A couple notes, first:
1) I don't mean that in a literal sense, or a permanent one.
2) The question isn't an invitation to bag on D&D; it is an invitation to talk about our changing preferences.
With that -- I am hanging up my 5E DM's screen for a while and switching over to Savage Worlds (the new Adventure Edition) for a while. One major reason is I am doing a bunch of writing and designing for Savage Worlds this year, but even if not I would be looking for a replacement for 5E for the time being.
There are a couple reasons I need to give up D&D for a while but the primary one is the way the game changes through the process of leveling. I just don't like it. I don't really care too much what level you play D&D at, in my experience it works pretty well (with higher levels taking more effort, of course). I tend to run long mini-campaigns at cons and when those happen without any leveling, the 4 or 6 four hour sessions over the course of the con weekend work well. There's no expectation of leveling, so there's no "build" happening. The characters are defined and the players explore those definitions.
But in the ongoing home campaign -- especially one at low levels, which is where I prefer my D&D anyway -- leveling occurs and the game changes. the characters change quickly and their approach to the world changes. The way they interact with the NPCs and bad guys and environments all change. In short order it does not feel like the same group of protagonists or even the same world.
So I decided I am going to go for a system where advancement is more incremental and while characters grow they won't necessarily transform the way 5E PCs do.
What games have you decided to switch to from D&D -- any edition, any length of time ago? Why?
1) I don't mean that in a literal sense, or a permanent one.
2) The question isn't an invitation to bag on D&D; it is an invitation to talk about our changing preferences.
With that -- I am hanging up my 5E DM's screen for a while and switching over to Savage Worlds (the new Adventure Edition) for a while. One major reason is I am doing a bunch of writing and designing for Savage Worlds this year, but even if not I would be looking for a replacement for 5E for the time being.
There are a couple reasons I need to give up D&D for a while but the primary one is the way the game changes through the process of leveling. I just don't like it. I don't really care too much what level you play D&D at, in my experience it works pretty well (with higher levels taking more effort, of course). I tend to run long mini-campaigns at cons and when those happen without any leveling, the 4 or 6 four hour sessions over the course of the con weekend work well. There's no expectation of leveling, so there's no "build" happening. The characters are defined and the players explore those definitions.
But in the ongoing home campaign -- especially one at low levels, which is where I prefer my D&D anyway -- leveling occurs and the game changes. the characters change quickly and their approach to the world changes. The way they interact with the NPCs and bad guys and environments all change. In short order it does not feel like the same group of protagonists or even the same world.
So I decided I am going to go for a system where advancement is more incremental and while characters grow they won't necessarily transform the way 5E PCs do.
What games have you decided to switch to from D&D -- any edition, any length of time ago? Why?