I was wondering what the specific rules for timing are. In the current first place run, the briefing sections between the different planets are skipped. Also, I have done a run where the game crashed while loading the first Kashyyyk level, and paused the timing while reloading the game. Is that OK? So basically, I'm just wondering what the specifics are for timing of RTA runs, as I can't seem to find any specifics.

As always nothing is clear but I'll give you my point of view:

for a single campaign run, the chrono starts when you hit enter or click "continue" on the first loading screen of the campaign. Timer ends when the last loading of the campaign appears (the loading introducing the next campaign or epilogue)

for a full game run, the chrono starts when you hit enter or click "continue" on the loading screen of Extreme Prejudice, and end when the last loading screen appears (idk the name)

The skipped briefing sections you're talking about are indeed skippable, so feel free to do so

Supposedly once the game is launched there is no more menuing to do, but with the game crashing there you are raising up a point. So did ThinksTheClown in a previous thread when he asked if he could go back to the menu in order to access some levels by the campaign pannel and gain some ammo. Now that I think of it, it may also be possible to forcequit the game during the slow narration phases between each campaigns, in order to skip them.

For those issues, I'd like the timer to keep flowing, as the menuing time should be counted as run time. Although the game crashing is yet another issue, as you did not plan it. Maybe in that particular case, you're allowed to pause the timer, and restart it where it has been stopped. The video proof should tell if you were fair in your arbitrary.

Also we are not very severe on this leaderboard, I don't think the competitivity is high enough to care about a couple of seconds, as long as you can clearly be placed above, in between or below the previously registered times.

You may also wonder which time measurement is the right one, I'd say real time. In-game time is less precise because the timer unfreezes before the end of loading screens. It's not a problem in itself, but sometimes when the computer becomes laggy, the load times can be excessively long (mine can last for a whole minute sometimes), and the in-game timer would still be running. For the moment as I haven't witnessed menuing of forcequitting in any run, in-game time is just a further stat.

EDIT after futher investigations it appears that the briefing scenes between each campaign cannot be skipped in a first playthrough. (also my forcequit idea doesn't work, since the unskippable narrative cutscene would still be played upon reloading the autosave)

This being said, I acknowledge that all my runs were done on an already completed profile. I'm not recreating a profile for every run, because it would bore me to death to rewatch all those cuscenes, and loading times, and to have to remap all my controls all the time, and to be bothered with the 'indices' pop up windows. And I guess we'll all agree.

To start a run I load a save I made in Extrem Prejudice, then restart the level, so everything is just like a fresh start. Same for the other campaigns. I'd encourage you to that, it's way more convenient

In regards to the skipped briefing scenes, how exactly is that done? Am I missing something from the guide? I am unable to save it at any point during the scenes.

I think it just comes from the fact that I have a completed profile. When replaying the game I just press 'enter' or 'use' during those phases and it skips them. If you can't then it might depend on the version of the game, or maybe internal settings.

EDIT: Indeed, on a profile with only the geonosis campaign completed, I can skip the prologue for Geonosis, but I can't for Assault Ship. (I accessed those through the 'campaign' menu)

also you can apply the doubleload strat to those phases, but in my case, as far as I can move during it, it also make them unskippable, so I don't. I really just press 'enter'