https://usenetarchives.com/view.php?id= ... cy5jb20%2B28 years ago, this post appeared on usenet:
Quote:
Quick question here... has anyone out there figured out the "average"
time it takes for characters to advance in level? This is presuming no
Monty-Haul type of treasure hordes, and reasonable amount of experience
being doled out. Also, I need an estimation that includes downtime
(training, healing and the like).
Now this could be taken in a few ways- total amount of play time in hours, total amount of adventuring nights, total amount of monsters killed, total calendar time, etc. It could be read as an open academic question, asking how long it takes
real players at real tables, but it's pretty clear in context that he wants to use this knowledge to run his game in a way his players would expect and like.
The first response attempts to answer in terms of kills and/or total monsters, referencing a book from a cousin version that nevertheless is pretty compatible:
Quote:
That really depends on how fast you want characters to advance in
level. The D&D Rules Cyclopedia (and previously, I think the
companion or master set) included guidelines on how much XP should be
given to advance at a specified rate.
The very next answer by one Russ Taylor from the Chambers Multimedia Connection Help Desk:
Quote:
I prefer one level per major adventure.
It didn't take long at all, nearly 30 years ago, for someone to suggest that levels should be subservient to a story arc, and not to some actual independent rules of the game.
All the posts are pretty much perfectly reasonable takes to have today.
