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I'll chime in, in most part to agree with Luvian, in that the CRPG games don't really give a representation of the world they are supposed to set in. I'm not complaining by any means that my characters are level 17-18 & can reach level 30, because that makes it more fun, but it's not really "realistic" (we have to take for granted that that term even applies [img]smile.gif[/img] ).
In the "real world" of AD&D, a character undergoing the challenges of IWDII would likely start at level 5-6 & end at level 11-13 (& that's being generous). The whole game would be a major campaign where you level up much less frequently. More to the point, it would likely exhaust the joy of playing (I've been there) & prompt you, as the DM, & your players to create new characters & a new campaign. AND THAT'S AFTER ONLY GAINING 5-6 LEVELS! [img]smile.gif[/img]
(also assuming the DM allowed you to start at level 5-6, which creates more fun, but still isn't "realistic")
So, what you have to understand is that what you perceive in reading any Forgotten Realms novel - that is, the characters are allowed to be more heroic than any character in a real P&P game can ever (generally) be allowed to be - is not the "standard" (I hate having to even put quotes arond it, even given the board I'm posting to [img]smile.gif[/img] ). The IE games simulate the novels to an extended degree (although BGI did a good job of simulating a "real" campaign). They don't, in any way, reflect what you read in the novels or play in the game.
In general, a real game is on a much lower scale than the novels. In general, the games are on a much bigger scale than the novels.
They are 100% fun in their own right & I love playing them, but they don't duplicate the setting of a real game, give you any idea of how a real game should be played (other than a Monty Haul game, of course - which I'm not saying is bad - that, too was fun in my early DM'ing stage [img]smile.gif[/img] ), or give you a realistic idea of what "real" characters in the AD&D or, in particular the Forgotten Realms, are like.
To summarize, think of your characters as "The Most Heroic Band in The Realm", deserving of a whole series of novels, rather than an example of what anyone can attain.
- Imrahil
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