90% of D&D Games Stop By Level 10; Wizards More Popular At Higher Levels

lkj · Feb 11, 2019

Morrus said:
Yes, they included them. These are characters created on DDB, nothing more. Nearly 9 million of them!

That's not quite right. They filtered based on metrics that indicated whether or not a character was being used. That included things like whether hit points changed and such. I don't know the details. I'm sure it's not perfect. But they did take a shot at only including 'active' characters.

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lostsanityreturned · Feb 12, 2019

lyle.spade said:
Well said. I wonder if part of it is time, as well - that is, the time spent playing in and running a campaign that starts at 1st level, and how a typical campaign only lasts a few months, at most, before it gasses out for some reason or another. I've started a few campaigns at Tier 2, and even a few at 3, and they almost always tend to come to an end after 5-6 months, for any variety of reasons related to the game itself or life. Long campaigns will lead to higher character levels in DnD, and so perhaps that fact is a shadow cast by the lifespan of DnD campaigns, rather than deliberate efforts to not turn into superheroes with swords.

For me, I don't like high-level play for that very reason: the characters are not relatable and the stories, in order to challenge the characters mechanically, easily turn into 'can you top this' encounter-focused affairs that lose the story.

That seems really depressing dude, keep trying to find a group that doesn't fizzle out. The only times my games have ended was because of a large life event last year or when a party wiped and it seemed more apt to have the story end there.
Oh and when a player passed, that was a bit of a shock.

But fizzling out is not a good thing to be expecting.

Zardnaar · Feb 13, 2019

lostsanityreturned said:
That seems really depressing dude, keep trying to find a group that doesn't fizzle out. The only times my games have ended was because of a large life event last year or when a party wiped and it seemed more apt to have the story end there.
Oh and when a player passed, that was a bit of a shock.

But fizzling out is not a good thing to be expecting.

When I was younger a long term stable group was the default. Not 6 months with the same people is long term.

People move, kids get sick, people get sick of each other, life/wife etc.

Alcamtar · Feb 14, 2019

If you want a BASIC BASIC D&D, you might take a look at games like Basic Fantasy RPG. It is based on the much simpler form of D&D popular in the 1980s. Basic Fantasy is similar enough to 5E that it is familiar, gives plenty of options, and is only $5 on Amazon (or free if you download the PDF). There are lots of adventures and stuff for it.

Be aware that while it sort of resembles 5E it is not directly compatible with it, and doesn't have the same level of tactical play as 5E does. That means that running 5E adventures would require some adaptation. There are a metric ton of adventures for older D&D though -- and lots of people still creating them to this day. Those old adventures are largely the same source that inspired 5E, so you're still exploring the "D&D multiverse."

There are lots of other old-style games like Basic Fantasy, but for a new player I think BFRPG is probably the easiest and simplest to start playing with, and has an active community supporting it.

Low Fantasy Gaming is in a similar mold to Basic Fantasy and is inspired by the same sources, but I believe it uses 5E as it's core rules engine. I'm not sure it's completely compatible with either 5E or with the older games, so not sure how much support it has. But if you really like 5E rules and enjoy writing your own adventures, it might be in your sweet spot.

Ian Cotlear1 · Feb 16, 2019

I have ran campaigns that have lasted for over a decade, with characters reaching levels in the mid-20s. But my world was full of level 10 peasants. They were still cleaning out basements at that level.

5ekyu · Feb 16, 2019

Zardnaar said:
When I was younger a long term stable group was the default. Not 6 months with the same people is long term.

People move, kids get sick, people get sick of each other, life/wife etc.

On the other hand, for decades and on I was "the only gm" and I never got to play.

Now I still GM the long run group campaigns and play in other "games". One lasted 3 months from 1st thru 3rd. Another is starting this week back at first and maybe it wont last more than 3-4 months too (hope it will) but that will be more games "played" by me then I have played in the previous two decades of the four I have been GMing.

