D&D 5E Levels 1-4 are "Training Wheels?"

[Quartz]

IMHO it doesn't matter if they're training wheels or not; what matters is if the players are having fun. It seems that this player is not.

It's absolutely fine to define the tiers as Training 1-4, regional heroes 5-10, and national heroes 11+. Yes, it's a higher power game, but if it's fun it doesn't matter. It's your game, no one else's. If you want an in-game reason, then perhaps the Greyhawk Wars have just finished and lots of people have a level or three.

I used to really like the low teen levels in 3E. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Mordhau]

Im the opposite on these statements.

By higher levels I mean 3+

Once you're past the giant rats and goblins stage.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Last night a player commented: "Levels 1-4 are just training wheels. The game doesn't even start until 5th level. Unless you're playing D&D for the first time, you should just start at 5th level."

Now, she hasn't been playing for ages - probably just around 5 years. I would expect it to take longer than that to become that jaded to low-level play.

Do you agree? If not, how do you address this? Start at 5th level? Speed through Levels 1-4? House rules to give more power or better options?

Hardly training wheels, but I do find levels 1 and 2 rather dull. We usually start at level 3.

 

[ECMO3]

Last night a player commented: "Levels 1-4 are just training wheels. The game doesn't even start until 5th level. Unless you're playing D&D for the first time, you should just start at 5th level."

Now, she hasn't been playing for ages - probably just around 5 years. I would expect it to take longer than that to become that jaded to low-level play.

Do you agree? If not, how do you address this? Start at 5th level? Speed through Levels 1-4? House rules to give more power or better options?

Level 1 and 2 are when you are most likely to die. I have only had 2 5E characters actually die after level 5 and one of them threw himself into a portal to close it and save the world at the end of a campaign.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Another thing is I think for most tables, levels 1 and 2 are done within the first handful of sessions. They pass by so quickly that some people wonder why bother even playing them?

 

[Older Beholder]

I can understand someone wanting to start at a higher level. Sometimes you can have a run of campaigns where it ends early and you never feel like you’re getting above level 6.

The term ‘training wheels‘ doesn’t feel quite right to me though, as levels 1-4 are the easiest to die at, (and stay dead)

 

[Stormonu]

I’d rank 1st and 2nd level as “getting your legs” and the levels I’m most likely to skip with experienced players. But by level 3 characters are certainly able to hold their own, and true heroes by 5th level.

Then again, I hate the “Avenger level threat” the game tends to get into at 11th+ level.

 

[Lyxen]

It's absolutely fine to define the tiers as Training 1-4, regional heroes 5-10, and national heroes 11+.

No, it's not, because adventurers having adventures cannot be considered doing "training". This is the basis of my complaint with the term, it's a derogatory term as it's addressed to the players, not the characters, whereas the other two terms are terms for characters.

 

[Minigiant]

No, it's not, because adventurers having adventures cannot be considered doing "training". This is the basis of my complaint with the term, it's a derogatory term as it's addressed to the players, not the characters, whereas the other two terms are terms for characters.

You are training to fight, charm, dodge, or debate dragons.
Which you can't until level 5.

 

[Monayuris]

I got to wonder how do people deal with encounter building for level1 characters?

3 goblins is considered a ‘hard’ encounter for a level one party. So, if that’s all you get to deal with, then I get why people would think low level is boring and just training wheels.

If low level characters only ever get a steady diet of balanced encounters, it’s going to feel like a monotonous cakewalk.

Toss the idea of balanced encounters and those low levels become more tense and exciting than any other level of play.