KotS vs "Raiders..."

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Possibly, but what you describe sounds more like a typical 3E game, where the DM either rushes player to level 2 so they have a chance to survive or wipes the party, one or the other.

One of 4E's strengths is that Level 1 characters aren't 1 swing from death at all times. Level 1 characters in 4E are more hardy and have more options.

But what if he likes 1st level TPKs? I am pretty sure he can make that work in 4E, too.

 

[TerraDave]

Rumor had it that Scalegloom Hall (of DD XP fame) would be in the DMG.

So that gives you the short intro scenerio. But you have to wait a few more weeks for that.

 

[howandwhy99]

But what if he likes 1st level TPKs? I am pretty sure he can make that work in 4E, too.

4 out of 10 ENWorlders agree. 1st level is the best time to have a TPK.

 

[Jhaelen]

Possibly, but what you describe sounds more like a typical 3E game, where the DM either rushes player to level 2 so they have a chance to survive or wipes the party, one or the other.

Well, I think there's several factors involved:
- After finishing the 2E campaign the players were used to play high-level characters, so they tended to be less cautious than they should have been.
- It takes a while to fully grasp a new set of rules. Tactical mistakes happen more easily and more often.
- As howandwhy99's poll has shown (thanks for the link!), a TPK at level 1 doesn't hurt as much as a TPK at higher levels. The players know that, too. So they're more willing to take risks.

Also, we actually started my 3E campaign with 2nd level characters. After the TPK, they started at level 1 and survived without any fatalities. They had a better grasp on the rules and they were extra-careful.
Several of them had chosen different classes/concepts after their first experiences with the 2nd level characters both to work better as a team and/or because the original concept didn't play as well as it had looked on paper.

As a side-effect of the TPK I could also do something quite interesting for our third adventure: The party was hired by the npc that had killed the original party
That made for some interesting role-playing...

One of 4E's strengths is that Level 1 characters aren't 1 swing from death at all times. Level 1 characters in 4E are more hardy and have more options.

Yes, that's one of the things I like. I'll definitely start at level 1 in 4E. Maybe it'll also end my series of starting campaigns with a TPK