Hey! @RaVemI heard the word Pathfinder being tossed about which is a sure way to draw me in. It certainly can be overwhelming if you jump in a game for the first time with no restrictions. Though, I have gotten several into tabletop through that system. Especially people like me who love stats.
Out of curiosity, were you given no restrictions on character options when you first played? There are a lot of books, many of which are geared toward specific types of campaigns (planar, aquatic, horror) with so many character options. as a gm myself, I usually limit players to the core rulebook only if they are new then the advanced players guide, the ultimate books and 3 or so player companions that fit the setting for advanced players. I find it keeps everything focused.
I am always curious about how to best get people into pathfinder because I find it incredibly rewarding with all its small +2 modifiers for specific things you did in the past that return in unexpected ways.
I am playing 5e as well for the first time. I enjoy it but it’s probably the absurd group I play with more than anything. My mind has trouble accepting advantage and disadvantage as a system, it feels lazy and does not account for the little variables. It does play way better for high level martiwl characters. But I probably would not have that problem if I started with it. I love 7th sea 2e after all which is almost all narrative with dice rolls restricted the the start of encounters.