 gap 10 x3 it says “Please give your final word count with /words. You have 3 minutes 30 seconds.” and “The next round begins in 10 minutes, and writes for 20 minutes.”

Rules for gap:

• A gap shorter than the usual word-count window makes the window shorter to fit, down to 30 seconds. A gap under 30 seconds is refused: “Sorry, 20 seconds isn’t long enough between rounds. Word counts are collected in that time first, and that needs 30 seconds.”
• gap and break in the same command must add up. gap 10 break 8 works only when the word-count window is 2 minutes. Otherwise it is refused, for example: “Sorry, those don’t add up: 10 minutes between rounds with 3 minutes 30 seconds for word counts leaves a break of 6 minutes 30 seconds, not 8 minutes.”
• gap with break until or break next is refused, because gap and the break option would both set the time between rounds.
• On a sprint with no rounds, gap 5 and next 5 are refused. To start a single sprint at the next 5-minute mark, use in next 5.

pomo#

pomo is short for for 25 gap 5, and Sprinto writes it back as for 25 next 5. Each round has 25 minutes of writing, then the 4-minute word-count window, then a 1-minute break. That whole minute is the join invitation for the next round. pomo x4 starts a round every 30 minutes.

After round 4, the break is at least 15 minutes, counted from the end of the word-count window. So in pomo x5, round 5 starts 44 minutes after round 4 starts: 25 minutes of writing, 4 for word counts, and the 15-minute break. A chain has at most 8 rounds, so this is the only long break.

One round, step by step#

Round 1 of at 10:00 for 25 x3, from 10:00 to the start of round 2 at 10:34, with the messages Sprinto posts:

Round 1 of at 10:00 for 25 x3: writing ends at 10:25 and Sprinto asks for word counts. The word-count window is open until 10:29, then the scoreboard posts and the ☕ break message counts down. At 10:33, in the break’s last minute, Sprinto invites the room to join round 2, which starts at 10:34.

What happens between rounds#

The time between one round’s writing and the next round’s writing has three parts, and you can join during any of them:

Between rounds: word counts are collected first, then the ☕ break message counts down quietly, and the join invitation comes in the break’s last minute. You can join during all three parts.

• The quiet ☕ break message is posted only when at least 30 seconds of break are left before the join invitation. In a pomo round whose word-count window runs its full 4 minutes, the join invitation follows the scoreboard straight away. A fast finish gives a pomo round a real break.
• The join invitation takes the break’s last minute, or the whole break if the break is shorter than a minute.
• With break 0, the next round starts as soon as the word-count window closes.
• When the next round starts, the ☕ message is edited to one line, for example “Round 2 of 3 ☕ 5 minute break”. It always gives the planned break, even if a fast finish made the break longer.

One thing to watch: a plain /join during the word-count window joins the round that just finished. To join the coming round instead, use /join next, or give your count with /words 1234 next to file this round’s count and stay in. See Chain sprints for staying in with next and all.

When everyone reports early#

When everyone in the round has given a final word count (a fast finish), Sprinto posts “All word counts are in! Results shortly.” and the scoreboard follows about 12 seconds later, or about 5 seconds with vff. The counting time nobody needed is added to the break, and the next round still starts at its announced time. With noff, the word-count window always runs its full length.

Round 1 of at 10:00 pomo x3 with a fast finish: the last word count is in by 10:27, and the scoreboard posts about 12 seconds later. The 2 minutes of counting time nobody needed are added to the break, so the break grows from 1 minute to about 3, and round 2 still starts at 10:30. The dashed line marks 10:29, when the word-count window would have closed.

Round start times are fixed#

Every round’s start time is set when the chain starts, and the announcement that starts the chain lists them all. For at 10:00 for 25 x3, it gives each round’s start time and writing time: “Rounds: 10:00 ⌛︎ 25m · 10:34 ⌛︎ 25m · 11:08 ⌛︎ 25m”. A chain of round lengths gives each round’s start and end time instead, for example “Rounds: 10:00 to 10:25 · 10:30 to 10:55 · 11:00 to 11:25” for at 10:00 round 25 x3.

A fast finish makes the break longer, and the next round still starts at its announced time.

Start rounds sooner with asap#

To start rounds sooner after a fast finish, add asap. The break keeps its normal length, counted from when the previous round’s scoreboard posts, so an early scoreboard moves every later round earlier by the same amount.

The same fast finish in round 1 of pomo x3, both ways. On the default timetable, the 2 minutes saved are added to the break, and rounds 2 and 3 keep their 10:30 and 11:00 starts. With asap, the break keeps its normal 1 minute, counted from when the scoreboard posts, so rounds 2 and 3 start about 2 minutes earlier, at 10:28 and 10:58.

On an asap chain:

• The announcement that starts the chain shows no round times, only “Round times are approximate: a round starts early when everyone finishes fast.”
• The break message gives a clock time in place of a countdown. For for 25 x3 asap, when everyone reported by 10:27: “The next round starts at 10:32 (25 minute sprint).” A pomo chain with asap posts no break message, because its break is only the 1-minute join invitation.
• The time’s up message has no line saying when the next round begins.
• asap on a single sprint still means “start now”.

