How Many Battles Per Gaming Session?

[CleverNickName]

I'm curious how combat-heavy everyone's adventures are. How many battles are fought in your typical gaming session?

EDIT: oops. That last poll option should read "20 or more."

 

[Calico_Jack73]

I'm running my group through Keep on the Shadowfell right now and we go through about 3 combat encounters per session.

 

[Obryn]

I run several games, and I have no single answer.

4e, run in 2.5 to 3 hour blocks: Usually 2-3, but could be as few as 1 if we have a low-combat session or an epic combat session (like last night). We had about as many in 3e as well.

1e, run in 7 hour blocks: We had 8 or 9 last time, clearing out the top level of the Moathouse. No battlemat, and I think we'd be slower if we used them.

SWSE, 2.5 to 3-hour blocks: No more than 2, usually.

WFRP2: Not much combat, but fights could run from quick slaughters to drawn-out parry-fests. No more than 2 or 3, I'd say.

-O

 

[Scribe Ineti]

My 4e campaign is pretty RP-intensive, but we're still averaging about two to three encounters per session, usually two combat encounters and a skill challenge, or three smaller combat encounters. We've also had a couple sessions where we have one big fight and then a ton of RP to fill out the evening.

Each encounter is taking anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half for us to complete, so I'd find it hard to imagine a 4e game with more than 5-6 combats in one session. Kudos to whoever runs a game like that though.

 

[CleverNickName]

Each encounter is taking anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half for us to complete, so I'd find it hard to imagine a 4e game with more than 5-6 combats in one session. Kudos to whoever runs a game like that though.

It just depends on how long your gaming session is. If you game for 2-3 hours on Saturday night, you would only be able to get through a handful of encounters...but if your gaming sessions typically last for 10-12 hours, you could hit the 20 mark pretty easily.

So really, the poll lets me gauge both the amount of combat and the length of the gaming sessions.

 

[Renshai]

It just depends on how long your gaming session is. If you game for 2-3 hours on Saturday night, you would only be able to get through a handful of encounters...but if your gaming sessions typically last for 10-12 hours, you could hit the 20 mark pretty easily.

So really, the poll lets me gauge both the amount of combat and the length of the gaming sessions.

I've run many 10-12 hour sessions and we never got anywhere close to running 20 encounters, in any addition.

 

[CleverNickName]

I prefer to run a deep-roleplay, low-combat style of game, with more skill challenges, puzzles, and riddles than anything else. The party rarely gets into combat more than once or twice per gaming session. I guess you could compare my style of game to the old text-based RPGs of the early 80's.

All of these discussions about "per encounter" abilities and recharge times and whatnot are lost on us.

 

[Bagpuss]

Playing Keep on the Shadowfell we play from about 7pm to 12pm we manage 4 encounters easily most nights, unless there is some heavy roleplay encounter (heavy RP in an WotC adventure who am I kidding), we've previously managed 7 or 8 in a night as well (no extended rests). I ticked the 4-6 as that seems closest.

When we were playing 3.5 we were lucky to get through 3 or 4 in a night, facing less opponents.

So dramatic improvement in the speed of combat, at least for our group. I think it's because I've provided power cards for everyone, the wizard/cleric also don't spend too long deciding what they are going to do, which was a problem in 3rd Ed.

 

[CleverNickName]

I've run many 10-12 hour sessions and we never got anywhere close to running 20 encounters, in any addition.

But it's possible, right?

 

[Renshai]

Yeah, the nature of "encounter" is fairly subjective now.