A Conversation With a New Gamer: Characters Above 1st Level
This conversation is with a different new gamer than last time.
There’s a guy I know at work who’s really into MMO’s. He’s not in my department, but his berthing is right next to mine, and we usually ride the bus in together. One of his co-workers used to be in our group (Dave), so he’s heard me talk a lot about gaming over the last three years we’ve known each other. His wife is also a big MMO player, playing WoW and Star Trek Online. The conversation went something like this.
Him: I was wondering if my wife and I could play with your group sometime?
Me: Absolutely. Let me know when you guys want to join.
Him: You guys are pretty high level right? Wouldn’t we get our asses kicked by any monsters you guys were facing?
Me: Well, we’re not high level, just 11. But what do you mean?
Him: Well, you guys are 11th level, and we’d be making 1st level characters, right?
Me: No, you guys would make 11th level characters like ours.
Him: Isn’t that cheating?
This followed with me explaining to him that if you had to start out at 1st level whenever you made a new character, it would be incredibly difficult to get anything done, as you’d have 11th level characters either having to fight low level monsters so that 1st level characters would be able to take on the monsters, or blocking high level monsters from murdering 1st level heroes.
This is another difference between MMOs and D&D, a comparison I made in the last Conversation with a New Gamer. In an MMO, you can’t simply start out at a higher level. You have to work your way there, struggling to get to the top, earning your magic items. In D&D, you can start at as high a level as you want, with the cash to pick up some pretty powerful items.
Hopefully, these two will be able to join our group soon. And hopefully, we’ll be able to break them of the WoW mentality of fighting and ignoring all RP opportunities.
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I think that technically, in 1st edition, you were “supposed” to start at 1st level, no matter the level of the rest of the party. I’ve seen a surprising number of arguments in favor of doing that.
By the way, for what it’s worth, some people do play computer RPGs as roleplaying games. I have a friend who does. We made fun of him for it until we got Dragon Age, and then all of us ended up doing it – “I know I’ll probably get the best loot if I make this choice. But my character respects elves. I think she’d do this other thing.”
I actually had this same thing happen with a player I used to have in my group. She was a WoW and Dark Age of Camelot player and I asked her if she wanted to join my group. We had chatted before about gaming and she knew our group at the time was at 8th level and she asked if she would have to start at 1st level and catch up. It took me a while to explain to here the differences in MMOs and table-top gaming.
I thing is that most people who play MMOs are used to, like you already stated, earning everything by working up from 1st level. So, when someone tells them they get to start at 11th level and have all these magic items and class abilities open to them, it’s probably somewhat shocking and surprising. I know this because I had the same reaction when i first played D & D (I was a WoW player at the time) and I still don’t like starting above 1st level because I like to feel like I’ve earned everything instead of just starting off with it, but that’s just me.
I’m sure once they se everything in action, they will switch from the MMO mentality and pick up one of a roleplayer.
[...] spite of all the latter-day D&D Badness below, I think a special award should go to the player mentioned in this post. ‘Isn’t that cheating?’ he said. Yes, it is, noble player. Much respect to you, [...]
Actually, the 1st ed. DMG does advise that experienced players may start above 1st level. More commonly new players take over a higher level henchman or NPC closer to the level of the party. My DM has new players read the adventure logs/summaries of the party for partial XP; starting a few levels lower is not a big deal in earlier editions (you catch up after a few sessions) but it would be a problem in 4e, I think. But doesn’t 4e just make all PCs the same level by fiat anyway?
With two new players, personally I’d start a new 1st level adventure; the 11th level guys can rest a while. Once they get the hang of it, level them up.
> In an MMO, you can’t simply start out at a higher level.
Actually there are several websites where you can purchase a leveled and fitted character
Might be were the “cheatin” idea comes from.
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