D&D/D20 Modern schedule

[Melbosa]

Ok, then every other Friday starting this week I guess.

Lock it in guys.

That conflicts with our April 25th date.  How about every other friday, starting the April 25th date?

Nah, this one is earlier and so it wins.

Rigid schedule means no flexibility.

OK April 4th, April 18th, May 2nd, May 16th, May 30th, June 13, June 27.... etc?

Then I'm out for April 18th, can't make that one.  I am trying damn hard to get back to Winnipeg for that Wedding Social!

[Melbosa]

Ok, then every other Friday starting this week I guess.

Lock it in guys.

That conflicts with our April 25th date.  How about every other friday, starting the April 25th date?

Nah, this one is earlier and so it wins.

Rigid schedule means no flexibility.

And I think you might be taking this to the extreme!

As for the scheduling, seriously, if the dates are hard set, and we only have to move them around for special circumstances, then I think it is easier to arrange with everyone.  If you know that in 2 weeks, Friday, is RPG night, and it is that way 2 weeks after that, then you can:

#1 - Arrange everything else around it
#2 - Know that if something absolutely comes up that you can't make the session you can make arrangements for coverage or try to organize a date change
#3 - Everyone knows when to expect everyone to be together

Should you move a date, the next date is still the same... no change.  Schedule with Flexibility for circumstances.  If there isn't a consensus on the change, then date remains and the person just misses the game.

[Thorin]

First off, I'm glad to see you're speaking up Tom.

I don't think an absolutely rigid, inflexible schedule will work at all.  Every other week Friday?  What if the Friday falls on a long weekend?  What if the DM can't make it?  What if one player can't make it that week but could the next and all the other players can make it both that week and the next?  Why not move it to accommodate the one player?  All of this has been said before in this very same thread, though.

Should you move a date, the next date is still the same... no change.  Schedule with Flexibility for circumstances.  If there isn't a consensus on the change, then date remains and the person just misses the game.

You are suggesting an every other Friday schedule here, with flexibility to move the date if need be.  Really, I was suggesting something similar except with more frequent get-togethers - I was suggesting every Friday except long weekends, with flexibility to cancel if need be.

Look at it this way: if we play both D&D and D20 Modern campaigns, and we get together every two weeks, and we alternate between the two, then the shortest time between sessions for one of them is four weeks.  If we cancel a session because one or more players can't attend, then it's six weeks between sessions for a campaign.  Four weeks is an awful long time between sessions, and it'll take years of real time to ever get anywhere in the game.  Six weeks just makes that worse.

Maybe I should be asking these two questions, instead.
1. What frequency of get-togethers are you able to commit to?  ("commit" meaning that you'll put those at a high enough priority in your schedule that only emergencies will cause you to miss them)
2. Do you want to continue playing two separate campaigns?

My answers would be:
1. During the summer months, I can commit to two sessions every three weeks not counting weeks with long weekends.  I may be able to (and want to) play more often than that, but that's the minimum I'll commit to
2. I was having a great time GMing D20 Modern, but I think for a campaign to succeed the group needs to meet at least every second week.  If we can't accomplish that, we should stop one of the campaigns

edit: for answer 1., yes, I realize that the suggested schedule I posted here shows what would require a once-a-week-except-long-weekends commitment.

[Melbosa]

Maybe I should be asking these two questions, instead.
1. What frequency of get-togethers are you able to commit to?  ("commit" meaning that you'll put those at a high enough priority in your schedule that only emergencies will cause you to miss them)
2. Do you want to continue playing two separate campaigns?

I can answer these questions first:
1. I can commit to two sessions a month.  I would prefer to leave long weekends out of the list, but I can commit even if it is a long weekend.  If the schedule is every two weeks, and you happen to get 3 sessions in a month, I should be able to make all 3.
2. I am fine with a 4 weeks between sessions if we play two campaigns.  If this is not acceptable, then I will have to bow out of one campaign.

As for the shifting around long weekends, we can do that as well IMO.  As long as we stick to 2 per month, and 3 should there be 5 RPG nights in a month (where our schedule has us land on 3 out of 5 RPG nights), I should be fine.  I just need dates to be marked down, and no more than 1 every two weeks as I have other things that can and will land on a Friday/Saturday.  Which means I'd be missing as much as attending should it go more in a month than that.

[Mr. Analog]

Whatever works for you guys, but if we are only playing D&D once a month I'm going to have to seriously consider stopping it.

[Tom]

Whatever works for you guys, but if we are only playing D&D once a month I'm going to have to seriously consider stopping it.

Even though a guaranteed once a month is more than we've managed before? And then add on D20 Modern?

[Thorin]

Whatever works for you guys, but if we are only playing D&D once a month I'm going to have to seriously consider stopping it.

Even though a guaranteed once a month is more than we've managed before? And then add on D20 Modern?

I think what he's saying is we either get serious enoguh about playing that we get together more frequently, or we stop.  Having DMed before (and even having been in a once-every-four-weeks situation before), I completely understand how he feels.

To be honest, before we played our first session of the new campaign I was starting to look for other ways to get my D&D fix, mostly looking at play-by-post games.  Not because I wanted to stop playing with our current group, but because it seemed like we actually weren't a playing group anymore.

[Melbosa]

Whatever works for you guys, but if we are only playing D&D once a month I'm going to have to seriously consider stopping it.

I'll commit to D&D twice a month, but will have to drop D20 Modern.  Or Vice-Versa.

[Mr. Analog]

Whatever works for you guys, but if we are only playing D&D once a month I'm going to have to seriously consider stopping it.

Even though a guaranteed once a month is more than we've managed before? And then add on D20 Modern?

I think what he's saying is we either get serious enoguh about playing that we get together more frequently, or we stop.  Having DMed before (and even having been in a once-every-four-weeks situation before), I completely understand how he feels.

To be honest, before we played our first session of the new campaign I was starting to look for other ways to get my D&D fix, mostly looking at play-by-post games.  Not because I wanted to stop playing with our current group, but because it seemed like we actually weren't a playing group anymore.

EXACTLY.

People can find time for baseball and darts and other crap that comes up that you have to drive to and often runs late into the night, why is this any different? Are we that shagged out after a session that it takes three weeks to get back in shape for it?

[Melbosa]

I think what he's saying is we either get serious enoguh about playing that we get together more frequently, or we stop.  Having DMed before (and even having been in a once-every-four-weeks situation before), I completely understand how he feels.

To be honest, before we played our first session of the new campaign I was starting to look for other ways to get my D&D fix, mostly looking at play-by-post games.  Not because I wanted to stop playing with our current group, but because it seemed like we actually weren't a playing group anymore.

EXACTLY.

People can find time for baseball and darts and other crap that comes up that you have to drive to and often runs late into the night, why is this any different? Are we that shagged out after a session that it takes three weeks to get back in shape for it?

True enough, I have sports every week.  True enough that I have to drive to them. 

But they start at 5:30 or 6:00, they end at 9:00, or start at 9:00 and end by 11:00 PM. This gives me time to do contract work if I need to that night, or spend some time with Maria, or relax, etc.

RPGing is usually until 12:00 or 1:00 PM in the evening, eats up the entire night, is twice as long as my other activities, is on a popular night for social events (B-Day Parties, Social Gatherings, Trips, etc), and is still damn fun time.  So if you look at it that way, it gets the same time alloted to it as any of my sports in a month, should we play only every second week.

The reason I am busy Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday usually in a Month is that those are days I usually don't have to visit client's (or if I do, I still have a 2-3 hour window on 2 out of 3 days to do so), do much social events (B-Day parties, functions, family gatherings, etc), RPGing night wasn't ever on those days, and as I state above the activities I do that night aren't all night functions.  I don't put in activities on those nights that run me 4-6 hours usually.

I'm assuming this post mostly because of me, as you are all aware of my schedules during the week.  If you want, we can go every Monday, but I can only support the 3 Hour window, with ample time before or after to allow for other things I may need to do that night.  To be honest I don't know how well this will work with an RPG session, as 3 hours isn't that much.

[Mr. Analog]

I'm not directing at anyone, there's absolutely no reason we can't play between 5 and 9. NONE whatsoever.

If you guys have a problem with duration, speak up!

As for your problem with finding time for contracting or relationships, I can't help you there. If booking everything into your life is becoming a problem you're really just gonna have to drop some stuff (Chris did it in absolutely the wrongest way possible and kinda against his will). Food for thought.

[Melbosa]

As for your problem with finding time for contracting or relationships, I can't help you there. If booking everything into your life is becoming a problem you're really just gonna have to drop some stuff (Chris did it in absolutely the wrongest way possible and kinda against his will). Food for thought.

Oh don't worry, not going the way of Chris.  As for the finding time for relationships/contracting/social events/etc, it isn't a problem - just need to know what I have going on in a week.  I'm not so busy that I am running my feet off. I enjoy my sports 3 nights a week, and take the time to relax before or after.  Even do pick up volleyball Fridays if I have nothing going on.  But those things that I really want to commit to I lie to schedule so that I can arrange everything else around them.

Let me make this clear, I want to play D20/D&D with you guys, but I don't want to play every week on a Friday or Saturday, as I have other considerations that I would like to maintain too on those days.  Every two weeks is fine with me, works well actually on Fridays and Saturdays actually - save the wedding social thing this month.

I'm not directing at anyone, there's absolutely no reason we can't play between 5 and 9. NONE whatsoever.

If you guys have a problem with duration, speak up!

I can't make it to anything during the week by 5:00... or well I can't guarantee it.  5:30, or even 6:00 is better for me.  And sorry, just been me with the loudest request for scheduling, thought you were concerned me specifically.

[Mr. Analog]

All I see is that in the last six months we've barely played at all, let's find something that works for everyone. Part of that accommodating is that I do not have time for something that will only happen once a month. Because "if something comes up" then it's five weeks, six weeks another month (etc). I just can't keep going on like this.

[Melbosa]

OK well you have my constraints.

I can commit:
* Every second week to one full night, if talking Friday or Saturday.
* I can do a Monday night every week every second week, if a 3 hour session starting at 6:00 or 8:00ish (as I think none of us want to out past 11:00 or so on week night). EDIT: After really doing some personal reflection, I can only commit 2 nights (and sometimes a 3rd) in a month.
* I am willing to do long weekends.
* I am willing to alter a particular date in a month, if needs are there, but only based on availability.  Otherwise I will miss the session.
* I am willing to drop one of the RPGing campaigns if to satisfy the need to play more often in either campaign.

[Thorin]

Thanks for posting what you can commit to, Melbosa.  Part of the stress for me is that I don't want to exclude anyone from the games, including you.  I think I stated that in an earlier post already, but it bears repeating.

What I get from your list is that you really want/need to keep Fridays or Saturdays half-open and I can understand that.  Are you able to meet every second Friday evening and every second Monday evening?  This would equal once a week and would still leave your Fridays half-open.

For this month we could play Mondays except for the Monday either before or after Friday the 25th?

I don't want to schedule stuff on long weekends ahead of time, because of the high likelihood that activities with family or friends will be planned on these weekends.  If everyone's available, I have no problem playing on a long weekend, but history has shown that long weekends typically get spoken for by significant others and such.

RPGing is usually until 12:00 or 1:00 PM in the evening, eats up the entire night, is twice as long as my other activities, is on a popular night for social events (B-Day Parties, Social Gatherings, Trips, etc), and is still damn fun time.  So if you look at it that way, it gets the same time alloted to it as any of my sports in a month, should we play only every second week.

This is interesting, and may be the root of our disconnect - the amount of time each of wants to spend on RPGing.  I'm hoping to spend 10 to 12 hours every two weeks on it, and you want to spend 5-6 hours on it every two weeks.  Neither one of us is wrong, though.

I'm assuming this post mostly because of me, as you are all aware of my schedules during the week.  If you want, we can go every Monday, but I can only support the 3 Hour window, with ample time before or after to allow for other things I may need to do that night.  To be honest I don't know how well this will work with an RPG session, as 3 hours isn't that much.

3 hour sessions can accomplish a fair bit, if the whole time is spent RPGing.  Many of our weekend RPG nights waste away an hour or more eating, socializing, talking about all manner of non-RPG things (I'll accept my full share of the blame there).