How long does a game of 40K take?

[Primarch]

Okay, I realize that the answer to the question in the title depends on a lot of factors, but I'm trying to get a feel for game lengths for the upcoming NH2024 event.
So what points are people usually playing at and how long are games taking (on average) to play to completion?

[The Other Dave]

Heh, I think people may be holding back on answering because people have very different experiences. Someone like Jye who plays a lot on TTS and knows the rules well could play a lot quicker than someone like me who's still only played a couple games of 10th, after a middling to long break from 9th.

I guess I'd suggest that, if past NagoyaHammers are any indication, people in my camp will be a not-insignificant number of the participants, and Matt and I had a 2000-point game the other month that took us around 4 hours, which is rather slower than someone more familiar with the rules could finish in. I'm not going to be taking part in the 40K part of NH this year so feel free to take my opinion or leave it, but I think that might be a point in favor of 1500 point games? I reckon someone with typical-for-NH passing familiarity with the rules could get a game done in less than 3 hours, and someone with more experience rather more quickly. Buut that'll depend on how many of the folks coming in are lapsed or occasional players, and how many are more serious folks who get lots of reps in. It's kind of a "how long is a piece of string" situation, unfortunately.

[Primarch]

It's kind of a "how long is a piece of string" situation, unfortunately.

That is kind of the reason I wanted some rough idea. I don't want to set point/time limits that are going to end with most people finishing up two and a half turns and then being thrown into another game where the same thing happens.

[Jye Nicolson]

10th edition hasn't changed organised play as far as I can tell, so the standard for a single day event appears to remain three games at 2000 points.

3 hours is probably right then.

However, the normal factors will make it take longer:

- learning (whether new to the game or insisting on bringing a different army every single time )

- enjoying a gab rather than playing in a businesslike fashion

- team games rather than solo

All three of those things are actually good so worth taking into consideration.

The one thing I'd say has changed is that running all five turns with a live game worth playing out is much more common. Especially since the last balance patch you just tend to have more stuff on the table at the end; even Aeldari and CSM shouldn't be handing out quite so many brutal tablings. On Sunday Devin's Orks tabled my Marines but it took him the whole game to do it despite my whole plan being to hurl 1455 points into his face in Land Raiders - he didn't have to go far!

My question is probably whether we'd expect folks to get in practice games before to get some familiarity with the game in general and their units in particular, or whether it's more likely they'll show up with hope in their hearts but not much fresh experience.


Edit: correction, Devin and I played 1500 points and finished in the morning session.

[FukuiMatt]

Every tournament or organised event I have attended for 9th has been 3x 1000 points at 2 hours a game. I assume 10th with be something similar. Most rental spaces in Japan seem to be limited to a 9-5 schedule which makes time an issue.