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At what level do your campaigns usually stop at?
Why do you stop at those levels?
Do you have a preference in what the leveling 'sweet spot' is?
Mentioning which edition it was would also be good. If there are differences between editions you've played, that would be interesting to note.

3.5

6

I borrowed Pundit's xp formula from F:tA! and my campaigns go 30 sessions or so tops. Also 3.5 just works best in that range IME.

16-20 is usual, though I have played some campaigns (most notably a 1e campaign) that went well beyond that.

The highest level attained was:

AD&D - 13th level
3.5 - 19th level
4e - 12th level

Average - 9th level

We have 2 threads same title, very confused.  Depends on version but I'll stick with my favorite which is 2e barely.  Between 7-9th. Spells over 5th level get hard to to adjudicate for the DM when I'm a player. Too many arguments for it to be enjoyable for myself or them.

The only Dnd style game I run is Fantasy Craft and it has different issues but is fun to run to at least 14th level regardless.  But totally willing to go right up to 20th.

I ran Pathfinder up to about level 12.
I started getting uncomfortable with running PF from about level 10 onwards.

If I were to ever run Pathfinder again, I would stop at level 10.

2e D&D

We haven't done campaign play for like forever so it depends on the game.

A game lasts 6-9 months and has a conclusion, sometimes they do just peter out.

So the level is a meh. The last one stoped at 7th. We have run games that start at 15th...

The sweet spot for 2e is 5th - 8th at that level everyone is good at what they do but no one is a bullet proof demi-god.
In high level games you need to be careful to make sure the pitch works for all players.

Our general games are low magic but our high level games are generally high magic whcih is really the point of playing them.

My 7th level fighter ended up with a cool +1 sword that would issue a screaming fear effect when it slew an opponent, a +1 suit of Chain mail, a Cloak that protected him from extreme temperatures, rain and the like and gave some protection to elemental attacks (-1 damage per dice) and a couple of potions. Oh and he's a werewolf.

If we play a high level game it will be a interplanar travel, demi-god wizard type deal.

So it depends

AD&D1: level 7
AD&D2: level 3
Midgard: level 8 (which is not a proper "D&D" game but since some of its mechanics are quite close it could be counted as a OGL/d20 variant in the vein of True20, Fantasycraft, or Palladium - it was inspired by D&D-"clone" EPT and evolved into its own thing long before 3e, which brought D&D closer to what Midgard had become)

My BECMI/Swords&Wizardry/3.x/M20 games didn't "end" anywhere as they've been one-shots anyway (mostly in the level 3-5 range).

I pattern my campaigns after the old TSR model from the early 1970's:
0 = non-adventurer
4 = hero
8 = super hero
12 = mythic

An OD&D "hero" was supposed to be a strong figure from literature. I mostly assume that NPCs who are part of a band are more like 4th level.

An OD&D "super hero" was supposed to be one of the great heroes of the land. I assume that lone heroes such as Conan would be somewhere around 8th level.

I base the mythic level, in part, on Warriors of Mars from 1975. In that volume it states that John Carter is the only character who can advance to 13th level, so it made sense to cap others off at 12th. Also, there is a certain symmetry to the 4-8-12 tiers.

Anyway, that's the way I do it.

I would answer this question as more in regards to 'when the levels stop being fun'

In DND, generally the game becomes unfun for me when characters have high level spells that trivialize all challenges.

Level 9+ depending on the version.

I have had higher level games that lasted a while, but the uber spells tend to require the dm to use cheap tactics like 'anti magic zones'

Depends on a ton of variables though.

As an average of the various D&D brand games I've played, I voted in the 6-10 category.

AD&D (both editions):  It holds true in the 6-10 category, with some notable character exceptions that fell into the 11-15 category.  The characters that fall into the 16-20 category can be counted on one hand.

3.x D&D:  I would say that the majority was around the 11-15 category, with a sprinkling in the 16-20 category.  Again, the characters in the 20-30 category can be counted on one hand.

