Anything wrong with just playing D&D?

[johnsemlak]

I admit it. I only play D&D. I have tried other RPGs, usually for just a session or two. But I always have good back to D&D. I have played all the editions except the white box version (and Hackmaster), and a few mixed versions. But always D&D.

My DM tried to get our group to alternate to playing WhiteWolf: Mage once per month, but I wasn't interested, and neither was the majority of the group.

I've never played Shadowrun, never played Ars Magica, never played Rolemaster, never played Champions, never played d20 Modern, etc.

I might end up playing a d20 game like Traveller d20 (though I'd prefer Star Frontiers d20 or something else 'high science fiction myself'). REAlly, d20 is still in it\s infancy and I just haven't had the time.

I'm amazed at other s who roll out the list of games they've played, even games just developed since the advent of d20. How do people find time for it all. Also, does d20 make it easier to go to another genre?

And also, what am I missing by not trying out non-d20 RPGs? I've never seen what.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Honestly I'm biased towards D20 in all its incarnation, as opposed to other systems. The reason isn't that there's anything wrong with the other systems. Thats all a matter of preference, familiarity, and the talent of its game designers. The reason I like D20 is because once your group has learned the basic set of rules, when you do want to switch to a different genre, they only need to learn the differences between it and D&D as opposed to having to teach them an entirely new game. I think that for many groups (but not all) that's huge. It gives the DM the opportunity to try different things rather than sticking to the same game all the time.

Since you haven't played anything but D&D, I recommend playing the D20 Babylon 5 RPG by Mongoose (if you happen to be a B5 fan, that is), or Darwin's World by RPG Objects. I really think those give you some excellent variety and will expose you to some interesting genres and different ways of tweaking the game.

 

[Nightfall]

I just play one thing. Scarred Lands. Well that and I'll mix up other stuff too!

 

[Dark Jezter]

There's nothing wrong with just playing D&D. I, myself, have tried out other role-playing systems like GURPS, Riddle of Steel, Storyteller, and Shadowrun. In the end, I always end up going back to D&D.

D&D may not be the most realistic RPG system around, and its detractors like to complain about things like the class/level system, alignment, HP, XP, etc. However, D&D is fun to play, and in the end, that's all a game is required to be.

 

[Ranger REG]

Nothing wrong with sticking to one game and/or one rules system, just as long you respect other people who also have pride in other games you don't play.

 

[johnsemlak]

Nothing wrong with sticking to one game and/or one rules system, just as long you respect other people who also have pride in other games you don't play.

Absolutely.

Actually, I'm not sure I'd want to play a d20 game if I went to anohter genre (Sci-fi appeals to me mostly, though not Star Wars in any form).

That's one thing I'm interested in, do people find d20 games in other genres easier to cross-over to?

 

[Telperion]

Nothing wrong with sticking to one game and/or one rules system, just as long you respect other people who also have pride in other games you don't play.

I have played quite a few different games in the last 10 years, but for some reason I just haven't felt like sticking to any particular one. But there's one that I keep coming back to time and again: D&D.

I started out with the 1ed D&D in 1988, and went trough a bunch of other games before starting to GM in 1992. Then came AD&D, which I never really played all that much. After trying out WoD for a few years (fun to play, but not to GM for some reason) I'm back with D&D 3.5, and happy with it. And I'm also heavily into the Scarred Lands. Having purchased...um...16 books concerning that gameworld + quite a few D&D core books I'm starting to believe this one is going to "stick" on me .

 

[Ranger REG]

From my perspective, it's easier to learn a different d20 game of a different genre, or at least quicker to learn them, because you pretty much know all the fundamentals. But be mindful of new mechanics, like Star Wars have the VP/WP health system instead of hit points (but stripped down the mechanics bears resemblance). Trust me, sometimes the new mechanics makes that particulare game more enjoyable and sometimes more suitable for that game than trying to force the game into using 100% D&D core ruleset.

 

[Null Boundry]

I don't see a problem with it, I almost exclusively play D&D. Thats not to say I haven't tried other systems but most of the groups where I live seem predominately D&D. I have joined groups that play other systems but have left after a very short time due to problems, usually a mixture of the games consisting of one session charecter creation followed by one session playing then onto a new game. With the DM making a vague comment about going back to that game latter. Or starting a game in a system I am not familiar with and not being allowed the read the rule book. The DM doesn't like people to read the rules or the players won't trust anyone else with their books even at the gaming table. It doesn't make learning a new system any easier when you need to depend on some one reading sections to you, especially on charecter creation.

 

[Ottergame]

You should at least look at other game systems. Perfering D&D over others you've played is just fine, but ignoring anything else and never giving it a chance robs you of finding a game you might come to really love.