More about the timetable#

• /go keeps later rounds in place. Starting a round early with /go makes that round longer: it starts now and still reaches time’s up at its scheduled time. The round’s start message says, for example, “Started 3 minutes early with /go, so this round runs 28 minutes and still finishes on schedule.” On an asap chain, /go starts the round sooner. Only the sprinter who started the chain, or a @Sprint MC, can use /go. It is refused if the longer round, counting its writing, its word-count window and the minutes skipped, would be over the room’s longest sprint, which is 120 minutes unless the server or channel set it lower: “Sorry, starting now would make this round 125 minutes, over this room’s 120 minutes limit.”
• Round start times are not rounded. They fall wherever the lengths and breaks add up to. For neat clock times, ask for them: gap (for 20 gap 10 x3 starts a round every half hour), until :20, done by :30, or break until :30. break until :30 applies between every pair of rounds: each later round starts at the next :30 after the round before it ends, word counts included. So after the first break, rounds shorter than an hour start an hour apart. For example, at 10:00 for 25 x3 break until :30 starts round 2 at 10:30 and round 3 at 11:30. For a round every half hour, use gap.
• A start time on a later round. then at :30 for 10 sets when that round starts, and the break before it is whatever time is left. A minute mark like :30 means the next :30 after the previous round ends, word counts included. A time of day that the previous round runs past is refused: “Sorry, round 1 doesn’t end until about 15 minutes from now, so the next round can’t start at 10:15. Try a later time.” Other start words work on a later round too: then in 5 (5 minutes after the previous round ends), then in next 10, and then now (no break). A command with a start time on a later round can’t also have break or asap: it is refused. The wait before that round counts toward the usual limits on how far ahead a sprint can start, so then in 90 for 5 is refused.

Other ways to set the break#

The break is 5 minutes unless you set another. In this table, a round ends when its word-count window closes.

A break can be at most 60 minutes, or 120 minutes if the command includes please. The limit applies however the break is set: with break, gap, break until, or a start time on a later round. A longer break is refused: “Sorry, a break of 90 minutes is too long. The longest break between rounds is 60 minutes. Adding please raises the limit a little. Try for 20 x3 break 90 please.” A break from the room’s default settings is cut to 60 minutes.

Word counts inside the length: round#

round 25 puts the word counts inside the 25 minutes: 21 minutes of writing, then 4 minutes for word counts. The break comes after the 25 minutes, and is 5 minutes unless you set another length, so round 25 x3 starts a new round every 30 minutes. round works the same in a chain and in a single sprint. block, total and dusted mean the same as round.

This diagram compares round 25 with the default, for 25:

round 25 and for 25 in a chain with the default 5-minute break. round 25 puts the word counts inside the 25 minutes: 21 minutes of writing and 4 minutes for word counts, then the break, so a new round starts every 30 minutes. for 25 is 25 minutes of writing, then 4 minutes for word counts and the break, so a new round starts every 34 minutes.

Other ways to fit the word counts inside a length:

• done by :00: everything, word counts included, is finished by the hour. done and dusted by 9pm also works.
• for 20 end -5: a negative word-count window takes the word counts out of the 20 minutes. This gives 15 minutes of writing and 5 for word counts, all finished by the 20-minute mark. Sprinto writes it back as round 20 end 5.
• round 25 focus 20: 20 minutes of writing and 5 for word counts. for 20 round 25 is the same pair. Whichever way you type it, Sprinto writes it back in that round R focus F form.

for 25 focus 20 is refused, because for and focus both set the writing time: “Sorry, for 25 and focus 20 both set the writing time, so I’m not sure which you meant. for already means the writing time, the same as focus. Did you mean one of these?” Buttons under the message offer the two readings: a 25-minute round with 20 minutes of writing, or 20 minutes of writing.

focus (also focused and focusing) says the length is writing time, which a plain length already is. Use it to name both parts of a round (round 25 focus 20), or to make a later round plain writing time when a round before the first then covers the whole chain: round 20 then 25 focus.

A round must leave at least 30 seconds of writing. round 3 works, with 1 minute of writing and 2 for word counts, but round 2 is refused: “Sorry, that’s too short: a round of 2 minutes only leaves no time for writing once word counts are collected.”

How long the word-count window is#

A single sprint and a chain round with a plain length get the same word-count window. It depends on the writing time: 1 minute 30 seconds, plus 30 seconds for each full 5 minutes of writing, and never less than 2 minutes or more than 10.

A round length uses a quicker window. The writing time and the word-count window add up to the length:

Set the window yourself#

endtime 2 sets the word-count window to exactly 2 minutes. counts 2 and reporting 2 mean the same. A window can be from 30 seconds to 30 minutes, or up to 60 minutes for a @Sprint MC who adds please.

There are also named windows, from quickest (end a) to most patient (end e). end o is the standard window from the first table. end auto is the default: the standard window for plain lengths, and end c for round lengths. A pair like end o/d sets one window for plain lengths and one for round lengths.

Each named window in minutes, by writing time:

See also#

• Chain sprints — running chains: starting, joining, staying in, stopping
• Sprint (all options) — the full grammar