Trying out new systems

[Fetfreak]

Hey all,

I was just wondering, how often do you embark on a quest to find out, try out new systems? Do you like to try out new systems or modifications?
I ask mainly because I do not have a habit of doing it and I wonder if I'm missing out. Ever since I "perfected" d20 for me and my players I haven't looked back and I have this feeling, that's a wrong way of going about it.

 

[darjr]

If you are having fun I wouldn't worry to much. It is fun to try different games, I don't know how well I can quantify how I do it. I run next encounters, Paizo society, and was running FATE. I'll be running mutant future and DCC one shots at a local con. A con is a great place to try new games, or free RPG day.

 

[Fetfreak]

yeah, unfortunately there are no cons in my country.

 

[Argyle King]

If you're having fun, I don't think you are missing out.

Personally, I've tried new games through a variety of different methods. I was exposed to Rifts because the only tabletop group available for me to join at the time was playing it. I was exposed to GURPS because I decided I want to try a different game system and purchased the Basic Set from the local gaming store. Recently, I've started reading HackMaster via the free preview of the game which is available.

There isn't any one specific method I seek out to try new games. Generally, I tend to be open minded about trying different games. That was not always the case, but once I took the first step toward trying something new, the steps which came after were easier for me. Currently, I'd say GURPS is the game I prefer to play, but I'm open to trying other games.

 

[Fetfreak]

I heard a lot about GURPS, I should check it out.
Is it much different from d20(3E)?
I'm mainly interested in combat and skill aspect of the game since that's what I like the most about d20.

 

[DnD_Dad]

I'll play whatever/whenever. I'll only DM/GM the games I own/know the system.

 

[Argyle King]

I heard a lot about GURPS, I should check it out.
Is it much different from d20(3E)?
I'm mainly interested in combat and skill aspect of the game since that's what I like the most about d20.

I'd say it's quite a bit different from d20. Most notably, it only uses d6s. It has a reputation of being somewhat heavy in the amount of rules it has, but the game is somewhat built with the idea that you won't necessarily be using every rule; it's meant to be modular and allow you to choose what you want to use and what you don't want to use. Personally, I'd say it's less complicated than D&D 3rd Edition. I say that because -while both games have similar amounts of crunch- I find the structure of the GURPS rules to be more consistent and coherent.

I'd also say that the mentality behind the game (combat in particular) is a lot different than the mentality which tends to be behind D&D and other d20 games. Taking damage does impact your ability to fight, and a sword thrust to the face tends to be just as deadly -regardless of whether you're playing a 100 point character or a 25 point one. Though that's going to highly depend upon what style of game you want to run; as a toolkit system, you can play a variety of different genres and styles. Still, I'd say that -right out of the box (so to speak)- the default GURPS game (without fiddling with too many options) tends to nod toward reality far more than D&D.

Thirdly, I'd say GURPS tends to take more work up front. Making a character or doing the initial prep work for a game will probably take a bit longer than many d20 games. However, once everything is put together, a lot of the information you need to know is on the character sheet in front of you.

If you're curious about it, there is a free preview of the game available. http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/

 

[Fetfreak]

Thank you, I'll check it out.

 

[Umbran]

yeah, unfortunately there are no cons in my country.

You don't need a full-on convention to try new games. All you need is a few people and a bit of time.

For example, you'll see a couple threads here about Boston and Chicago Gamedays - these aren't full conventions, just collections of like-minded people getting together to play. Right now, the Boston bunch has enough interest to field 8 to 10 games, total, but they started out rather smaller. All you need is a set of the rules and some people, and say, "today we'll play two short games - one of X and one of Y.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

I enjoy trying new systems. I find that it stimulates my creativity and helps me notice things I never saw before in my old system. As mentioned cons are one great opportunity to do this, but there are plenty of other ways.

For example I've got a group of friends who sometimes gets together on the weekends to do one shots. We rotate GMs, and whoever is running gets to decided what we play.