Your gaming experience...

[Oryan77]

A lot of people like to brag about how many different RPG games they have played. People seem to look at it like a badge of honor.

I initially think negatively about a person when I hear that they have played in a ton of different games. My first thoughts are, "Dang, this person must either be a pain in the butt to play with & keeps getting kicked out of groups, or this person can't stay interested in anything for very long without getting bored and needing something new."

That's just my first reaction, and not even something that I actually believe is true. It's just something that lingers in the back of my mind at first. It mostly has to do with the fact that I prefer to stick with a select few games and I'd rather play them for a very long time. I'm not one that quickly gets bored of something and needs something new. Hell, I stick to the same 1 or 2 video games for months while all my friends keep hopping from one newly released game to another. That drives me nuts because I want to keep playing the game with them and I'm always forced to play it alone.

I thought it would be interesting to hear peoples gaming experience and the reasons you switched games. It doesn't have to be any elaborate tale unless you want it to be. So the three questions to answer would be the following:

1. How long have you been playing RPGs?

2. What systems, editions, and different campaigns did you play in?

3. What made you switch from one to another?

 

[Oryan77]

I got a late start with RPGs and my first game was 2e Darksun in 1995. I played the same PC until 1997 when I moved across the country.

I started DMing a 2e Planescape game in 1997 until I made the move across the country.

In 1998 I rolled up a PC for a Mage: The Ascension (I think) game that an acquaintance wanted to run. He never did DM the game.

In 1999 I played an online 2e Planescape game that ended quickly because people stopped logging on to play it.

I DMed 3.0 D&D in 2003 and soon after got the 3.5 books and morphed the game into a converted 3.5 Planescape game which has been running to this day.

In 2004 I played 2 or 3 sessions of a D20 Modern game that ended because the DM couldn't find more players.

In 2005 & 2006 I played two sessions of a 3.5 game that my old 2e Darksun DM ran while I was visiting for vacation.

In 2008 I played in a 4e D&D game that a friend ran. His hour long commute to our place finally got the best of him and he wanted to game closer to home. So he dropped out of our 3.5 game and quit running his 4e game.

In 2010 we started a Pathfinder game DMed by one of our 3.5 players. We've only played 2 sessions, but I'm sure we'll pick it back up soon.

I just recently created a 4e Darksun PC for my old 2e Darksun DMs new game. He wants me to play with his group and I'll be using a webcam to play with them.

I may finally put my 3.5 Planescape game on hold and have the players create new 3.5 or Pathfinder characters. I think it's time for a reboot and something fresh. We can still play the old characters every so often whenever everyone wants to.

 

[Diamond Cross]

1. Since roughly around 1980.

2. The first game I started with was AD&D 1e. I have played basic, and I've played up to 3.5e.

The next game I found was Star Wars, the d6 system by WEG. Then came Marvel Superheroes, then Gamma World, then FASA Star Trek. Those were the games I started with. Then came White Wolf's Vampire The Masquerade and those games. I also like DC Heroes, all three editions, Palladium Fantasy and Heroes Unlimited RPG, and Mutants And Masterminds.

3. What made me switch? Well, there's no easy answers. Because when I first started playing there really wasn't a universal game system that can be used to adapt to different worlds. Palladium I suppose can be considered the first, at least as far as I know. It's system is used for three different settings, it's modern (Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas and Superspies, Beyond The Supernatural), fantasy, and future (Rifts). Then came White Wolf's settings then came d20. But the AD&D 1e system was not really a good system for running a superhero game and then I found Marvel Superheroes.

I play different games because I like different settings. But in my old age it's getting to the point where even though I might like reading the material in different RPGS, I really want to keep things simple and use a universal system. The one I prefer is either Palladium or d20. Those are the systems I like the most.

 

[bouncyhead]

1. Started in 1977 with D&D

2. Played all iterations of D&D up to and including Fourth Edition. Also played Gamma World back in the day, bit of Traveller, bit of WFRP 1st ed.. Got heavily into Shadowrun for a number of years, sort of at the expense of 2e. Also Alternity. Currently playing Pathfinder exclusively.

