Usually level 20 , I find most of my interest starts after about level 10
Usually level 20 , I find most of my interest starts after about level 10
Any reason it starts right around level 10? Just curious. 8-)
Most AP's end at 17th level.
I think it's mostly dependent on the adventure itself.
I can't claim to have ever done an adventure path, so I cannot speak for those, but every campaign I've been a part of - whether through playing or running - has varied depending on the needs of the adventure and the content of what the characters have to accomplish. I've had adventures end at level six, and I've had a campaign end at level thirty-five. I'd say on average, most long-term ones end around the upper teens to offer the widest range possible.
Generally with a TPK around level 11. Sometimes sooner, if enough players' schedules change that they can no longer conveniently meet.
For D&D/Pathfinder: The only ones I've ran or played in that didn't last until level 20 and beyond, were when real life got in the way of the game (work schedule change, marriage, childbirth, couple moved to another state, etc).
However, my core playgroup of 5-6 people have been together for roughly 30 years, with others sprinkled in throughout the years. For guys/gals who mostly play PFS or pick-up games at the local hobby shop/collage campus/whatever, and ones that've only been gaming for 2-3 years, I suspect that that number is much lower than 20.
So far - 3 APs that finished mid teems (Runelords, Crimson Throne, Skull & Shackles) - the first two at I think L17, the third at 14.
1 AP that crashed at the end of book 2 (Mummy's Mask)
Assorted D&D 3/3.5 homebrews that tended to end in the low to mid teens
My experience is that beyond about level 15 the game stops being fun because the combination of maths and having to look up obscure monster abilities slows everything down too much. For me the sweet spot is levels 7-14 or thereabouts - after the character build comes together but before it becomes so complex I can't remember what I can do.
The last Pathfinder campaign that I was in went all the way to 20th level -- but we gained one level per session between 15th and 20th levels, so I don't think our GM really wanted to have much play going on at those levels.
I stop my games at 8th level, kinda-sorta. I adopted the Epic-6 (E6) rules to go to 8. Past that, I find the game becomes borderline unplayable because the power of spellcasters to bend the plot over a table and have their way with it becomes absurd.
Since Adventure Paths tend to end around levels 15-17, so I'd guess that a lot of campaigns based on them do too.
I'd say that most homebrews I've played in aim for level 20 but sometimes fizzle out around 15-18 as preparation becomes more difficult and the amount of real time which passes frequently results in multiple players changing jobs, moving to other states, etc. The highest level I've run a game to is 17th though that one is still being playing sporadically.
One local DM ran a 3.5 game to 24th level and later a Pathfinder game to 20th level with 5 mythic tiers. He seems to use a bunch of custom monsters but had way more quests than we were able to complete in 20 levels. I'd guess we could have another campaign based on just the adventure hooks we never followed up on.
RL tends to stop things at 6th to 11th level. I'd probably go on a bit further by choice, but not past 15th except for an AP. Too much complication.
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Most campaigns end when the person responsible for the pizza moves away.
My last campaign was the first to reach level 20. Before that I think 13th was as high as we ever made it, and that counts 1e and 2e.
For our group Second Darkness ended at 14th level technically. After killing the BBEG we got XP to go to 15 but that was moot.
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As a player I generally like campaigns to end around level 15. My group mostly plays APs, which tend to end around 17 though. If I'm honest I just hate games with 9th level spells.
The sweet spot for games (IMO) is between level 9 - 13 or so. That's when things tend to be relatively well balanced between many classes.
My Rise of the Runelords campaign continued via the Witchwar Legacy module and then enough homemade material to reach 20th level and have one adventure at 20th.
My Jade Regent campaign ended with victory in the 6th module at 16th level, though the player characters would have leveled up to 17th due to defeating the final boss.
My Iron Gods campaign is still running at 16th level.
My first Pathfinder game was a brief introduction that ran only at 1st level. I played in a homemade Pathfinder campaign that lasted to 7th level. I had to quit a Serpent's Skull campaign at 13th level when I moved to another state, but I heard it continued for a few more levels.
