what is the best level for intro players?

[alsih2o]

as many of oyu know i recently ran a oneshot for a bunch of newbies.

after debating where to start them i decided 3rd lvl. powerful enough to take a blow, but not so complex as to confuse them.

what is oyur opinion on the best level for starting players?

 

[francisca]

1st level. Start with very basics, and it doesn't get much more stripped down than 1st level.

If you bring them in at a higher level, then you need to start explaining feat chains, etc, when they should be just working on the basics.

That's worked for me, anyhow.

 

[diaglo]

1st lvl. if they die later...1st lvl again...and again...and again...and again...

 

[Crothian]

First level. Start them at the begiining. You can have the first few adventures easy so no one dies. THen as they gain a few levels slowly make it more difficult.

 

[S'mon]

I agree - I think 3rd level gives them room to be heroic - trashing roomfuls of CR 1/2 cannon-fodder, say - while not being over-complicated.
1st level is ok if the DM is kind and uses a low-power setting. The important thing is that the players don't feel their PCs are impotent nobodies. D&D works best as a heroic game, not WHFRP rat-catcher style.

 

[Carnifex]

For new players, I'd say 1st level. For new campaigns but not with new players, 3rd level is sometimes a good choice because fo the fact you can start straight out at a slightly more advanced stage.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

Hmmm.

I voted first but am started to be swayed towards third...for the heroic fantasy reasons outlined above.

 

[Dinkeldog]

I got sold on third.

For the next campaign, I'd probably go back to 1st level and let them build the characters from the bottom. You should only be there for a session or two (at the pace we kill things ), so they'd get the feeling of quick advancement.

 

[arwink]

for new players, either first or second, depending on the concepts they're interested in playing.

That being said, when running a game entirely for new players, I fudge the rules way more than normal and make 2nd level way more heroic than it is in my regular campaigns

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

I think 3rd is good, precisely because you can start to see/use feat chains. The 1/2-orc barbarian can now have Cleave. The halfling rogue might now have Rapid Shot.