Do You Often Get Beyond Mid-Level Play When RPGing?

[Hackmaster]

Most of my campaigns are low level, 3-7, rarely going beyond that point.

By then the game seems to bog down a bit and creating adequate challenges becomes a bit more tedious.

 

[lukelightning]

One thing that seems to bog down higher level gaming is equipment; unless the DM has been very careful the value/power of the PCs equipment could be wildly different from "what is standard."

It might be good to just say "ok, you guys are 10th level, you should have XXX gp in magic items, so go though the DMG and pick what you have; no item should be more valuable than XXX and the following items are prohibited..." etc.

Yeah, some people might have a hard time justifying this in-game, but if the PCs are part of some organization or something it could account for how they aquire their items.

 

[sniffles]

Since you don't specify that you mean in D&D, I'd say yes, I often do reach higher than mid-levels. I've spent many years RPing in systems that don't use levels. My characters in those games often became very powerful.

But if I voted based exclusively on D&D characters I've played, I'd have to say no. I've never reached higher than 12th level in an ongoing campaign.

 

[Beckett]

No.

Many of the games I've been involved in as a player have fallen apart around 7th level.

Very aggrevating because that's just when the PrC's start and when some of the more interesting spells/feats become available.

I hear you on that. I think part of the reason I've been keeping my campaigns running longer is so that players can make use of those prestige classes and higher level feats and abilities. My GF's rogue is the first character I've seen in 3.X to get access to the rogue special abilities, and she was pleased as punch when she took Improved Evasion. In the Eberron game I'm playing in, I'm having a great time with my presitge class (Bone Knight) and I'm looking forward to picking up the last few abilities.

 

[Starman]

Hell, when I had time and was playing regularly, I was lucky to make it to 3rd level. My group's games usually fell apart before that for any number of stupid reasons. It was very aggravating.

 

[delericho]

The Shackled City was at 20th level when it ended. My other 'big' campaigns in 3e have reached 9th and 11th level. Then there have been the games that didn't get beyond 2nd level...

I fully expect the Age of Worms to go the distance, if I ever get a chance to run it. Indeed, I think the dawn of the Adventure Path era marks a great increase in the frequency with which campaigns reach high levels.

 

[frankthedm]

Nope, thats the point in the levels when just one tacticle mistake can lead to a TPK and often does with me. Either the tank gets it from advancing unsupported or the casters get it from being left open to attack. It is usually all downhill after that.

 

[thorian]

I am really amazed more people don't get to play above mid-level. Perhaps I'm lucky to be with the same group for 15+ years now, but 90% of our campaigns reach high levels.

My group's highest level campaign has characters from 22-25 level. We started it in 2E and converted it to 3E when we began playtesting the 3E edition for WotC. Our other campaigns include a ravenloft campaign which reached ~15th level, and another 2E campaign converted to 3E which is presently 12-16 level. We have two other campaigns which have just begun, Shackled City and an Eberron, so they are only 2nd level ... for now.

There are several more, but I shall spare you all the boring details.

 

[MerricB]

The correct answer is: No, campaigns that go beyond mid-level take more time, and thus even though they happen regularly, it isn't "often".

More seriously, looking at my campaigns since 3E:

Age of Worms - currently at 10th, will finish at 20+ (1 year)
Ulek II - currently at 6th, will probably finish at 15+ (6 months)
Living Greyhawk - currently at 7th, will finish at 16+ (2 years)
Mark of Heroes - currently at 8th, will finish at ?? (1 year)
Necropolis - finished at 15th (3 years)
Castle Greyhawk - finished at 15th (6 months - this was just fun!)
Key of Destiny - "on hiatus" at 7th (plan to finish at 20+) - (6 months)
Ulek I - finished at 10th - (1 1/2 years)
Feast of Xan-Yae - finished at 14th+ (2.5 years)

All campaigns above started at 1st level

Cheers!

 

[arwink]

I've run a game that hit 19th level once. The next two campaigns both either ended badly or got put on hiatus around 8th level. I had a couple of games that simply didn't make it past 2nd level due to lack of interest.

The current group is sitting at 9th level, with folks just starting to edge into 10th if they haven't missed sessions. I'll keep running it until something happens to convince me that continuing will be a bad idea.