Play Something Else

MNblockhead · Feb 20, 2024

Theory of Games said:
Eh. That's a bad assumption that playing other rpgs leads to self-knowledge. I played the Marvel Heroic RPG and what I learned was the game is trash. Same with Apocalypse World and the other storygames. I learned those games are trash compared to how well designed the D&D Rules Cyclopedia is. The idea that you need to play an entire campaign with poorly-designed games like FATE is ridiculous. If B/X D&D was your first rpg and your group still playing it fifty years later because you love it, good on you.

"Different" does not mean "good" as you're suggesting here. You don't have to try all flavors of ice cream to appreciate your favorite flavor. If you're happy with what you have you don't need anything else. Did I mention buying more and more games cost M-O-N-E-Y? Are YOU paying for all my shiny new games?

No, experiencing other rpgs is not guaranteed to improve your rpg experience. Especially if those other rpgs are trash but most specifically if I'm enjoying my current system. You're making some ridiculous claims here lol

You do you. But I hardly would say the suggestion to try new things are ridiculous. Just like I'm willing to suffer through the occasional enjoyable meal when trying a new dish because occasionally I'll find a new favorite, trying new games will bring new experiences.

And it doesn't have to cost money to try new games. You can find DMs on game-matching searches eager to introduce new people to their favorite games.

The Soloist · Feb 20, 2024

Playing other games has always been part of me even if 70% of my activity in the last 44 years has been D&D.

Instead of inflicting house rules on my D&D players, we would play another system that did things we might like to add to D&D. For example, armour reducing damage or permanent injuries. We always voted to keep D&D as it was.

Also sometimes I get obsessed with an idea. For example, d100 systems are much better. Trying the games that played into those obsessions helped get them out of my system or discover games I liked.

By playing other games, I discovered there is a very narrow selection of RPGs I enjoy as a GM but on the other hand, I don't mind being a player of systems I don't want to GM.

If some people only play one RPG all their life and they have fun, I'm happy for them.

aco175 · Feb 20, 2024

I recall trying new games in middle school / high school, but now I would rather play D&D with another group than my own if I had the time. That would allow me to experience different views and such and still play D&D. I recall the Magic craze of the early 90s when the game first came out and how it cut into D&D time. It was fine for a while and some other friends would play that since they did not play D&D, but eventually we got back to what we wanted to play.

I'm going to a convention this weekend with my group and playing together at one slot and a couple people playing with each other at other slots, but some is broken up to get everyone to see how other DMs and players do things. We might incorporate something into the home game. My brother wanted to try a tiny d6 something but the slots were taken, but to try a few of the other games is not something the rest of us wanted.

Reynard · Feb 20, 2024

Theory of Games said:
You're making some ridiculous claims here lol

Given your definition of "trash" games, I am comfortable standing by my claim in the OP.

Wofano Wotanto · Feb 20, 2024

Celebrim said:
I've pretty much given up on running CoC for my current players, as they will suffer through my love of investigation and exploration if there is some great heroic combat at the end of it, but CoC feels like I think all work and no payoff for them.

Have you tried them on Pulp Cthulhu at all? It might be a better fit for your table. There's room for almost as much investigation as the original flavor, but the added PC durability and combat mechanics not only let them survive fights a bit better, they make them a more interesting experience.

Theory of Games said:
Eh. That's a bad assumption that playing other rpgs leads to self-knowledge. I played the Marvel Heroic RPG and what I learned was the game is trash. Same with Apocalypse World and the other storygames. I learned those games are trash compared to how well designed the D&D Rules Cyclopedia is. The idea that you need to play an entire campaign with poorly-designed games like FATE is ridiculous. If B/X D&D was your first rpg and your group still playing it fifty years later because you love it, good on you.

What you learned, whether you realize it or not, is that you don't like MHR, AW, FATE, etc. and you think B/X is the best game you've ever played. Others will take away very different lessons from playing those same systems. Neither you nor they would have learned those lessons without playing in the first place. You might be able to make a guess that you will or won't like a system based on reviews or genre or familiarity with the designer's other work, but the final proof is in the gameplay. Everything else is just a hypothesis.

SableWyvern · Feb 20, 2024

I play plenty of different games, so no one has to sell me on the idea.

But I continue to be utterly perplexed that so many people consider it so important to convince people they will never meet or game with to stop playing the game they enjoy and go do something else, for their own good and in order to learn important life lessons, as per this thread*; because not doing so is a sign of poor mental health, as per another recent thread here; or because checking out other games is a moral obligation owed the community, and failing to do so means you're a xenophobe creating a bad look for gamers, as per a recent reddit thread.

If some people want to keep playing just one game, it really is ok to just let them.

*Ok, to be fair, this thread had been pretty reasonable, and I'm using a bit of hyperbole. The other two examples really were that bad, though.

Celebrim · Feb 20, 2024

Wofano Wotanto said:
Have you tried them on Pulp Cthulhu at all?

Yes, I have. Didn't help. My players are mostly a mix of Challenge and Fantasy aesthetic players. They indulge my taste for Narrative, Exploration, and Expression but for them that's mostly existing to make the shining moments of awesome feel more real and satisfying and not as ends unto themselves.

My experience playing CoC as an adult have lead me to believe that the set up in Chill or Delta Green where you are part of an organization devoted to fighting the things from beyond is a lot better set up than trying to recreate the HPL short stories directly with antiquarians and the like for a variety of reasons. Probably the most important is if you try to run the game with too much gritty realism the biggest enemy you'll tend to face is the police which I find utterly unsatisfying. The other thing I've discovered is the game doesn't really know what to make of itself from a standpoint of balance or how to achieve a good mix of PCs are competent and monsters are terrifying, and that Pulp actually by assuming PC's are competent can make better assumptions about what they can and can't handle.

John R Davis · Feb 20, 2024

Reynard said:
I have probably played 100 different RPGs over the years. I'm old.

Now I need to think how many I've played that are different. I go to Cons so this year I have probably played 15 already

Reynard · Feb 20, 2024

SableWyvern said:
as per a recent reddit thread.

Well, there's your problem right there.

TwoSix · Feb 20, 2024

SableWyvern said:
But I continue to be utterly perplexed that so many people consider it so important to convince people they will never meet or game with to stop playing the game they enjoy and go do something else, for their own good and in order to learn important life lessons, as per this thread*; because not doing so is a sign of poor mental health, as per another recent thread here; or because checking out other games is a moral obligation owed the community, and failing to do so means you're a xenophobe creating a bad look for gamers, as per a recent reddit thread.

I don't think it's perplexing. It's a pretty simple calculus that if you promote the idea that there are more games out there, you're doing a small part to spread the idea in the community that there are more types of games out there, which will make it easier for you to find other people to play other games with.

Plus, the TTRPG space is a little odd in how much of the experience and familiarity are focused on just one game. It would be like if most homes only had exactly one board game, and it was always Monopoly. And if you pulled out, say, Scrabble on game night, people would be like "Woah, woah, woah! Where's the dice? Where's the tokens? This game doesn't even have hotels, is it even a board game?!"

Play Something Else

MNblockhead

A Title Much Cooler Than Anything on the Old Site

The Soloist

Adventurer

aco175

Legend

Reynard

Legend

Wofano Wotanto

Hero

SableWyvern

Adventurer

Celebrim

Legend

John R Davis

Hero

Reynard

Legend

TwoSix

Dirty, realism-hating munchkin powergamer

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