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When running an AP, I tend to end when the AP does, so usually 17th level. Carrion Crown and Skull&Shackles were less, about 15, and Wrath of the Righteous was 20th. When running/playing in homebrew, I've gone to 23rd level using the "past 20" rules in the CRB.
In the past 10 years, I've had two campaigns abort at about level 10, due to things like the GM and a player having a bad breakup.
After 19 years of playing (D&D)&Pathfinder, I can count fourteen campaigns in which our group played for long term, from level one to level 18-25 most of the times. Last five campaigns I played with Pathfinder, we finished at level 18, then 20, then 19, then 25 and again 20. One of those longterm campaign we reached level 100 with a group of 4 (3 plus Master), after 4 years of starting it at level 1.
Half of those campaign I played with same "core group", me and other 4 friends, with some other friends coming and going. Other half of those campaigns I played with friends of friends or some contest/organized play weekly reunion. One of those campaign, I played it 9 years ago, then for some reason it ended at level 10-11, unfinished because "reasons", but 5 years later me and a friend convinced the same master to continue the campaign, and we did it, finding three other guys, and playing it until level 18 and almost completing the campaign, with a Narrative long speech part of the master to make a proper The End.
There are also four campaigns I remember that we played for longterm at strange levels: one started from level 10 and we ended all the story arcs at 25-26; the second one we started at 5 and finished at 19 (grr, so frustrating for me to end at 19 in Pathfinder); the third began at level 15 and ended at level 29-30; last one we started at level 20 up until level 41. There was a campaign also in which we started at level 20, and after the first session, we went back at level 3 and then up as normal.
Then, there are countless of campaign I played and mastered, that lasted one or two sessions at most. I can say that half of those I played with my goodoldfrens, while the other half with some random people. Again, half of the latter were people I didnt know and that wanted to try the d20system fantasy games, and other half were occasional sessions just for fun/boredom/nostalgy/oneshots.
From my experience, either I played campaigns thats lasted for a play or two, or campaigns that lasts long time (which I prefer) from year or two to play until everyone is satisfied (which usually is reaching level 20, and the master plans events and story accordingly).
We have some agreements we reached after that long time playing:
for serious campaigns we go like this:
1) adventure must starts at level 1 and finishes at 20. The master plans according to this. If campaign doesnt get to level 20, the master pays pizza&beers for everyone next time we meet
2) everyone chooses a class and everybody else agree to not play that class, unless everybody plays the same class
3) we choose the day to play to be fixed each week, so everyone plans according to it. The party plays even with a guy missing, or two. The party just plays. For some reason, most of character deaths occurred when that character's player was missing...
5) everybody brings their dice, otherwise playing with the Unlucky Dice (we have an extra set of dice that are really really unlucky)
6) dont resurrect old enemies, especially from other campaigns, especially from other universes. This was broken many times...
7) when creating the character each player chooses a number between 1 and 100 and rolls a d100. If he gets the number he plays an OP character. We never decided what is OP, but it just happend once so far and the player just choose an archetype for free at level one.
8) no PC, no xbox, no playstation, no jbl and ipods or similar. In general no distractions the day when we meet to play
9) there must be someone who brings pawns, someone who brings the laptop and books. The rest must bring beverage&food
If it's not a serious campaign, those previous guidelines dont apply, and nobody bothers, but campaign may end also soon (and it does, no more than three sessions and it's quit).
Present 5e campaign is level 12-13 and still going. Plan on taking it up to 17-18.
Prior Carrion Crown game was extended all the way to 20.
Homemade campaign prior to that went on indefinite hiatus at 9.
Homemade 3.5 campaign prior to that went up to 20.
Before that I don't remember very well, but most games ended up in high teens if they ran their course or died in flames still in single digits.
Back in the 'good old days' when I still had a physical gaming group, ending could be anywhere from 10-20 depending on interest and/or planning [or something new and shiny coming out].
These days it's online and it's generally 8-12.