Me? I'll try any RPG genre. I have already tried most.
But a big and vocal chunk of my gaming buddies are D&D only types. I don't find it obnoxious, though. Sad, maybe.
But why should they try something that holds no interest for them?
The Quest for the "One True System" Is It a Myth or Something More?
Me? I'll try any RPG genre. I have already tried most.
But a big and vocal chunk of my gaming buddies are D&D only types. I don't find it obnoxious, though. Sad, maybe.
But why should they try something that holds no interest for them?
For me, it comes down to genre portability. Savage Worlds (predictably) and d20 (ironically) have been the best systems for me in those respects.
The best generic system I've found is Savage Worlds. I love it. But, we mainly play it without magic so the experience is skewed. d20 is a great system too without the magic mucking up the game, but the magic is what makes it great to begin with so it's a bit of a conundrum.
I get tired of the fantasy grind pretty quickly. D&D is a wonderful game, but suffers greatly from kill-loot-repeat fatigue. d20 was portable to other genres. There was information on it in the 3e DMG. But it had about 1200 pages of "core" game in the PHB, DMG & MM before adding on any of a number of great books in different genres.
My 2 faves are Omega World d20 and Judge Dredd d20, but the other players in my group really only tolerated these and other deviations from D&D to lesser or greater extents. And, as mentioned above, that is the real problem with finding a One True System when most of the group just wants to grind out more & more D&D.
These days, I want whatever is easiest for me to get to the table. So, a confluence of a compelling story, accessible rules and cool miniatures (or counters or whatever) is what I seek. If I have to do too much work in 1 or more of those areas, it becomes less & less likely that I will actually field the game.
FREX, ORK! the RPG is a great little game with a good rules system that is fun & seems pretty portable to other genres. But, there aren't many foes fleshed out in the book, so it is hard to get it through to the "D&D only" players. I just don't want to do the work when other options are ready to go - sometimes right out of the box.
So, I'll probably stick to Savage Worlds or d20 to do whatever I want to do with gaming indefinitely.
The best generic system I've found is Savage Worlds. I love it. But, we mainly play it without magic so the experience is skewed. d20 is a great system too without the magic mucking up the game, but the magic is what makes it great to begin with so it's a bit of a conundrum.
I get tired of the fantasy grind pretty quickly. D&D is a wonderful game, but suffers greatly from kill-loot-repeat fatigue. d20 was portable to other genres. There was information on it in the 3e DMG. But it had about 1200 pages of "core" game in the PHB, DMG & MM before adding on any of a number of great books in different genres.
My 2 faves are Omega World d20 and Judge Dredd d20, but the other players in my group really only tolerated these and other deviations from D&D to lesser or greater extents. And, as mentioned above, that is the real problem with finding a One True System when most of the group just wants to grind out more & more D&D.
These days, I want whatever is easiest for me to get to the table. So, a confluence of a compelling story, accessible rules and cool miniatures (or counters or whatever) is what I seek. If I have to do too much work in 1 or more of those areas, it becomes less & less likely that I will actually field the game.
FREX, ORK! the RPG is a great little game with a good rules system that is fun & seems pretty portable to other genres. But, there aren't many foes fleshed out in the book, so it is hard to get it through to the "D&D only" players. I just don't want to do the work when other options are ready to go - sometimes right out of the box.
So, I'll probably stick to Savage Worlds or d20 to do whatever I want to do with gaming indefinitely.
GMMichael
Guide of Modos
My One True System would have great customization, mechanics that allow player creativity, simple rules that don't promote rule lawyering, sturdy rules that don't contradict each other, the ability to be fast or crunchy, and perhaps most importantly, an ever-expanding source of new rules and adventures from the fanbase, ala Neverwinter Nights or Minecraft.
I think, by the way, that I've found such a system...
Jan van Leyden
Adventurer
My quest for the One True System ended after playing several GURPS campaigns 20 years ago. Which brought me to the conclusion that a system designed to provide for a special type of game play is better than a generiy system adapted to the task.
On a side note, when talking about different genres, listen to the words of my 12-year-old son, who's a big Star Wars fan: "A roleplaying game is about steel sword, not about laser swords." Thus he spoke after playing SW:EotE when discussing what he wanted to play with his friends...
On a side note, when talking about different genres, listen to the words of my 12-year-old son, who's a big Star Wars fan: "A roleplaying game is about steel sword, not about laser swords." Thus he spoke after playing SW:EotE when discussing what he wanted to play with his friends...
Evenglare
Adventurer
Just wanted to stop by and share this. I instantly thought of it when I saw the topic.
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/standards.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/standards.png
This. As time goes on I've come to prefer systems written to do one genre/setting, and if they happen to be adaptable to others then that's nice but not necessary. Thus Pendragon, The One Ring, Ygdrassil, Doctor Who, et al are games that I'm playing more. There are exceptions, especially when I don't find games that cover something I want to do well.
On the other hand, I'm perfectly well aware that my go-to games for situations where I play a more generic system are not ones where the approach would suit everyone. It's not enough to be highly adaptable to different genres, to have plenty of character customisation and to make it easy to use different settings. How that is done matters at least as much; perhaps more for many players. Heroquest would certainly not satisfy people who want a process-sim game, yet I frequently use it for games in all sorts of settings and varying adventure/campaign ideas.
delericho
Legend
There's no such thing as "One True System" for everyone, but there might be a OTS for you right now. Of course, having played it for a couple of years, you'd probably find your tastes had changed, and so start looking for a new OTS.
As for why people pursue a OTS, I can only speak for myself, but I've found, at various times, that I really enjoy a particular system, but there have always been just a few issues that spoil the whole - indeed, those few proud nails cause disproportionate annoyance. Because the system I'm using isn't perfect, and because I can just about see the shape of something that would be better just around the corner. If I just fixed this, that would be perfect.
But it's an illusion, of course. Because when I fix that, I then find that there's something else that isn't quite right. And something else. And then my first fix no longer quite works. And then... There's always one more thing needing addressed.
And even if I ever did get things fully fixed, that would leave the system so thoroughly changed that I wouldn't be able to find players...
Fortunately, the tinkering is quite good fun in its own right.
Mishihari Lord
First Post
One true system for every game is a myth.
One true system for a player has got to be a myth too, unless you always want to do the same thing. My preferences for an SF game are different than from a fantasy game.
And if you want to build a one true game you have to do it yourself, because no one will have exactly the same preferences as you. Lots of people find games that are pretty close and tweak them, though.
One true system for a player has got to be a myth too, unless you always want to do the same thing. My preferences for an SF game are different than from a fantasy game.
And if you want to build a one true game you have to do it yourself, because no one will have exactly the same preferences as you. Lots of people find games that are pretty close and tweak them, though.
Balesir
Adventurer
I can't speak for others, they will find what they find, but for me it's a complete myth. As time has passed I find that I really appreciate several systems, and some of them are not in any way compatible. A mix of FATE Core and 4E D&D, for example, would in no way scratch the itch that either manages to hit spot on, alone.
Similar Threads
