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

[Jd Smith1]

For me, I have always been looking for systems that rewarded player input more than modifiers, and which duplicate real-world results. And which play smoothly.

I've found a few, enough to keep me in the hobby.

 

[Tonguez]

Went from Basic DnD to GURPs because of the awesome source books and more modularity, but both are complex systems (but not Rolemaster complicated).

I came back to 3e because D20 v DC was nice and streamlined (and GURPs taught me to prefer Skill and Feat systems)

Then discovered rules lite systems for superheroes Toon, Risus, fudge and eventually FATE - FATE Aspects (Freeform Feats) tickled my fancy, and Accelerated with its Approaches does even better.

Fates still my favourite, BitD etc are nice too but playbooks are still too restrictive for me

 

[Kromanjon]

I´ve always enjoyed exploring new systems. Since I started with this hobby I´ve probably played 20-30 different systems and read just as many that never got played. I´ve always had the motto that any system can be made fun to play with and so far I´ve only been proven wrong on one occasion, Superbabes: The femforce roleplaying game.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I voted for a few things, but “Other” was the most important.

I entered the hobby in 1977 with AD&D, followed by Traveller and The Fantasy Trip a couple years later. I added Champions (now called HERO) when it came out. After a period of system stagnation, I eventually wound up playing 100s of different RPG systems, and actually owned over a hundred at my peak.

While the driving forces behind each system I tried varied- usually because someone wanted to try something new- what grabs me about my favorite systems is how well they let me model the PCs in my head as playable characters. With my favorite systems- HERO, D&D 3.5Ed, and M&M 2Ed- that means lots of options allowing for extreme customization. But in others, it has meant that the game mechanics available closely matched the PC builds I wanted to create, even if there weren’t a slew of options.

TL;DR: the main factor is can I use the system to create characters I really want to play.

 

[CleverNickName]

We first tried 5E because we were frustrated with the 3.5E/PF1 rules, and were looking for something less "bulky." We stayed with 5E because the rules were much more elegant (Advantage instead of stacking bonuses, for example).

 

[Enaknomolos]

I didn't need a reason to embrace different systems. I would have needed a reason not to.

I started playing as a teen in the UK in the 80's and all the groups I knew played several different systems. Our mental image of the hobby was that you play lots of different things, and kit-bash systems fairly freely (and chaotically) too. The idea that some people would only want to play one game didn't ever cross my mind until years later.

 

[Micah Sweet]

For me, I have always been looking for systems that rewarded player input more than modifiers, and which duplicate real-world results. And which play smoothly.

I've found a few, enough to keep me in the hobby.

What systems do you like?

 

[Micah Sweet]

We switched from WotC 5e to Level Up because I just fell in love with the game. It's still 5e (so the transition wasn't too hard on my players), but has more support for non-combat activities (particularly exploration), and to my mind more realistic modeling of the setting and how it interacts with the PCs. I also love the origin system, strongholds, combat maneuvers, everything having to do with monsters, how they handle traps, and the best science fiction supplement I've ever seen for 5e, among many other things. All in a package I can sell to my 5e players.

 

[Jd Smith1]

What systems do you like?

Currently, Zweihander, Aces&Eights, and Hackmaster 5e (which has nothing to do D&D 5e).

 

[dbm]

The main reason our group would choose to play new systems is where our existing system(s) are not hitting the mark in supporting the campaign we want to run.

That might be a more ‘macro’ level where we want to play sci-fi and our current system is fantasy, or it is more a ‘micro’ level where the system don’t fit with what we want a campaign to feature. An example here would be wanting to run games with a heavy focus on certain skill endeavours (e.g. social skills, science, magic) which are not sufficiently differentiated in another system. Or wanting a high action feel but running a system which is more grounded. Or a game system designed to support dungeon delving style combat but we are running a game where there might only be one combat per session (or even every other session) and that throws the system out of whack.

Whether the group fully embraces the new system depends on how easy we find it to absorb the rules, how fluid they are in play, and ultimately how much we enjoy the experience.