Games you need to go outside your normal group to play

[JediSoth]

My group will try anything, at least for a one-shot. One player is reluctant to play CoC; he's had really bad experiences with it in the past, and my spouse doesn't like RPGs that have a lot of extra bits for players to keep track of apart from the character sheet (and she tends to do best with games with D&D 5e's complexity or simpler).

I know from experience, many of them have trouble with games that tend to put more narrative control into the players' hands or storytelling games. I had a player who was really good at those games, explaining games, and guiding the other players in those games (either as a player or as a GM), but sadly, scheduling conflicts with real life necessitated him dropping out of the group. But, my group's been gaming together for 10-15 years now, so I kinda know our wheelhouse at this point, and I'm OK with it. I like D&D-style games anyway, and there are other systems we can play when I need a switch; I would just have to go outside my group to play certain games. But hey, my podcast crew is game for anything, and they're all voice actors, so they can spend several hours just faffing about a tavern and be happy.

 

[Bagpuss]

Call of Cthulhu is a game I like to play as a one‑shot or mini campaign. I think the setting works best that way. I don't think it would work as well for me for a long campaign. I'd be interested in hearing from those for whom it is their main game system how common it is for a CoC campaign to last a year or longer, assuming at least 8 hours a month.

I agree it works really well as a one shot, it is my goto for convention games. Saying that I've played Horror on the Orient Express (1st edition), and Tatters of the King which were both much longer games and it worked out fine. I think the longer campaigns support a slow descent into madness better than the one shot experience.

As for games outside your normal group that's one of the main reasons I go to conventions. I've played so many odd games at conventions. I've also run lots of odd game as well such as Monsterhearts, Walking Dead, and Kingdom, to name a few, plus plenty of Call of Cthulhu one shots.

I recently joined a second group to play Star Trek and Dune on alternate weeks, as my current group is working through Frosthaven.

 

[R_J_K75]

Within the last 30 years or so, I've tried quite a few games with a few groups. It seems that any game we try is pretty short lived 3 to 6 months at best, and we always end up coming back to and playing D&D again. I think the majority of people familiar with the hobby when they think of TTRPGs, D&D come to mind first; at least the people I've talked to.

 

[GrimCo]

As it stands now, and for foreseeable future, anything other than 2014 5e is out of question, at least for games that aren't one-two shots. We are in funny situation. While they are willing to try rules light games, they prefer more crunch heavy games for longer campaigns. Catch 22 is that no one has time for learning new crunchy system.

 

[Jd Smith1]

This thread has moved me to tailor an L5R campaign (using a different system) to my group. We won't get to it for a year or so, but there's no reason to miss out when you can adapt.

WH 40k remans, but the lore is so dense I feel like the only way to run it is with the provided rules, and Dark Heresy is not thrilling me.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I don't have a specific game, but I can pretty much predict traditional or survival horror (but probably not action horror) would require hunting up new people. I'm not sure a superhero game wouldn't be the same now, which is ironic given our history, but people get tired of things.