Poll: Starting Point for Campaigns

[Ed_Laprade]

1st almost all the time, 3rd-5th otherwise.

 

[Kavon]

Usually 1st level, sometimes 3-6th level, depending on the setting the DM came up with.

 

[was]

first or second

 

[Arytiss]

I used to prefer starting at low-mid level. (Then I took 1d8 damage to the knee)

Of late I've found myself increasingly preferring the playstyle that accompanies starting at 1st level. It feels more like I'm developing the character in to a hero, rather than simply starting with one. It feels like I'm earning all the cool stuff I get from levelling.

It just feels more fun really.

 

[Sound of Azure]

Over the last few years, it's been 1st level for campaigns. For one-shots and single adventures, it's more varied, though never above mid-level.

I've found that the current edition allows for the reasonably robust 1st-level characters that I like to have. In previous editions I tended to start at low-level (usually 3rd-5th) for a campaign-style game.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I'd say "usually" 1st level, with the caveats that we're talking about an extended campaign, not a one-shot (which I would likely start at a higher level) and that usually doesn't mean always. If there were a way to start characters less powerful ("Level 0") I would probably use it.

 

[Mattachine]

I usually start at low level or level 1, but I've been happy with games I started at mid or even high-level.

It's strange that in all editions I have played, high level monsters/items/spells/class abilities just didn't get used. It makes me a little sad, to be honest. Sometimes, my gaming group looks at not-reaching-high-level as a failure, rather than the natural course of a campaign petering out or wrapping up.

 

[Grazzt]

Always 1st level

 

[CM]

Always 1st level

Depends on whether I'm running an adventure path style campaign or a one-off. 1st level, at least 75% of the time. Here's the exceptions:

I am running a campaign based on the video game Fallout: New Vegas with modified 4e rules. Those characters began at 3rd because I wanted them to start out fairly competent. Hello 3d10 shotguns.

I ran Tomb of Horrors 4e as a one-off at 10th-12th level, and a new followup one-off game set 25 years later and starting at 15th level using the children of those characters in the new TOH sequel adventure.

Most of 3e I played the Dungeon adventure paths (Savage Tide, Age of Wyrms). Those campaigns went from 1-20.

 

[SteveC]

When I'm with new players and starting a new edition, I'll start at first level. After we understand things better, that goes up. The most recent games I've played in have all started at Paragon levels, so level 11 has been the norm.

Why? Because after I understand the rules, I find low level adventuring to be deathly dull. Why play the game for a year or more to do something interesting? Kobolds bandits attacking merchant caravans? Oh, if I have to be a caravan guard one more time...