I refuse to DM 3/3.5 past 7th level. How about you?

[Chainsaw Mage]

In my day, by the time the PCs reached 12th level, they were pretty much setting up their own castles and manors and toying with the idea of retirement. Often, of course, we played on. Ah yes, those were the good old days of Bend Bars/Lift Gates, THAC0, Armor Class -1, and other grognardy things.

No one would argue that 3rd edition is a far higher-powered game than 1e/2e. I think this is pretty much an accepted fact; I'm sure I don't have to trot out a bunch of statistics from the AD&D 1e/2e books to make the case. In addition to being higher-powered, 3rd edition also levels players much faster. In the old days it was pretty standard to have high-level PCs with XP in the six-figure range.

Bottom line: I suppose I'm still a grognard at heart (AD&D 2e is my favorite game), but I also DM 3.0. I've actually quite enjoyed DMing the lower levels, but I've found that by the time a PC reaches levels 7-8, the DMing is getting too complex for my tastes. Fifty million feats, magical bonuses, uber class abilities, etc. etc. makes the DMing process far more like accounting and less like fun.

So I'll *play* just about anything. But as a DM, I refuse to run anything higher than, say, 7th level.

How about you?

 

[Kelleris]

You're missing a poll option - I'll do 1-20, but I really don't like DMing at epic levels.

I prefer about 4-10, though. My longest-running continuous stretch as a 3.x DM was from 6th to 14th over a couple of years' time, but I've done shorter games at various other levels.

 

[Herobizkit]

I've played and enjoyed AD&D2 for a long time before 3.x came out. In that edition, I enjoyed levels 7-12 the most because it is around those levels that PCs finally get some interesting spells and abilities.

For DMing, though... I've never actually DM'd a high-level campaign. I hope to change that, as I spent the damn money on the Epic Level Handbook and I WILL justify its purchase *LOL*.

To be fair, you're right: higher levels in 3.x means more feats, more abilities, more whacked-out combinations of PrC's and no real concept of who can take what before you get into save-or-die situations. By those levels (15+), a character should be focused on the world at large rather than how many monsters they can kill. Once you acquire land, and followers, and a name for yourself, it THEN becomes all about taking their stuff... whatever it is, from whoever it is.

 

[jdrakeh]

I won't DM it at all - I'll play it at the drop of a hat, but I won't DM it. The ever-growing collection of intricate, situation-specific, rules and resulting necessity for micro-management is just too much for me to handle anymore. Give me C&C any day!

 

[Dragonhelm]

Bottom line: I suppose I'm still a grognard at heart (AD&D 2e is my favorite game), but I also DM 3.0.

I would recommend Castles and Crusades.

It's old school in many ways, even ending most class progressions at 12th level, yet it also borrows from some of the good things from 3e. It's a very simple system, focused on ability score checks for the most part: d20 + ability score + class level (if applicable).

 

[jdrakeh]

It's a very simple system, focused on ability score checks for the most part: d20 + ability score + class level (if applicable).

And I hear (but haven't seen for myself yet) that the first Castle Zygag (sp?) volume adds optional rules for proficiencies.

 

[was]

I usually end up running until the pc's hit around level 12 or 13. By then, everybody wants to do something new and we end up retiring any surviving characters.

 

[Dragonhelm]

And I hear (but haven't seen for myself yet) that teh first Castloe Zygag (sp?) volume adds optional rules for proficiencies.

Yep. I haven't seen it myself, so I can't comment on that.

C&C doesn't have a skill or feat system, but it's designed with house rules in mind. You can easily add non-weapon proficiencies from AD&D, or go the route of the 3rd edition skill system.

The beauty of C&C is that it is highly adaptable.

 

[Wombat]

I'm good GMing (or playing) up through about 10th level.

After that the game pretty much runs out of parameters I wish to play within. The villains become too fantastical, too much like something out of a superhero comic book, rather than most of the fantasy novels and mythology that I enjoy. I don't "do" the Planes, I find many of the higher level monsters more an exercise in getting around rules than anything else, and I find most of the higher power magic items (and requirements for same) to be way over the top.

That being said, one of my gaming buddies thinks that games get interesting only above 10th level. So his games start necessarily a bit more powerful than mine.

 

[Jackelope King]

I've run games up to around level 22. The current incarnation of the epic level rules don't thrill me, but everything else is damn good gaming.