D&D 5E Streams or podcasts where the groups complete a "standard adventuring day" in a 4 hour session?

[Sword of Spirit]

When people start discussing what they get done in a certain amount of time, examples always come up of people getting through a lot more than any of my groups (whether I was player or DM) has ever gotten through in the same amount of time. I'm very curious as to how this happens, and with modern online experiences, I realized the easiest way would probably be to actually watch it take place.

So can anyone point to any games I can watch that actually get through a recommended standard adventuring day (6-8 encounters, plus all three pillars) in a single session of around 4 hours?

I'm primarily thinking of an ongoing campaign that does this regularly, not that one session where it it just ended up working that way.

 

[Li Shenron]

I would also be interested in this.

I have got nowhere near 6-8 encounters per session. Recently I was able to run a one-shot adventure in less than 3 hours: a mini-dungeon with 7 rooms, 3 combat encounters + 2 combats avoided, and one trap. But notably the social pillar was missing (except for the Druid talking the group out of a fight with a swarm of rats). I think social interactions and information gathering is what drags my games slow most of everything, but I am sure it can be different depending on the players, if they're extremely careful or almost paranoid then exploration can take forever. I think my average is more like 2 combats per session, although I rarely play longer than 3 hours in a row nowadays.

 

[Jack Hooligan]

I run two hour sessions and we got through 4 encounters in the last one. That’s about average for me. I run Theater of the Mind games so that saves a lot of time.

 

[aco175]

In some of the games I try to have a self-contained adventure run about 4 hours. It is typically only 3 encounters with the other pillars though. One encounter is more difficult, so maybe that counts as more than one 'average' encounter. If I had 4 hard encounters over 6-8 average, not sure if that is implied.

 

[DND_Reborn]

The online game I've been running for a couple months plays for 4 hours (1-5 PM on Sundays). Yesterday we got through 7 encounters and it was the "adventuring day" consisting of 2 easy, 1 moderate, 3 hard, and 1 deadly encounter, so it is certainly possible. In that game, we probably average 6 encounters though and that consists of our adventuring day. Because it is online and we have less time, I try to keep the game flowing more quickly.

Our live group averages about 6-8 encounters per session, be we play for much longer than 4 hours (usually about 10 hours). In the live game, we tend to joke more and such, but that is also because I know we will have 10-12 hours.

 

[Flamestrike]

I think my average is more like 2 combats per session, although I rarely play longer than 3 hours in a row nowadays.

If you wanted to link rest/ resource recharge to sessions then it looks like a Short rest every session, and a Long rest every third session is for you.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

We haven't had any examples to watch yet...which makes me think those sorts of things are at least rare. Still, I really want to see what it looks like when it happens, to see if that pace would even be something theoretically desirable.

Does anyone know of streams/casts that do it?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

We haven't had any examples to watch yet...which makes me think those sorts of things are at least rare. Still, I really want to see what it looks like when it happens, to see if that pace would even be something theoretically desirable.

Does anyone know of streams/casts that do it?

I think you have answered that yourself: it's "no".

If anything, streams are going to move through content slower than an average table, since they are full of actors showing off their role play skills.

 

[Mecheon]

Yeah. Even the one I heavily watch (Arcadum) tend lower than the number of encounters, though he's good at balancing the various pillars (Though, social and combat take the cake for obvious reasons)

Mind Arcadum's homebrew monsters tend to run a lot less 'normal' and more 'so, how's about having to do three sessions to take down a single bossfight'

 

[pogre]

The all 3 pillars requirement is going to be tough in a four hour session with that amount of encounters. We easily do that number of encounters and do hit the exploration pillar. However, I'm the first to admit roleplaying and character development (social interaction) tend to take a backseat in those sessions.

While it is exciting and enjoyable at the table - I doubt it would make a very engaging stream or video.