Do you consider learning a new game to be unpleasant work?

[zarionofarabel]

Over the years I have met so many people that only play D&D that say that they don't want to learn a new system. It makes me sad as there are so many good TTRPGs that are far less complicated than D&D. So many of them work so much better at emulating the fantasy genre as presented in virtually all media.

 

[Tonguez]

No its generally fun to browse through and check out any new concepts, innovative ideas, insights and cool artwork.

Some ideas get a bit convoluted though and in those I tend to decide its not really worth the effort. Simple is good

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

When I was younger, I didn’t mind delving into the crunch of games. Recently, I prefer games that a bit more ‘rules light’. I went back to relearn cyberpunk 2020 to run a one-shot for my friends and it was too much. It’s probably why I started playing 5e: it’s fairly simple. I voted work.

 

[Retreater]

I voted "fun" because of the assumption it's a "good game," or rather one I would enjoy because "good" is so relative. Still, I don't know how that would be determined without first doing the effort to figure out if it's one I'd like - which is kind of like work.
Keeping different rulesets straight in my head takes effort. And various subsystems and the such make it more confusing.
I tend to dislike systems that put rules on GMs. Like you need to spend plot metacurrency to bring challenges to the party. Systems like that, I tend to avoid.

 

[Fenris-77]

That really depends on how excited I am about the game. The more excited I am the less like work it seems.

 

[TheSword]

Playing a game might be fun, but I’ve never found puzzling the rules out to be particularly enjoyable.

Needing to spend an hour trying to work out how the rules work because they’re so complicated (Witcher Board Game I’m looking at you). Isn’t particularly fun.

All the inconsistencies, confusion, false assumptions, forum research etc isn’t fun either.

The game may be worth going through this process (5e was after 12 years of PF) but it’s no guarantee.

 

[Eltab]

If I am going to play the game well, work (as in study) is involved. If it's a short-term gig then more fun. I expect the fun to come out during play.

However I remember the Gamma World vol 1 rule section (and picture) "Hopeless Characters", and sometimes I have created an ineffective character due to not understanding the game system or what the scale of "powerful" is.

 

[DEFCON 1]

If I'm going to play in a new game run by a DM who knows the system and how to explain it as necessary, I find learning the system fun.

If I'm going to run the game itself, I usually find trying to learn the new rules to be a bit of a hassle, which is why I don't tend to run non-D&D games. In the last several years I've run a very short FATE superhero game, and a one-shot of Paranoia. And that's pretty much been all I've felt like or needed to do.

 

[hawkeyefan]

I really like reading RPG books. I have a list of games that I’m itching to try. I think I have the next 5 or 6 campaigns I want to run planned out, each a different game.

Even those I read that I don’t wind up expecting to play usually offer some kind of useful advice. Even if it’s more about what not to do.

 

[Morrus]

Weird how the replies differ to the poll.