Keeping the party together.

[Zulkir of Dartmouth]

Wow 8 or 9 players is a lot and I think that running a game that size is great fun b/c of the RPing that happens.
But jester is right I always think that 2 levels lower than the average party level is the way to go.

 

[Drakken]

It's tough with 8 people spread out over a range of XP!

If the whole group is at one level, say 8th, I see no reason not to start the new player out at the bottom of that level or one level below. I would think two levels below would be depressing to play unless they just leveled up, as if your being penalized for starting late.

In the end though, it really depends on a few thing:
-the player comming in (experienced, commited, etc.)
-the attitude of the group
-previous new players added, they started where?
One way to make someone grouchy is to start someone new at a higher level distance than what you started them at!

Last, I always ask the group "would you mind if" or "what do you suggest" and see the responses (everyone has email now). It's surprising how simple that makes my decision.

 

[Zero44]

Try keeping together fourteen. Trust me, it's more trouble than what it's worth trying to figure up what a good encounter is for that many people, considering that (imo) D&D was designed for a 4-6 character party. It's like a small army marching around. The group eventually whittled down to nine, but they still ripped through the droves of Pit Fiends I threw at them.

 

[Artoomis]

We just came up with a really simple system last night.

You start one level below the party level. You get the same experience points as everyone else +10%.

This is a really simple way of helping the lower level characters to catch up to the rest, recognizing that the same encouter is a more valuable experience (more ep) for a lower level character.