Is it "wrong" to not like other systems?

[The_Universe]

It's fine to dislike a system. It's not fine to say, "I don't like this therefore it's rubbish." On the other hand, it is okay to say, "This is rubbish therefore I don't like it." It's also okay to say, "This is rubbish but I love it." Just to round off this little spate of pointing out the obvious, it's also okay to say, "That's great. But I don't like it."

It never hurts anything but ego to state the obvious.

 

[billd91]

This is one of the things I disagree with. To use a consciously unfair analogy, do I have to repeatedly eat poop to be able to rightfully say, "No, I don't think I like to eat poop,"? Do I even have to eat poop once?

<snip>

Now, admittedly, some guy might see poop where I see pizza and vice versa, but I think to demand that someone "try" something before they can form an opinion is ridiculous. Now, I don't knock stuff I've never at least given a cursory examination to, but I don't usually find suffering through something I know I won't like as the proper preparation for forming an opinion.

On this, I think you're wrong. You do need to try something or something suitably similar to it to make an informed opinion when talking about certain things. And yes, the poop analogy is quite unfair since poop has a lot more baggage when you compare it with decent food than one RPG over another RPG.
But notice I say you need to try someting or something suitably similar to make an informed opinion. Close is close enough in many cases. I didn't need to spend a lot of time with Planescape to decide whether I was interested or not since I have many years of D&D playing under my belt and had reviewed materials in a passive way (in other words, read them rather than played them).
And that's also an informed opinion. It's quite easy for anyone to come up with an uninformed opinion, and hold to it, as long as they accept that there are people out here like me who will discount those opinions as essentially irrelevant.

 

[sjmiller]

Just curious - is it "wrong" to not particularly enjoy playing in non-D20 systems?

Hey, don't worry about it. Different strokes for different folks. I run D&D3e mainly because that is what my players want. Personally, I would prefer to use a different system, but this is what they preferred. Is it the best system out there? Not really. Is my preferred system the best? Not really. There is no perfect system. There is no system that will please everybody. Add to that the fact that people like to have something to complain about, and that explains the situation you are in.

Like I said, don't worry about it. Enjoy playing what you are playing and ignore those who say you are wrong.

 

[billd91]

I see that an awful lot, and I don't understand it in the least. When's the last time you read an account of King Richard leveling up during the crusades, or Longshanks leveling up after getting the XP for taking out William Wallace? If you have a problem with levels (and I do, although not a deal-breaker problem) why is it not a universal problem? I don't see how a medieval game is any more suited to levels than a modern or futuristic one is.

I suppose the more accurate way of making my point is class-based vs non-class systems. Usually non-level systems are also classless, since level-based systems typically group their suite of improvements around a set of class abilities. There are exceptions since I can think of at least one system that had levels but no classes and one that had classes but no levels. Both, however, used those features fairly weakly.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Yet, when I mention my "loyalty" to the system that very much fulfills my personal taste, and can simulate everything I want to simulate to the degree I want to simulate it (from D&D to D20 Modern to Mutants and Masterminds) I am occaisonally ridiculed, and often told I'm wrong, and need to branch out, or some similar admonishment for not particularly enjoying alternate RPG system X.

They are wrong. There is no system that is best from an objective point of view. It's all a matter of taste. But someone telling you that you must like other systems or be wrong (or whatever their choice of words is) only makes a fool of himself.

If you don't like other systems, you don't like other systems. Since you have actually tried them out, you even have a very good reason to say so.

Personally, I won't involve in other systems, except WoD 2.0, since I feel that between those two systems I have everything I'll ever need.

 

[The_Universe]

And that's also an informed opinion. It's quite easy for anyone to come up with an uninformed opinion, and hold to it, as long as they accept that there are people out here like me who will discount those opinions as essentially irrelevant.

Just so we're clear - if I were to have read the 3E D&D core books, fiddled a bit with character creation, etc. but never played it with a group, my opinion of it would be essentially irrelevent (and wrong)?

