Commuting to a game
- Thread starter Calico_Jack73
- Start date
SiderisAnon
First Post
Commuting
Generally, I can get anywhere in town in 20 minutes or less. (Assuming it's not 5:00 traffic.) So, as far as being a player, I figure that's a reasonable commute. While I know people who commute an hour or more (to a different city) for their games, I've never had a game as a player that I thought was worth that much time in the car.
As a DM, however, it's a completely different thing. My commute should then be zero. I always run at my place because I hate transporting all of my stuff. I'm a very off the cuff DM, and I like having all of the possible tools (maps, handouts, books, miniatures, map tiles, et cetera) at my fingertips. Plus, I don't have a laptop, so I lose all my computer resources when I travel.
I've commute about 10 minutes with a rolling toolbox full of books and miniatures when I was running RPGA games at the FLGS. That worked becuase I had a preset module so I knew exactly what to bring. Plus, helping to bring new people into the hobby was worth the hassle of hauling the books up and down the stairs. However, I finally burned out on my local RPGA group, so I don't do that anymore.
There is a game I am in a player in where one of the other players commutes from Phoenix to Albuquerque. However, that's really more of a work thing. He's here part of the week and in Phoenix part of the week. It's just that he happens to come back here in time for the game.
Generally, I can get anywhere in town in 20 minutes or less. (Assuming it's not 5:00 traffic.) So, as far as being a player, I figure that's a reasonable commute. While I know people who commute an hour or more (to a different city) for their games, I've never had a game as a player that I thought was worth that much time in the car.
As a DM, however, it's a completely different thing. My commute should then be zero. I always run at my place because I hate transporting all of my stuff. I'm a very off the cuff DM, and I like having all of the possible tools (maps, handouts, books, miniatures, map tiles, et cetera) at my fingertips. Plus, I don't have a laptop, so I lose all my computer resources when I travel.
I've commute about 10 minutes with a rolling toolbox full of books and miniatures when I was running RPGA games at the FLGS. That worked becuase I had a preset module so I knew exactly what to bring. Plus, helping to bring new people into the hobby was worth the hassle of hauling the books up and down the stairs. However, I finally burned out on my local RPGA group, so I don't do that anymore.
There is a game I am in a player in where one of the other players commutes from Phoenix to Albuquerque. However, that's really more of a work thing. He's here part of the week and in Phoenix part of the week. It's just that he happens to come back here in time for the game.
We have a Player that has traveled 40+ miles round trip every weekend for thirteen or so years, before she was making that trip one half our group was making that trip at least once a week.
DarthJaye recently moved to Las Vegas, he has to bring his son to the area so he can see his mom everyonce in a while. He has made the trip once so far, the plan was this weekend, but his work is not gonna allow so not this weekend.
As far as traveling for a game, it greatly depends on your feelings towards it.
DarthJaye recently moved to Las Vegas, he has to bring his son to the area so he can see his mom everyonce in a while. He has made the trip once so far, the plan was this weekend, but his work is not gonna allow so not this weekend.
As far as traveling for a game, it greatly depends on your feelings towards it.
HeapThaumaturgist
First Post
Well, for most of a year I commuted about an hour, each way, to the game I'm currently in. We lived a town over and I figured I'd be getting a job any time where we wanted to live, so it wasn't a big deal. "A few months" of commuting turned into a year of commuting without finding work. After a while my wife completed her degree program so we had no reason to stay in the college town and, since neither of us could find work, we moved to the south end of the state and moved in with my folks (where rent is free).
So now, if I "commute" to the game, it's 3 hours each way. I don't go up there just for the game, though. If I'm in town for an interview or some business we need to take care of, we try to get the game and the other needs to coincide with eachother.
I'm a pretty dedicated guy. I joined the group so I sort of feel responsible for getting to the games. I helped set up a wireless networking solution in the game room, though, so now I attend games via Skype and a webcam over the internet. They hang the eye over the terrain and have a mic more or less hanging over the game table so I can hear everybody and they can hear me through the speakers. It's a little more PITA, but it seems to be working out rather well.
Certainly not "the same", but as a stopgap we'll see.
--fje
So now, if I "commute" to the game, it's 3 hours each way. I don't go up there just for the game, though. If I'm in town for an interview or some business we need to take care of, we try to get the game and the other needs to coincide with eachother.
I'm a pretty dedicated guy. I joined the group so I sort of feel responsible for getting to the games. I helped set up a wireless networking solution in the game room, though, so now I attend games via Skype and a webcam over the internet. They hang the eye over the terrain and have a mic more or less hanging over the game table so I can hear everybody and they can hear me through the speakers. It's a little more PITA, but it seems to be working out rather well.
Certainly not "the same", but as a stopgap we'll see.
--fje
Psion
Adventurer
Calico_Jack73 said:
We are in the same exact situation.
Of course, I live on the other side of the Potomac, but my story has pretty much been the same. Lots of prattle about stuff closer to DC, but silent gaming life locally.
I used to commute to Alexandria, VA (a little over an hour drive) to run a game, but that was a PITA. I really prefer to run things at home.
Rodrigo Istalindir
Explorer
I'm metro-bound, but I'd put up with an hour or so each way. On the rare occasions I get to game anymore, it's at a friend's house about 45 minutes away by metro.
Although, I did just 'commute' 9 hours each way to go to the Rhode Island gameday!
Although, I did just 'commute' 9 hours each way to go to the Rhode Island gameday!
Arnwyn
First Post
As a player, I'd suffer about a half-hour commute (one way) through city traffic or otherwise (of course, where I'm from, a half-hour commute would get me to the other side of the city except in the worst rush hours).Calico_Jack73 said:
As a DM? Zero. I would never commute as a DM.
Crothian
First Post
Arnwyn said:
I have commuted as a DM. With people spread out all over the place I think it is best to game in a central location and my place is not that. So, I commute 20 miles north knowing that another guy is driving farther from the south. But as a DM I have no need for a lot of books and I know that is one reason why many DMs don't like to travel to game.
Arnwyn said:
I DM on the road more often than I do at home, as it turns out.
I have two regular groups that I DM for on a monthly basis:
For group #1, my wife and I are the easternmost location among the players (two players would have to drive over an hour to get to our house). And, the one person who's really centrally located has a great gaming set-up in her basement, so we almost always play at her house (it's about a half-hour drive for us).
For group #2, we just rotate where we play between the players' houses, because no one is particularly centrally located.
Yeah, I carry a ton of books and minis, but that just means that my book bag weighs like 30 pounds. Good exercise.
