> Does anyone really insist on a new player starting at "level 1" and
> spending the rest of their game time trying to "catch up"?
>
> Is there anything in the rules to say this? And if so, shouldn't it be
> taken out and shot?
I'm not sure how I'd handle this as a narrator, frankly. There are no rules that I'm aware of. I've seen games where the narrator gave new players some extra character creation points beyond the normal 20, to help close the gap.
The reason I liked Ash's tactics for dealing with "combat monsters" (or "contest monsters, if you like") is that they suggest ways for a player can still take some risks that significantly affect the outcome of contests, even when the player's character is relatively weak compared to the others.
As a narrator, I've also used a tactic that has been suggested on this thread: Deliberately contrive contests that favor a particular player character. Obviously, the narrator needs to know the abilities of the player characters pretty well to pull this off. But it has an additional advantage of encouraging a certain diversity in the narrator's scenarios.
Rob
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