How many game sessions have you run?

[Echohawk]

Of course, none of that includes the hours of prep work as a DM, or the many hours reading D&D books, or discussing it on forums like EN World.

It's probably best if I don't think too hard about how much additional time I've spent on D&D-related activities outside of running games. I actually took some leave from work to finish one of my Collector's Guide (the Greyhawk one).

 

[Grazzt]

How many hours do you think that adds up to? Conservative estimates are fine, not trying to be scientific here.

I would conservatively estimate that I have ran over 1,000 sessions, with an average of 6 hours of actual gaming for each session, so over 6,000 hours of actual game time running games.

Playing? I would say I have about 600 sessions as a player. These I would say average 5 hours per session, so an additional 3,000 hours playing, for a conservative estimate of 9,000 hours of gaming over 27 years. I am pretty sure I am being very conservative, because I was typically involved in 2 to 4 games per week (I am involved in 5 games per week now, for example.) and I did these estimates assuming less than two per week.

No clue honestly. Started playing and DMing in '83. We played every day over the summer of 84-85-86 when we were out of school and a couple of times each weekend during school. (Sometimes we even played before school sitting in the "commons" area waiting for the first bell to ring). Other times we played 1-2 times per week until eventually (including now) we play once a week on average. So, somewhere over 2,000 sessions at least.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Been playing since 77, been GMing since 81. Had a couple of years off, a couple of years that I played/ran 3 times a week.

So if you split playing/DMing evenly, and about 3.5 hours per session (shorter recently, longer early in years) That would be 910 session player an GM, totaling about 3185 hours. If you include time spent reading rules, tinkering with them - house ruling or major changes - probably another 6000 hours (I spend as much time reading and tinkering with rules as I do playing/GMing if not more).

Add in time spent on gaming messageboards and such.. the total is way too much.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Estimated 1600 game session for an estimated 10,000 hours.

 

[Karak]

Hmmm.
I have gamed since I was 12 and am 38 now.
I started running games at 15 and have not played a character more than maybe 10 times since then.

From 18-28 I ran a game 2 times a week for 6 hours and every other week for 8-12 hours(Saturday long sessions) and in one year we missed 2 games total. From 28-36. We played 1 time a week for 5-6 hours and 1 time a month for around 14 hours(Saturday long sessions.)
Man I don't even want to do the math.
A hell of a lot.

 

[Manbearcat]

DMing:

1987 - 1989

A session every other week or so for about 3 hours. Lets call it 250.

1990 - 1999

Twice a week for about 5 hours per with a couple sessions missed a year. Lets call it 4000.

2000 - present

Once a week for about 5 hours per with a couple sessions missed a year. Lets call it 3250.

7500 hours DMing. That a good scientific wild guess.

 

[Alarian]

I've pretty much GM'ed from they day I started playing which was around the Christmas of 1977. I would say weekly from 1977-1984. Figure sickness and such 40 games a year at 8 hours a game = 280*8= 2240 hours which is probably low. I joined the military in 1984 and was stationed in California for most of my enlistment. I ran a game there that went from 10pm to 6am Monday through Friday that lasted over 2 1/2 years. Subract out my 2 weeks of vacation would be 125 weeks * 5 days a week * 8 hours a day = 5000. Joined a great group when I got out of the Navy (that we still play together to date) and went back to College from 1988-2004 and gamed at LEAST once a week (much more than that the first 2 years.) so say another 2900 hours there. After that I had some lean years but still ran my group online (Woo woo to First Fantasy Grounds and now Maptool!). Approximately 40 weeks a year and 5 hour sessions for going on 8 years now but I trade Gm'ing with another DM so 1/2 that. Say another 800 hours. So that's approximately 11,000 hours and I would be willing to bet a lot that thats low.

And if you figure in prep time...WoW!!!

 

[Jan van Leyden]

Playing since '83 and being GM most of the time, but running irregular groups mostly, I would be at 1,000-1,500 games run.

Games played as a player would be maybe 10 percent of this number.

Playing times differ widely, but some 5 hours might be appropriate.

And preparation time? Better not ask...

 

[Lanefan]

I'm not sure I even want to know...

Sessions run: (about 500) + 782 + 399* for my three big campaigns, maybe another 25 for one-offs and small stuff so that's somewhere around 1700 overall.
* - and counting; tomorrow night makes 400.

Sessions played: good question. Campaign by campaign i'd guess at 400? + 75? + 15? + 20? + 280? + 6 + 279**, and maybe another 40 for one-offs etc. so a little south of 1100 overall, but I think the first two numbers there are somewhat low...could be as much as 1200 overall.
** - and counting.

Lan-"many numbers here are guesses because we didn't start tracking session counts until about 1995"-efan

 

[Stormonu]

Let's see here:

5th-10th grade, 1 hour lunch game + 1/2 hour PE/recess game = 36 weeks * 5 years * 1.5 hours = 270 hours
12th - 3rd year college (1991), 6 hour weekend game = 52 weeks * 4 years * 6 hours = 1,248 hours
1991-2000, 6 hour weekend game = 52 weeks * 10 years * 6 hours = 3,120 hours
2000-2012, 4 hour weekend game every other week = 26 weeks * 12 years * 4 hours = 1,248 hours

So, about 5,886 hours with over 90% as DM (not necessarily all D&D either - had a few years as a Vampire storyteller and lots of game switching after 4E came out) - give or take since I'm not including "blowout" games, Cons, dry spells and whatnot.

<EDIT> I'd hate to try and figure out my "prep work" hours. I spend a good 2-3 hours a day with some sort of RPG book in my lap or working on some RPG document - back since '79 when I got my Holmes set for Christmas. That'd be what - 2 * 365 * 33 = 24,090 hours?