I love some homebrew adventures. Initially, I thought D&D was fine for all my TTRPG needs, and I was somewhat intimidated by the prospect of learning a new game system.

As time has gone on, I have found myself finding more and more limitations with D&D, despite its vast scope. Even when there are some things that the game can technically do, I find that it is rarely the best option for many of my needs as a GM. That isn’t to say I don’t still enjoy D&D, but I now recognize the value of experimenting with multiple game systems and would encourage any TTRPG group to do the same.

D&D Is A Jack Of All Genres, Master Of One

D&D Excels At Telling Epic Fantasy Stories, But Little Else

Dungeons & Dragons seemingly offers a wide range of storytelling possibilities. There are adventures in the Forgotten Realms for a high-fantasy feel, Eberron adopts aesthetics of arcane-punk, and Spelljammer leans closer to science fantasy like Star Wars. However, D&D is rarely the best option for telling stories in any genre that isn’t action/adventure.

For instance, while the Curse of Strahd campaign adopts the trappings of gothic horror, it’s hard for that to translate well to D&D’s gameplay. It’s hard to be truly scared when your character is a borderline superhero and there are a variety of ways to bring people back from the dead. Because of this, Strahd feels like a reskin of a powerful dragon or beholder more than an actual horror villain.

This shortcoming of D&D isn’t necessarily a failure on its part. Games can’t be good at everything, and D&D is great at delivering epic stories involving thrilling fight scenes. However, that’s really all it’s good at. When I started trying to stretch its mechanics to fit other genres, in hopes of adding a new dynamic to my weekly game night, I quickly realized its limitations. That’s when I started looking into other TTRPGs, and I was pleasantly surprised at what I found.

Other TTRPGs Have Better Tones For Specific Genres Than D&D

Games That Blend Their Theme With Mechanics Create Stronger Atmosphere Than D&D

When playing a game, the tone of its story isn’t just dictated by the narrative beats that happen, but also by its mechanics. It’s like how both Doom and Dead Space are about fighting horrifying monsters in a sci-fi setting, but because Doom lets the players rip through hordes of enemies like tissue paper, it’s a lot less scary. TTRPGs work the same way.

Keeping with the example of horror, while something like Curse of Strahd includes undead creatures, witches, and vampires, D&D’s focus on players getting stronger and conquering their enemies robs it of a lot of tension. In contrast, games that are less forgiving like Call of Cthulhu or even Monster of the Week do a much better job of creating terrifying horror stories. This is because their brutal mechanics are designed to make players feel vulnerable or even helpless - like the character in a horror story - instead of powerful.

Before trying to homebrew rules to make D&D fit into one of these other genres, I would strongly recommend looking into some other TTRPG systems that may fit better.

In other instances, a specific genre may be better served by combat mechanics that move more quickly than D&D’s. In a sci-fi or science fantasy setting, players may want firefights that emulate the fast-paced action scenes they’re used to from films in this genre. D&D’s occasionally grindy combat with inflated HP values isn’t necessarily a good fit for these types of stories. Games like Only War, on the other hand, have combat rounds that are quick and deadly, and feel a lot more appropriate for fights involving laser guns.

Before trying to homebrew rules to make D&D fit into one of these other genres, I would strongly recommend looking into some other TTRPG systems that may fit better. The same goes for trying to emulate a specific fictional universe. Instead of using D&D to create a Star Wars-like setting, look at something like Edge of the Empire or West End Games’ Star Wars: The Roleplaying game.

D&D's Simpler Rules Are Good And Bad

D&D Can Easily Onboard New Players, But Bore Veterans

Aside from being one of the most well-known TTRPGs, one of the reasons me and my playgroup initially gravitated toward D&D was that its rules are pretty beginner-friendly. My friends and I first picked up Dungeons & Dragons shortly after the release of the game’s Fifth Edition (5E), which had streamlined rules and a great introductory adventure to help players get started. Whenever I first considered trying a new game system, the prospect of learning new, and often more complicated, rules held me back.

D&D’s simpler rules make it a much easier sell for new players, but they can also make it somewhat tiresome for those of us who have played for a long time. Despite theoretically having endless narrative possibilities, D&D’s mechanics and classes still tend to get old after a while. Changing to a new system can really help spice things up.

When my TTRPG group started playing Cyberpunk Red, there was definitely a learning curve. There is an overwhelming number of weapons, vehicles, and cyberware to choose from, each of which comes with its own set of unique mechanics. Even just the addition of firearms adds a lot of new dynamics to combat, like fire rate, a more complex range system, and ammo types. However, the game also offers a lot more freedom.

Cyberpunk Red is the latest version of the TTRPG, releasing in 2020.

Whereas a character’s role in D&D is largely dictated by their class, characters in a game like Cyberpunk are endlessly customizable. After a few weeks playing, I found that my players were relying far more on the weapons and cyberware they had bought to make their characters how they wanted them to be than on the paths they had chosen at the beginning of the game. While it took a lot more reading and a better understanding of the available options, Cyberpunk ultimately allowed them to create characters with mechanics as unique as their personalities.

Rotating Through RPGs Can Keep A Playgroup Alive

New Games And Playstyles Can Help Keep Players Interested In A Gaming Group

During the COVID-19 lockdown, two separate groups of my friends independently decided to start D&D games. While both groups have lasted, there is a noticeable difference between them. The group where we switch between game systems has retained a lot more enthusiasm for sessions than the one where we mostly just play D&D.

In the D&D-only group, roleplaying has been largely phased out, and combat encounters feel stale. We’ve faced most of the enemies we fight at some point before, and we all know our spells and abilities so well that combat is optimized to the point of having little to no tension. One of our most memorable sessions recently was a rare, non-D&D session where we did a Call of Cthulhu one-shot for Halloween. After so long playing D&D a near-TPK was an exciting and welcome change of pace.

That isn’t to say that I never have fun playing D&D. When my other playgroup returns to it after playing Cyberpunk or the Fallout TTRPG, it feels fresh and exciting again. Dungeons & Dragons are familiar and comfortable, which is sometimes exactly what I need from a play session. However, I strongly recommend that you don’t make it the only type of experience you have with TTRPGs.