Play Something Else

[Micah Sweet]

If you only play with friends irl I guess that's an issue. But there are plenty of chances to try new TTRPGs if you're willing to look.

I think there are many people who don't ever play with strangers (home game exclusives and the like). I have a Discord game and two in-person games, all with friends.

 

[SableWyvern]

If you only play with friends irl I guess that's an issue. But there are plenty of chances to try new TTRPGs if you're willing to look.

I get to play whatever game I want largely because I game with my friends in real life.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I get to play whatever game I want largely because I game with my friends in real life.

My gaming friends are very picky people. Or at least one is.

And the ones that aren't are on a completely different schedule from me.

 

[Reynard]

I don't know if anyone else has this experience, but I have a pretty big player pool in general. If I mention a game I would like to run on my Facebook group, I almost always get positive repsonses. But when it comes time to actually find 4 or 5 people willing to sign up for a weekly game it is very difficult. Tellingly, this is NOT true if that game is 5E D&D (which i don't want to run anymore).

 

[Thomas Shey]

I've got the advantage that, well, pretty much no one I play with are D&D5 fans (though some will play it) so getting interest in other things is not difficult.

 

[Reynard]

I've got the advantage that, well, pretty much no one I play with are D&D5 fans (though some will play it) so getting interest in other things is not difficult.

I think it is actually a comfort thing. Like rewatching favorite shows.

 

[SableWyvern]

My gaming friends are very picky people. Or at least one is.

And the ones that aren't are on a completely different schedule from me.

Yeah, my comment was more of a gloat than any kind of claim to be in a standard situation.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I think it is actually a comfort thing. Like rewatching favorite shows.

That'd be more like the reaction I got if I rolled out RuneQuest, even though we haven't done it in some years. Though with the other half of the group it might be PF2e.

 

[MNblockhead]

Sounds good, but I'm sure a lot of folks would tell you it's just not that simple, mostly because TTRPGs are not a solo activity.

Yeah, people tell me that all the time on these boards. Not so much IRL. If you are willing to play online, it isn't hard to get a group together to play a less popular system.

Also, if you don't want to play online and are in an area where you can't find anyone willing to play anything other than D&D, or you just want to play with your existing group of friends, and they only want to play D&D, I assume they like it. Some of the criticism and suggestion seem like attempts by DMs who are tired of D&D to turn it into a new system with the same name.

I'm all for homebrewing some rules or kit-bashing with third-party materials. But there comes a point where you'd be better off just choosing a new system.

All that said, it doesn't really matter that much to me. If a large majority of D&D customers cause WotC to radically change the system, and if I don't like the new system, then I can continue playing older versions. Of course that will bring the same complaints from a different cohort of players who are upset that the game is no longer what they like and woe is them because everyone will only want to play the new rules and it will be impossible for them to find players who want to play the older rules.

 

[MNblockhead]

And then that other system has some other problem and they complain about that. So they stay with the one they know and try to smooth the edges with house rules. Devil you know and all that. Also, people love to complain. Trust me, being from the country that made complaining national sport, decent amount of people complain about things that bother them in principal, but not enough in practical sense to change something.

Couldn't help but clicking on your profile to see what country you are from. If the county listed on your profile is the one you are "from" rather than just where you are now, my stereotypes are wrong. ;-)