Author Topic: Most enjoyable power level to GM or to play?  (Read 3057 times)

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Offline Majyk

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Re: Most enjoyable power level to GM or to play?
« Reply #20 on: February 18, 2018, 07:37:34 AM »
As a Player, which is so rare once you’re known as a GM, I always loved the 6th-10th lvl mark, especially as a SpellUser(higher crit letters from better Elemental Bolt attacks and actual utilization of Ball ones!  Others get larger radii/targets to hamper/harm foes).
You’re finally able to hold your own, despite untimely negative combat modifiers from crits, stuns, or positioning.
Socially, one is able to acually hit 111(101)+ in Stat Prime Req. Skills more often than not - actually feeling accomplished on the Medium/Hard columns for the MM/Static tables!

Personality-wise, you’ve hit your stride with previous adventures that moulded and shaped how you now react to situations.  There is history and a better sense of what is one’s motivation, but even more, the inter-relationships made in “growing up” with the other PCs further push and lock in campaign canon.  Very kewl.

That is where GMing lower level(1-3) PCs is where it’s at for me.
Like that relatively old Everquest game, where low-level PCs lamented being typecast as Rat-Hunters, it did allow for PC development in tracking reactions and personality.
This is especially true when one cannot just whirling blade of death entire conga lines of foes in dungeon hallways!
Gotta solve things in a different light, and the unique ways that are come up with totally adds and shapes future skill development.
Sure the skill standards are taken, but a certain success or failure might ping next level-up spending to steal that one rank in something one would never think to need, previously.

So while I do like playing at the higher levels as a PC, myself, I definitely enjoy the ride it takes going through low-level from a purely fleshing out standpoint.
Especially since stories most stand out from our failures(“remember that time your Dwarf failed his RR vs drinking that aged Orcish Rotgut(because his Temp Stat was so low) when challenged by that rakish Fair Elf Tree Farmer?!  Man, you had to shave your beard(unless in Shadow World, LOL) and everything!  Now you practically trip over the damned afro-like locks...”

Offline Peter R

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Re: Most enjoyable power level to GM or to play?
« Reply #21 on: February 18, 2018, 03:14:57 PM »
I don't use levels or professions out of choice but when characters reach about +80 to +120 in their core skills is my favourite point. As GM I can use the full range of difficulties in skill challenges, OBs are big enough to parry and attack and still expect a critical. My spell users would probably have access to 14th to 16th level spells in their absolute favourite lists (much lower in lesser used lists).
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Offline Hurin

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Re: Most enjoyable power level to GM or to play?
« Reply #22 on: February 18, 2018, 09:18:52 PM »
I don't use levels or professions out of choice but when characters reach about +80 to +120 in their core skills is my favourite point.

That's the sweet spot for me too.
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Offline intothatdarkness

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Re: Most enjoyable power level to GM or to play?
« Reply #23 on: February 19, 2018, 06:47:37 PM »
I tend to prefer games below about level 15 on the fantasy side. More options in my view. I'd say my favorite is between level one (I always start my games there) and ten, because that's when you really see characters 'grow' and develop into capable adventurers. Non fantasy it doesn't matter all that much. Sure they've got more skills and they're better with those skills, but one bullet can still end things in a heartbeat and there's no magic healing. I'll run high or low level games there. It's mostly a matter of balancing challenges and adversaries.
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Offline B Hanson

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Re: Most enjoyable power level to GM or to play?
« Reply #24 on: February 19, 2018, 07:11:37 PM »
We just ran through our third iteration of Legends of Shadow World. 50th lvl adventures work! Im pleasantly surprised and rolemaster holds up where other systems dont.
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Offline Implementor

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Re: Most enjoyable power level to GM or to play?
« Reply #25 on: February 20, 2018, 12:34:10 AM »
   The ride through Low-level is always fun, as long as there's the possibility of making your way to moderate and high level play.


   Low level (1-7ish) is fun because everything is dangerous. Everything is 'new'. New character to play/explore, new people to meet, new environment to explore, new plots to hatch or be swept up in. You're a small fish in a large pond. Everything is 'difficult': not very skilled, not wealthy, not connected, not powerful.
 But I think there's a lot of progression-satisfaction at work as well, as you can gain levels rather quickly for a while. So your options continually expand as your skills and spells (and possibly material goods) blossom and grow. It's the 'build-up' phase and the journey can set up all sorts of play in the later levels.

   Moderate level is just low-level but everything is on the table heh.

   Small sample-size but it seems high-level stuff is less popular (decreased focus on progression?) and looked on as difficult to facilitate. Maybe it requires a bit of a shift in thinking from both the players and GM but it doesn't help that so many RPG products imply or straight up say that higher level PCs are difficult. Shouldn't be. The 'characters are too powerful' trope never cut it with me.

   Nearly every fantasy book written is about 'high/extreme-level' people, and they have all sorts of difficulties and goals and adventures etc.

  -Elric of Melnibone- Master Sorceror of his age, Compacts with Elemental-rulers, has the ear of Arioch, and wields the most powerful artifact in the multiverse.

  -The Black Company- High end mage-types (The Ten Who Were Taken), powerful warriors and just as deadly enemies/plots.

  -Vlad Taltos series- Virtually every characters is extreme-level, master sorcerors, warriors, and assassins wieding sould-destroying artifacts. Add in some gods and alien threats for flavour. Doesn't lack for adventures ranging from mundane criminality to political shenanigans to epic magic threats.

  -Malazan Book of the Fallen- 10 books featuring everything from demi-gods, teleporting mage-assassins, long-thought dead ancient races of terrible power, individual duels to massive battles involving magic rituals and demons, interesting cultures, continent hopping, among much more.

   All sorts of gaming possibilities open up with higher levels. Unless one really dislikes such play there shouldn't really be any problem coming up with activities and obstacles.

Offline gandalf970

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Re: Most enjoyable power level to GM or to play?
« Reply #26 on: March 05, 2018, 06:12:46 PM »
I loved to GM the low levels, but my players were really afraid to advance.  They have played Rolemaster for 20 years every Friday night and seen whole parties go down due to their arrogance.

One fantastic adventure was to take this tower from an Orc advance party.  They kept rushing it and dying.  Then after the third TPK (my group always had 5 characters ready) one smart guy went around it to find the tower they needed wasn't even the one they were attacking.