In reply to willvr (msg # 23):
I believe he's referencing this article:
http://thealexandrian.net/word...-your-expectations-2. This article in turn is a response to other articles at the time addressing the topic of the problems with the D&D 3.5 system.
The article is from 2007 and is addressing the realism and inherent assumptions behind the mechanics of the D&D 3.5 system. It's a fairly intelligent article, and one of its examinations concerns the character of Aragorn in the LotR series, which is held up often as a very realistic representation of fantasy which is often misrepresented at too high a level assumption of 20. To quote his opening argument in that section:
quote:
So what have we learned so far? Almost everyone you have ever met is a 1st level character. The few exceptional people you’ve met are probably 2nd or 3rd level – they’re canny and experienced and can accomplish things that others find difficult or impossible.
If you know someone who’s 4th level, then you’re privileged to know one of the most talented people around: They’re a professional sports player. Or a brain surgeon. Or a rocket scientist.
If you know someone who’s 5th level, then you have the honor of knowing someone that will probably be written about in history books. Walter Payton. Michael Jordan. Albert Einstein. Isaac Newton. Miyamoto Musashi. William Shakespeare.
So when your D&D character hits 6th level, it means they’re literally superhuman: They are capable of achieving things that no human being has ever been capable of achieving. They have transcended the mortal plane and become a mythic hero.
This is after he's finished examining a lot of rules regarding weights, jumping, and other things deemed silly or unrealistic, so this is also the end of his justification for how to interpret levels. But anyway, he concludes that Aragorn himself is most likely a 5th level character of some description (he suggests a Ranger1/Fighter1/Paladin3 build as his personal viewpoint), because is the truly exceptional kind of person that shows up once every couple of generations.
Anyway, the article was an intriguing read even though I didn't truly agree with all of its arguments and assertions.
As to my personal opinion on the topic, leveling systems are hard to manage in PbP games unless you have some plans on how to handle things going into the game as a GM. Typically, you need some kind of accelerant or rule variant in order to accommodate the inherent slowness of the format. Halfing XP requirements, abandoning XP in favor of some other measurement, and just leveling at particular story milestones are all things of I've seen tried, but not everything fits each GM or even each game the same. It's up to the GM to pick an appropriate variant, because the written models are usually intended for actual tabletops that meet once a week or so. Otherwise, you'll lose the pacing of your game and your players will feel like they're not progressing. Both of which are game-killers.