How long does your TTRPG gaming sessions usually last?

[kenada]

My sessions are scheduled for five and a half hours, but we always spend at least an hour or so socializing before we actually start playing. In practice, that works out to about four or so hours of actual gaming.

I miss the days of our playing all day until late into the evening, but no one has time for that anymore.

 

[R_J_K75]

I miss the days of our playing all day until late into the evening, but no one has time for that anymore.

As much as I miss it too and would love to play all day or pull and all-nighter again, I don't think me or my players would actually have the attention span to do it anymore. We were playing for probably over 4 hours about a year ago on Friday nights and for me as a DM having to concentrate for that long on top of pre-game prep took a lot out of me. Never used to, when I was in my teens and 20s we played for hours on end, multiple days a week.

 

[Richards]

Our weekly Wednesday campaigns (which recently bumped to Thursdays) starts at 6:30 PM and usually runs to about 9 PM, but that's with at least 15-20 minutes of non-game chat between the players before we actually begin the game session. We also have a Saturday campaign that meets 1-2 times a month of late, and for those we start as noon and usually go until about 5 PM.

Johnathan

 

[kenada]

As much as I miss it too and would love to play all day or pull and all-nighter again, I don't think me or my players would actually have the attention span to do it anymore. We were playing for probably over 4 hours about a year ago on Friday nights and for me as a DM having to concentrate for that long on top of pre-game prep took a lot out of me. Never used to, when I was in my teens and 20s we played for hours on end, multiple days a week.

We usually took a dinner break in the middle, which I think helped. You could decompress a bit and then go back to gaming. Ironically, I only really got burnt out after we switched, but I think that was probably due more to burning out on running APs than just running in general.

We tried other systems for a while, and then we started switching who would run. I still run something D&D-like (currently PF2), and someone runs something else (never D&D-like so far). It’s given me a chance to play, but I sometimes miss how quickly my campaign used to progress.

 

[John Dallman]

Weekday evenings, usually about 3 hours. Weekend afternoons, usually about 5 hours.

 

[R_J_K75]

We usually took a dinner break in the middle, which I think helped. You could decompress a bit and then go back to gaming. Ironically, I only really got burnt out after we switched, but I think that was probably due more to burning out on running APs than just running in general.

We tried other systems for a while, and then we started switching who would run. I still run something D&D-like (currently PF2), and someone runs something else (never D&D-like so far). It’s given me a chance to play, but I sometimes miss how quickly my campaign used to progress.

Im in the same boat. I miss playing as Ive been DMing primarily for the last 20 years. When I do get the chance its only for a game here and there. Im finding it increasingly more difficult to care enough to put quality games together because of DM burnout. This has led to more breaks than Id like.

 

[The Green Hermit]

We usually go around 4 hours, but will stop earlier if I notice that my son or husband is fading. Once they start wandering off, we have found that it is much less irritating to just call it a day at the next semi-stopping point.

 

[Retreater]

I voted for 2-3 hours. Since transitioning to online, sessions are shorter. There's less banter during the game and socializing, as well as a digital fatigue that sets in. Also, we start gaming later in the evening, and there isn't as much pressure to do longer sessions because we all "drove here to play." On the plus side, we're gaming more frequently, so it all balances out.

 

[Xaelvaen]

8pm to Midnight, every Monday and Tuesday Night. The group even arranged the same days off just to avoid inconveniences.

 

[R_J_K75]

8pm to Midnight, every Monday and Tuesday Night. The group even arranged the same days off just to avoid inconveniences.

Nice.