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[Players] How much time do you spend preparing for one game session to the next?
- Thread starter Emirikol
- Start date
merelycompetent
First Post
When I'm a player, 60-90 minutes between sessions is the norm for me. If it's a rule system I'm already familiar with, I spend less time on rules-research and more time on character background. If I'm not familiar with it, I do the reverse.
Helping the DM (or host) out may skew that time one way or the other. I've had DMs ask me to help out other players with a specific issue, come up with NPCs or inventive (cursed) magic items, and the like.
If all the players are on the same message board, or have email, and actively communicate/plan with each other, the time spent on character work between sessions can easily climb into the 3+ hours range.
I'm assuming you're not including social, non-game-related, events like cookouts, movies, concerts, or the like.
Helping the DM (or host) out may skew that time one way or the other. I've had DMs ask me to help out other players with a specific issue, come up with NPCs or inventive (cursed) magic items, and the like.
If all the players are on the same message board, or have email, and actively communicate/plan with each other, the time spent on character work between sessions can easily climb into the 3+ hours range.
I'm assuming you're not including social, non-game-related, events like cookouts, movies, concerts, or the like.
Abraxas
Explorer
More than 90 minutes
I write up our session notes for all the players to read.
I keep track of all treasure found, and for magic or unusual items, I write up descriptions with all game mechanic info so we don't waste time paging through reference books during the game to find out what an item, scroll, potion, wand, etc. does.
I look up stuff for other players who don't own all the books we use.
I review the game session notes to see if I have missed some clue that the DM dropped in the game that I might have overlooked before.
I review my character's abilities so I don't forget some obscure ability in the middle of a session.
When our character's have down time I let the DM know what info I want the character to investigate (gotta know something with those Knowledge skills) and read up on the stuff he says my character can know/or learns.
I review rules that we have had trouble with during game sessions and either note relevant references or write up crib sheets.
I probably spend more time prepping as a player than when I DM.
I write up our session notes for all the players to read.
I keep track of all treasure found, and for magic or unusual items, I write up descriptions with all game mechanic info so we don't waste time paging through reference books during the game to find out what an item, scroll, potion, wand, etc. does.
I look up stuff for other players who don't own all the books we use.
I review the game session notes to see if I have missed some clue that the DM dropped in the game that I might have overlooked before.
I review my character's abilities so I don't forget some obscure ability in the middle of a session.
When our character's have down time I let the DM know what info I want the character to investigate (gotta know something with those Knowledge skills) and read up on the stuff he says my character can know/or learns.
I review rules that we have had trouble with during game sessions and either note relevant references or write up crib sheets.
I probably spend more time prepping as a player than when I DM.
Terwox
First Post
Usually 0 minutes. One DM I run w/, I've spent 5 hours on one character and probably 20 hours on another character before they're generated. After generation is done, I don't really do much at all.
Of course, if you count helping design the homebrew system... I spent a good deal of time helping chunk that out. But there's little character work between games, as opposed to DM'ing, where it's almost all that.
Of course, if you count helping design the homebrew system... I spent a good deal of time helping chunk that out. But there's little character work between games, as opposed to DM'ing, where it's almost all that.
CanadienneBacon
Explorer
How much time I spend prepping as a player depends upon what character level the character is that I'm playing. For character generation, I can spend days or weeks dreaming up ideas and then fiddling with combinations to get the character to best match what I have in mind. Average character generation seems to take about two to three days for me.
After character generation, I spend quite some time between sessions for the next two to three character levels considering how to best incorporate what's happened in game into my ideas for my character. This time, say from level 1 to level 3, might take a couple of hours or more between sessions.
From levels 5-12 or so, I probably spend less than half an hour prepping the PC between sessions. I haven't played beyond 15th level, so I really can't speak to how much time I might spend prepping the PC after that.
I voted less than 30 minutes in the poll, but did want to mention that my prep time varies and is dependent upon level. Preferring to DM, I don't play that often and thus my reply to the poll might also skew things a bit.
After character generation, I spend quite some time between sessions for the next two to three character levels considering how to best incorporate what's happened in game into my ideas for my character. This time, say from level 1 to level 3, might take a couple of hours or more between sessions.
From levels 5-12 or so, I probably spend less than half an hour prepping the PC between sessions. I haven't played beyond 15th level, so I really can't speak to how much time I might spend prepping the PC after that.
I voted less than 30 minutes in the poll, but did want to mention that my prep time varies and is dependent upon level. Preferring to DM, I don't play that often and thus my reply to the poll might also skew things a bit.
