D&D 5e is actually my favorite system. I've played Apocalypse, World of Darkness (both old and new vampire werewolf mage hunter & changling), Anima, 7th sea (hated it), Gurps (a few editions), every other edition of D&D, Fate, Fudge, MM, Star wars, D20 modern, pathfinder, a Marvel system, Army of Darkness, Call of Cuthulu, and more that I can't remember. (I never played MAID btw).

I agree that they all offer different experiences. The big thing that they all offer is the joy of playing with friends around a table together. They all have different levels of commitment and rules. I also fervently agree that most players will never read the rules to D&D. A few people at my table have, but they also all took turns separately as DMs.

I greatly simplified the Character creation process by making my own character sheets for each class. I do have to help with the front page a bit, but the back page is literally just check the box at level x and the front page is pretty simple. I'd share them here, but for some reason I can't get the images to load on this comment.

The beauty of D&D is the simple fact that it is fantasy. You are these fantastical heroes to the world. Your every breath goes into shaping and changing the very fabric of the future. Your decisions are felt for generations. 5th edition has my favorite set of rules to date for D&D. They're simple enough that I can help every player with any difficulty they come across. In addition I created a DM screen that has all of the simple and immediate rules/tactics my players may want to use. It lists what various conditions do, so that they can take that into account.

lol actually after my arguments, I see your point. I simplified D&D for my group. I made it so that everything they needed was on just a few pages. I didn't need to change the rules to do it, I just compiled them differently than WotC. Still, the rules themselves are intuitive enough if demonstrated and taught properly. The advantage system is wonderful! and the odds are easy to calculate as every bonus is a 5% increase. The fantasy feel leaves a very lighthearted feeling that is relaxing to me and my group. I've tried many other systems, and I've enjoyed most of them for different reasons, but the light heartedness of D&D always brings me back.