What is 'normal' for you?

I notice that around here a lot of debate/argument comes from people making assumptions that every DnD game is just like the one they run/play in. The fact is that there is no such thing as a 'normal' game, we all do something a little differnt. I am interested, however, to find out what is 'normal' for your DnD game both in how it is played and by whom( as opposed to your modern, vampire, sci-fi,etc game).

For us, in no particular order:
- fewer than 3 players, not counting DM, often running 2 PCs
- more often than not following DMG wealth by level guidelines and XP table
- more often than not any magic item is available provided the community wealth level is appropriate
- wide open choices on books and materials (due more to who is playing and how they play than anything else)
- house rules like action points, 'dying' rules, etc not unusual
- in general settings, campaigns, and adventures are homebrew not purchased although this may be changing
- campaigns rarely last beyond 10th level or a few months of play
- PC death is exceptionally unlikely
- rarely do we have the "classic" 4 roles covered, but that also maybe changing
- character driven play (in that what makes the game interesting for most of the players is developing and expanding their character's personality, goals, etc rather than just getting new powers)
- dungeon crawls are rare
- 2/3s fo the group are female
- play only with close friends

ADDED:
-Sessions are 4-6 hours, usually with a dinner break, rarely longer
-sessions are weekly, but wind up averaging 3 per month due to schedules
-play is at one of two houses, usually at the DMs discretion.

your game seems to be very much like the one I play in.

For the various groups I play in:

- Relatively larger group (5 to 8 players, plus DM)
- Everyone plays one PC
- Sessions are not terribly frequent (depending on the group, no more than once a month)
- Sessions are not particularly long (4 to 5 hours, with a few exceptions)
- Campaigns are usually long in duration (3 years or more is typical)
- Campaigns are frequently a series of episodic adventures that may or may not be interrelated, save for the same PCs (as opposed to a campaign-long story arc)
- PC death is fairly infrequent (and permanent death almost unheard of)
- A small number of house rules, and nothing particularly divergent from "base" D&D
- Infrequent use of anything other than WotC-published books (esp. for PCs)
- Usually, good co-ordination between players on PC choices, to create well-rounded parties
- Always use the XP tables; usually try to follow the PC wealth by level guidelines
- Fairly open availability for having magic items custom made / enhanced
- Most players are also social friends outside of the game (and many were non-gaming friends that were brought into the game)
- Players are predominantly male, though we almost always have at least one or two women in the group, sometimes more
- Long-lasting player relationships (most have been in the group for many years)

For us, in no particular order:
- anywhere from 4 to 8 players + DM
- TRYING to follow DMG wealth by level guidelines and XP table, usually wind up above it
- more often than not any magic item is available provided the community wealth level is appropriate
- sessions are about 6 hours in length on average
- wide open choices on books and materials
- very few house rules
- about a 70/30 mix of homebrew/pre-generated adventures and settings
- campaigns rarely last beyond 8 to 10 levels, no matter what starting level
- PC death happens anywhere from 1 per session to one per 3 sessions
- almost always have the "classic" 4 roles covered
- almost every single one of the Robin Laws gamer types met (power gamers, method actors, specialists, storytellers, casual gamers)
- 50/50 mystery/urban to dungeon crawls
- 0% of the group is female currently, in the past it was around 20%
- play friends & close friends; we all could hang out doing anything from gaming to watching movies together.

Yeah, I'm about the same as Storm and Moon...

-4 players including DM
-DM switches off every couple of sessions, returning to their own ongoing campaign
- DMG wealth by level guidelines and XP table are followed more closely by one DM than the other. Everyone is more or less okay with each style.
- Magic items in general are fewer but more powerful. Use of Weapons of Legacy is one DM's more favorite aspect of the game.
- Choices on books and materials is limited to what is owned by either DM. Between the two of us, we have many of the WotC books, and a smattering of Green Ronin (Freeport) and Necromancer.
- house rules like action points, 'dying' rules, etc not unusual, in fact, common
- in general settings, campaigns, and adventures are homebrew, but both have an Ebberon-ish feel cause we both like the flavor.
- Campaigns rarely last beyond 10th level or a few months of play, but this may be changing
- PC death is unlikely, but not unheard of
- rarely do we have the "classic" 4 roles covered. We are closer in one game (human cleric, flying elf wizard, shifter paladin, human ghost telepath), and in the other we are very skills-y (half giant factotum, human urban ranger, human ninja, wererat seer)
- getting better at character driven play, the ladies are still concerned about getting the rules right, but it gets better every session.
- dungeon crawls happen, urban crawls happen, free form happens, we go with it
- 1/2 of the group is female
- play only with close friends

