Browsing a few of the websites, it appears that a reasonable number of campaigns have fairly heroic characters, and many appear to have developed these by starting out at least close to the "normal" parameters set out in the rule books. However, when I set out to calculate how many hero points it would take one of my characters to develop to a start-plus-10 level (i.e., highest skill 15W, other skills also rising 10 points), I came up with a total of over 500 hero points. At 5 HP/session (a generous estimate I figure), that's 100 sessions! Now obviously these calculations are somewhat arbitrary, but they do raise some basic questions.
How long (in sessions or real time) does the typical campaign last?
How do different narrators and players balance the fun of wellrounded characters with the clear power-gaming benefits of specialization?
Do most narrators have an arch of development in mind for their PCs?
What are some of the different approaches to letting PCs play truly heroic characters while keeping the emphasis on role-playing rather than power-gaming?
Last but not least, what level of power does Sartar Rising assume? Can PCs of normal starting level be buffed up quickly enough to play a meaningful role in the Hero Wars? (no spoilers please! ;) )
A lot of questions for one post, I realize. Don't have a lot of real playing experience, and wondering how different groups have dealt with these issues. If this is not the right forum, I'm happy to bow out.
Reinier
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