Why do you play games other than D&D?

[GothmogIV]

Inspired by a question somebody asked on Twitter. My response was that every system feels different and provides a different play experience. You can certainly make most any system do anything, but playing Call of Cthulhu with the Mutants & Masterminds rules is going to feel very different to CoC with the CoC rules.

Every game has it's own niche and just needs to serve that niche well.

In the last year I've run: D&D 5E, WOIN, Pathfinder 2E Playtest, Ghostbusters 1980s RPG, Call of Cthuhu. Some for longer than others (Ghostbusters was just a couple of sessions, and we only got halfway through the PF2 playtest because the playtest schedule was so fast). Each of those games feels very different.

So why do you play games other than D&D? What is it that your game of choice does that makes it the best fit for the stories and genres you're playing with?

Yes. In the past six years we've tried: 5e. Lord of the Rings 5e. Dragonbane, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Star Trek Adventures. Castles&Crusades, Call of Cthulhu. Basic Role Playing. My crew and I try out lots to see what we like and what we don't like. The system shapes the game for sure.

 

[Morrus]

Yikes. I asked this nearly 7 years ago.

 

[The Soloist]

As a soloist, because games like Fantasy AGE 2e with its random 3d6 stunt points system makes the session less predictable, which is desirable when there is no human GM. Combined with a solo oracle like Mythic GM Emulator 2e it produces a 'better' experience than with D&D.

The same can be said when I play FAGE 2e with a group.

 

[Edgar Ironpelt]

In my case:
Because I like to get away from a Vancian magic system in favor of one with more-frequent casting of less powerful spells. One of my very early gripes about D&D was that it didn't have wizards but rather artillery pieces disguised as wizards. My preference for combat magic is for it to resemble what the Hero (4th ed) system would call "martial arts, usable at range."

Because I like a game system that's more skills-based, over being level-based and/or based on class features and powers.

Because I sometimes like to play in a genre other than medievaloid fantasy, such as comicbook superheroes or science fiction.

 

[MGibster]

Yikes. I asked this nearly 7 years ago.

The funny thing is your question is just as relevant today as it was seven years ago. It would have been just as relevant 14 years ago, 21 years ago, and 28 years ago. I bet it will be just as relevant seven years from now. It is the once and future question.

I have mixed feelings about it. I do think it's kind of cool that D&D has spanned generations. A grandparent might very well get a kick out of seeing their grandchild play the same game they were playing in the 1970s. On the other hand asking why someone plays something other than D&D is an odd question. It's like asking someone why they would watch anything other than The Sopranos or read any other series other than Harry Potter.