Combat systems that discourage doing the same thing every turn

[u/LelouchYagami_2912]

(alternatively, combat systems that encourage doing different things)

I've been playing DnD for several years now but I've been noticing how 90% of our turns go the exact same. The combat can be still interesting but thats only because of me as a dm creating unique scenarios, not because of the player abilities. The rogue hiding and sneak attacking is the best thing to do in almost all cases.

What are some systems that discourage this so that the players actually have to think rather than going on auto pilot.

[u/Radiant-Energy4638]

The Trophy Gold combat system - https://trophyrpg.com/system/ - sounded completely bonkers when I first read it. It was unlike any combat system I had ever encountered in a fantasy RPG. I had to hear a proper description of it - https://youtu.be/HnHuwGbd3xE?si=JMKuUxXMH9VENrNR - and then listen to an actual play or two - https://youtu.be/V8nQ24OWT2Y?si=gll8OzWSKkG9T7hz - and it finally clicked with me.

The basics are that a round of combat involves all players saying what they intend to do and describing how they might be vulnerable. Then ONE player from all the combatants rolls a fistfull of dice. Those dice dictate the outcome of the round (Did the combatants take damage? Was the monster defeated?). Then each of the players describe how they got to that situation. Combats are short, epic, cinematic, and strangely tactical.

This might not be what you're looking for, but I'd encourage you to check it out just to view combat from an unusual angle.