3. Played most things as a side game to our D&D of whichever era - scratching the SF itch mostly. Switched D&D editions as they have come out. Got a little tired of 2e at one point and played WFRP and Shadowrun during that period. Just D&D since 3e came out.

 

[Crothian]

1. How long have you been playing RPGs?

31 years this summer

2. What systems, editions, and different campaigns did you play in?

Started with Basic and 1e D&D. Found TMNT, Heroes unlimited, Rifts, and lots of Palladium in High School. In college I was introduced to Shadowrun, WereWolf, Paranoia, Torg, and Starwars. Then jumped back home to some 2e campaigns, more Star Wars, some Robotech, and Vampire.

Late 90's did more Rifts and 2e (thieves World). When 3e came out we did that and also some Buffy RPG. since then we've done star wars, Scion, Mutants and Masterminds, d20 Modern, Pathfinder, and most importantly Changeling the Dreaming.

Those are just the campaigns. Since then I've played ten time that in one shots at the many conventions, game days, and other gaming events.

3. What made you switch from one of these to another (tell us about each one that you switched)?

Up into high school the D&D games were a hodge podge of whatever we wanted. We didn't know any better and no really read the books.

High School we started some real campaigns with Palladium systems more then D&D. Basically each year was a campaign as people came and people left. It was just trying to find a steady group of responsible teenagers which was very difficult.

College is were I really learned of many of the different games. We had guys that each had their favorite game. so, the campaigns were shorter to allow everyone a chance to run and play what they wanted. Also, each summer when I went back home I would run my Rifts campaign.

mid to late 90's was my first many year steady group. We lasted till 2002. We played D&D and Star Wars twice a week at least and got in great game time. During then I also joined other groups looking for more gaming and played some Vampire as that was big but it was not as great.

2001 that group broke up as people got jobs in other states and meet a group though EN World. We played Buffy, 3e, Star Wars, d20 Modern and that lasted for 4 years about but the main DM went into financial issues which put great pressure on his family and the group broke up.

2006 I found another group through EN World and We've played 3e, Mutants and Masterminds, Scion, and now Pathfinder. In there I formed a special group for Changeling the dreaming since I really wanted to run it but needed the right players.

 

[Stumblewyk]

1. How long have you been playing RPGs?
Since 1995.

2. What systems, editions, and different campaigns did you play in?
Started with AD&D 2e - played a Gnome Cleric/Illusionist for about 2 years, until about High School graduation and the end of that gaming group. During that period, I DM'd frequent small campaigns and played a number of other PCs in different games with another group of friends. Also dabbled with some Call of Cthulhu during this time.

Once most of graduated from high school and moved away to college or started working, we stopped gaming, only to restart once we were married/co-habitating, and all living nearby again. We started again with 2e, until we added 2 new guys who were big into 3.5e. They convinced me to upgrade. So I missed the whole "3e" phase of D&D.

Eventually that group moved on to 4e D&D, with a brief foray into Warhammer 40k RPG. Now we're playing 4e Dark Sun. I've been the DM ever since we restarted.

I also run a d20 Modern zombie apocalypse game, and play in another 4e D&D game that also dabbles in a little Dresden Files RPG.

3. What made you switch from one to another?
Usually a desire to "cleanse the palate" or to break up the monotony of an ongoing game. Occasionally, it was the result of a DM deciding they needed a break or didn't want to run a game after all. When I run the game, I just keep running it, taking breaks (for other DMs, or other systems) as needed, but the game doesn't end until we all decide we're done.

 

[Hussar]

1. How long have you been playing RPGs?

Started playing in 1980 with Basic D&D.

2. What systems, editions, and different campaigns did you play in?

In the 80's, we tried all sorts of different games. We used to game WAYYY too much. Played Basic/Expert, AD&D, 2eD&D, 3e and 4e, James Bond RPG, Top Secret, Gangbusters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mechwarrior, Star Frontiers, Villains and Vigillantes, Champions, Robotech, Rifts, and in the past couple of years, after a LONG run of 3e, Savage Worlds, Sufficiently Advanced and a few others I'm sure I'm forgetting.

