A Change of Pace...

[Retreater]

As I was discussing in another thread, I am majorly burned out on 5e. I can handle PF2 because it handles the "heavy lifting" that 5e doesn't (which contributes to my burn out on that system.)
My group has 1-2 sessions left in its 5e campaign. Most players are teenagers with little gaming experience who barely know 5e. No one else wants to DM.
So ... where next?
I have the complexity of PF2 ... with basically the same feel as D&D.
I have Savage Pathfinder ... again with basically the same feel as D&D.
I have Call of Cthulhu ... but the themes are uncomfortable for younger players, who also like to joke around and kill stuff.
I have mountains of Free League stuff, but again, I don't see something like Twilight 2000 being a good fit.
My wife suggested I find a sci-fi game, but for the life of me, I can't think of anything that would have decent pacing and action that could hold their attention. (Starfinder would probably be too complex, not to mention I kinda hate the 3.x/PF1 chassis and it's a dying system after today's announcement.)
Anyone care to brainstorm with me?

 

[Tonguez]

Stars Without Number Kevin Crawfords OSR space game

 

[jdrakeh]

Runequest? Or, maybe Open Quest 3e? Both still fantasy but VERY different than D&D, both systemically and thematically.

 

[overgeeked]

Alien with the Space Marines book might check all the boxes.

Blade Runner might as well.

Generic systems like Savage Worlds, Fate, and Cortex Prime can be great. Learn the system once and play in a bunch of settings.

 

[GMMichael]

... again with basically the same feel as D&D...
.. but the themes are uncomfortable for younger players, who also like to joke around and kill stuff.

If they like to joke around and kill stuff, that sounds like the feel of D&D. So, it sounds like an impasse.

Try Microlite20?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Some of the rarest RPG genres I’ve been able to play in are westerns and supers games, so, to me, they’d be a good change of pace. They might get a kick playing in your version of the MCU or DCU, or something more Kick Ass/Scott Pilgrim scaled. And if they’ve played anything like Red Dead Redemption, a straight or even Weird Western game might work.

When I was in Austin, one guy in our group tried running several different Mecha/anime campaigns, each in a different system. He’d run a game for a few sessions, then announce he was scrapping it in favor of a new game. Personally, I had fun in each one, but I got the feeling he was searching for The One True Mecha RPG, and never found it.

Looking at current pop culture, Stranger Things was pretty big. You could run a game analogous to that, perhaps even using watered down CoC critters or Savage Worlds. Or you could get any one of a number of smaller games, like Monster of the Week.

If you invest in a toolbox system like HERO or GURPS, or something similarly flexible like Cypher System, you could do some kind of multiversal campaign, which might appeal to players who enjoyed the MCU’s Multiverse/Spiderverse or Everything Everywhere All At Once.

And there’s always Paranoia!

 

[aco175]

Maybe just try a D&D-lite system like the old school clones or even 4e. It would be easier for kids to pick up and basically know how to play.

 

[Spohedus]

Dungeon Crawl Classics. Our group went through the same thing and made the switch. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s the antidote to 5e burnout imo.

 

[TwoSix]

What kind of gamers are they? Do they like action and combat? Do they like acting like their characters?

What sort of stuff are they interested in outside of playing TTRPGs? That might help find something they're interested in.

 

[dbm]

My wife suggested I find a sci-fi game, but for the life of me, I can't think of anything that would have decent pacing and action that could hold their attention.

I ran a Last Parsec campaign, which is Savage Worlds, and we had great fun. It was specifically the Eris Beta V campaign we played. It was written for Deluxe, but converting to SWADE is trivial. You would also want the ‘old’ sci-fi companion but that is just a few dollars in PDF and is, again, easily converted. The new sci-fi companion won’t be out for a little while longer yet.

The campaign was great, a mix of investigation, exploration and action. One of the best sci-fi games we have played in a long time.