Nimble 5E

I have expended a lot of energy and space in this blog complaining about the relentless combat focus in the TTRPG hobby space and in complaining about D&D specifically. I have discovered a few non-combat RPG's and I still plan to get Golden Sky Stories to my table one day. I have also discovered some great alternatives to D&D, like Dragonbane and There And Hack Again. So, I guess I really should stop my complaining. There's a lot of TTRPG options out there. The real trick, I suppose is presenting those options in a light that will appeal to the greater TTRPG player base as a whole.

With that in mind, I want to talk a bit about Nimble 5E. I got the Nimble zine last year and I was pretty impressed by its innovations. These were all just methods of streamlining 5e combat encounters, but that's something that I think is sorely needed. So, yeah. I thought it was good. I didn't try to introduce the changes at my table. I probably should have, but I feel like layering exceptions over the existing D&D rules would just confuse things.

What I would like to talk about now, is an entirely new set of RPG books that fully incorporates Nimble's innovations into their framework. I am talking about a game that is close enough to 5e D&D to be accepted by judicious 5e players, while reducing overall complexity at the table by (at a guess) about 60%. Once I get over myself and accept that TTRPG's aren't going to change their core game play loop anytime soon, once I accept that tactical combat options are exactly what players want, once I accept these things ... then finding a game that makes combat a lot easier for me at the table without sacrificing player options feels like discovering the holy grail.

I know that the recent DC20 by The Dungeon Coach promised much the same, but it just didn't grab me. Maybe I was still pushing back too hard at the time to be receptive to DC20, but Nimble 5E just looks even simpler to me. Also, as I said, I have read Nimble 5E's predecessor from last year, and I like it. So, I guess that has given Nimble 5E a bit of an edge for me. 

What about Dragonbane or There And Hack Again, two games that I have raved about recently? I love both of those games ... but, Nimble 5E might even be better. First, the focus on 5E compatibility may make the game easier to bring to my table. Second, based on what I have read, and on this preview by Dave Thaumavore on YouTube, Nimble 5E is focused on heroic characters. 

Both There and Hack Again and especially Dragonbane have a bias toward the "old school" tendencies for "lower powered" characters, and higher player character mortality. My favorite D&D based RPG is 13th Age. The thing that I most love about 13th Age is how heroic it feels. In 13th Age, players are high fantasy superheroes! Nimble seems to be promising a similar experience. That appeals to me very much.

Nimble is being published as 3 core books. If you opt for the softcover versions on Backerkit, you can get all three for $40 including PDFs. That's $20 less than they will cost you later at retail, and $20 less than the cost of just one D&D 5E core book. For me, that's too good to pass up. Also, give Dave Thaumavore's video a peek (above.) I like Dave's stuff and watch him regularly. Go ahead and subscribe to his channel. He's pretty cool. Also, even if you don't plan to back, and you just want to wait for retail, click the Backerkit link and scroll down to find the free preview. The free preview is definitely worth a look.