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<blockquote data-quote="MostlyDm" data-source="post: 6819019" data-attributes="member: 6788973">Are you seriously trying to draw a connection between ES@1 and current popular social &quot;pay gap&quot; talking points?Are you doing this because you're trying to be divisive and polarizing? Or are you oblivious to how incredibly ridiculous and insulting your comparison is?Gender and ethnicity have nothing to do with this, but it's really telling that you feel the need to bring them up. It's really simple: whatever secret problems they are hiding from you are not your problem. You can only address that which has been communicated to you. Trying to mind read and make assumptions about what your players are *really thinking* as opposed to what they state is a fool's errand. It's also more likely to result in even worse miscommunication. These people are ostensibly your friends. Take them at their word. Trust that they can take the initiative to bring it up if they have problems. Don't infantilize them. That's far worse than any possible problem that could arise due to them lying about their comfort level. As far as the original question: I like ES@1, but I've also done &quot;come in at the same level.&quot;My current favorite is &quot;come in at the level that makes sense for the character.&quot;&nbsp; If you have a logical background of achievement, get a level commensurate with that achievement. So when players were making villain characters to terrorize their main PCs, they came in several levels higher than party average and managed to wreak holy hell upon the PC's plans. Conversely, when a player wanted to make an adolescent, gimp-legged, peasant crap-shoveler that ran away to join the PC's mercenary company, that character had some work to do before he even qualified as level 1. And plenty of in-between.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="MostlyDm, post: 6819019, member: 6788973"] Are you seriously trying to draw a connection between ES@1 and current popular social "pay gap" talking points? Are you doing this because you're trying to be divisive and polarizing? Or are you oblivious to how incredibly ridiculous and insulting your comparison is? Gender and ethnicity have nothing to do with this, but it's really telling that you feel the need to bring them up. It's really simple: whatever secret problems they are hiding from you are not your problem. You can only address that which has been communicated to you. Trying to mind read and make assumptions about what your players are *really thinking* as opposed to what they state is a fool's errand. It's also more likely to result in even worse miscommunication. These people are ostensibly your friends. Take them at their word. Trust that they can take the initiative to bring it up if they have problems. Don't infantilize them. That's far worse than any possible problem that could arise due to them lying about their comfort level. As far as the original question: I like ES@1, but I've also done "come in at the same level." My current favorite is "come in at the level that makes sense for the character." If you have a logical background of achievement, get a level commensurate with that achievement. So when players were making villain characters to terrorize their main PCs, they came in several levels higher than party average and managed to wreak holy hell upon the PC's plans. Conversely, when a player wanted to make an adolescent, gimp-legged, peasant crap-shoveler that ran away to join the PC's mercenary company, that character had some work to do before he even qualified as level 1. And plenty of in-between. [/QUOTE]

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