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<blockquote data-quote="Ratskinner" data-source="post: 7198695" data-attributes="member: 6688937">Tough question. IME, combats are actually fairly easy to get a handle on...at least once you get used to your group. Some groups lollygag around the table more than others and that slows down a combat.Its much harder to estimate the time a party will take on things like mysteries and puzzles. I've seen too many mysteries get bogged down. Not usually because they don't have enough clues, but because they have taken some offhand or irrelevant DM/NPC comment from last session and turned it into gospel truth. You will also get weird things like my current group...I sometimes get the impression that they just skipped or went around puzzles and bashed through mysteries with intimidation and torture before I joined up (or let DMNPCs guide them). You just don't know how long they are willing or need to take to solve such things.That being said, its maybe not all that important. I mean, a DM shouldn't get too attached to things like a plot or schedule. If they are spending 3 hours puzzling over what you thought would be a minor distraction, but are having fun doing it, Great! You've done your job! The other way (when they whip through stuff), just make sure you've prepped enough possible throw-away encounters to toss in. Your main job as DM is to provide them with entertaining stuff to do, don't worry about things like &quot;will they get through this adventure before we go back to school?&quot; If they do, they do, if not, so be it. Overprep* for the occasions when they blow through stuff, and don't be sad if/when they don't get to it all. (Just save it for the next game.)*This advice is meant only for D&amp;D. Plenty of other games out there don't require any prep at all, and even 5e is a bit lighter on it than some of its predecessors. Some games (namely the PbtA games) are even plainly damaged by a GM being too attached to a story.I hope that helps.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ratskinner, post: 7198695, member: 6688937"] Tough question. IME, combats are actually fairly easy to get a handle on...at least once you get used to your group. Some groups lollygag around the table more than others and that slows down a combat. Its much harder to estimate the time a party will take on things like mysteries and puzzles. I've seen too many mysteries get bogged down. Not usually because they don't have enough clues, but because they have taken some offhand or irrelevant DM/NPC comment from last session and turned it into gospel truth. You will also get weird things like my current group...I sometimes get the impression that they just skipped or went around puzzles and bashed through mysteries with intimidation and torture before I joined up (or let DMNPCs guide them). You just don't know how long they are willing or need to take to solve such things. That being said, its maybe not all that important. I mean, a DM shouldn't get too attached to things like a plot or schedule. If they are spending 3 hours puzzling over what you thought would be a minor distraction, but are having fun doing it, Great! You've done your job! The other way (when they whip through stuff), just make sure you've prepped enough possible throw-away encounters to toss in. Your main job as DM is to provide them with entertaining stuff to do, don't worry about things like "will they get through this adventure before we go back to school?" If they do, they do, if not, so be it. Overprep* for the occasions when they blow through stuff, and don't be sad if/when they don't get to it all. (Just save it for the next game.) *This advice is meant only for D&D. Plenty of other games out there don't require any prep at all, and even 5e is a bit lighter on it than some of its predecessors. Some games (namely the PbtA games) are even plainly damaged by a GM being too attached to a story. I hope that helps. [/QUOTE]

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