Mail Room: Nimble 5e

All I hear about Nimble is, "Oh, look, another game that says it wants to fix 5E. Pass."

So many seem universally negative on this game, yet, I really don't mind a simple, rules-light version of 5E that attempts to speed play and remove the junk action economy and all the mess of over-designed rules. I don't get all the hate for this game, and it seems fun and a novel way to play 5E.

I mean, Shadowdark is rules-light 5E, why not have another?

Nimble says is it a streamlined version of the game, compatible with any 5E adventure. It looks like it removes to-hit rolls and just rolls damage, making the roll of a "1" on a damage roll a miss, and reducing damage from armor in a few interesting ways.

But I do not get the negativity. In fact, I feel more should be embracing this game as an alternative without having to throw away 5E adventures and encounters. I am more positive and interested in this game than either Draw Steel or Daggerheart, since I have a stack of 5e adventures I can't sell or give away.

This game deserves more praise for being an alternative system that tries to make the 5E math, adventures, game play, and characters more accessible. 

There are only four ability scores, and it seems like a lot of the unneeded cruft of 5E has been cut away for just the most meaningful parts. It feels like a mix of Index Card RPG and 5E in a way, sort of that "who cares, just the rolls" sort of game, where the d20 is still used for skills and saves, and to-hits and whiffs are dropped almost entirely.

 

All the classes and races are replaced with the game's own character system. That is a good thing since 5E is a mess of rules that needs software to figure out characters. If I am going to simplify my life and play systems like Daggerheart or Draw Steel, I can live with easier classes. They replace it all, too, but they aren't 5E compatible like this supposedly is.

I wonder if this is compatible with high-level 5E content? There is a point where 5E breaks down, and I really have no clue if this lofty goal of staying compatible with 5E adventures all the way to level 20 is even possible if the guts of the game are replaced. 

I sort of feel that Index Card RPG mixed with Shadowdark comparison is appropriate, as this strips the game down to a core set of values and choices, and tries to deliver a "best of" experience through as few numbers as possible. That is an admirable goal, and I sort of see this as a small, digest game that factors down the worthless fluff choices of D&D for just the best and most meaningful parts.

I suppose people don't like feeling the "complexity of D&D" is being taken away from them, especially the easily exploited action-economy of 5E. It reminds me a little of Old School Essentials, too, in the books size and hardcover format. The game has excellent art and the presentation is good.

The game does have its own language and style, with all the classes renamed and none of the standard "bard, paladin, and so on" names for classes. So it sort of does its own thing in its own world and lingo, yet remains 5E compatible. It is like Daggerheart or Draw Steel in that respect.

I suppose the best way to look at this is a rules-light 5E game that switches out the character creation system, sort of like Daggerheart. It is a fast-playing system like Shadowdark, without the dark grittiness and torch timers. It is a tactical game like Draw Steel, but more fast and loose like Index Card RPG. It has Old School Essentials inspired presentation. It maintains 5E adventure compatibility like Tales of the Valiant, without needing to rebuild the full 5E rules.

The monsters are on the lighter side number wise, and given art and a good amount of detail. This is meant to use 5E monsters in adventures with, so while there is a good representation of key types, there isn't an exhaustive monster list. The game does have boss monsters and monster creation rules, so you are supposed to DIY many original creations and just do your own thing, like original D&D 4E allowed you to do.

I liked creating monsters in 4E and building my own world, so that is a plus, and keeps players on their toes when the giant fungoid monsters show up, with a fungoid tank and fungal spore thrower, and nobody knows how tough they are. The monsters just 'are' and there is no bestiary knowledge to fall back on. The monsters they give are baseline examples to make your own from.

Like Index Card RPG, just DIY it all and have fun.

I like Nimble. It feels like an easier version of Draw Steel, but retaining a lot of the 5E engine without the complexity and crunch. It is a game about battling monsters, but not one that goes on for hundreds of pages of new rules and systems. Much of it should still be familiar, with a few changes around damage, combat, and characters.

Not a bad little game, in fact.

Small, simple, easy sets of rules do have a lower bar, but this one punches way above its weight in fun.