Zardnaar · Feb 16, 2019

5ekyu said:
On the other hand, for decades and on I was "the only gm" and I never got to play.

Now I still GM the long run group campaigns and play in other "games". One lasted 3 months from 1st thru 3rd. Another is starting this week back at first and maybe it wont last more than 3-4 months too (hope it will) but that will be more games "played" by me then I have played in the previous two decades of the four I have been GMing.

Yeah I have barely played most editions of D&D as a player.

S'mon · Feb 16, 2019

Alcamtar said:
If you want a BASIC BASIC D&D, you might take a look at games like Basic Fantasy RPG. It is based on the much simpler form of D&D popular in the 1980s. Basic Fantasy is similar enough to 5E that it is familiar, gives plenty of options, and is only $5 on Amazon (or free if you download the PDF). There are lots of adventures and stuff for it.

Be aware that while it sort of resembles 5E it is not directly compatible with it, and doesn't have the same level of tactical play as 5E does. That means that running 5E adventures would require some adaptation. There are a metric ton of adventures for older D&D though -- and lots of people still creating them to this day. Those old adventures are largely the same source that inspired 5E, so you're still exploring the "D&D multiverse."

There are lots of other old-style games like Basic Fantasy, but for a new player I think BFRPG is probably the easiest and simplest to start playing with, and has an active community supporting it.

Low Fantasy Gaming is in a similar mold to Basic Fantasy and is inspired by the same sources, but I believe it uses 5E as it's core rules engine. I'm not sure it's completely compatible with either 5E or with the older games, so not sure how much support it has. But if you really like 5E rules and enjoy writing your own adventures, it might be in your sweet spot.

Lfrpg is pretty in between 5e and osr dnd. I am using The Midlands for lfrpg in my 5e Primeval Thule game and conversion is very very easy, eg it gives me all the monster attribute numbers.

S'mon · Feb 16, 2019

On campaign duration, I find groups tend to split up after about 2 years on average. My 5.5 year 1-30 4e Loudwater campaign only had one original player at the end.

S'mon · Feb 16, 2019

S'mon said:
Lfrpg is pretty in between 5e and osr dnd. I am using The Midlands for lfrpg in my 5e Primeval Thule game and conversion is very very easy, eg it gives me all the monster attribute numbers.

LFRPG says (from the free PDF at https://lowfantasygaming.com/freepdf/)

WHAT IS LOW
FANTASY GAMING?
Low Fantasy Gaming (“LFG”) is a tabletop roleplaying game built for sword & sorcery
adventures in low magic worlds.
Rules Light
LFG is rules light, with a heavy emphasis on
Games Master (“GM”) rulings. It’s a hybrid of
old school and modern game design, based on
the 1d20 Open Game Licence.
Fast & Engaging Combat
Combat is designed to be fast and engaging, with
minimal waiting between turns. Creativity is
encouraged via martial exploits and magic.
Dangerous & Gritty
Battle is genuinely dangerous and every skirmish
takes a toll. The threat of serious injury or death
is never far away.
A “Realistic” World
LFG worlds tend to mimic our own classical or
medieval periods. Humans are the default player
race. Magic and fantastic monsters exist, but are
very rare.
Dark & Dangerous Magic
Magic is not only rare, it is dark and inherently
dangerous. Sorcery is a power not meant for
mortals, and adventurers engage with it at their
peril.
Riches & Glory
LFG is about exploring the unknown; delving
into the lost places of the world to unearth new
mysteries. Player characters are not epic heroes
charged with saving the world; they are bold
adventurers seeking riches and glory.
Open World
LFG is made for short, episodic adventures in an
open world. Mechanics and random tables
support GM improvisation, empowering the
referee to handle any situation or side trek.

What LFG is Not
This book does not describe a new low magic
fictional setting. It is a generic ruleset for use with
published low magic worlds (some examples
appear at page 177) or a world of your own
creation. With some tweaking, LFG could handle
most fantasy settings, but the system assumes low
fantasy.