I don't think we should have too much variation on what level people start characters at. EVeryone should start on an even playing field or else we will lose the structure and community of this world completely. I think if there is a desire and need for high level campaigns let's put an orderly structure in place to handle them. It should be one standard alternative high level character option, not a whatever the moderator decides that day option.

I think starting in a separate forum eliminates the cons to a large extent. Yes, if a first level start player character WANTS to game in the higher level forum that is his or her choice to do so and I don't see a problem. But if these higher level start characters start to show up in the regular games with my fourth or fifth level characters that I played my heart out with for three years to get to fourth level. They will clearly be three times as powerful as my character. Honestly, I would be so furious at the unfairness of it, it would completely ruin my gaming experience at CORE. I am just expressing that as a player, it would ruin my game absolutely. If you don't think it is unfair then you are entitled to your opinion certainly, but we need to balance the need for high level campaign creativity and expression with the possible negatives to the whole board. I don't think I would be the only player bothered by the inequity. otherwise, there wouldn't be 5 no votes to three yes votes in the poll.

But honestly from my perspective I didn't do all this work and time to get to fourth level only to have a one week old character join into an adventure with me being 10th level. To me that feels so completely unfair it blows my mind. I don't know how to explain it, except to say, I like that we try our best to maintain fairness between the 30+ moderators and 400+ players. I know when I look at a character level and post count and history the time, effort and gaming it took to get where they are. I know they started out with no more or less then I did or my players did, so I can accept a new player from another moderator without any re-evaluation or reservations. If we allowed each moderator to start characters at a different level, I couldn't accept them into my game and it would undermind and destroy our shared gaming system which only works because evey player starts at the same place.

I don't feel threatened when another player gets more treasure or xp then mine because I feel the systems is fair. Yes, sometimes I can feel frustrated if my own players are not advancing as fast as I would like, but I never feel the SYSTEM is unfair, I don't resent or envy the other players that do well. I think "Good for them! they are being properly treated well." If we start to vary starting levels and treasure, it can only lead to unfairness.

I would support a standard high level campaign alternative option in a separate forum, and with a separate title. I have some worries about that, but I think it would be a good creative alternate gaming option for our players. I might play a character myself just to experience it, except I won't because I have no time, but still I think the idea has creative and gaming merit. I just want to do it in a way that doesn't negatively impact the good thing we have now, the good structure and set up that allows us to share characters back and forth. This character sharing only works because all characters start out in the same place.

I dont' see how having all high level players start in a separate forum kills the enjoyment of a high level campaign and it protects the enjoyment of the rest of the established 400+ characters. I think it balances the interests of each side.