diff --git a/code/controllers/master.dm b/code/controllers/master.dm
index b6fb14a695..e695b0fd0b 100644
--- a/code/controllers/master.dm
+++ b/code/controllers/master.dm
@@ -292,7 +292,8 @@ GLOBAL_REAL(Master, /datum/controller/master) = new
 		SS.state = SS_IDLE
 		if (SS.flags & SS_TICKER)
 			tickersubsystems += SS
-			timer += world.tick_lag * rand(1, 5)
+			// Timer subsystems aren't allowed to bunch up, so we offset them a bit
+			timer += world.tick_lag * rand(0, 1)
 			SS.next_fire = timer
 			continue
 
@@ -371,14 +372,16 @@ GLOBAL_REAL(Master, /datum/controller/master) = new
 			var/checking_runlevel = current_runlevel
 			if(cached_runlevel != checking_runlevel)
 				//resechedule subsystems
+				var/list/old_subsystems = current_runlevel_subsystems
 				cached_runlevel = checking_runlevel
 				current_runlevel_subsystems = runlevel_sorted_subsystems[cached_runlevel]
-				var/stagger = world.time
-				for(var/I in current_runlevel_subsystems)
-					var/datum/controller/subsystem/SS = I
-					if(SS.next_fire <= world.time)
-						stagger += world.tick_lag * rand(1, 5)
-						SS.next_fire = stagger
+
+				//now we'll go through all the subsystems we want to offset and give them a next_fire
+				for(var/datum/controller/subsystem/SS as anything in current_runlevel_subsystems)
+					//we only want to offset it if it's new and also behind
+					if(SS.next_fire > world.time || (SS in old_subsystems))
+						continue
+					SS.next_fire = world.time + world.tick_lag * rand(0, DS2TICKS(min(SS.wait, 2 SECONDS)))
 
 			subsystems_to_check = current_runlevel_subsystems
 		else