What Game Did You Leave D&D For?

[Aldarc]

This is a bit more of a simplistic gaming history for me.

I started with 3e. Left 3e briefly for Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Evolved. Then I left 3e and AU/AE for the easily hackable, rules lighter True20. True20 became my go-to system in '00s since its release. Although it feels archaic now, much like the 3e D&D chassis on which it is built, True20 still holds a place in my heart. Fantasy Age, which I have also since played, has some similarities but it does not quite capture the same magic.

I liked 4e well enough, but couldn't find a group. So I played it mostly in one-shots.

Finally got a gaming group together in 2012-2013 during grad school, but the new DM strongly disliked 4e. So we played Pathfinder instead. In my renewed frustrations with D&D 3e and Pathfinder, my heart left D&D/Pathfinder for Numenera (the Cypher System) and Fate Core. The group switched to 5e when it was released. Old passions were rekindled, but also old irreconcilable differences I was experiencing with D&D.

Moved to Austria. Briefly found a new group with my then roommates who played Pathfinder. Then I found another group composed of closer friends. 5e was still the new shiny toy, and they wanted to play 5e D&D. We played through a 5e campaign and then burned out. We have since taken a bit of a hiatus until we recover from our 5e fatigue. We have since played some games of Fate, Warhammer, and Index Card RPG.

So now my go-to systems are Fate, Numenera (Cypher System), and now also Dungeon World and Blades in the Dark. I also have Savage Worlds, Index Card RPG (ran a one-shot), Fantasy Age, and some digital OSR games sitting on my back burner (e.g., Beyond the Wall, Black Hack, Stars Without Numbers, etc.) for play later.

 

[Mark Hope]

Started with D&D Moldvay box and followed the game through to 3e and Pathfinder, before returning to a hacked BX/1e/2e hybrid, which is my go-to D&D. I've taken breaks over the years, though, primarily to run Mage: the Ascension and Vampire: the Dark Ages chronicles, and also Torg (two campaigns back in the 90s, another in 2017/18). I've played a bunch of other stuff, but those games are the ones I've set D&D aside for significant lengths of time.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Not to derail the thread too much, but I can see where you are coming from. I feel like you can offer to run system X, but if the players are just along for the ride or they really just want to play 5E then it makes learning/playing a new system ten times harder than it needs to be.

When played properly the countdown keeps players in the game very well. You just can't check out of the game in between your turns since you need to be moving and paying attention to what is happening on the battlefield in-between your action counts. But my guys...well some struggled.

 

[DM Howard]

When played properly the countdown keeps players in the game very well. You just can't check out of the game in between your turns since you need to be moving and paying attention to what is happening on the battlefield in-between your action counts. But my guys...well some struggled.

I did a short combat to test it out with my group, but most of them felt that the system required too much effort for little reward What they really meant was that they couldn't be bothered and just wanted to show up and be entertained.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I did a short combat to test it out with my group, but most of them felt that the system required too much effort for little reward What they really meant was that they couldn't be bothered and just wanted to show up and be entertained.

Exactly. I have been gaming with teh same guys for a long time, but honestly most of them are very casual gamers and after a certain point don't put much effort in.

Looking forward to getting in a game of HM at GaryCon assuming they aren't full by the time I can register.

 

[Henry]

The only game I have ever "left" D&D for for any length of time has been the Star Wars Saga Edition back in the 2007-2008 timeframe. It's the only one my group was so interested in they voluntarily asked to play it, and I ran more than one six-month campaign for it.

Most everything else has been one-shots or limited two- or three-game runs. Just not enough interest table-wide.

I have left D&D for Pathfinder a few times, but let's be honest, that's not exactly "Leaving D&D"

 

[Moon_Goddess]

I guess the initial answer of what I left D&D for was d20 Modern, we found we liked modern setting so much more than fantasy that we just dropped D&D for years! completely skipped the 3.5 era.

No other time could I say I left D&D, I loved 4e, my friends didn't so we played a lot of different games but I never left D&D. Even now, I'm not a big fan of 5e, but I still play 4e so I'm still there.

 

[R Karan]

I never left D&D, simply because I never started playing it.

Over the years I’ve played dozens of RPGs but not a single session of D&D, AD&D, Pathfinder, 13th Age, True20 - or any other d20 derivative.

 

[5ekyu]

Hard to recall them all...

Between the D&D 1e, 2e, 3e, 5e...

Traveller - lots of travellers
RoleMaster
Hero System - lots of those
Fudges
Ars Magicas
Vampire - lots of those
Amber Diceless
Screentime
OtE
Midnight d20
Black Company d20
Different Unisystems
Mutants and Masterminds - lots
Serenity (MWP)
Esper Genesis

I know I am forgetting some.

Edit

Forgot Stargate d20. Dang.

 

[Ratskinner]

I'm very much a system tourist. I probably couldn't successfully list all the systems I've tried on the first go. I'm constantly disappointed and amazed at how so many different systems are just D&D "in disguise". (maybe a different rolling mechanism; maybe HP are renamed; lists of lists of lists of weapons, vehicles, races, etc.) So few games and mechanics actually add anything new or impressive to the play at table, and so many fail at delivering the "better story" promises that they make....ugh.

That said, I there are two relatively popular systems that I think do much better than D&D for me (YMMV, obviously): Fate and the Apocalypse World Engine games. With Fate, the aspects system lets you roll right past most of the listy-ness of other games. And! it has the added benefit of making all the narrative matter in ways that D&D just can't seem to match (Otherwise, the base mechanics aren't terribly impressive, although the Stress/Consequences system meshes with narrative much better than straight HP). Similarly, the PbtA engine forms a very tight loop with the narrative, making for (potentially) very fast play. If I had to "leave" D&D, it would probably be for Fate, with PbtA a close second (especially if I can wrap the second generation version found in Blades in the Dark.)

There are a few unknown systems that I think are interesting or innovative as well. Capes is just stunning, if you can get past the cryptically-edited rulebook. Its just a whole new take on the idea, and its fantastic. The Gumshoe games are, I think, more notable for their insights on designing investigative scenarios than they are for rest of the engine. I'm also very curious about the Schema engine.