How long does it take to run The Midnight Mirror?

[Quentin Coldwater]

I've run several modules by now and they're mostly the same length, so I hope this is similar, but you never know.

I'm planning to run this module in a few sessions, but not all players can join in all days. This is for PFS, so it's important they complete it, otherwise they're locked in. I'm planning to play three sessions to be sure, but perhaps I can condense them in two. I have two times five hours to play, so 10 hours total at most if it's possible to cram it in two sessions. There's always some time lost with breaks and slow starts, so perhaps 9 hours of play. Would that be enough for this module? I ran Feat of Ravenmoor in roughly the same timeframe, maybe slightly more, but that's mostly roleplay and some easy combats, so it's hard to judge. I'd rather have three sessions where the last one is finished a bit earlier and we can go through it at a leisurely pace than to rush through it and even then possibly not making it. I played through Realm of the Fellnight Queen in a single day and I felt we still skipped a lot.

Thanks a lot.

[NerdyMedic]

Quentin Coldwater wrote:

I've run several modules by now and they're mostly the same length, so I hope this is similar, but you never know.

I'm planning to run this module in a few sessions, but not all players can join in all days. This is for PFS, so it's important they complete it, otherwise they're locked in. I'm planning to play three sessions to be sure, but perhaps I can condense them in two. I have two times five hours to play, so 10 hours total at most if it's possible to cram it in two sessions. There's always some time lost with breaks and slow starts, so perhaps 9 hours of play. Would that be enough for this module? I ran Feat of Ravenmoor in roughly the same timeframe, maybe slightly more, but that's mostly roleplay and some easy combats, so it's hard to judge. I'd rather have three sessions where the last one is finished a bit earlier and we can go through it at a leisurely pace than to rush through it and even then possibly not making it. I played through Realm of the Fellnight Queen in a single day and I felt we still skipped a lot.

Thanks a lot.

I have run it twice for PFS: one normal, and one core. The first time, it took me 11 hours, and the second, 9. It really depends on what the players decide to do. In the second game, the players ended up investigating the town before going to the manor, which saved them an hour or so. The first game, was only my second time GMing, and I had to look up a few stats on a few encounters. Also, their fight with Ilquis was an epic battle that took an hour.

I would set aside 10 hours-just in case the players get bogged down in the investigation.

[Quentin Coldwater]

Thanks! I have some experience with GMing, but I'll just encourage taking it slow so I can comfortably spread it over three sessions.

[John Lance]

It is possible to run Midnight Mirror in 6.5 hours, I did it for a really prepared group at the LFGS here in Asheville, but you have to really push the action and you have to have an aggressive group of players who don't waste time. Otherwise, I would agree with the 9 to 10 hour estimate, especially if you want them to encounter everything without short-cuts or hand-waves.

[Ellestil]

John Lance wrote:

It is possible to run Midnight Mirror in 6.5 hours, I did it for a really prepared group at the LFGS here in Asheville, but you have to really push the action and you have to have an aggressive group of players who don't waste time. Otherwise, I would agree with the 9 to 10 hour estimate, especially if you want them to encounter everything without short-cuts or hand-waves.

We also completed it in about 6 hours, but that was with 6 players and a good balanced group. 10-12 would be plenty of time though.

[Cenorin]

When I played the module in PFS, it took about 8 hours, including a break for lunch. We were fairly thorough, though we did skip one minor encounter, and some lucky rolls meant that the final encounter went significantly faster than I would have expected. On the other hand, our group wasn't terribly well-suited to the adventure (for example, our ninja didn't get to use her sneak attack much).

That said, there are a lot of opportunities for role-playing here with some morally-tricky situations, so if your group gets really into that it might take more time. Also, if your group doesn't like the fact that the Nidalese worship Zon-Kuthon and decide to try and do something about it (like fighting the town's priest), things could get complicated.

[Salafax]

I ran it a few weeks ago with a very focused and effective group -- took 6 hours. We were a little rushed at the end as we were bumping up against another slot. 8 hours (or two 4-hour slots) would have been very comfortable for my group.