"Time spent gaming " Topic

Key to get in your "perfect" game is how much time you spend actually gaming. In our games we arrive about 19:00 with the map and scenario set out. Setting up takes about 30 min by the both of us. Little time for small talk. For the next 2 to 3 hrs we play. No small talk just play. Trips to the bar for coffee, or to the loo are just additional thinking time. We put out the club fees so the treasurer does not disturb us. There is maybe 30 min at the end to cover the game and what is on next week. Time to stand and stare there us not. Time to debate with mates no chance. Some folk have been heard to comment that it's a two paracetamol game.

Roughly how do you apportion your time.

Show up circa noon, set up the game and kibbitz, start around 1, finish around 4, break down. In that time will be one smoke break, a few bathroom breaks, small talk, ideas for future games, pauses for photography, compliments about terrain and miniatures, discussion of the rules (we usually play different rules sets or are playtesting something of mine) and description of the game to passers by (the store where we play is mainly a Hordes/40k place so we get questions about our oddball historical games).

So a pretty laid back, casual experience.

GM sets up in advance. Show up 6:30 ish. eat, chat etc. until 7. Play until 10. Because it's a very social group, games often extend over 2 or even 3 weeks. We can leave things set up in the clubhouse so there's no rush.

At friends' houses, chat for a while, play for 3 or 4 hours. Finish or not, again, we can eave things set up in the shop/basement for next time.

I probably game 6 times a month with others, plenty of time solo.

depends on the game, usually have the table set days before, start around 10am, break around noon for lunch, game until 4:30 or so, chat for an hour after.

We usually have a club meeting once a month. GMs set up around 5 PM. Some of us meet for supper between 5 and 6 when we eat and chew the fat. Games start at 7 and usually breakup around 11. Some of us meet after at IHOP have coffee and a snack, chew some more fat then break up and to go home. When we meet at friends' houses things are more relaxed and games last 3 hours or so. We do get together twice a year, players show up around 9 AM, game starts around 10 or 11, break for lunch, return to play. We usually break up around 5 or so. Some stay to discuss the game and break up for the last time around 7 PM.

Host sets up the game beforehand. Players arrive at 20.00-20.30, game usually starts around 20.45 and lasts till 23.30, occasionally a bit longer.
Lots of downtime inbetween, discussing 'stuff', after game ends there might be more talk. It's a social evening after all, not a business meeting.

A common Saturday game day for my group is as follows:

GM sets up at about 10 am. Players arrive 11ish. Play starts before noon. Snacks are eaten and breaks taken as needed. Barbeque is activated about 6 pm. The game is called about then. There is a little discussion about the scenario, what would happen next, what tactics worked and didn't, etc.

Burgers go on the BBQ about 6:30 pm. By 8 pm, we're on to the evening game.

Face-to-face at homes, host sets-up prior to arrival. maybe 10 – 15 minutes for rules stuff and then play for 2 – 3 hours. Host will tidy up when the other has gone. We used play for longer and burn the midnight oil, but not these days, so our game systems by default seem to have settled on the shorter game.

We rarely will play a game over two sessions because everything has to be recorded before a take down.

Solitaire, I will play to conclusion, though tend to go for what we might consider single session games. I am playing at least weekly.

Club nights, generally fairly short. Turn up around 1845 to get set up, kick off around 1915 to 1930. Finish up around 2100 if not before. Other people at the club play for longer, but we are old duffers and I am usually yawning by nine and thinking of work the next day.

Bigger things we might aim for a 1900 kick off.

At weekends, 10-4 seems fairly civilised, with a lunch break.

I am somewhat amazed people have the time to play full-day games. The last time I did that was 20 years ago, when I was working on my Ph.D., single, and without any real responsabilities.

Perhaps retirement is the answer :-)

normsmith, a Tablet computer is your friend . I bought one with a good camera and it can records in a minute or so what took 20 minutes to record manually and does it better. That includes the map, the position of the troops and their status. at 10" the screen is large enough to see the detail. Longer games can be so much more fun.

Oh that is so obvious, why didn't it occur to me …. Doh.

I would still need to record stacks, but other than that, yes, way faster – thanks, norm.

Game set up by me the day or two before. 6 x 12 table, lots of miniatures.

The House opens to the public at 10 for socializing for any who want to come early. Lots do. Usually five to eight (besides me) at the game. Game begins at 12 noon. Everyone brings snacks munchies, or usually something for desert after dinner.

Game begins at noon, usually runs to 5:30 to 7:00 at which victory has been gained by one side or the other. I'm the GM but usually have nothing to do except for the occasional question. Lots of involvement in the game, lots of joking, laughing, having a good time. One of the procedures I have is that I time the moves. Before they move players are given as long as they want to debate tactics, strategy, plan what they want to move etc., as that's all "productive" and "fun" time. When they are ready I flip the timer they have two minutes to actually move their troops and make the rolls. Then we move on to combat where everything happens simultaneously and both sides are busier than one-armed paper hangers placing combat results and resolving them. The rally then new turn. When the game is over dinner is ready. But we will do the campaign moves in about 15 minutes for the next time while the last of the dinner is being prepared and the table set. Dinner will be a sit down for about two hours where there is more socializing. Sometimes talk about the game. Dinner is usually something suitable for battalion sized scale, Pot Roast, Chicken Cacciatore, Lasagne, Goulash, Burrito Smorgasbord, or baked ham. Wine to match, After that coffee, tea, cordials and we start on the pile of deserts everyone has brought. Everyone leave by about 10 or 11 pm.

Several of the wives and significant others come from time to time. A few will game, many go out in a foraging party to the antique shops and flea markets and garage sales in the area. They come home when they're out of money or hungry and they have an uncanny knack of knowing just about when the game is going to end. Otherwise they socialize on the comfy couches in the living room.

I'm the cook.

Host (usually us) sets up the game in the morning. People show up a bit before noon, we eat, drink, etc. Game One starts at noonish, sharp, and lasts about four hours. We break for eats (host cooks, but it pretty much works like the miracle of the loaves and fishes), the divide up into smaller groups and play smaller games. Sometimes board games, sometimes other tabletop wargames, sometimes rerunning bits of or excursions from the big game we just played.

Done at 2200. I'm a broken down, old man on meds. I needs my sleeps.

People talk about the game, the next game, the music or sports playing in the background, pets, their jobs, aardvarks, their kids/parents, politics, religion, words with two vowels at the start, what will be interesting to check out in the sky tonight, the food they brought, the booze they are drinking, their vacation (past or plans), strategy, the history/cannon of the current game, and school. These are the only allowed topics.

Depends on the game.

We usually factor about 3 hours with 2 hours being actual gaming and about an hour of general joking around, running to the store for some drinks and talking about the last album we listened to.

RPG sessions add another hour or two.