Can there be fun at 1st level?

[Rahkan]

I find that 1st and 2nd level are really boring for me. The monsters you fight are boring. They have to be since even a group of kobolds using inventive tactics can kill a first leveler with a lucky hit. Most fights look like this.

Fighter - Attack the closest thing
Mage - hit something with the crossbow or toss out a sleep/grease spell
Rogue (myself)- attack with crossbow (occassionally try to tumble around for the sneak attack but low melee attack bonus and tumble skill usually make this a change of pace rather than an effective tactic)
Cleric - Hit things with a mace or sling (attack about even) and heal things when necessary.

Our party has recently gotten to 3rd level so this isn't a big deal now. We are officially awash in tactical options. But those two levels pretty monotonous. We are pretty much hack-and-slashers and enjoy a rousing fight more than a rousing dialogue (I myself haven't really figured out this whole how-not-to-metagame thing).

The Point --> I'm starting a campaign for the other members of the above group and am thinking about just having my characters roll up 3rd level PCs. My question is whether there is some rewarding aspect of the first two levels with which I am unfamiliar. If so can someone give me a few guidelines on how to design a challenging encounter for a 1st level party (mostly they seem to be either really easy or too hard, never winning just by the skin of the teeth).

 

[Breakstone]

Actually, I greatly enjoy the first few levels.

Of course, I'm a DM.

Anyway, there is merit to your "starting off 3rd level" campaign. The adventurers are now already adventurers, thus can fit in more history and interesting multiclasses and races and such.

However, I like the characters to make a history in the first few levels.

Of course, I'm a DM.

 

[hong]

Anyway, there is merit to your "starting off 3rd level" campaign. The adventurers are now already adventurers, thus can fit in more history and interesting multiclasses and races and such.

However, I like the characters to make a history in the first few levels.

However, they can do that regardless of what level they start of as. An in-game history is an in-game history, and it doesn't depend on meta-game mechanics like "level" or whatnot.

In the last campaign I ran, the PCs started at 4th. The next one will probably start at 3rd.

 

[Krug]

Well 1st and 2nd level pass by very quickly. I guess it's boring for mages, since they won't have much to do. Cast their one or two spells for the day and then sit back for the rest of the time. Fighters get to hack and slash like they always do, while Rouges can practise. Clerics can cast their spells AND engage in combat, so they're kept busy.

 

[UniversalMonster]

In my experience (hah!) as a GM-

1st level goes by in one or two sessions at the most.
2nd level is about equal or as long as double that (maybe 4 sessions if I'm being cheap with XP).
3rd level is often just a bit longer than 2nd.
Things slow down a bit at 4th.

I also have about a 4 session period for the campaign to generate what I call "continuity". I feel like it takes me about that long for the plots and adventures to start sort of 'generating themselves'. Once I have this kind of continuity I never worry about whats going to happen in next weeks adventure- it's something that just sort of seems natural, based on whats already going on.

So anyhow, I try to put in a lot of work and prep for those first 4 sessions when the players are 1st or 2nd level.

 

[ForceUser@Home]

I started my new campaign at 1st level. 6 hour session, the first 3 hours of which was roleplay. Then the group entered a dungeon area, and I threw CR 1 encounters against them. Not surprisingly, they got through three of them before needing rest - although the rogue very nearly died when she was attacked by a pair of stirges (which are, btw, a CR 1 encounter).

So. As long as you follow the rules, your fragile 1st level characters are fine. And in my campaign, there's plenty of roleplaying. Even though everyone was 1st level, I heard not a single complaint. In fact, I got several complements for running a fun session. Woot!

 

[fba827]

I tend to like campaigns that start at 1st level, why:

1) Makes higher levels that much more satisfying
2) Keeps you from jumping in with a lot of choices that you have not yet fully understood/mastered
3) let's your character's personal history grow with the campaign - yes, you can make up a back story, but something is to be said when the character can gain levels as the game progresses... for instance, if there's a lot of sneaking around, you may end up picking up a level of rogue that you would not have otherwise picked up, that sort of thng.
4) Makes the campaign last that many gaming sessions longer
5) Gives some variety - you'll be slinging around spells and magic blades and such later ... low level is the chance to say you got by on your good looks and luck alone

(again, these are all just my reasons - there are probably more, but that's all I can think of right now)