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

[Aesthetic Monk]

Never had a campaign go beyond mid-level since I got past the munchkin god-killing days of my youth.

Same here.

 

[drothgery]

I'm frankly surprised at the poll results. With nearly 60% of people saying they never get past mid level no wonder we haven't seen a new Epic Level HB! I figured mid level was 10th, 4-7th is barely out of beginner levels, so nearly everyone of my games has gone beyond this (some very far beyond).

Well, IME, about a year of 1 4-hour game/wk (taking weeks off for vacations, holidays, and other random events in Real Life that cause the game not to go on) leaves you at a little over tenth level. And at that point the guys who DM in my tabletop group are usually interested in wrapping things up and starting something new, and so are the players. Of course, the DM's been hinting that the next reset my involve a return to an old campaign world and characters, and/or just start at mid-levels...

 

[thalmin]

I'm frankly surprised at the poll results. With nearly 60% of people saying they never get past mid level no wonder we haven't seen a new Epic Level HB! I figured mid level was 10th, 4-7th is barely out of beginner levels, so nearly everyone of my games has gone beyond this (some very far beyond). I also find it strange that anything over mid level would be termed 'munchkiny' With some careful planning characters need not be walking magical item stores at higer levels.

The poll doesn't say "never get past mid level," it asks "often."
Still, I had to answer "No" as the games I am usually involved in don't really get much into mid levels, usually ending around 5-7th level.

 

[Wombat]

Not only do we not get beyond mid-levels in D&D, but we don't enjoy D&D beyond mid-levels.

After a while, the opponents required just get ... silly.

 

[paradox42]

I for one will never understand the perspective that low-level games are more fun than high-level ones. I play RPGs to escape real-world drudgery, not revel in it!

I voted yes, since my games are always intended to go beyond mid levels (assuming, of course, that they can go on long enough). And I often make advancement at the lowest levels very fast, because I've never found them the least bit fun as a player or a DM- the sooner the characters are out of them, the more comfortable I am. Right now I'm running one Epic game (with highest-level PCs at 26th) and one near-Epic one (lowest PC level is 15th as of the last session).

 

[kigmatzomat]

Not only do we not get beyond mid-levels in D&D, but we don't enjoy D&D beyond mid-levels.

After a while, the opponents required just get ... silly.

I dare you to say that to the Nazghul's ....errr... face.

Or Sauron. Just look him straight in the eye.

 

[The_Gneech]

Or Sauron. Just look him straight in the eye.

Is it possible to look him straight in the anything else?

Speaking of which, at the end of EA Games' The Third Age game, your party literally goes up against Sauron. I don't think I've ever felt sillier than when having my characters run up and whack a forty-foot-tall electric eye with a sword.

"What's he gonna do, blink me to death???"

-The Gneech

 

[Rika]

That depends on what midlevel is.

We usually start at 5th. My GM is put off by "high" levels and tends to try to end games once the characters reach 10th or so. The highest he's gone recently is 12th.

 

[doghead]

Nope. Sometimes games I'm in start in or near the mid levels (10+), but the ones that start lower generally don't. pbp moves very slowly.

In my games, I generally prefer to start with beginning characters. 1st-3rd say. I don't mind the idea of running games with more experienced characters, but at the higher levels, the complexity of the characters and managing encounters strats to kill the fun of it. And in DnD, the power level of the higher characters is so ramped up that it starts get, for me, a little excessive.

thotd

 

[Ashrum the Black]

Yep, my last two campaigns have both gone beyond mid-level. One ended at about 16th level because of group issues. The other is still ongoing and has reached about 14th level. Both campaigns started at 2nd level and have progressed over the course of two years each to their current heights.

My AE campaign is the current one at 14th level, and the characters are just now starting to put the peices together concerning the things they saw way back at 4th level. I like that kind of feel to the campaign, and while the combats and NPC's do get more complicated, I tend to make generous use of Dungeon and online resources to make life easier. Shh, don't tell my players, they think I'm doing it all on my own.

-Ashurm