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 (1e), 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 bits of 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 (even as a sub-state of existing 13th Age*).
It is less swingy than SW can be (does not have to be), so less character perilous.
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.
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 has and the ten years of player input out there, I do not think the added complication of changing would be justified**.
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, with thematic expansions seamlessly slotting in.
The ability to change genre, even in the same game with a “RIFTS” style setting.
Easy GM-ing on the fly.
A minis game side hustle, which plays into our other gaming.
Pathfinder as an established world.
Achtung Cthulhu 1e as another option (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 grows into an RPG experience.
The last option, probably the easiest for me, is to do a D100 game, likely BRP or Cthulhu.
This has the advantages of;
Some familiarity for him as Rune Quest, Cthulhu etc 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 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 an easy fit.
Can also be used as a skirmish game.
Cthulhu and co are by far my best supported games with 100+ adventures at hand.
Also has compatibility with Achtung Cthulhu, so a mid campaign switch to/from SW could be made.
I am most comfortable with D100 games.
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.