The Magic and The Mundane
The more mundane aspects of the day to day of an adventurer is something most of us are familiar with; sessions dedicated to gearing up, recovering lost strength, getting new hirelings, maybe even treating oneself to a bauble that could prove useful (or at least entertaining) are all part and parcel of your time with any number of rpgs. The kicker is the over/under emphasis of these moments: either giving Players too much downtime or not leaving them a moment in between the bouts of tension and chaos of being a wandering vagrant with an axe. Each table is going to prefer something different in terms of how it's skewed either striking a perfect balance or leaning more towards the chaos or towards the calm.
The Magic is the sticking point for many tables with GMs describing visceral combat, the picking of a lock as armored footsteps close distance, and the ball of fire arcing it's way into an enclosed space. It can be short panic adrenaline filled moments or a long bloody slog that wears at patience and resources. It (like any other aspect of a game) is fairly malleable and the intent behind each moment matters as much as its execution. To make ones Players afeared of the beast lurking outside the meadhall, to build tension as a look is shared while a vampire count smiles wider than they should; to challenge mind, dice, and soul. The Magic is a wonderful thing in short bursts; The Mundane is the thing that tempers players between the sudden onset of violent and the fantastical.
The Importance of The Mundane is that it gives players a moment to better step into the boots of their character, feeling more grounded in the world, and having an opportunity to think about what they want from the game (either in the narrative sense or mechanics wise). It's the calm waters between storms that lets the players/characters look on towards the horizon and see how much more is ahead of them and reflect on everything that's going on and has passed them by; letting them get their bearings and chart their path before the next storm hits or the whale they've been tracking breaches the surface. It's the fireside chats and the hours long shopping trips that add as much texture as the breakneck action, triumphs, and failures that players constantly find themselves a part of. Finding a balance for this is no easy task but is vital for the continued enjoyment of any good game.
The balancing point for all this is different for each group can vary; in many cases leaning at least a little more towards one than the other. In some instances players want shorter high octane campaigns with very little breathing room so the energy isn't lost. Others would prefer a quieter game with sudden crescendos that decrescendo back into an other wise calm symphony. Each play-group and GM will find their own preferred balance with time, trial and error, or if they're lucky they'll get it right the first time. Any way the wind blows finding and maintaining that balance is what can make or break some (if not most) games.
The Magic & Mundane of every game are a definitive part of any experience had at a table, how much of either is part of that experience is entirely up to the the gm running and the players playing. Like some recipes it's entirely to the taste of those making the dish. Don't know how the cooking analogy slipped in, probably got hungry writing this, but the point stands that no matter how that dish looks to other people as long as you and your players enjoy it then you did it right.