We all have it. The levels that it is most fun for you to DM or play in. For me as a DM, its the levels 3-7 range. The players have a decent amount of spell access w//o it being overpowering, hit points are high enough to prevent "one-shotting" without the HP tree being so tall as to be unwieldy and the PCs are still coming into their own - they are still growing.
Level 1 is fun, but usually more lethal in nature then the others. The higher levels are harder to balance an adventure for and nearly impossible to buy one off the rack without an extensive need to rework and rewrite for your party's quirks. It's also harder to avoid the "didn't we already do an adventure just like this already" syndrome.
As a player, I enjoy up to about "name" level, usually 9 or 10. At that point, the game (from my play experience) turns into the DM throwing bigger and badder things at you to whittle your spells and HP down. Repetition sets in as it turns into a game of guaranteed success or guaranteed failure, depending on how the DM balanced the encounters.
Yep, I'm into the high end of low to the low end of high game play it seems.
Where's your sweet spot?
Picturing Solo History
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There are many gamers who will tell you that it was *Vampire the Masquerade*
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1 hour ago
4-7 , for much the same reasons as yourself. But I also have a soft spot for domain style play after level 9 I or so. I agree, Dungeon Delving after level 9 stretches incredulity a bit. If so many big-bads could be found in the one place, why the hell would anyone want to stay within a 100 miles of the place?
ReplyDeleteThe only real justification (in my mind) for continuing to dungeon delve at 9+ is some major upheaval -like an invasion of Slaad, Demons, Devils or the like- that provides a sudden does of credibility for why all these uber-elite monsters start appearing in large numbers.
I agree with you, Tenkar. For this reason, I prefer slow level advancement as both a player and GM, so that I can savor the fun levels for a longer time.
ReplyDeletePretty much my range as well, 3rd-8th. Where characters have cool but not crazy powerful options.
ReplyDeleteI'd go a tad lower and say my sweet spot is maybe 3rd-6th. I like it when the PCs are a little scared and hungry. }:->
ReplyDeleteMine's about the same -- second through eighth level, with "name level" for a few lucky parties. Of the nearly 400 Player Characters who have gone through my homebrew campaign world in the past 30 years, the vast majority retire around Lvl. 8, with only a few reaching Lvl. 12+. My current "Pathfinder" game is still at third level after 30 (Skype) sessions....
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