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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dain" data-source="post: 371962" data-attributes="member: 1801">Personally, anything less than 8 leaves everyone feeling like there isn't enough time to get anything done in the 3 groups I run. I'm 40 and still game til I drop or players nod off (most of which are half to 2/3rds of my age thank you kindly, so stuff that in your old fogie theory), which is usually anywhere from 8 to 16 hours on the average.Unfortunately nowadays, the latter is usually the case, cuttingsessions down to being unbelieveably short (in my opinion). Since my players always drop before I do, I can't really say how long I'd last if I had to, but Judging from my levels of alertness and  creativity at the time I am forced to fold up, I'd say 18 to 20 would be my limit nowadays...but that's not due to age...that's due to responsibilities and needing to relate to the real world once in a while.I do have some guidelines for you to help lengthen your sessions:1. Become independently wealthy or get a job with very small demands on your time that also doesn't sap your energy and creativity (don't ask me how...that's YOUR problem...I went the cushy glass office route...sorry, we're not hiring admin level people just now).2. if you intend to marry, marry someone who is as fanatic about gaming as you are OR who has incredible levels of tolerance for your gaming addiction (I went compremise...she participates and enjoys it, but mostly is just tolerantly humoring my addiction while only paying half attention due to working on something else at the gaming table).3. Avoid having children unless you can work out a way to have them being born speaking, with a 9th grade educational level and a severe jones for gaming that superceeds all other interests.4. Make sure all your players meet at least 2 of the 3 criteria listed above so they don't feel the need to sneak off on you halfway through a session.5. (probably the most realistic guideline here) Most game masters aren't insane like I am...about 4 to 6 hours is all they can handle. This is NOT a comment on their abilities, which I am sure are excellent. This is a comment on human attention spans and wear and tear of concentration on one's brain. Most game masters, especially those with one or more "problem children" players, can get burned out pretty quick. I'd suggest having about 3 or 4 different games ready to go, but don't assign a real schedule. Wait until you get together to see what you want to play and go with the majority rules. Don't make a cut off time...as long as everyone (GM included!) feels fresh and into the adventure, keep going. When things start getting thin, have the GM get to a stopping point he will remember, take a short break, and come to a majority rules agreement on what to play next. Make sure the same person is NOT stuck GM'ing (unless he wants to) because his brain is probably fried and he needs to play for a while and relax (GM's like to play too...if they never get to play, many burn out for multiple months, and then you go on gaming withdraws until they get back in the mood to run again!). It also helps if the games are vastly different...systems included. Having multiple different games but all in the same gaming system doesn't usually help.In the group I "grew up in" we had a mainstay of "Call of Cthulhu" (original percentile system...not the D20 "D&D in disguise" waste of trees), and side games of just about everything imaginable (Tank conflicts (Armor/Panzer/'88), "D&D 1st ed," "Paladium" system, "Villians and Vigilantes," "Elric," "Super World," "Gamma World," "Pirates and Plunder," "Guns of Navarone," "Book of Mars," "Morrow Project," "Rolemaster" (after a brief stint in "Middle Earth"), "Eurorails,"  and numerous other one shot systems or modules. It also helps if you don't stick to one category. Roleplay rules, but board games like "Eurorails" and small tank conflicts can make for a good shake up to keep everything feeling new and interesting (and to make people MISS the role play instead of being tired of it so they get more "into" their characters when you do play.Ok, Ok, Ok, everybody probably is probably thinking "when is this blow hard going to shut up" about now. Sorry, just trying to give an honest answer to a reasonable question.Good gaming to all!</blockquote>

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