Length of Game Play?

[Hugh]

Not having played an rpg in some time (3 years, 7 years for D&D), I was looking forward to playing 4th edition (or even v3.0 or 3.5) and have casually been scouting around for a group to play with. I recently contacted one individual that was getting a new group together, who was hoping to play every weekend for something like nine or ten hours altogether. To me, that sounds a little excessive (a long time to be sitting down, IMO). When I played rpgs regularly, all the groups I attended usually limited play time to 4 or 5 hours a session, sometimes even six (though that was for a group that met irregularly...once a month). Does that amount of time sound excessive to anyone else, or am I just a total wuss?

What is the typical number of hours you set aside for your particular campaign sessions? On average, not the occasional longer-than-normal session.

Methinks I will have to start my own campaign to set hours of play to my liking. (even though I haven't DM'ed a game in like, 14 years).

~Hugh

 

[Mark]

When I played rpgs regularly, all the groups I attended usually limited play time to 4 or 5 hours a session, sometimes even six (though that was for a group that met irregularly...once a month).

Change that to once a week with a week off once in a while and that's about what I like and do.


Five and a half years for a first post, eh?


Congrats!

 

[Piratecat]

We play every other week for about 3-4 hours. I'd like it to be more like 5-6, but we play on a week-night.

 

[fba827]

Everyone's personal threshold will vary. But to me, yeah, that does seem excessive, especially for a weekly game. If it were every other week, then a maybe, but otherwise, it would be way too much for me to do every week.

If you already think it will be too much, then chances are it will be... or if you're on the fence, then join up simply saying to see how you fit in with the group

 

[Hugh]

Change that to once a week with a week off once in a while and that's about what I like and do.


Five and a half years for a first post, eh?


Congrats!

Heh....actually, I joined sometime prior to 2001, when the site was in a different format, but I suffered from a a stroke of real life and an ensuing lapse of attention to all things forum-like.

It was easier to post when I personally knew some of the folks who were posting to the forum. Now, I have no idea whether those folks are still around, posting under different names.

All this discussion regarding 4e has gotten me stimulated enough to post a coherent thought or two.

 

[Hugh]

We play every other week for about 3-4 hours. I'd like it to be more like 5-6, but we play on a week-night.

Hell, my preference would be on a weeknight as well, but I just keep running across folks who limit themselves to weekends only. Weekends for me are when I actually can get the stuff done that I never had the chance to do during the weekday, or to see close friends or relatives who don't live near me (like, most of them).

Whatever happened to those people who played Friday nights?

 

[Hugh]

Everyone's personal threshold will vary. But to me, yeah, that does seem excessive, especially for a weekly game. If it were every other week, then a maybe, but otherwise, it would be way too much for me to do every week.

If you already think it will be too much, then chances are it will be... or if you're on the fence, then join up simply saying to see how you fit in with the group

I definitely think it will be too much, and do plan to tell the guy just that. Too bad. The last D&D campaign I played in was for around 4 hours every other Saturday night, and we got lots of things done, even when there was a lot of out-of-game chatting.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

We play every other week for about 3-4 hours. I'd like it to be more like 5-6, but we play on a week-night.

Snap! I'd also like to game more, but I have a partner who doesn't game and who works long hours, so one week night a week leaves the weekends free for us to do stuff together.

 

[Steely Dan]

Ah, in my youth we would go for days, but now that real life has bitten me in the ass, I DM a fortnightly Planescape campaign, and the sessions go for about 6 to 8 hours.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

Whatever happened to those people who played Friday nights?

My group plays online on Friday nights, generally about 4-6 hours a session.