How long should a "One-Shot" adventure be?

[Mark]

Different groups play for different lengths of time; some for four hours stretches, some play late into the evening (6 to 8 hours), still others give it a full Saturday (10 to 12 hours) or even a weekend. While not everyone uses store bought modules, DMs still try to design adventures with the idea that, if it is to be a one-shot, it will last for a certain period of time.

How long is that time for you, as a DM or as a player?

In the case of people who play in campaigns with longer arcs, how long is one "episode" for you?

As always,
Mark

www.CreativeMountainGames.com

 

[CRGreathouse]

6-8 hours for a one-shot; 4-8 hours for a typical episode of a longer campaign.

 

[fakename]

When writing for cons, 2 1/2 to 3 hours; thats the length of a standard session here in Sydney.

When writing a one-off for friends: as long as it takes to do the plot justice. Some things fit nicely into 2 hours (short and sharp) others need 4 to 8 hours to avoid being rushed.

 

[Mark]

When writing for cons, 2 1/2 to 3 hours; thats the length of a standard session here in Sydney.

That seems odd to me. I've always experienced that Convention slots are 4 hours (3:45 actually, but you know what I mean)

Doesn't seem like much more than a couple/few of encounters could be squeezed into that amount of time. Especially since groups at conventions are often made up of folks who haven't played together as a group and things don't usually run that smoothly in those cases.

Can you give me an example of a typical 2 1/2 hour module?