A friend of mine, probably my main gaming partner at the moment was once a dedicated DnD gamer (1-2e I think), but it has been a while.
My own TTRPG gaming has become quite “hypothetical” lately as most of my gaming group was moved away over time (it’s not me I tell you, just life and such……)
He is a teacher and one of his duties is to mind a rainy day gaming group who, among other things, play 5e. He said to me, when I enquired if he would be interested in RPG-ing again, that it all looked like “too much stuff” compared to his gaming days.
He and I come from the “skinny book, big imagination” era, where most of your collateral was home made of very basic stuff (Traveller with zero illustrations or ADnD with worse than zero).
My first thought was Savage Worlds (my current crush), but immediately after came 13th Age (familiar to him) and after that a D100 game (familiar mechanics for me).
I felt instinctively that 5e would be a sterile, stereotypical and predictable evolution of his old school past and something he had already developed an aversion to (and I had ditched a while back), while 13th Age would both avoid the “too much stuff” issue and refresh the game into a much more mature game, being close to the “house ruled for common sense” version he likely played, all while retaining some familiarity.
Lets look at why;
It is all in one book in 1e (2e is 2 books), every other book is optional.
It is conversational, flexible and fun, a soft, but comfortable landing for a returning gamer.
It is “theatre of the mind”, not a miniatures game in disguise, much like we used to play.
It does have the main structure of later DnD for familiarity, but is not held back by all the old DnD rule oddities and those it has, make more sense.
I can do Glorantha with it as a sub-state of existing 13th Age*.
It is less swingy than SW can be (but does not have to be), so less character perilous. DnD style games are attrition based, a resource management system to support long term medium stress team play.
I have two core books and there is a free SRD to down-load for him to study.
13th Age Glorantha could launch us into D100 games or even SW.
Cousins only, but a good enough connection.
I have little interest in 2e because to be honest, for the gaming I am likely to do, with the open ended “fix it if you don’t like it” mandate it already has and the ten years of player input out there, I do not think the added complication of changing would be justified**. Many reviews support this. There is nothing wrong with the 1e game, there are plenty of options available, 2e is just an “official” adoption of some of these.
Savage Worlds has it’s own advantages;
A new and modern game with less mechanical depth up front (but no less depth internally). This possibly breaks pre-conceptions and opens a new gaming mind.
It is also all in one book (of which I have several), with thematic expansions seamlessly slotting in.
The ability to change genre, even in the same game with a “RIFTS” style multi setting.
Easy GM-ing on the fly.
A minis game side hustle, which plays into our other gaming and may solve some other problems.
Pathfinder as an established world, fully supported by SW.
Achtung Cthulhu 1e as another option (made for Explorers edition, but an easy fix).
The ability to do the 13A world if I want, although of all the games I have, this would probably make the least sense.
The hobby has become very interconnected it seems.
Savage Worlds might be a good alternative if he is not as keen on anything DnD based after all. I could actually make it a tactical war game campaign engine (my weird west home brew with Malifaux figs or maybe some Supers), that organically grows into an RPG experience.
The last option, probably the easiest for me, is to do a D100 game, likely BRP or Cthulhu or even Mothership.
This has the advantages of;
Some familiarity for him with Rune Quest, Cthulhu etc as they were around the same time as he last played and unlike DnD, have remained mostly unchanged.
May entice others as both our wives could possibly be enticed into a “civilised” Cthulhu/Delta Green game more likely than any other genre.
Has solo modules for him to try at home.
Grounded and intuitive system. He and his wife are mathematicians, so a D% game would be a comfortable fit.
Can also be used as a skirmish game, although this is softer.
Cthulhu and co are by far my best supported games with 100+ adventures at hand. This is effectively the opposite dynamic to SW, which is very much a “make it as you go” game.
Also has compatibility with Achtung Cthulhu (CoC 6e), so a mid campaign switch to/from SW could be made.
I am personally most comfortable with D100 games. If I could have only one…..
Feels more in keeping with his (my) past interests and reading.
Yes, he has heard of Ducks as characters.
Option 1 is probably go with 13A as it would fit with his expectations, but have SW and D100 in the wings for later games, or a fast switch if it is just not taking.
*A “lost valley” or other continent, or maybe a gateway to another Age.
**Most stuff is backwards compatible, but some changes do not excite, some are easily done with awareness, some have already been and books like “Dark Alleys and Twisted Paths” or “13 True Ways” are already in the set for their mechanical options and are not as compatible. Basically, I am of the mind that the way I want to play it does not need micro management or “official” changes.