I've been playing D&D for almost 3/4 of my life. I've constantly avoided other games and systems because I didn't want to learn them. In recent years, I've tried a few others and even found (IMO) some that are better and simpler than D&D / d20. I'm not dissing d20 at all. In fact, the next campaign I run will probably be D&D 3.5 as 1/3 of our current group has never played it.
I'm in the same boat.
I've been playing some form of D&D since I was 10, 36 now. In the past I was playing in multiple systems, it is only due to the lack of players in my area that I've been mainly playing running D&D just about exclusively, maybe once a year a white wolf game will be played.
In recent years I have been looking at various other RPG's and finding some of them fit what I want my gaming like better than D&D. One of the rpg's that I looked into only has 2 methods of determining task resolution target numbers, Static and opposed. It is a 2d10 + modifier system. The static number chart is like this
5
10
15
20
25
the first is the easy target number the highest is impossible target number. Depending on how high your total roll is determines you success level. Say jump skill starts out as easy, and you can jump 2' per success level. This is just an example to show, number might be higher or lower.
5 2'
10 4'
15 6'
20 8'
25 10 feet
The other mechanic for determining target number is the standard opposed roll, person wants to hit you. You roll 2d10 plus skill + modifier vs their 2d10 + skill + modifier. Whoever rolls higher wins.
I also find I like skill based games alot. You start out your character how he is before the campaign starts and as the campaign goes on, you allocate points into where you want your character to learn.
One of my characters would of benefited more in a skill based system. He started out as a woodsman who went searching for his lost sister, along the way he joined a thieves guild in the city where his sister was last seen, after finding his sister was posessed by a demon, he started studying various methods to combat these beings. In a skill based system I would of spent his points solely on the various skills he learnt through his years.
In D&D he ended up as a 2nd level Ranger/8th level Rogue/5th level Cleric. This fit the storyline, however it did not come out good mechanically speaking. When you compared him to the other members of the party he was not nearly as effective.
I hope when D&D gets to the 4th edition that they go even more skill based, and stick to one method, besides any static numbers, to calculate DC's. No more of this spells start at 10, abilities start at 10, these other abilities start at 15, traps start at 20 etc..... Just have everything start out at DC 15 or something and adjust from there.