Micah Sweet
Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
While this is phrased on a rather extreme way, I kina see their point. Playing different games requires time, money, and considerable social effort if your group isn't into it, and that can easily be not worth the reward for some folks. I also agree that a long campaign is not required to acquire an understanding of whether or not a new system is of value to you. If it were, trying new things at conventions would be valueless, and IMO that's just not so.Eh. That's a bad assumption that playing other rpgs leads to self-knowledge. I played the Marvel Heroic RPG and what I learned was the game is trash. Same with Apocalypse World and the other storygames. I learned those games are trash compared to how well designed the D&D Rules Cyclopedia is. The idea that you need to play an entire campaign with poorly-designed games like FATE is ridiculous. If B/X D&D was your first rpg and your group still playing it fifty years later because you love it, good on you.
"Different" does not mean "good" as you're suggesting here. You don't have to try all flavors of ice cream to appreciate your favorite flavor. If you're happy with what you have you don't need anything else. Did I mention buying more and more games cost M-O-N-E-Y? Are YOU paying for all my shiny new games?
No, experiencing other rpgs is not guaranteed to improve your rpg experience. Especially if those other rpgs are trash but most specifically if I'm enjoying my current system. You're making some ridiculous claims here lol
For example, I've played in a few fiction-first games, and I didn't need to play a long campaign to get insight from them, even if that insight was knowing exactly why I strongly dislike that playstyle.