Game time breakdown

[Adamantine Dragon]

In a typical gaming session, what percent of your real world game time do you feel is spent on the following activities?

Actual combat. Meaning rolling dice, positioning miniatures, discussing tactics, describing the action, etc.

Non-combat role-playing. Meaning talking to NPCs, discussing group activities (in character), chatting around the campfire, etc.

Organizing the environment (pulling tables together, drawing maps, laying out terrain, setting up books, GM screens, retrieving minis, etc...)

Looking up rules (online, using books, consulting the table encyclopedic rules lawyer, etc.)

Arguing about, discussing or debating rules (citing conflicting text from the same or different books, arguing "rules as intended" vs. "rules as written", adjudicating things outside of the rules, etc.)

Taking breaks (including breaking for snacks or pizza, waiting for a player to return from the restroom, taking the dog out, etc...)

Off-topic activities (discussing the latest Linux release, breaking into table-wide renditions of Monty Python's "unladen sparrow" skit, discussing work problems, marital problems, relationship issues or the latest political news, etc.)

Other (anything not covered above.

Here are my results:

Patfhinder games:

40% combat (just under half the time)
20% non-combat role playing (and I wish this was more)
10% organizing the environment
15% looking up rules
5% discussing rules (we're pretty solid on PF rules I think)
10% taking breaks

4e games:

55% combat
5% non-combat role playing
10% organizing the environments
20% looking up rules
5% discussing rules (4e rules are generally more clear and are frequently printed on cards the player has as part of their character "deck")
5% taking breaks (just works out that way)

How about your groups?

[Austin Morgan]

Maybe...

40% Combat
15% Role-Playing
~0% Organizing (mostly take care of all that at the very beginning)
5% Looking Up Rules
20% Discussing Rules
20% Taking Breaks/Off-Topic/Other

I wish the last two were a bit lower, and combat and/or roleplaying were a bit higher.

[Adamantine Dragon]

In case I wasn't clear enough the "organizing" category includes erasing and redrawing rooms or areas on the battlemap, placing down new tiles, rearranging terrain, etc. So if that's zero percent I'd love to know how all that is done in advance.

[Steve Geddes]

50% tactical encounters (including skill challenges, etcetera)
10% IC roleplaying
5% rules
10% organizing the environment
25% chatter, coffee, jokes, etcetera

[Austin Morgan]

Adamantine Dragon wrote:

In case I wasn't clear enough the "organizing" category includes erasing and redrawing rooms or areas on the battlemap, placing down new tiles, rearranging terrain, etc. So if that's zero percent I'd love to know how all that is done in advance.

I almost always multi-task while I'm drawing/redrawing maps. I get it all done before the session or during roleplaying before combats. Cuts a lot time. You don't really need to pay full attention to drawing (copying a map to the battlegrid), and you don't need to look at statblocks to roleplay.

If only I could make combat as efficient as organizing ;)

[Kriskras]

How do you pull those numbers out? Is it just a hunch, or have you tried taking time?

Our game might look like this, but I am not even sure these numbers are even close to the truth:
40% Tactical encounters
20% IC roleplaying
5% Enviroment
5% Rules
5% Rules discussion (which is decreasing, since we have learned to discuss such things after the session).
10% Taking breaks
15% Offgame chatter (too much of this)

[Steve Geddes]

My numbers were a total guess. People are notoriously bad at estimating percentages so I wouldnt put much store in mine anyhow.

(Just for interest, there's some research which indicates people overestimate the percentage component of whatever attribute they think about first when considering a list like this, then begin adjusting to ensure it adds to 100%).

[Robespierre]

45% Tactical encounters
15% IC roleplaying
10% Enviroment
5% Rules
5% Rules discussion
10% Taking breaks
10% Offgame chatter

[Jackissocool]

35% Combat
35% RPing
5% Environment
<5% Rules and discussion
15% Breaks
10% Chatter

[Robespierre]

45% Tactical encounters
25% IC roleplaying
10% Environment
5% Rules discussion
5% Taking breaks
10% Offgame chatter

[Lakesidefantasy]

Adamantine Dragon wrote:

Here are my results:

Patfhinder games:

40% combat (just under half the time)
20% non-combat role playing (and I wish this was more)
10% organizing the environment
15% looking up rules
5% discussing rules (we're pretty solid on PF rules I think)
10% taking breaks

4e games:

55% combat
5% non-combat role playing
10% organizing the environments
20% looking up rules
5% discussing rules (4e rules are generally more clear and are frequently printed on cards the player has as part of their character "deck")
5% taking breaks (just works out that way)

How about your groups?

That's interesting. In my 4e games we spent a lot more time with combat too.

Pathfinder Society Games:

45% Combat
25% Non-combat
5% Breaks
5% Looking up rules
10% Organizing the environment
10% Other

4e Games:

55% Combat
15% Non-combat
5% Breaks
5% Looking up rules
10% Organizing the environment
10% Other

I gather there would be even more role-playing if I were playing Pathfinder outside of Pathfinder Society.