And a fair number of one shot games of different systems as well.

3. What made you switch from one to another?

Back in the day, we generally played D&D, but, we'd pick up something new from time to time and give it a spin. Usually because it looked cool.

We took a break from D&D for a couple of years a while ago. For myself, I was pretty burned out of D&D, it had been many years since I'd played anything else. It was nice trying some other games and there's just so much out there that I'd really like to play.

Too many games, not enough time.

 

[billd91]

1. How long have you been playing RPGs?

Since 1981.

2. What systems, editions, and different campaigns did you play in?

These are the ones I can remember without too much work:
Holmes edition Basic D&D
Red box Basic D&D
1e AD&D
2e AD&D
3.0e D&D
3.5e D&D
4e D&D
Pathfinder
Paranoia
Call of Cthulhu (1920s and modern)
d20 Call of Cthulhu
Champions
Villains and Vigilantes
Mutants and Masterminds
Marvel Superheroes
Chill
Toon
Recon
Talislanta
Traveller
Megatraveller
GURPS (based on Star Trek and Mass Effect)
FASA Star Trek
Robotech
Mekton
Star Wars d20 Revised
Star Wars Saga Edition
World of Darkness core rules (used to run a Deliria campaign)
Deliria
d20 Everquest
Amber
Top Secret
Top Secret SI
James Bond
Indiana Jones
Ghostbusters
Star Frontiers
Gamma World
Cyberpunk (2013)
Cyberpunk 2020
Legend of Five Rings
It Came from the Late, Late, Late Show
Warhammer Fantasy
a couple different home-grown RPGs

3. What made you switch from one to another?

One of the players usually had an idea to try something out in this new system they had picked up and so ran a bit of a campaign with it. Being generally game to try things, we would usually indulge them. It's a great way to get lots of experience with different people's ideas of game design and have fun while doing so.

 

[Thasmodious]

1. How long have you been playing RPGs?

Since 1979 at the tender age of 6.

2. What systems, editions, and different campaigns did you play in?

Started with 1e, then some OD&D, then Red Box, then back to 1e. During the mid 80s I played lots of systems - Traveller, Paranoia, Gamma World, Top Secret SI, some Rolemaster, several others, but mainly AD&D, with quite a bit of Top Secret and Paranoia. In high school, we had a loose group of about 20 gamers, and a lot of us played about every day after school, so lots of things were played overall, lots of junky one shots and only a couple of running campaigns (I had two I juggled, and another guy ran a pretty intense Cthulhu influenced AD&D game). Picked up 2e when it came out and a couple years later left D&D altogether for Runequest. I also started playing Shadowrun regularly around this time. Eventually, the group missed the D&Dness of D&D and we played out the rest of the 90s with 2e and Shadowrun as our primary games, dropping to one session a week of 2e as the members of the group finished up degrees and started working those ugly college/post-college work hours. Around 1999 shortly before 3e came out, we stopped playing altogether, no one really having time to game with careers and family in the early/planning stages. In 2003, right around the time that 3.5 came out, my brother and I decided it was time to start a game back, so we picked up 3.5, grabbed some work friends who we had not previously played with, but were OGs as well, talked the wives into playing and got rolling. The wives eventually stopped (thanks for indulging us, sweethearts) and we added a couple of players and been playing with that group ever since. Switched to 4e when it hit, added Savage Worlds a little over two years ago, been playing mostly SWEX since, with an epic level 4e campaign we play here and there.

3. What made you switch from one to another?

Early on it was time. We played constantly, so collecting and trying out new systems was fun. Later, it was that we specifically grew bored with D&D, then we missed it. Now, it's about looking for a system that fits our more casual, fun focused playstyle, without a heavy investment in splatbooks or rules crunch, and a desire to play things besides D&D style fantasy, and Savage Worlds has been a perfect fit.

 

[Zhaleskra]

1. & 2. I stopped counting.

3. College game group helped break me of D&D-only snobbery.