 

[Kanegrundar]

I love D20, it's my system of choice for just about everything from fantasy to super heroes and everything in between. That is not to say that I don't play or enjoy other games. WHFR is quickly becoming one of my favorites again, for instance. I don't give a f if anyone thinks I'm limiting myself or I'm silly for my love of D20. I'm having fun and that's all that matters, so anyone that tries to give me crap about it can take a hike.

After all, that's one geek habit that is more annoying than any other: the need to prove superiority in one's favorite game/show/book/movie. That's great that you don't care for D20 Modern, but love Vampire. Wonderful. I just don't want to hear about how grand your Vampire campaign is and then listen to the (often) flawed arguements of how that grand campaign could never be done in D20. What the heck ever.

Kane

 

[Ragnar_Deerslayer]

*delurks*

Yes, it is wrong -- in the same way it's wrong to say "I only like reggae music" or "I only like action films." That is, it isn't morally or ethically wrong, but people with such limited tastes are usually perceived as narrowminded, boring, and dull.

It's perfectly fine to say "D20 is my favorite system." But to say, "I only enjoy D20," is to say, "I only know one way of having fun while role-playing."


Ragnar, wondering what kind of response you expected from a thread with this title.

 

[Numenorean]

Just curious - is it "wrong" to not particularly enjoy playing in non-D20 systems? I know there are players out there who don't particularly enjoy D20, and that makes some sense to me. It can't fill every aesthetic taste, and there are whole hosts of issues that can make someone prefer other systems, or swear off D20 entirely. I don't have a problem with that.

Yet, when I mention my "loyalty" to the system that very much fulfills my personal taste, and can simulate everything I want to simulate to the degree I want to simulate it (from D&D to D20 Modern to Mutants and Masterminds) I am occaisonally ridiculed, and often told I'm wrong, and need to branch out, or some similar admonishment for not particularly enjoying alternate RPG system X.

Its all personal taste. Really liking a system is different than being a fanboy. Fanboy's tend to be like religious fundamentalists, and that is annoying. I think people were prolly giving you some crap because they took you for a genuine d20 fanboy, which it sounds like you are not ... because a fanboy would NEVER recognize that its ok to not like d20 for example.

I wouldn't sweat it. However if I were you I would look in to Rolemaster and the OOP MERPS material. Different perspective for fantasy gaming. Same for Games Workshop's old OOP FRP.

But its up to you. Sometimes ignorance is bliss ... Me personally, I like D&D 3.5e with my house rules, then it becomes a perfect system for me.

Everyone is different. Its entirely OK to not enjoy playing other systems. Its not like you're getting paid to game. So play what is fun for you. I tend to be a very narrow, and narrow minded gamer. I catch flack for it, but hey I pretty much only enjoy classic fantasy style games. I'm not in to Call of C'Thulu, Vampire, Exalted, or different odd settings for D&D like Eberron or Ravenloft. Thats me.

So yeah its perfectly ok to not want to play other games or settings. This is a hobby done for enjoyment. That makes it a very individual choice.

 

[Arnwyn]

I don't think there's anything "wrong" with only liking one system. If it works for you, why sweat it? For me, I only like two systems - one for the medieval/fantasy genre and the other for the futuristic/sci-fi genre.

Personally, I like d20 for some things, but I like other systems for other things. Some systems are a better fit for the type of game that I want to play than others. Personally, I'm not too keen on level-based systems for most modern or science-fiction style games. But I do like level-based games for medieval/fantasy setting games and so d20 fits that bill nicely.

Like you and others, I like d20 for a lot of things, but not for others (as I alluded to above). Though I'm the opposite of you, here. For me, I think level-based games are great for all genres (it's a mechanism to gauge power levels between characters, and to easily build such characters to challenge the PCs) - but I have a problem with class-based systems for modern/sci-fi style games.