Why I don't play Role Playing Games anymore

I have a first edition copy of Dungeons & Dragons. I have first editions of Runequest and Traveller.

I was there when RPGs began. I've always been interested and intrigued by the concept of RPGs. But I don't play Role-Playing Games anymore.

When I got back into gaming in a big way two years ago, I told myself that I would not try and "do it all." I wouldn't get back into Role-Playing Games and I wouldn't get into collectible games of any type (card or miniature).

Why RPGs? Mostly because I have almost always been disappointed with my RPG experiences.

An RPG, more than other type of game, is extremely dependent on the players involved. The GM has to be good. The other players have to be good and "of the same mind". *I* have to be good.

By "Good", I mean prepared, focused and ready to play. Too often I have been involved in RPG games where the other players were more interested in "chatting" than in playing the game. Too often I have been involved in RPG games were one or more players were "Min-Maxing" Munchkins that tried to "win" the game by twisting rules and find rule loopholes to exploit to their advantage. Too often I have been involved in RPG games where there was a Players vs. the GM (and vice versa) attitude. Only rarely have I been lucky enough to be involved in an RPG game where the Players and GM worked together to tell an interesting and compelling story. For me, the bad RPG experiences far outnumber the good RPG experiences.

To be honest, part of the problem is me. I've got a good imagination. At least I think I do. But it's a "spur of the moment" kind of imagination. I don't play well in "off the cuff" situations. I need structure and a manageable set of options (each turn) in my games. I don't like "anything goes" situations.

And there are so many RPG systems available. It seems as if everyone and his brother has written an RPG system. This is both good and bad. Too many choices means the RPG game playing community fractures and makes it difficult to find players who play the same game you do. On the other hand, there a lot of good and interesting ideas out there too. I enjoy reading about and seeing the various new ideas and concepts that authors come up with.

(To be fair, a lot of good writers have gotten their start writing RPG games and adventures. Thanks to computers and sophisticated editing programs, it's possible for almost anyone to write, produce and publish an RPG system. Anything that promotes writing is a good thing, in my opinion.)

So, I don't play RPGs anymore. I'd rather spend my game playing time playing a board game of some kind. (Card game, Euro Game, War Game. I play and enjoy them all.) But I'm still interested in reading and hearing about RPGs. I like hearing about new systems and comparing them to other new or existing systems. I like to see how authors handle the various issues that all RPG systems must address. I enjoy reading RPG adventures. I'll never get to play them anyway, and some of them are very well written stories. I still spend money on RPGs, but I limit myself to the odd or unique. I'm not interested in buying the latest D&D expansion or whatever other "mass-market" RPG is the current fave. I'm more interested in the small-press stuff that has the weird and interesting topic or new game system. It's all just research anyway, since I won't play RPGs anymore.

Thanks for reading.