D&D General How long should an after work online gaming session be ideally?

[Thomas Shey]

I suspect its a catch-22; I'd expect trying to set up a post-work game lasting longer than 2-3 hours is going to be a problem for most people, but I have to say a game that short strikes me as hard to set up unless your game system is super-simple, and maybe even then.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What is the sweet spot for you in your online games? Two, three, four hours?

I currently play online sessions on weekends only, for three hours, with typically a 10 minute break in the middle. After three hours, usually at least one person is getting close to fried and it's a good time to stop. Those who aren't typically hang out in chat for 30 minutes after, discussing the adventure and planning for next time.

My group is nearly all working adults (plus one of their college age kids), which means we have lots of other demands on our time. We don't even try for week nights, because even all the folks in the same time zone would likely end up cancelling half the time.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I suspect its a catch-22; I'd expect trying to set up a post-work game lasting longer than 2-3 hours is going to be a problem for most people, but I have to say a game that short strikes me as hard to set up unless your game system is super-simple, and maybe even then.

I've run three hour 5E games just fine. But I plan around a Five Room Dungeon and that window of time doesn't leave a lot more time to dilly-dally in towns or do traveling, etc.

In leaner systems, you can definitely get even more in. I've run all of Pirate Borg's Buried in the Bahamas in about two hours and 30 minutes, with players new to the system, two different times.

 

[cbwjm]

After work in the middle of the week, I wouldn't want any more than a couple hours. On a Friday, that could go up to 3 or 4 though.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Ours are supposed to run 7:30 - 10:30 or so, but schedules don't always align depending on who is running late with work/cooking dinner, etc. We've been friends for 15-30 years and are now spread all over the country so the game is kind of secondary to just hanging out and goofing around. I'd say we normally manage to get in about 2 hours of game/game adjacent time though.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I've run three hour 5E games just fine. But I plan around a Five Room Dungeon and that window of time doesn't leave a lot more time to dilly-dally in towns or do traveling, etc.

In leaner systems, you can definitely get even more in. I've run all of Pirate Borg's Buried in the Bahamas in about two hours and 30 minutes, with players new to the system, two different times.

I suspect your group is better disciplined than any I've seen.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I suspect your group is better disciplined than any I've seen.

Well, Five Room Dungeons by their nature are very focused. And Pirate Borg runs very fast.

I'm going to start running Radiant Citadel adventures under 5E soon, so we'll see how well the adventures fit into that schedule. I'm guessing they each take at least two three-hour sessions to complete.

 

[schneeland]

I suspect your group is better disciplined than any I've seen.

We ran Call from the Deep with such relatively short sessions, and though I would rank that group as moderately disciplined, it worked pretty smoothly. The major downside is, of course, that we had sessions that really were 90% combat; and I think we took 3 or 4 sessions to clear the final dungeon.

 

[The Soloist]

We used to do 3 hours but that was too long, now it's down to 2 hours.

 

[GrimCo]

I suspect its a catch-22; I'd expect trying to set up a post-work game lasting longer than 2-3 hours is going to be a problem for most people, but I have to say a game that short strikes me as hard to set up unless your game system is super-simple, and maybe even then.

For more complex systems, it helps if both players and DM have at least decent if not better level of system mastery and know how to run their characters mechanically well. It speeds up things and helps game run smooth when you don't waste time to check every few minutes how some rule or character mechanic works. Also, it depends on the play style of the party, campaign style etc.

From personal experience from two different groups, setting up longer sessions is easier if players are single, without kids or have older kids. Those people are usually more flexible and can start earlier (like 6-7, depending when they finish with work). We played PF1, started every Thursday at 18:30 and played mostly till 23, but some sessions finished even past 01:00. Setting up games for people with very young/young kids, you are lucky if you manage to play week after week consistently. Usually no games starts before 20:30, more often around 21. By 23 most of them are slowly starting to be a bit sleepy. Around midnight, almost everybody is yawning and concentration is non existent. That's why we used midnight as hard cut off. No matter where we are in session, by 0:00 DM is shooting down meet (we use google meet).