How much use did you get from D&D 3.0e?

[Numion]

WotC had a good idea from their player survey that capaigns usually last 1-1.5 years, and thus decided to design 3.0e so that it's possible to reach level 20 in that time. Almost three years have passed since the release of 3.0e and with the new edition coming, I think it's time to look back how much gaming we each got from 3.0e.

I DMed one campaign from 1st to 16th level, another from 1st to 23rd level and played in one from 1st to 11th. Thats 50 levels of D&D, baby! I guess it's pretty good for one set of books, maybe a bit pricey because as the DM I bought most of the stuff we used (and didn't use ).

So how did you fare with 3e, how many levels advanced? Did you get enough of it before 3.5e? Should WotC recognise this as a new rule of thumb when designing new Core sets - a year per campaign, three campaigns per Core edition?

EDIT: Whoah, that was my post #1500!

 

[Eternalknight]

I ran a short game from 1st to 3rd, then one from 1st 13th, another from 1st to 11th, and the current one from 1st to 14th. So thats 41 levels.

 

[John Crichton]

With tons of restarts, varied groups and me mostly DM-ing I have to say that I've seen about 20 or so levels in 3 years. There wasn't anything in there that lasted more than 6 months and I did take almost 10 months off in there too.

Either way, I'd say I got my money's worth.

 

[Fenes 2]

I was about 1 year into a weekly 2E campaign when we converted to 3.5 E (at level 5). The campaign, although gone to 2 sessions per month this spring, is still going on, now at level 12. Another 2E campaign I restarted as a weekly 3E campaign level 6 back in 2001, it reached level 14 and is still going on. I don't measure my progress in levels, but without doubt I got a lot out of my 3E books, and I will get even more out of them - I don't think I will use my 3.5 books, which are on the way over the big pond right now, anytime soon, at least not for anything more than a source of home rules.

 

[National Acrobat]

Well, I'm still Dming a campaign that started 3 years ago, and the characters are now 14th level. In between that we ran another group that went from 1st-7th level. I'm probably the exception to those quick level-gains. I'll also still get plenty of miles out of 3E, 'cause my group is sticking with 3.0.

 

[Xeoble]

We played one campaign from level 3 to level 5, one from level 3 to level 40 (we ascended) and one from level 3 to level 17.

Total: 53

 

[Henry]

We've played somewhere around 12 campaigns since 2000, and only one of them rose above 11th level - a campaign we played from 1st to 18th level. Our current FR campaign is at level 4, and still going pretty strong.

The campaign lengths have been marred by frequent player rotation, spurts of real-life intrusion, and general dissatisfaction

Even with the current rules, we could have kept going for 3 or 4 more years yet. But I am glad to see some of the overall toning down of power that 3.5 is doing, because having spellcasters running around at 1st level with DC 16 to 18's was getting actually boring.

To be honest, the timing doesn't feel PERFECT on this release like it did 3E, but I'll wait and see.

 

[WizarDru]

Our main game as seen in the Story Hour has lasted 3 years, with the players attaining 20th level within the last few weeks, and several ready to level to 21st, when they fulfill quests I've imposed for that purpose. We also have had a 'beta' game, which has gone from 1st to 7th level (and is still on-going).

My group's third game, also in the story hour forum, has the players starting at 4th, and making it to 6th. There'll be a time jump, and starting next session, we'll be 10th.

I just noticed...SSOM story hour thread id is 99, while the Avonshar story hour is 26031. And this thread id is 56952. I mean, DAMN.

 

[danzig138]

I have yet to have a campaign last for a year to a year and a half. I've only run a couple since I got the books (shortly after they came out). One got to an average level of 8th before all but one character died; a Greyhawk game. I plan on picking it back up 200 years in the future with the surviving character having usurped Iuz's throne. And my OA camapign ended last Sunday, again, with one character surviving; it's not me honestly. I had this campaign planned for 1st to 20th level, it's just that my players are their own worst enemies. In between, I've run a couple of d20/non-D&D games. So far, I feel as though I've gotten my money's worth from 3.0.

 

[diaglo]

the level advancement was way too fast for my tastes.

i played in 8 campaigns with 6 different DMs.

the fastest advance was lvl 1 to 18 in 4 months. i hated this campaign for the level advancement.

the slowest lvl 1 to 5 in 6 months was the best but still too fast.

i prefer 10+ year campaigns with 1 lvl / real life year advancement.