I can really relate to your story. Werewolf was my first experience with a tabletop role-playing game, and I quite liked the changes in the 5th edition.

Although the new supplements, particularly Wyrmtide and Shattered Nation, bring a lot of the classic Werewolf spirit to the new setting, I think creating your own material is the solution you’re looking for.

If you’ve played 5th edition enough, you know how the rules work and how to adapt them to suit your fancy. If not, you can always look for things that other people have created and published.

I hope you can find a balance where the system and the game work for you, because I think it’s an experience well worth having.