What level do you generally start your campaigns at?

[WizarDru]

1st level. One doesn't start campaigns fifteen minutes into the show, IMHO.

 

[haiiro]

Thanks to all who have responded so far.

For those who start their games at 1st level: how do you handle ECL +x races? Or is not having to handle them part of the appeal of starting at 1st level?

 

[Jenale]

1st level--I think that there's a tendency to miss out on character development by jumping in as established adventurers (ie, higher than 1st level). I like seeing the characters develop through the events that I throw at them, and it seems like the events I throw in at lower levels make deeper marks on the character than at higher. (In my game, we started at 1st level. Characters are now 2nd and 3rd, with one PC edging closer to 4th. The ones who are still 2nd are on the high side of halfway to 3rd.

 

[Gizzard]

For cross-reference, heres an older poll I did which asked where people's current campaign started and what level they are now.

Character Level Poll

You can derive some similar data from it, but I am glad you asked this specific question -- I really wished I had differentiated "Low Level (1st-6th)" a little more.

BTW, I have 191 votes in that poll, so I only need 9 more to break 200. ;-)