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<blockquote data-quote="Al" data-source="post: 1991769" data-attributes="member: 2486">The chief problem I see with nearly everyone being low level is that it really throws off the campaign dynamic.&nbsp; My players commented to me when they saw an advancing enemy army of some 50,000 men why they couldn't simply assault it head-on (they're 18th/19th level).&nbsp; I told them that there would be plenty of top-level commanders etc. in the force and they would be ground down.&nbsp; But if there are no top-level commanders, then PCs and NPC protagonists can and do do Conans.&nbsp; The idea of any stable society lasting more than a few decades, let alone an empire lasting several centuries, is moot when a few top level characters can simply take out the entire standing army of most nations.&nbsp; Between a handful of 15th+ level characters and a legion of 10,000 1st level warriors, I know exactly who's going to win.&nbsp; The only question is when the legion's morale breaks.&nbsp; Now, you can play it that way.&nbsp; The PCs can be the *only* thing stopping the protagonist NPCs from conquering the world single-handed.&nbsp; But the PCs aren't there forever.&nbsp; What went before?&nbsp; What comes afterwards?&nbsp; Are there a constant stream of evenly-matched good and evil (or lawful and chaotic, or loyalist and rebel, or nation A and nation B) heroes that can constantly negate each other?&nbsp; I think not.&nbsp; Having a diverse army with high-level commanders, a solid complement of magic-users and decent strategy adapated for this sort of warfare means that standing armies stand a chance against high-level characters.&nbsp; And with them, so do stable nation states.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Al, post: 1991769, member: 2486"] The chief problem I see with nearly everyone being low level is that it really throws off the campaign dynamic. My players commented to me when they saw an advancing enemy army of some 50,000 men why they couldn't simply assault it head-on (they're 18th/19th level). I told them that there would be plenty of top-level commanders etc. in the force and they would be ground down. But if there are no top-level commanders, then PCs and NPC protagonists can and do do Conans. The idea of any stable society lasting more than a few decades, let alone an empire lasting several centuries, is moot when a few top level characters can simply take out the entire standing army of most nations. Between a handful of 15th+ level characters and a legion of 10,000 1st level warriors, I know exactly who's going to win. The only question is when the legion's morale breaks. Now, you can play it that way. The PCs can be the *only* thing stopping the protagonist NPCs from conquering the world single-handed. But the PCs aren't there forever. What went before? What comes afterwards? Are there a constant stream of evenly-matched good and evil (or lawful and chaotic, or loyalist and rebel, or nation A and nation B) heroes that can constantly negate each other? I think not. Having a diverse army with high-level commanders, a solid complement of magic-users and decent strategy adapated for this sort of warfare means that standing armies stand a chance against high-level characters. And with them, so do stable nation states. [/QUOTE]

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