redrick
First Post
I've been running a weekly game for about 6 months now, and one of the things I struggle with every session is finding a good way to tie things up for the night that feels satisfying. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it means that a lot of our sessions end with that feeling of driving down I-80 at 1 in the morning "just trying to get past one more exit".
We've been running old D&D modules — we started with Keep on the Borderlands and are now in Castle Amber. Both are very exploration driven, as opposed to event driven, so there's not much worry about time, and it can be hard to predict what will happen in any given session, as players are free to skip rooms or areas, retreat and regroup, go back to ask NPCs just one more question, etc. So, at this point, I don't even try to anticipate where we'll be at the end of the night, and just try to stay well enough ahead that I don't get totally caught off-guard.
Castle Amber suggests that a group should be able to finish each "area" in one session, but we are either a slow group or playing short sessions, as we never finish an area in one session. Last night was our 3rd session in Castle Amber and we only ventured into the 2nd major encounter area towards the end of the session.
Sorry, long preamble. Question is, do you as GM's worry about finding good ways to tie up your session so that it feels like it ends on a strong note, or do you just call "cut" when the time is up? Do you have tricks for manufacturing/improvising those stopping points when they might not fit with the natural flow of the adventure? Do you ever stop early because, "damn, that just felt like the perfect place to say, 'TO BE CONTINUED...'"? Do you feel bad when you say, "this is where we're stopping," but the players all want to keep going?
Thanks, as always, for your thoughts.
We've been running old D&D modules — we started with Keep on the Borderlands and are now in Castle Amber. Both are very exploration driven, as opposed to event driven, so there's not much worry about time, and it can be hard to predict what will happen in any given session, as players are free to skip rooms or areas, retreat and regroup, go back to ask NPCs just one more question, etc. So, at this point, I don't even try to anticipate where we'll be at the end of the night, and just try to stay well enough ahead that I don't get totally caught off-guard.
Castle Amber suggests that a group should be able to finish each "area" in one session, but we are either a slow group or playing short sessions, as we never finish an area in one session. Last night was our 3rd session in Castle Amber and we only ventured into the 2nd major encounter area towards the end of the session.
Sorry, long preamble. Question is, do you as GM's worry about finding good ways to tie up your session so that it feels like it ends on a strong note, or do you just call "cut" when the time is up? Do you have tricks for manufacturing/improvising those stopping points when they might not fit with the natural flow of the adventure? Do you ever stop early because, "damn, that just felt like the perfect place to say, 'TO BE CONTINUED...'"? Do you feel bad when you say, "this is where we're stopping," but the players all want to keep going?
Thanks, as always, for your thoughts.