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From: srt@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Game Balance / High Level - Low Level
Message-ID: <1816@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 24-Oct-84 13:45:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.1816
Posted: Wed Oct 24 13:45:34 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Oct-84 04:05:51 EDT
References: <3905@decwrl.UUCP> <1662@ucla-cs.ARPA>, <187@tilt.FUN>
Organization: UCLA CS Dept.
Lines: 35

The problem with running a high power campaign - say twentieth level
or so - is that it becomes impossible to properly balance the
campaign.  At a certain point characters become invicible for all
practical purposes, and the campaign goes rapidly downhill because
the players are no longer challenged.  Of course, this can happen
in any campaign that lasts long enough, but it happens a LOT more
quickly in a campaign that starts out at a high level.

What are the benefits of having a high power campaign?  It comes
down to one thing:  more magic.  Magic-users have a wider variety
of spells and everyone has a wider variety of magic items.  A side
effect of this is that everyone is harder to kill and hence feels
comfortable attacking more potent enemies.  Then a vicious cycle
starts.  To make the enemy more challenging, the DM gives him more
powerful treasure.  The PCs win the battle, garnish the treasure,
and so on.  Still, having the magic available is fun and interesting.
So what's a DM to do?

My solution is to make more magic available at lower levels, and
to retard level advancement somewhat.  The magic I make available is
usually specialized and fairly weak (but not one shot).  I counter-
act the plethora of magic by retarding level advancement.  This keeps
characters vulnerable and increases their enjoyment of the games.

I think this is a reasonable approach.  Letting characters advance
into the high-level spin is silly.  How many fantasy works can you
cite where a character can attack a dragon with impunity?  Yet that
is precisely the situation that occurs in many poorly managed FRP
runs.

    Scott R. Turner
    UCLA Computer Science Department
    3531 Boelter Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90024
    ARPA:  srt@UCLA-LOCUS.ARPA
    UUCP:  ...!{cepu,ihnp4,trwspp,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!srt