41
votes
Accepted
What is the world record for the longest D&D marathon?
The record seems to be 209 hours (= 8 days, 17 hours).
According to the Reddit post An update to James Wallis' claim about setting a Guinness World Record for the longest D&D game, Reddit user ...
- 4,253
32
votes
As a GM, how do I make sure a self-contained session (an episode or one-shot) reaches its completion within the designated session length?
This is actually a pretty common way to run RPG sessions.
Most of my experience running RPGs (Including D&D) in the past several years has been in 2-4 hour convention slots. The campaign I'm ...
- 6,586
23
votes
Accepted
How can I help my players resume mid-battle with the same energy?
We do that all the time, it's no problem
We often play online in the evening when the kids are in bed, with busy work schedules, so just running over to end combat is usually not an option. It has ...
- 135k
21
votes
How can I help my players resume mid-battle with the same energy?
Lead in the next session with a dramatic recap
When last we left off, the dungeon crawl had been going smoothly, when suddenly your party was ambushed by a swarm of enemies! Fortunately, Clary the ...
- 64.2k
16
votes
Accepted
How do I plan sessions that are still fun even if they don't move the plot forward?
Before I start, a note on perspective: the players don't know that the plot is at standstill and not moving forward; only you, the DM, knows.
Give them a chance to advance their characters. Let them ...
- 1,958
16
votes
What should I have my players read before our first session ever?
When I run Dungeon World for a new group, I don't expect them to read anything before the game. I bring character sheets, and I always take a few moments to address the common points of confusion.
...
- 90.6k
14
votes
How can we better fit our D&D campaign into 30 minute sessions?
For background, I run an online session with people spanning an eight hour time difference. Our scheduling is generally a mess and we vary between 45 minute and 4 hour sessions depending on the day. I'...
- 8,140
12
votes
Accepted
In Root: the RPG how long should a session of play last?
Once the game is running, 4 hours is a good benchmark for a session.
Finally, you'll need some time, probably between 3 and 4 hours. The first time you play, character creation is likely to take up ...
- 42.2k
12
votes
Accepted
What should I have my players read before our first session ever?
My latest group is mostly longtime roleplaying gamers and one relatively new gamer. I emailed them this, a link to the play kit, and a private share of the pdf:
You don't have to read anything, but ...
- 37.9k
10
votes
Accepted
How can I make the endings of game sessions exciting?
Hooks and Cliffhangers
One thing that you should have plenty of is hooks, rather than spend all of them during the session, you can save a couple for when things start to drag on.
While your party is ...
- 11.5k
9
votes
As a GM, how do I make sure a self-contained session (an episode or one-shot) reaches its completion within the designated session length?
This is hard, but there are a few things you can do to help.
I have often wanted to do this, but in practice it is incredibly hard. It is even harder to do without impeding the fun of the players.
TV ...
- 35.6k
6
votes
In Root: the RPG how long should a session of play last?
About 4 hours
The game page you linked quotes session times as
2-4 hour run time | Rated Everyone
On to the "curated play" program offered and sanctioned by Magpie Games, Root's creators, ...
- 135k
6
votes
What is the world record for the longest D&D marathon?
This thread suggests that the record was/is 100 hours
in Dragon issue # 80, pg 54 it states that four members of the Broward Game Players Club in Hollywood FL played D&D for 100 hours straight.
...
- 23.2k
6
votes
Accepted
Separate Session Starting?
It's probably fine
Not all players will want this. I've had players who didn't like "being in the spotlight" -- they preferred to tag along with the party and not make major decisions.
The ...
- 90.6k
5
votes
How do I plan sessions that are still fun even if they don't move the plot forward?
Plan fun sessions, plot is secondary
This is somewhat of a challenge to your premise, but bear with me. adonies' answer covers a lot of particulars that you can include. I will try to take a slightly ...
- 31.1k
3
votes
On average, how long do Adventurers League sessions last?
Average is difficult to pin down.
There's no good way to determine how long the "average" session is, because there's a great variety of content available. That said, the DDAL Content ...
- 49k
2
votes
What should I have my players read before our first session ever?
As a player, you can pretty much play Dungeon World with nothing more for reference than the basic move sheet and your class playbook, both of which are provided in the standard play kit. You don't ...
- 42.2k
2
votes
How can I make the endings of game sessions exciting?
First, if you're the kind of DM that needs prep time to present the players with interesting content, it's okay to end the session early. It sounds like they're already returning players, so you don't ...
- 21k
2
votes
On average, how long do Adventurers League sessions last?
Most sessions are specifically timed to last about 2 hours (exception is longer sessions, typically scheduled on weekends, that tend to last about 4 hours). Some campaigns and modules are too long to ...
- 29
2
votes
Separate Session Starting?
If a backstory was interesting, it would be the story
Frame challenge … obviously.
The best expositions are those that emerge through the game.
That can mean that the PCs are “blank slates” and that ...
- 216k
2
votes
Separate Session Starting?
Backstory spotlights are great
Giving your players an opportunity to play out some of their backstory is a brilliant way to really ground them into the world. The players I've done this with have ...
- 31.1k
1
vote
How can I help my players resume mid-battle with the same energy?
Resuming a mid-battle session in a role-playing game after a break offers a unique opportunity to re-engage players with heightened drama.
Start with a cinematic recap of the battle's key moments to ...
1
vote
Separate Session Starting?
Fine In Theory
What you're specifically proposing is fine in theory, but in my experience it's of limited utility and much harder to pull off in practice than you might think.
But I want to be clear ...
- 45.7k
1
vote
Accepted
Campaign in already existing world and story - fear of NPC domination
Hold factions, motives, and methods constant. Put results in doubt.
Forgive the age of my examples, I was really only involved in World of Warcraft in the early days. Some of this is also going to be, ...
- 42.2k
1
vote
How can Fate Accelerated be adapted to very short game time windows?
Your sessions aren't sessions.
As far as the general course of pacing goes, you'll need to be mindful of scenes and not throw players into back-to-back conflicts, which are much more significant time ...
- 42.2k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible