Encounter Levels

[thesavage]

So I was looking at the encounter levels in the new rules. Most of the games I play are skirmishes, generally near 35 points (since that is exactly what I have right now). I have played a few duels as well (15 points).

Then I look at the estimated play times of these encounters and I laugh. So far, they are nowhere near accurate, as our games seem to take much longer.

I am sure that there are several reasons for this, first being that we are still inexperienced with the new rules, and I am inexperienced with wargaming in general. However, my opponent is not, as he repeatedly kicks my butt. I actually won my first match against him last weekend, as he picked up a new Trollblood army (and was trying to learn Hordes rules, but hey, a win's a win). Still, I feel that I learn a lot from each game.

Also, the unit stats are currently printed on pieces of paper which I have to shuffle around instead of nice cards, and that wastes valuable minutes.

Thirdly, yes, we have a printed copy of the rules. However, since it is not a real book, and therefore has no index, it takes much longer to find out specific rules.

Anyway, I'm just curious if your game takes longer as well, or are we just slowpokes? Not that I mind if I'm a slowpoke, but it would be nice to know. Especially since if it is just because of the things I mentioned, once they are 'corrected' we may have time to play another game.

[CT GAMER]

My games are always longer then the times listed unless my opponent or I gets a lucky early game caster kill.

We also tend to be in no rush in my group and do a lot of bs'ing and so forth as we play...

[bouncymischa]

Apparently, my Mk I games lasted longer than usual -- I estimate it usually took around 3 hours to play a 500 point game, which resulted in more 750 and even 1000 point games, since those could be accomplished within the 5 hours we had at the store. But this is likely due to time spent at the start getting set up, army lists made and so forth...

In Mk II, while my one 100-point game ran over 5 hours, I've gotten 25 point games done within 2 hours, probably around an hour and a half. A 35 point game probably takes us 2 hours to 2-1/2.

Not sure what the standards given in the book are, though...

[DevonV]

I've never completed a non-tournament game in anything resembling the estimated times unless someone messed up and got assassinated early. 3 hours is barely enough time for a 50 point game for my group.

[Haight]

Wow. My playgroup must play very, very fast. We can bang out a 35 point game in 60-75 minutes, and a 50 will probably only take slightly longer.

I can't even imagine a game taking 3 hours to play (then again, most of my gaming buddies are diehard hardcore players - it's sorta bad form to take longer than 7-10 minutes a turn :D).


Even in MK1 500-750 games rarely took longer than 90 minutes unless it was two attrition grind type armies. I'm not sure i'd have the patience to play a 3 hour 500 / 35 point game.

-- Haight

[KaalTheWanderer]

Baah, don't sweat it.

Once you get comfortable with the rules, and which stats are more relevant than others your games will start to fly by. For example, once you've got it drilled in your head that praetorians are ARM 14, the next time a mortar splashes a few you'll know what die roll your looking for to start removing them.

Also, once you have the rules thing down pat, start mixing in scenario play. It forces forward movement, thus quicker games.

[ricefrisbeetreats]

Depends on how we're feeling. We can play a game quick, getting a 50pt game over in an hour even (yeah, it happened and there really was no assassination).

Other times I've played 500/35pt games that lasted 3 or 4 hours easily because of all the talking and watching other games going on.

[wadders]

Wow!

Our group normally plays a 35pt game in 60-90 minutes. Normally the lower end of the scale.

As long as both parties are enjoying it - shouldn't matter how long it takes... well that's what i keep telling the missus!

[Shadow37]

My games are always longer then the times listed unless my opponent or I gets a lucky early game caster kill.

We also tend to be in no rush in my group and do a lot of bs'ing and so forth as we play...

I'm the same way. Since my group doesn't get together very often we bs as much as we play. When we are all together it's really hard to stop cracking joke after joke. Whether it's Warmachine related or not.

[CT GAMER]

I'm the same way. Since my group doesn't get together very often we bs as much as we play. When we are all together it's really hard to stop cracking joke after joke. Whether it's Warmachine related or not.

Your group sounds awesome...

[Saerko]

I probably get only about 3 hours to play each night, and I'm probably the slowest player in my group. That said, I try to get at least one 35 PC and one 50 PC game in a night at minimum.

Whenever I go fast I just get my order of operations mixed up and make stupid mistakes. I think it comes from my RTS background where everything was happening simultaneously, and you could quickly jump from action to action. Holding myself implementing a step-by-step plan eats time, but if pressed I can usually get in a turn in under 10 minutes with decent regularity, so most of our games go about 1.5-2 hrs when you factor in setup and conversation.

[DemonCalibre]

Like an hour and 30 for me to play 35

50 points go maybe 2 and a half in our play group.

I am not keen on how long it takes, when me and my friend play we can dial that down sigificantly because he and I don't mess around.

[FearLord]

I probably get only about 3 hours to play each night, and I'm probably the slowest player in my group. That said, I try to get at least one 35 PC and one 50 PC game in a night at minimum.

Whenever I go fast I just get my order of operations mixed up and make stupid mistakes. I think it comes from my RTS background where everything was happening simultaneously, and you could quickly jump from action to action. Holding myself implementing a step-by-step plan eats time, but if pressed I can usually get in a turn in under 10 minutes with decent regularity, so most of our games go about 1.5-2 hrs when you factor in setup and conversation.

I agree with this - my group meets for 3 hours a week and I can usually fit in one - two games depending on points scale (2 games for a 25pts + a Battle box game or 1 35pts game). This would tend to take up 2 hours overall leaving time for a chat, set up and packing away afterwards. I am probably the slowest player in my group as well - I tend to spend lots of time thinking through the current situation at the start of each of my turns and then play very quickly after that - but I always like a couple of minutes to plan the turn out. I find that if I just start activating stuff without thinking about it I'll screw up critcal activation orders and mess up a bit...

Playing in timed tournaments is a bit of a challenge sometimes, but it helps to play with a list I'm familiar with and it tends to focus the mind a little...

[Kaptain Von]

I don't approve of all this mad haste to get games finished in an hour, not unless someone actually has to leave in an hour. The pace can be picked up when necessary, but I'd rather take my time, banter some banter and not feel guilty for taking more than the Designated Time to finish.

[Almightyfoon]

I played a 50 point game last night and I think it took 2 1/2 hours over vassal (Finally ran that bastard Krueger threw though), but we were joking back and forth over how crappy my dice rolls were, till the last round when my sour dice went to him.

I can usually get a 35 point game in an hour and half, maybe two hours.

[CT GAMER]

I don't approve of all this mad haste to get games finished in an hour, not unless someone actually has to leave in an hour. The pace can be picked up when necessary, but I'd rather take my time, banter some banter and not feel guilty for taking more than the Designated Time to finish.

Quoted for truth and agreement.

[darisus]

I got into a 50pt game the other day that lasted 4 hours but that is rare most of the time 50pts takes my group 2-3 hours depending on banter and jokes on my bad rolling.

[jandrese]

Uh, didn't most Mk I tournaments run at the 750 point level with 12 minute turns and a 1:15 (or so) total length?

12 minutes is a pretty generous amount of time even for 50 point armies unless you have a lot of time consuming models in play (Deliverers!).

That said, on casual game nights our 50 point games generally take a couple of hours to finish which seems about right.

[Blaque]

35/500 takes about an hour for our group I think. 50/750 raerly goes beyond about 90 minutes and we often times in tournements have things end with scenario or caster kil before dice down.

And stuff.

[hayguyz]

When my brother and I were playing with just the battleboxes, our games were 3 hours long.

[Karazax]

I don't think most players who look at the suggested times are in a rush so much as that new players look at the time limits and try to pick point levels that match the time they think they can commit. So it does help for those time estimates to be fairly accurate for "average speed". If you are teaching someone a game and you tell them the game takes about an hour and it ends up taking 3 hours that can be a problem for some people.

[blue loki]

If I don't make a conscious effort, I definitely end up taking longer than I should in my turns. However, after playing in numerous timed tournaments, it has become much easier to play within the times listed as long as I actively apply myself to accomplish that goal.

[Whimper]

I haven't played much MK2 yet, but in the old days, a typical 500pt game would easily go 2 hours. And when it was only two of us without a Press Ganger to answer rules questions, turn that 2 hours into 4 hours.

[DemonCalibre]

Something I would like to mention to all the people against hurrying. It depends on your situation.

I play quickly and generally desicisively, Which means most of my turns are about 7-8 minutes long tops in a 35 point game. Now consider let us say I play a 2 hour long 35 point game, that clocks 5 turns(which is generous the since most games are done earilier then that)

This means in that 2 hours I am playing for 35-40minutes(in reality it's less my opening turns and ending turns are generally very fast), and my opponent is playing his turn for 80-85 minutes. I am not going to lie watching you take your turn for 15-20 minutes, can get tedious particularly if your just staring at the table thinking, and not even moving your models.

[Yertle4]

Some people are just thinkers. In my old playgroup, some people took 3-4 hours for a 500 pts game. In my new one, I get 3 x35 pts in 4 hours with little coffee breaks in between.

[CptCaine]

Wow. My playgroup must play very, very fast. We can bang out a 35 point game in 60-75 minutes, and a 50 will probably only take slightly longer.

I can't even imagine a game taking 3 hours to play (then again, most of my gaming buddies are diehard hardcore players - it's sorta bad form to take longer than 7-10 minutes a turn :D).


Even in MK1 500-750 games rarely took longer than 90 minutes unless it was two attrition grind type armies. I'm not sure i'd have the patience to play a 3 hour 500 / 35 point game.

-- Haight
We are the same way man. We crank out games when we are playing, unless we are working on how to beat something, or working on new rules.


Now we do have a really cool way to do megabattles that we can do a 5v5 and only take about 2-3 hours. Its an awesome format.

-CC