4e D&D:  The majority of characters fell into the 11-15 category, with a good amount in the 16-20 category.  There were a handful of characters in the 21-30 category.

Quote from: Bill;564261I would answer this question as more in regards to 'when the levels stop being fun'

In DND, generally the game becomes unfun for me when characters have high level spells that trivialize all challenges.

Level 9+ depending on the version.

I have had higher level games that lasted a while, but the uber spells tend to require the dm to use cheap tactics like 'anti magic zones'

Depends on a ton of variables though.

Try running a Vancian 20th level wizards cross planar game. Eliminate Wish allow everything else.

It's very much its own thing but its good fun to drop into for a few weeks.

I am just reading Songs from the Dying Earth with some great Vancian short stories and some awesome magic power.

Pre-2000 D&D:
GM'd 1e AD&D, Thrin the Lesser God got to 117th level.

Post-2000 D&D:
(1)My first 3e campaign: Mostly 17th, highest PC got to 19th I think.  Aagh. Never again.
(2) Lost City of Barakus 3e: 8th level, converted to C&C, ended ca 8th/9th.
(3) Willow Vale 3e: highest 8th, range 6th-8th.
(4) Vault of Larin Karr  4e: 8th
(5) Wilderlands 4e: 10th

Leaving aside online campaigns (1e AD&D, Labyrinth Lord etc), those usually go to around 4th or maybe 5th.

I voted 6-10.

Typically by the time we get to level 8 or so, someone moves away, has another kid, etc. Then we start over.

I'm hoping to take a gang up to higher levels in DCC, but all the modules are low level at this point, and I don't have the time to come up with my own adventures at the moment.

Quote from: jibbajibba;564293Try running a Vancian 20th level wizards cross planar game. Eliminate Wish allow everything else.

It's very much its own thing but its good fun to drop into for a few weeks.

I am just reading Songs from the Dying Earth with some great Vancian short stories and some awesome magic power.

I ave run high level planar games quite a lot; it's one of my favorite things to do.
But...high level spells still tend to spoil everything.

Quote from: languagegeek;564304Typically by the time we get to level 8 or so, someone moves away, has another kid, etc. Then we start over.

I'm hoping to take a gang up to higher levels in DCC, but all the modules are low level at this point, and I don't have the time to come up with my own adventures at the moment.

Same here. The highest level I've ever hit in an "honest" (start at level 1, 0 XP) game is 8, playing as a Fighter. Thieves naturally have something of an easier time, but God help you if you're the Elf.

Oh, and most campaigns end because of (a) scheduling drama, or (b) GM-scripted ending. :eek: (fairly common back in 1990s and 2000s, sadly)

Usually level 10 or so, we've played longer, but the average is 10. Generally speaking though, it isn't because the game became "un-fun" but rather that peoples life schedules wrecked the game, and getting steam back into it after 5-6 months just wasn't happening at the time.

In my opinion 6-10 is generally a good "sweet spot", regardless of edition. I've played all the D&D editions at least once, and usually that's where the game gets before my group either gets bored/thinks it's a good spot to end.

Quote from: The ButcherOh, and most campaigns end because of (a) scheduling drama, or (b) GM-scripted ending. (fairly common back in 1990s and 2000s, sadly)

I haven't played any recent RPGs, is the NPC Metaplot stupidity still a thing? The only scripted ending I can remember was my brief time playing oVamp.

Quote from: Stackmaster J;564480I haven't played any recent RPGs, is the NPC Metaplot stupidity still a thing? The only scripted ending I can remember was my brief time playing oVamp.

One of my old groups did it all the time, with AD&D 2e. Fucking Dragonlance fanbois.

Its totally variable; I've played campaigns like my RC D&D game which ended with the PCs at level 36.   On the other hand, in the Albion campaign its established that 9th level makes you a very high-level character, and there's probably no one on the entire island who's higher than level 14.

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