Commuting to a game

[Lalato]

Before I moved to Champaign-Urbana, my gaming commute was about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on traffic (Orlando, FL). Now, it's 10 to 15 minutes, depending on if I stop for snacks on the way.

I also work up in Chicago during the week, but I currently only play the D&D Minis Game up there. Tuesday nights from Lombard to Mount Prospect is about 30 to 40 minutes. Wednesday nights from Lombard to Loyola Univ area on the northside is about an hour (with normal traffic). These are rush hour times. Chicago traffic is bad for your soul.

--sam

 

[Kheti sa-Menik]

Once a week on Monday nights, I drive up from East Aurora through Buffalo to Tonawanda in the northtowns. I can usually make it in 30-45 minutes, although with the amount of snow storm and weather conditions in the southtowns or the city, that could stretch to an hour or to an hour and a half.

Sometimes I stop in the city to pick up the player whose house we play at from work. He usually takes the bus but now that he gets out of work later, the rest of us beat him to his house since we are so used to our regular starting time.

The issue isn't getting there, it's going home. Right after work, I am jazzed and pumped to go to game, I've been looking forward to it all weekend and it's just the thing on a Monday night. But the drive home, after 8.5-10 hours of work that day followed by 6-7 hours of gaming that night, and I am beat, especially if it's my night to DM. That 1am-2am drive south to East Aurora feels like hours and I'm always exhausted. Then I have to be up at 645am Tuesday morning for work.

It can be grueling, but I game with a fine group of people...we all get along and the group has been together since 2003.
It's worth it.

 

[Qualidar]

My closest game is with my ENWorld gamers, which is at my place.

My weekly game with the High School friends is a 1 1/2 hour drive to (traffic) and a 35 minute ride from (speeding).

I've also recently started playing a couple of times a month with a different group that's about a 2 hour/1 hour commute.

That all seems like a lot (and it is), but that's reality with Boston traffic.

~Qualidar~

 

[MarkAHart]

I DM and I host, so my commute is pretty brief...

Among my players, however, half of my group commutes to Cedar Rapids, IA for our games.

One player commutes from Lake Forest (way north of Chicago, 4 hours one way, give or take)

Two players commute about two hours (one way).

One player commutes an hour (one way).

The other three players in my group are local, and only have a brief drive.

 

[sckeener]

I'm not in a game at the moment...so this is all in the past....

lets see...

In the past...

My longest commute to game regularly...Houston to Austin..4 hour drive one way.
My next longest commute would be South Houston (Clear Lake) to North Houston (Katy)...basically an hour one way.

 

[Master of the Game]

I live out in the middle of nowhere, so the closest of my players come 30 to 45 minutes, with the furthest traveling 1.5 to 2 hours. Most are in the one hour range though. The longer drive times are based on the day we play. It takes a lot longer to get to my place in rush hour traffic on a Friday than a Saturday afternoon.

 

[Twowolves]

The game I run meets once every 6-8 weeks, and I drive 80+ miles to the site. Two of the group live basically next door to one another, and the site has a huge, custom made gaming table. One of the other players in that game drives about 3 hours to get there, usually staying the weekend with me or another player.

 

[dream spawn]

I used to play in an Exalted game that was about 140 miles away. On a good day it was about 2.5 hours one way. We played every third Saturday.

 

[kenobi65]

Chicago traffic is bad for your soul.

No kiddin'. I thank gawd I can take public transit to work; if I'd had to drive every day for the past 17 years, I would have killed someone by now.

 

[Enforcer]

I've had it both good and bad.

The last game I played in, the DM hosted about 25 min. away on the Red Line. Then I moved and was 5 min. away on the Red Line. Then he moved and it was 40 min. by Red Line and a bus. Then I moved again and it was about an hour via public transit. Then he moved to St. Louis and that was that.

The current game I run takes me about 1.5 hrs. on public transit to get to, each way. That's the problem with being on the south side of Chicago and your players living on the north side. Totally worth it though.