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Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!west
From: west@utcsrgv.UUCP (Thomas L. West)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: High/Low Level
Message-ID: <440@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 9-Nov-84 01:29:11 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.440
Posted: Fri Nov  9 01:29:11 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 9-Nov-84 01:41:50 EST
References: <1995@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Reply-To: west@utcsrgv.UUCP (Thomas L. West)
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Lines: 39
Summary: 

<>
  One thing that can be done in high level campaigns that can't be done in low
level campaigns is playing politics.  In every campaign I have played in, we
have pretty well ignored dungeons and hit the political scene fairly quickly.
Unfortunately, if you are low-level, there is a strong limit as to how
successful you can be.  If you are too successful, the baddies will get worried
and wipe you out, no saving throw.  Basically, if you're low level, you had
better stick to municipal politics, and if you make too much noise there, then
you're going to get the baron (or whatever) to trash you, if you don't follow
what he says, and so on up the ladder.  Basically being low-level means that
you MUST temper your successes.
  This gets REALLY aggravating.  If you see massive injustice, and don't have
ANY means of combatting it, unrest begins to grow.

  One thing mentioned in a previous article was that the 'Ghods' (sic) could 
trash anyone at any time, and might if someone trashed a temple.  Why do these
Ghods not run the whole story?  If they are all powerful, then why DON'T they
wipe out anyone bothering any of their worshippers?  If they are omnipotent,
why do they let all their followers get trashed by the evils, etc?  In the
campaign that I DM, the Gods have NO power to intervene directly, but only
direct mankind to their goals through their clerics (who they talk with on
a fairly regular basis after reasonable (9+) level).  I have yet to see a 
power group ANYWHERE that wanted something done badly that didn't exercise
their full power to get it.  The entire idea of a quest for the church is
silly if the Ghod can do what is necessary any time it wants.

   Perhaps I over-react, but I always get a feeling of futility when there is
a group that is fully capable of exterminating me at ANY time, be it high-level
types when I'm low level, or Ghods.  The idea that I exist at their sufferance,
and that if I'm too successful, they will destroy me isn't one I particularily
enjoy.  At least when one plays a high level campaign, if the nasties burn a
wish or four to locate you, despite the wishes you used to hide yourself, and
they teleport in, you still have some chance (and thus they're not going risk
their lives if there's a significant chance that they'll die).  Of course, if
it's do or die, then it's an all out battle, but I don't want to die because 
some evil somewhere just decided that someday we might be a menace.

Tom (15th level and counting) West
 { allegra cornell decvax ihnp4 linus utzoo }!utcsrgv!west