Where did campaigns stop?

Achan hiArusa · Mar 16, 2011

Before Zeb Cook came out with the 20 level limit in 2nd Edition (which carried over to 3rd with exception of the High Level Options [which raised it to 30] and Epic Level Handbook and exists in 30 level limit in 4e) at what level did longterm AD&D campaigns stop? And yes, I know that BECMI had a 36 level limit before Cook did this.

Stormonu · Mar 16, 2011

What 20 level limit in 2E? There are tables for 30 th level wizard advancement in the 2E FR adventurs book an the adventure H4 - Throne of Bloodstone is for characters of up to 100th level.

the Jester · Mar 16, 2011

One pc in my 1e campaign lived until 47th level. That's the highest I can recall.

That's not exactly accurate- let's say she didn't die her final death until then, and she might have just hit 48th level. She kept getting raised and getting lucky on the survival roll, and she hung out with a longterm high level badass party, then their heirs, then their heirs, etc.

My 1e campaign, which lasted for a long long time with various pcs and players, eventually had like 1 guy at about 20th level, several in the 12th-16th range, probably 6-10 or so in the 8th-11th range, and maybe fifty to seventy? pc between 1st and 7th. This was spread amongst many different groups, some with the same players, and throughout the game world. And of course it was an average- many of these guys died, some were raised, a handful became gods, etc. over time.

NewJeffCT · Mar 16, 2011

Achan hiArusa said:
Before Zeb Cook came out with the 20 level limit in 2nd Edition (which carried over to 3rd with exception of the High Level Options [which raised it to 30] and Epic Level Handbook and exists in 30 level limit in 4e) at what level did longterm AD&D campaigns stop? And yes, I know that BECMI had a 36 level limit before Cook did this.

Kind of hard to say, as I didn't always play strictly by the rules when I was a pre-teen and teenager back in the late 70s through the mid 80s.

When I started playing more seriously, though, I think most campaigns ran from level 1 up through until the players got to "name" level, which was around level 9 or 10. That lasted until 2000, when 3E came out.

S'mon · Mar 16, 2011

We didn't stop. I let PCs ascend to divinity and keep playing; I think Darra, Thrin, Mortis and Mirv Sheelon reached Demigod status; Darra retired, Mortis and Mirv were killed as demigods by Graz'zt and Hel respectively; Thrin (Upper_Krust on ENW) reached Lesser God status and 117th level; in 3 different classes so knock off ca 16 levels for his 'real' level.

I think I had effectively stopped GMing these PCs in 1e a few years before 3e came out; with 3e Thrin is effectively retired, but part of my ingoing campaign world in 3e & 4e.

Summary of Thrin here:
Immortality

Lanefan · Mar 16, 2011

Our 1e campaigns tend to grind to a halt around 9th-12th level, for one reason or another. Each long campaign we do seems to go about one level beyond the previous one, so there's always hope...

Lanefan

TerraDave · Mar 16, 2011

Real life intervened to stop most campaigns long before level 20.

Arguablly, the game itself (pretty much all editions except, maybe, 4e) made it hard to play much beyond level 10 or so. My two long running campaigns got to about 10-12.

EDIT: Early AD&D probably had it about right, where most high level openents could be fought around levels 10-13 or so, and you could defeat Lolth in the Abyss at level 16 or so.

Herschel · Mar 16, 2011

When Strahd and Llolth were "defeated" it was time to build the castle/fortress/tower/church.

So any time before 15th, usually ground to a halt around 10th or so.

Traveon Wyvernspur · Mar 16, 2011

TerraDave said:
Real life intervened to stop most campaigns long before level 20.

Arguablly, the game itself (pretty much all editions except, maybe, 4e) made it hard to play much beyond level 10 or so. My two long running campaigns got to about 10-12.

EDIT: Early AD&D probably had it about right, where most high level openents could be fought around levels 10-13 or so, and you could defeat Lolth in the Abyss at level 16 or so.

Yeah, the highest any of my old AD&D 2E campaigns ever went was 18th level with the PC I was DM'ing was able to defeat a lesser god and assume his role as a demi-god. He retired and then had reoccurring cameos in subsequent campaigns as a deity who I used as an NPC to mess with the player.