How do you feel about learning new rule systems?

[aramis erak]

I'm just curious to see how people feel about new systems. Are you less likely to try a new game if it's a system you aren't familiar with?

I'm less likely if it's just a retread.
My preference would be, in descending order:

• good fit bespoke system
• Good fit generic system I know
• Good fit generic system I don't know
• passable fit generic system I know
• Passable fit bespoke system

Below here, I'd rather not...

• passable fit generic system I don't know.
• Poor fit system.
• d20 system adaptation'
• OSR games claiming to be based upon D&D OE or D&D
• OSR games based upon AD&D

Finding out whether the system's a good fit or not is a whole kettle of fish I don't want to cook today.

 

[John Dallman]

I'm more willing to learn new systems if the request to do so comes from a GM I expect to do a good job of a new game, or if it's necessary to play some new setting or style of game that looks interesting. I buy new games reasonably often, although I don't often run them.

My regular game groups have long-running GURPS 4e or AD&D 1e campaigns, so those groups don't often run new rules.

 

[Kodiak3D]

These are very interesting responses. I ask because a friend and I have some ideas for a game and were trying to decide on whether to use a current system or create a new one. We have some ideas for a new system that would focus more on RP than on crunch and also try to make things as easy for a GM as possible. I just didn't know if it was worth the time to put into it if people weren't interested in learning new systems, but it seems like most people are willing if the incentive to do so is there.

Thank you so much for the answers!

 

[hawkeyefan]

These are very interesting responses. I ask because a friend and I have some ideas for a game and were trying to decide on whether to use a current system or create a new one. We have some ideas for a new system that would focus more on RP than on crunch and also try to make things as easy for a GM as possible. I just didn't know if it was worth the time to put into it if people weren't interested in learning new systems, but it seems like most people are willing if the incentive to do so is there.

Thank you so much for the answers!

There are a lot of rules systems out there that are fundamentally easy to grasp and not overly complex. Depending on what you’re looking for, there’s likely something that would fit.

I’m sure folks would happily suggest suitable games if you shared what kind of game you were looking for. What genre? Any preferences about mode of play, etc?

 

[Kodiak3D]

I think we may end up creating our own. We've seen many different systems (I've been gaming for over 30 years) and haven't really found one that fits the way we want things to work. We're in the early stages of discussion right now and hope to have more details soon. I'll circle back with more info before too long.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I think we may end up creating our own. We've seen many different systems (I've been gaming for over 30 years) and haven't really found one that fits the way we want things to work. We're in the early stages of discussion right now and hope to have more details soon. I'll circle back with more info before too long.

I will say - I won't buy a new system from someone I have never heard of or that no one I know is playing; nor will I buy a new system for a setting/"what do characters do" that isn't compelling.

For example, Burning Wheel, I bought because lots of other people I know in internet communities are playing.
Dialect I bought because the core loop/activity was fascinating.
Protocol I bought because I am friends IRL with the creator.

Otherwise, for games that have a system I'm already familiar with - PbtA, GURPS, FitD, Gumshoe, D&D (0-5), Classic Traveller and a couple newer variants, Fate - there's less a need to have a compelling core/loop; it just has to be interesting.

 

[Mistwell]

I'm just curious to see how people feel about new systems. Are you less likely to try a new game if it's a system you aren't familiar with?

Yes, very very much so. I used to have time in my life to learn a new system, and now I do not. If it's a choice between spending time with a system I already know, and one I do not know, I am going to choose the system I already know almost every time. With the only exception being a topic which I otherwise really quite like. So for example if an official Harry Potter RPG came out with strong financial backing from a known bigger company (so I knew it would have support for many years to come from good known RPG designers) and it had a new system, that's the only time I might check it out. If it's just "OK that sounds interesting but the setting is also new" then I won't likely buy it these days.

Now at a convention? I will try anything, if it's with players I want to game with or a GM I want to game with. But that's a one time thing. I don't typically end up buying the game in those instances though.

And I think that goes the same for almost everyone I game with these days, in multiple different groups.

I think we may end up creating our own. We've seen many different systems (I've been gaming for over 30 years) and haven't really found one that fits the way we want things to work. We're in the early stages of discussion right now and hope to have more details soon. I'll circle back with more info before too long.

I mean, Iron Kingdoms tried to do this, with plenty of financial backing (to begin with) and good names and goodwill in the marketplace and years of effort, and even they just finally concluded it wasn't going to work and they needed to support 5e. I get that you want something which fits how you prefer to work, but unless it's just for you or it's art for arts sake, isn't fitting how others like to play more important than fitting how you like to work if sales is the goal?

 

[Mistwell]

Double post

 

[lordabdul]

My answer to the OP is really "I don't care much about the system": I'm interested or not in a game based on what the game is about, who wrote it, what setting it's in, what kind of character you play, etc... to some degree, I might care about the system in terms of "what kind of system is it". Is it a modified 5e game? Is it inspired my MERP or by old-school WFRP? Is it a hack of some other system?

But really I tend to think about it more in similar terms as board games. Every board game has different rules: picking up a new board game means you'll have to learn it! So am I going to only pick Carcassone extensions ("it's Carcassone, but with space settlements on asteroids!") the same way I might only play 5e games? Or am I open to any board game except a few that have mechanics I don't like (say, I don't want to play deck-building games) ?

There's a couple decent reasons to not want or be able to play games using a new rule system. "Not wanting to learn something new" is not one of those in my opinion.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Now, here's one way for it to work - do your system; but get a bunch of people better known (and pay them) to add kickstarter stretch goals using your rules set. And make those stretch goals show up EARLY!. Of course, you'll have to get those folks excited about working with you and your game too, which means a) you'll have to get to know others in the industry and b) your game can't be terrible - and probably should be pretty good. A is easier than B; but B is a requirement regardless.

You can also do what software product managers do (should do) and find out if what you see as problems in the market (ie, in game design) are actually problems that lots of people care about.