Review: Nimble 2e
A fast, tactical TTRPG
What is Nimble?
Nimble is a Dungeons and Dragons 5e compatible system. The books offer new classes and subclasses, monsters, regions to explore, and rules. The main selling point of Nimble is that it “speeds up” combat by making it more engaging and by reducing wait time for anyone around the table. Look at the description we find on the Nimble website homepage.
A fast, tactical (and 5e compatible), TTRPG. Your game nights are too precious to waste with slow or fiddly rules! Slay the slog using the best elements from the greatest RPGs around. Nimble empowers players and GMs with more interesting choices, less waiting around, and have more fun playing epic stories.
Part 1: First Impressions
I finally received a physical copy, and let me tell you – it’s fantastic. The A5 format is perfect – it’s a lot more digestible than some of the larger rulebooks out there. The layout is impeccable, and the illustrations are simply amazing. A quick glimpse into the book made me really interested in the combat system.
Although there is no wait time for solo players, Nimble's take on combat seems to be a lot of fun. No more d20 to see if your attack lands, instead use your damage dice. On a 1, you fail your attack; on the maximum, you hit a critical; everything in between is regular damage.
Really simple. When using a weapon or spell that uses multiple dice, choose one of them to be your primary dice (this will be the one that indicates if your attack misses or succeeds).
Part 2: Cover to cover
Coming Soon.
Part 3: Playtest
Coming Soon.
Awesome, really want to give nimble a shot solo, more than DND. Are you going to use a GME?
I have been bouncing off Nimble so hard and for the life of me I really can't say why.
I like I lot of its ideas. Love, even. I implemented about 70% of it into my last 5e game before I started refining it into something else. It's very well thought out.
And yet the core mechanic just makes me roll my eyes so hard. The idea of a whole game based off it makes me want to pull my hair out.
... And yet every time I put the screws to myself, I can't really articulate WHY I feel so viscerally about it. Maybe this review will help enlighten me -- or else convince me I just need to shut up, lol.