DM: We're coming up on a major setting change in the campaign, so we should talk about maybe switching to [D&D 5e] hard mode! Like we could make it so you can only roll checks if you're proficient in that skill-
Me: So like 3.5 or Pathfinder?
DM: Yeah, and like, you wouldn't just magically heal completely overnight-
Me: So like Pathfinder?
DM: Yeah.
Me: Do you want to just play Pathfinder then?
DM: 🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮 NO!!!
Yeah whatever dude.
I would be very curious to hear what the DMs gripe with that idea is. Not out of malice, I just feel like this is a sentiment I hear a lot. And it's like... Clearly 5e is not giving you the experience you want. You are, in theory, open to something else. But actually trying a new system is off the table.
I'm of two minds about this phenomenon. One supposes that DnD has become something of a Comfort Game for people. That 5e is a system that they know the best, and is comfortable, and it's simple. To which I will say, DnD is not simple, even 5e has it's complications, they're just obfuscated by the culture around it. But, anything can *feel* simple when you're used to it.
Which leads me to the other, by no means mutually exclusive mind. That something about learning 5e breaks people. Bare with me for a second.
I, and most people I know, did not sit down and read the entirety of the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Players Guide, and Dungeons Masters Guide, in an attempt to absorb every ounce of rule and regulation as possible. Most people, read the character creation stuff, then gain understanding of the entire rest of the game through osmosis, play, and looking up specific rules as they appear. This can lead to a lot of frustration considering how the book is laid out, how inaccessible a lot of the information can be when you're unaware of the tools available, and the fact that the culture of the system permits and encourages flying by the seat of your pants. Which is not the kind of thing someone who's not just new to the system, but someone who is learning this as their *First System*, which I know it was for me and a lot of my friends, would have a damn hard time with.
I think the genuine reason people get so annoyed when you ask them to switch systems is that the process of trying to understand D&D 5E from play alone, as what is most people's first TTRPG, is so frustrating, inconsistent, and chaotic, that when you introduce anything as a "more advanced System", or a "super different System", it causes A Trauma Response. If not literally, the thinking is,
"D&D is a simple game (false, but carry on), I took a while to get a hang of it (because it was system #1), imagine how frustrating it will be and how long it will take to learn Pathfinder!"
IDK, it just seems like I see this sentiment a lot, and I don't understand the core of it. Maybe this proved that, maybe I'm onto something. Let me know.
I think for my GM it's definitely the comfort game thing; he's been playing since Advanced D&D and has talked about liking how streamlined 5e is.
When I first started playing with him, it was a Pathfinder 1e game I invited him to with a different GM. When that game had to stop, he GM'ed some Starfinder for those of us that were still able to play, but we only did like 3 sessions.
When we found a couple more players we started 5e and have now been playing for a few years. I'm tired of both the campaign and the game system, and one of the other players is also frustrated with the campaign.
One other thing is that we discussed having an "off" game; something to play when one of us couldn't make it. I offered to run Monster of the Week, but wanted a session with everyone for the first one. He started us in another 5e thing to fill that want before I could get fully set up for MotW.
So mostly I think he's just very attached to D&D 5e.
