For those who have embraced new systems/games, what was the deciding factor?

[Wolfpack48]

Ok so we did the rejecting systems poll. Now, for those who have changed, what prompted you? Add your own reason if it isn’t listed!

 

[grimmgoose]

For my group, it was multiple things:

• dissatisfaction with 5E (I'm one of those weirdos that loved 4E)
• I wanted to play in settings that weren't fantasy
• I wanted systems that gave more support the GM

It was an easy transition for my groups. We still play 5E, but it's just another system on the rotation, rather than the main game we play.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

There's no "whim" or "because I felt like it, that's why" so I stuck it under Other.

 

[uzirath]

I chose Frustration with old system and Wanted more “realism” to reflect a big switch my old college group made in the 1990s from D&D to GURPS.

At the time, some of us had been playing in parts of the campaign world for many years. We took world building seriously and started to feel constrained by the second edition class/level system. Many adventures revolved around role-playing: diplomacy, negotiations, brokering deals, etc. We felt that GURPS characters included the nuances that we were looking for so we didn't have to decided if a given concept was more of a "fighter" or a "thief" or whatever. I chose "realism" because of that character angle, not for the more complex combat system and other elements of GURPS mechanics.

We ran the GURPS version of that campaign for another 10+ years before the core group scattered.

 

[DragonLancer]

We've been playing Pathfinder 1st for the last 15 years, and frankly coming back after Covid, I found that the crunchy rules and over-optimised characters had lost it's appeal. Coming back to D&D with 2024 edition still maintains some of that but on a lighter note which I am enjoying more.

 

[rhythmsoundmotion]

I am surprised that “I was on the fence but then a bundle from Humble Bundle, Itch Io, or Bundle of Holding made up my mind” is not an option.

 

[Blue]

The poll says "embraced" but the question says "changed", and those are vastly different things to me. I can join a group to play or run a system and it has nothing to do with a system that I'm currently enjoying in another group. You can even get cases where an existing group changes, but I'm not "changing away" from the the system since I'm still actively playing it in another group. Or maybe not even playing it but actively prepping to start a campaign, that's also happened.

But what I'm playing often has me looking for other aspects of play that I'm not getting - if I'm in a light narrativist game I might want to add a crunchy tactical combat game, or vice versa. The most true reason for playing a new system is "Enjoy trying new systems", but at some time or another every single other one of those except VTT reasons has been a motivator in system choice for exactly what from my TBP (To Be Played) pile.

Oh, a few more poll options:

• A new edition has come out.
• Want to drop a GM.
• Friend convinced me to run.
• "The Right" GM opened up -- for example a friend who is a huge comics fan became available to run Marvel Heroic Roleplay.

 

[Wolfpack48]

The poll says "embraced" but the question says "changed", and those are vastly different things to me. I can join a group to play or run a system and it has nothing to do with a system that I'm currently enjoying in another group. You can even get cases where an existing group changes, but I'm not "changing away" from the the system since I'm still actively playing it in another group. Or maybe not even playing it but actively prepping to start a campaign, that's also happened.

But what I'm playing often has me looking for other aspects of play that I'm not getting - if I'm in a light narrativist game I might want to add a crunchy tactical combat game, or vice versa. The most true reason for playing a new system is "Enjoy trying new systems", but at some time or another every single other one of those except VTT reasons has been a motivator in system choice for exactly what from my TBP (To Be Played) pile.

Oh, a few more poll options:

• A new edition has come out.
• Want to drop a GM.
• Friend convinced me to run.
• "The Right" GM opened up -- for example a friend who is a huge comics fan became available to run Marvel Heroic Roleplay.

Yeah this poll is focused on the embraced thing.

 

[Smackpixi]

I took “other”. “Because we tried something new and it was fun” strangely not an option. We’ve done a couple thing that we’re more and and less aspects of DnD in various ways. And didn’t so much stick with, but now do instead often. Because fun. I know “fun” isn’t super useful classification. But question assumes much intention or habits, instead of the haphazard halfassed way I live my life. Where things can be also good instead of better; different, but not cause I was chasing it. Not cause I wanted a simpler system, more complicated, but because I also like both, and not cause “sometimes I want” but because good games are good games, always.

 

[Wolfpack48]

I took “other”. “Because we tried something new and it was fun” strangely not an option. We’ve done a couple thing that we’re more and and less aspects of DnD in various ways. And didn’t so much stick with, but now do instead often. Because fun. I know “fun” isn’t super useful classification. But question assumes much intention or habits, instead of the haphazard halfassed way I live my life. Where things can be also good instead of better; different, but not cause I was chasing it. Not cause I wanted a simpler system, more complicated, but because I also like both, and not cause “sometimes I want” but because good games are good games, always.

“Enjoy trying new systems” will probably cover it.