Although I’ve been writing games (and about them) for over 20 years, I haven’t done much for the Big One. I’ve done a few OGL bits here and there, a Dungeon article for 4e, and a run on the dual statted line for
7th Sea. I talk a lot about the other games that are out there on the panels and podcasts I get to be on and there’s always one inevitable question:
"I love this new game that I bought but I can’t get my group to try it. How do I escape D&D?"
That question has come up a lot on social media since the OGL 1.1 leak. Here are some of the options I’ve seen work well when I’ve suggested them to friends. Different tactics work well on different people so don’t be afraid to keep trying even if you strike out at first. I also hope folks will post their success stories in the comment to offer additional advice.
Don’t Trash The Mothership
In trying to sell a new game, a lot of people make the mistake of comparing everything to
D&D. Usually in a negative way where
D&D does it badly and the new game does it well. True as that may be, remember that people have feelings about
D&D and those feelings are often complicated. It’s better to focus on the positive stuff that a new game does without needing trash talk. Players are already making those comparisons when considering a new game.
Learn To Love The One Shot
The true villain of any
D&D game is logistics. There will almost always be someone unable to make it or nights where the current DM is unavailable. These nights can be opportunities to try out a different game to see if it vibes with a group. There are a lot of great starter sets out there that make this sort of game easy complete with ready made characters and a story that plays out in a session or two. There are also games built for this mode of play like
Fiasco.
Check Out An Actual Play Of The New Game
Critical Role gets a lot of press in this space but there are a few crews who play games other than
D&D. Showing one of these games to a group will help them learn the rules and see what you like about the game. Of course, I would love it if you check out my crew
Theatre of the Mind Players but there are some other great shows in this space like
The Glass Cannon Network and
One Shot Podcast Network among others.
Find The Right Fandom
While there are a lot of fans of D&D, those fans are also fans of other things. Licensed games are your friend here. If you have a member of the group that’s based their current character on Aang or Spock, they are more likely to try
Avatar Legends or
Star Trek Adventures. Players into a genre will do the work on learning new rules because they want to experience their favorite world.
Switch Either Genre or System But Not Both
Some people prefer to ease into the pool rather than jump in. For those folks, switching one element of an RPG might help with the change. Play fantasy with a different system like
Savage Worlds or
Shadow of the Demon Lord. Or choose another 5e game in a different genre. There are some excellent conversions out there like
Doctors & Daleks or works like
Everyday Heroes.
Build To A Season Finale
Jumping out of an ongoing campaign can be frustrating to players who have invested into the story and their characters. Take a page from how TV networks run serial stories. Build to a season finale in the story: a big battle, a dramatic trial, a wedding full of intrigue. Give some storylines closure, hint at some new ones to come, but helping the storyline come to an end for not makes it easier to move to a different one. And, if nobody likes the new game, there’s always room for another season.
