poll about gaming time on combat (fraction)

[Wormwood]

More than it needs to to.

 

[Counterspin]

Varies wildly 20% to 90% depending on campaign.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Like TerraDave I find that "combat" (using the definition above) in 3.XE D&D takes around 70% of the time spent playing, but I'd really rather prefer that it took 50-40%.

In most other RPGs it takes 20%, except Exalted, which is up at 70% like D&D, and good old Champions, which was, when we played it, more like 90%.

Still, with D&D's tactical-style combat, 50% sounds like what I'd like.

 

[Hussar]

Current campaign - about 20-50%. Last campaign, about 70%. Campaign before that, about 5%.

Then again, I play with people who are on the ball rules wise and don't ponce about dithering like I hear from some of the stories around here.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Your definition of "combat" is bogus.

I LOVE Combat, and I like it to be 50% of my game time. But... adding in ACCOUNTING as "directly adds to combat" *shudder* I hate 3.5 for all the accounting.... would wind up with 90 if I counted it.

 

[loseth]

60-90%. Just right.

 

[Ahglock]

I'm always boggled at how much time people take on combat. I voted 20% since even with multiple encounters per gaming session each encounter is over really quick. I have 4 players each of them takes 1-2 minutes to resolve there actions, it takes me about 1-2 minutes to resolve the NPC/monsters actions, so maybe 10 minute a round maybe 2 rounds per fight. Usually a fight takes 15-20 minutes, 3 to 4 encounters so maybe an hour of gaming time, and we game for about 4 hours with probably 1-2 hours of goofing off on top of that.

Edit to add the prep stuff under this polls definition of combat, 90+% of that is done out of game and I never see it. The spell casters have common prep spell lists, and maybe spend a minute or two tops swapping one or two spells out.

 

[KidSnide]

I voted 20%. If there is an important combat encounter in the session, it can take 50-80% of that session. If there is a combat encounter, but it's not a big one, then it's probably only 15-30% of that session. In 10 sessions, there are probably 2 important combat encounters and maybe half a dozen minor combat encounters. I can't recall the last time I had more than one combat encounter in a single (2-4 hour) evening.

 

[tombowings]

Depends on who is DM, I just done DMing a campaign and it was about 40% combat, which is more than I would like, but we had two new players. Currently, I'm playing in a game that is about 5% combat. Normally this would be too little, but all the characters are very interesting and intriguing, so it's allot of fun despite.

I prefer games that are around 10-20% combat.

 

[arscott]

Varies wildly 20% to 90% depending on campaign.

What he said.