Even in normal D&D, 6th level is not weak.  The typical Fighter has negative AC and 6 attacks/round vs normal men, he can kill dozens.  The typical Magic-User can throw a fireball and wipe out a platoon, then do it again - or dozens of times if he has a Wand of Fire.  The 6th level Cleric has similarly powerful magics, but is a bit weaker.  The 6th level Thief is admittedly not very impressive.

Anyway, the point is that 6th level in any edition of D&D is vastly more powerful than the top of the range in even quite high-powered games (eg d6 Star Wars), never mind the low-power ones like Runequest.  In 1e-2e AD&D the power curve levels out a few levels later for most classes, while M-US get godlike powers but still only have 25 hit points.  In 3e though power keeps doubling every 2 levels.

I ran my first 3e campaign to ca level 17 and the last 5-7 levels were not so much fun.  Since then I've ended two 3.5e campaigns at 8th, which felt much better.  I'm pretty sure I'll use E10 or similar setups for future 3e/Pathfinder games, capping PCs & NPCs at 10th and monsters at around CR 14.  That or E12 gives a power range similar to OD&D, which had spells only to 6th level.

Edit: And I've also been thinking about using the Pathfinder Basic set box when it comes out to run a campaign capped at 5th level, the highest in the box.

S'mon, I think you should try E6 once. The accumulation of feats post sixth level lets the characters really play at about 8th level of power or sometimes higher. I've heard that a lot of people who try E8 end up being irritated by the fact that things still felt out of hand at the top. I'm kind of like you. I've ended two games in a row now at 8th, though it still seemed to high to me.

I'm looking forward to this game.

Quote from: Cranewings;447334S'mon, I think you should try E6 once. The accumulation of feats post sixth level lets the characters really play at about 8th level of power or sometimes higher. I've heard that a lot of people who try E8 end up being irritated by the fact that things still felt out of hand at the top. I'm kind of like you. I've ended two games in a row now at 8th, though it still seemed to high to me.

I'm looking forward to this game.

Thanks Cranewings - I definitely think that if Pathfinder Basic turns out good I'll use it for my next "3e" game, as an E5 campaign - PCs & NPCs cap at 5th and the biggest baddest monsters (giants, dragons, demons) cap around CR 10, but are very rare.  I'm thinking 10 hit dice, adult red dragons and Balors/Type VI demons, that sort of thing.  Probably use my 1e Monster Manual as a starting point & convert up to 3e standard, rather than try to tone down the 3e/Pathfinder stats.

Re E8 - playing 3e, I agree the game often feels like it's already breaking down at 7th level once some of the level 4 3e Wizard/Cleric/Druid spells come in.  Prying Eyes already negates the utility of having a Rogue, for instance.  E5 or E6 brings in the 'fun' stuff like fireball & fly, but not the game-ruining stuff.

Absolutely.