Cheers,
RS

-Five to eight players, one DM.
-Usually try to provide as much EXP as possible per session.
-Try to give each player a useful magic item per adventure. Only scrolls, potions and the occasional wand can be bought.
-Low to middle-levels, high levels scare me.
-Sessions last anywhere from three to six hours
-Completely homebrew
-Lots of arguments about rules
-Many near-deaths, few true deaths
-No over arching plots, storylines usually only last two or three adventures
-Mainly hack-and-slash, although moving towards more role-playing
-Used to have a female player, but she had a nasty breakup with one of the other players and they can't stand to look at each other anymore
-We're all good friends

For the one I'm a player in:

- 4 to 6 players, never any NPCs in the party
- rarely following DMG wealth by level guidelines, except at character creation, always following XP guidelines
- magic item availability seems limited, sometimes
- wide open choices on books and materials (balance is dead anyway, let the players enjoy themselves)
- few house rules
- in general settings, campaigns, and adventures are homebrew not purchased
- campaigns rarely last beyond 10th level or a few months of play
- PC death is commonplace
- always have the classic 4 roles
- plot driven play
- dungeon crawls are unfortunately common
- occasional women players
- group formed from strangers, but we're all friends now
-Sessions are 4-6 hours, usually with a dinner break, rarely longer
-sessions are weekly, but wind up averaging 3 per month due to schedules
-play is at one house


For the one I GM:

- 4 to 6 players, NPCs are always in the party
- never following DMG wealth by level guidelines, except at character creation, XP guidelines are ignored, instead levelling occurs when it seems appropriate
- magic item availability is limited by locale and diplomacy/gather info checks
- wide open choices on books and materials (balance is dead anyway, let the players enjoy themselves)
- house rules galore (everything has max hps, point based builds which scale as you gain status in guilds and groups, all monsters are revamped more or less completely or simply reinvented)
- completely homebrew
- campaigns last as long as I can tolerate it
- PC death is uncommon
- always have the classic 4 roles
- plot and character driven play
- avoid dungeon crawls
- occasional women players
- group formed from strangers, but we're all friends now
-Sessions are 4-6 hours, usually with a dinner break, rarely longer
-sessions are weekly, but wind up averaging 3 per month due to schedules
-play is at one house

For my D&D game
- 3 players (4th coming back any week now) only 1 Character per player
- XP and wealth are done to what feels right
- Magical items are just potions though soon that is changing
- Anything is allowed, players take PHB options
- A number of house rules like feat a level, action points, dying at negative con, bonus feats
- Eberron campaign set only in Sharn. Adventures are a mix of bought that I modify
- Campaigns usually approach 20 or go well beyond
- PC death is exceptionally unlikely
- We're lucky to have one of the roles covered
- ACtion and setting driven play. The Players are not ready for anything else yet
- dungeon crawls arecommon but short
- All male
- play only with close friends
-Sessions are 4-5 hours, usually food is done before we game
-sessions are weekly with a once a month Saturday session
-Play is usually at one guy's place

Generally:

-usually 2 to 4 players, sometimes running multiple PCs
-mostly ignore wealth guidelines in the DMG
-few magic items are availble in communities
-i will usually allow any book/materials
-some house rules
-mix of homebrew and purchased adventures
-campaigns usually start at 2nd-3rd level and go to 13-15th (but sometimes go higher), and campaigns last between a few monhts and a few years
-classic 4 roles not necessarily covered
-both story & character driven play
-dungeon crawls are fairly common
-rarely are any of my players female
-play mostly with close friends
-sessions always run at least 7-8 hours
-sessions are generally played every other week
-play is usually at my house, but not always

my group's game usually consist of

-6-9 players + DM
-4-6hr sessions
-almost 100% homebrew
-fairly free reign of books / rules -- though, no BoED, BoVD, etc. (DM-style books). Psionics are rare
- long campaigns with mostly weekly meetings
- fairly little in the way of house rules
- depending on the campaign, character death can be very frequent to relatively infrequent (w00t for -168hp)
- magic items available more or less as desired
- dm's dislike really strange builds