Did World of Darkness make you lose interest in other tabletop RPGs?

Survival & Immersive Horror
1

I’m wondering if anyone else had this experience. I used to play D&D and other fantasy games for years before trying Vampire the Masquerade (V20). Once I got into playing and running VTM games, I found it really hard to enjoy traditional RPGs anymore.

The storytelling focus in World of Darkness just clicked with me way more than the combat and leveling mechanics in games like D&D. When I want tactical fights and character builds, I can just play video games instead. What I love about tabletop gaming is the narrative freedom and character development you can’t get anywhere else.

Now when I run games, I always focus more on story and less on mechanical complexity. The crunchy rules and power combinations that define a lot of popular systems just don’t appeal to me anymore.

Has anyone else found themselves gravitating away from mainstream RPGs after getting into WoD? Did it change what you look for in tabletop games?

2

Definitely. I find games like Call of Cthulhu focus more on the narrative than the combat.

3

I went back and forth between them. WoD showed me RPGs could be more than just tactical combat, but I like both styles depending on what I’m feeling. Sometimes I want character drama, sometimes I just want to roll dice and kill goblins. The real breakthrough was learning to run D&D more narratively after playing WoD.

4

Same thing happened to me but with Changeling the Lost. The whole personal horror angle made regular dungeon crawling feel kinda flat afterward.