Well, you already know the answer - it depends. Obviously there's the issue of group size, the larger it is the longer it will last. More important is the method by which you nominate and decide who to lynch. Most groups I've played with use a nomination/seconding to get a "candidate" followed by a period of discussion, a final defence and then a yes/no vote. If the vote fails then the process is repeated. While I do think this is the best method it does tend to be the longest. Another method is to use a preference vote. Everyone discusses the issue and after a certain length of time votes for who they wish to lynch. The player with the most votes is killed. (In a tie there is a "vote-off" between these two or more] players.) If time is a crucial element for you the best method might be to use the first one I mention but impose a time limit, say 10 minutes per "day". If the villagers have not lynched someone within this period no one is killed and night falls. With 11 players this will usually result in a game of about 45 minutes. To more directly answer your question I have played in games that lasted at least 3 hours and found that this was FAR too long. Slow pace, too many players and no time limit on lynching. I now avoid such situations. On the other hand, I recently played several excellent games that were less than an hour each and it revived my appreciation for the game. http://www.thegamesjournal.com Back to Table of Contents -- Game! # 5 To Game! List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by George Phillies. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com