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Message: <blockquote data-quote="nijineko" data-source="post: 6051461" data-attributes="member: 52240">i am currently playing about 5 different campaigns (at various speeds and frequency). all but two are 12th level or above. (highest is currently 19th.)let's see. while in theory one could manage to accomplish ruling and planar travel, and other activities, at any level, you can only really make it stick if you have the resources to back it up. otherwise you are actually at the mercy of some npc (ahem...dm fiat... ahem), or random magical artifact which may or may not cooperate (ahem... dm fiat... ahem) or some similar plot mcguffin. now, that's not to say that dm fiat doesn't exist at high levels. it does. in fact most dms are not capable of the more complex strategy and tactics it takes to make high level play work, and thus one of the ways that the reputation that high level play frequently acquires is born. that is not an insult, any more than saying to someone, 'oh, you are not good at pole-vaulting' is. (assuming that they are, in fact, not good at it...) most people simply aren't good at dealing with a massive possibility set, let alone the interaction with several pc sets and npc sets into an even bigger probability matrix. but, with practice, nearly everyone can improve to some degree or another. i've been gaming d&d and other systems for over 25 years. i'm not saying that i'm naturally good at the above (probability matrix or pole-vaulting), but i have practiced. (not pole-vaulting). high level play is different than low level play. it is like a chess master once commented: 'unskilled players encourage a blitz where many pieces are removed from the board, until the strategy is at a level they can understand.' so, having blathered on about analogies enough, what is different? to be honest, other than having more options built-in (very important) rather than handing them to the party via fiat, and the theoretically greater endurance of a given pc vs one or more encounters before resting, and the greater degree of verisimilitude inherent in the higher level of the party, i believe there isn't much other difference. in the aforementioned games, we are currently raiding our way through a volcano of drow and giants with assorted allies; preparing to use a very dangerous portal to a probably isolated demi-plane from which we are not sure we will be able to return seeking for the final doom of a waiting and prepared demi-lich; individual party members are scattered hundreds of miles from each other across an unknown land-attempting to reach an unknown goal where each person feels a direction in their heads-and quite without the normal resources; routing out a temple of invaders who are using some epic-level magic that cannot be easily gotten around; and attempting to overthrow a plot by a cabal of draco-lich raisers-and being possibly used by their enemies to clear the way for some equally questionable goals. now about that verisimilitude comment, higher level play provides more. ie: it is more believable that the party can actually have a chance to survive getting out of some of the outrageous circumstances they find themselves in. and it makes for great storytelling. and in some ways it speeds up gameplay. we don't have to bother asking for die rolls on a lot of stuff that normally gets called for. we actually find it encourages rp. but those are my experiences (and comments based on my experiences). i know that many others have experienced differently. but for us, we love high level play. it allows us to be really clever and unleash some truly bizarre and interesting stuff without worrying about insta-tpk, and push the players in ways they could not be pushed if it was low level. it works great for us.</blockquote>

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