Starting Level

[Xavim]

I'm setting up a game for me and my brothers to play as ourselves and have set the levels thusly:

High School(16yrs): lvl1
High School Grad(18yrs): lvl2
University/College Student(20yrs): lvl3
University/College Graduate(23yrs): lvl4

I've found this to work rather well. Sure my little brother is going to complain about being level 1 but I'll just prove my point by beating him up or something
(Ahh I kid)

 

[afeldspar]

I am trying to write an adventure for 1st-lvl characters, and I found that with the hp you get at first level, one good attack roll by an enemy can take you down. I want the excitement of building your character from the beginning, but at the same time, I guess I want elements in the adventure (combat, for one) that 1st-level characters have to be lucky to survive. I am thinking now that it will be for 3rd-level characters, using the suggested age-level rules on p 35.

afeldspar

 

[Stormborn]

We started at 2nd level, for the reasons mentioned above, but I wrote a short synopsis of their first adventure: a brief encounter with a goblin gang that they all came to from different places. It gave them a reason to be together, gave them a little history, and it seemed like something that 1st level PCs COULD have done, if everything went right. The lowest level adventure from the WoC site worked well, the Onyx Dog, as a first real run, and we built up from there.

 

[Skinwalker]

I have always found the low levels to be formative in a character's design. What they do to get through those fragile times sets the tone for the character's continuing development.

I started my group at 1st level. The first couple of sessions were story-and-skill-based and most of the XP ad-hoc. I kept the encounters simple and the plotlines heavy, making sure to reward the PCs for developing their character, rp, clever ideas, etc. (kinda like Palladium's XP system).

When they hit levels 3-4, I worked in an adventure with some quite demanding combat, but wherein most of the damage being dealt out was subdual.

Now that they are hitting levels 5-6, I am preparing to go go hard-core on them. From what I can tell, they are looking forward to it. At the same time, they have had time to grow attached to their characters and won't likely be making needless sacrifices.

My strategy has been nurture them wihout coddling them, and slowly introduce the danger of the world around them. It has worked out very well so far. Both the players and their characters have been challenged and they love the opportunity to rise to that challenge.