Session Length

[Umbran]

There isn't one best session length, for me.

I run 4 hour sessions, because I have to play on weeknights, and that's the time there is. In the past, I've run and played 6 to 8 hour sessions. For Paranoia, I've done 12+ hour sessions. For larps, I've played in weekend-long games, where the only real breaks are for sleeping.

It is all a matter of what the players like, and whether the individual GM is good at pacing a session of a particular length.

 

[Piratecat]

My preferred length is 4-5 hours. My sessions are 2.5 - 3 hours, though, because we play on weekday nights. The game starts between 7 and 7:30, and we knock off about 10:15 pm.

That's a little short for me, but we play regularly, every two weeks like clockwork. I can handle the tradeoff.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Same. Except in my case, it was "until the DM falls asleep on the toilet", an ignominy I have yet to live down!

Three of my players took the 'stay up as long as you can' part very seriously. They abused people who fell asleep, like pouring tabasco sauce in the sleepers' mouths, or putting cheetos in their nostrils.

Ah, good times.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Usually between 4 and 6 hours depending on how early we can start. I don't know that there is any objective optimum session length that is best for everyone.

 

[CharlesRyan]

I voted 4 hours, cause that's what they usually run these days for me. But I remember fondly the days of six or eight hour sessions. I usually felt that I was really just getting into things by the 3-4 hour mark. Ah, well, someday the kids will be older and we'll all have more time again. . . .

 

[delericho]

Most of our sessions take place on weeknights after work. So, three hours is really our maximum - have to get to bed to get up for work the next morning! (Sadly, neither 4e nor indeed 3e are really ideal for sessions of that length; we need a more rules-lite/less grindy option.)

We do occasionally have weekend sessions, which can and do last considerably longer. The last one ran for 5 hours, concluding because the end of the adventure had been reached; it would otherwise have run longer.

 

[Mr. Wilson]

We typically play between 4 and 6 hours. I would like to go back to our original 8 hour games, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I've run sessions beyond 8 hrs, but it's my observation that fatigue usually sets in around 4 hrs so that's my ideal session.

 

[SSquirrel]

We just joined 2 gaming groups last week. Last Saturday we joined a group that gamed from 2-9 (2-8 tonite) with a dinner break in the middle. The Tuesday group played from 6:30-10, but we didnt' actually get started until about 7:45 and it was another 30 minutes before they settled down. Admittedly it was a first session, one guy showed up late and 2 people (incl the late guy) didn't really have their characters ready. Since it's at least a 20 min drive each way for that group, we may well drop that group if the next 2 sessions don't improve the ratio of game to screwing around heh.

 

[Haltherrion]

I've run sessions beyond 8 hrs, but it's my observation that fatigue usually sets in around 4 hrs so that's my ideal session.

I was surprised to see that the sweet spot seems to be around 4 hours or so. I can certainly vouch for the fatigue factor, at least as a ref. Hosting a 10 hour sessions twice a month gets old, both in-game and prep. I don't think we will drop to four hours but we might go 6 to 12.