"We are intentionally making the game less fun for the people already doing the most work and having the least fun time to the point the hobby is struggling with a shortage of people willing to play that crucial role"
I hope that one day I'll be walking down the street and bob will come out from some bush with a microphone in hand to just tell me about something dnd related.
I really like the "The Good, The Bad and The Amazing" sections of the vid. It helps a lot to understand the benefits or drawbacks of a system from Bob's perspective
Yep, that's the intent. Making the timing of Long Rests up to the GM instead of allowing the players to cheese the rules and warp encounter balance by resting after every fight. We players will do optimal (but unfun) things whenever we can :D
@@BobWorldBuilder I think its worth mentioning that (unless *I* am missing something), you don't get exhaustion from not taking a Long Rest. If that were the case, then yes, every 6 day journey means you have to find an inn or you die (you probably should be staying at inns while you travel, but dying is a bit harsh). The fact that Long Rests are the only way to recover exhaustion shouldn't make a journey deadly unless you were already getting exhausted doing anything else (like falling unconscious repeatedly, which is obviously detrimental to your health).
In 4e I ended up running rests as narrative concepts. A short rest was a scene break. One moment John McClane is getting his feet all cut by broken glass, the next he's most OK again, bruised but not crippled. A long rest was more of a chapter break. The characters come out of that one fully charged and ready to go, even if they got impaled yesterday.
@@BobWorldBuilder Level Up has the concept of a Haven that is needed, not for Long Rests, but to recover all levels of exhaustion (and strife). A character can lose one level of exhaustion without a Haven but that is it. It does bring up a recording issue where if they gain levels of exhaustion and lose one of those, if they gain exhaustion again, that's a separate pool which they can lose one from the new pool of exhaustion on a Long Rest. Equally, this could explain why there are Inns approximately a day apart from each other until you get out into the frontier. Tiny Hut then counts as a Haven, which makes it invaluable. That's up to each group to decide if they like that. Before they get Tiny Hut at third level then, the only question is whether they can make their own Haven at early levels or if that's part of those early levels. Level Up has the concept of Supplies, which could be food but also expendable gear used to make something. In the end, the game term could be two Supplies per person to get a Long Rest while the explanation is they fortify an area with half of those Supplies. As that might require a wagon, or a lot of strong characters, it's a source of interesting role playing to figure out what to do in those early levels. In the end, I think it's good because it adds this level of thought to going out into the wilderness. As a middle aged guy who can sneeze wrong and throw out my back, I appreciate those rules. I do understand that in my 20s, which most adventurers are the equivalent, probably don't need to worry about it as much. It feels more an opportunity as I said to think about these things.
The one liners you hit us with are hilarious, IMHO. "... and Bob, don't forget to script a segue into the next part... Oh." "Oh! It's the hill that I'll die on!"
The cool thing about the combination of action points and all players sharing a turn is: There is no reason players can't interweave their actions as appropriate. Example: The cleric casts a buff, the bard casts a buff, the ranger casts a buff, then they all attack. This is both strategic and beastly.
And we all forget why this is a thing that creators add in games: people wait for too long for their turn and zone out. We are talking about a way to keep players in game right now, not in their phones or anything else With such mechanic you as a GM don't need to rush the combat to end it faster, it unfolds more organically by itself, and all players may sometime bring something unexpected into the scene
@@througtonsheirs_doctorwhol5914 DnD3.5 became too convoluted over time with an excess of prestige classes and feats. WoTC turned D&D into Magic: the Gathering, with an infinite pool of card options and combos. I stopped playing it due to the necessity of consulting dozens of books to do a 20 level optimal build before the first session everytime I played. 5e simplicity is a step in the right direction, it's not as simple and fossilized as AD&D, but not as convoluted as 3.5. 5e's problem is it's too simple; they should have used this 2024 update to elaborate it more.
Wow! I scrolled past ads for Nimble before not thinking it was in any way special . My go-to for simplified/improved D&D is Index Card RPG. But all the positive highlights you give sound great, and the concerning ones sound manageable. I ordered a softcover set using the affiliate link. Thanks for looking at it and sharing, Bob! Build on, dude!
To preface: I am a Nimble MegaFan, so I may be biased here, but I think I can address some of the "bad section" from my experience with v1 1. Using APs on other people's turns has never felt like an interruption, and usually occurs when one person is struggling with a decision, so another player says "oh, I can help here!". This thematically has felt really good in my game, with players more often working together than being interrupted. 2. The death/exhaustion mechanic: I do agree with you on the "deadly camping trip" issue, and this can be really easily fixed by either: using 5e death saves but getting 1 AP while "unconscious" OR, recovering 1 exhaustion while camping. The rest of the complaints I think are valid, but are a function of one of the biggest *selling points* of Nimble: that it appeals to people who wouldn't otherwise want to try a new system. My group has 3 of us who are "tinkerers", who are always trying new systems, and 3-4 players who just want to tell a story with the minimum amount of cruft possible. The latter players have been willing to try a new system here and there, but Nimble is the first time I have heard any of them say that they PREFER it to regular 5e. It's familiar enough that they are comfortable picking it up quickly, but fixes lots of the issues that get in the way of telling a story. By making it play nice with 5e content, these players don't have to choose between two systems, it just feels like they are leveling up to a new, better way of doing things. In order to do this, you need to copy some of the ideosyncracies of 5e, and that's a choice we all individually need to decide if we're comfortable with. This video was a great analysis of the system, and I'm excited to get the full ruleset once the campaign ends!
Nimble looks really cool but I am confused how it is 5e compatible. Even if it contains rules for DnD 5e conversion (does it even have that?), it doesn't feel very compatible. The skills and abilities don't match and if I take a monster stat block from DnD 5e it is going to be full of non-compatible stuff. It feels more like it is made with the intention of being easy to use with DnD 5e adventures and monsters, but isn't actually "5e compatible". This is of course completely fine for a game, but if it has 5e in the name and a permanent "sticker" on front saying "5e compatible" I kind of feel it actually needs to be properly compatible. But maybe I am missing something. What are your thoughts on this?
@@MrNoface0 Monster stat blocks for nimble are almost exactly the same, the only difference is you ignore the "to hit". Monster Armor is a quick conversion from AC. In nimble, monsters still have action, bonus action, movement. They don't have APs like players do, so you run monsters as-is. There are custom Nimble legendary monsters that do special nimble things, but you don't have to use those. The "Compatible" label doesn't mean they fit with the core rules, as Nimble is a replacement for those. It means the nimble core rules are compatible with any existing published expansion or 3rd party content. You can use spells, monsters and even some class options with minimal conversion, which is why it's compatible. I could run any monster from Volos, I could use any magic item from Tasha's, I could run Curse of Strahd, and all I have to do is ignore one number (to hit bonus) and convert AC. Everything else transfers.
Totally agree. I've been following (and backing) Nimble since before the zine came out, and I'm really looking forward to running it once the full set is released.
Watching reviews of other TTRPGs in the making are indeed inspiring me. Rn I'm also into the making of a TTRPG with the goal of building a system that gives all the tools to craft whatever you want to have. It's a system without classes or races, you make your own spells, maneuvers and abilities. What I want to achieve with this TTRPG is a system where you can play whatever you want, play however you want and focus on the narrative and roleplaying side. So thanks for all the videos that you are making, they are helping me understand more and more and are also helping me build my TTRPG brick by brick!
I supported the first version of Nimble a few years ago too! His 'light/lite"' version of just going with combat tweaks meshed really quickly with 5e: that pre-calculation of the damage dice for each PC weapon attack - regular, heavy and critical hits - speeds everything up! Everything else just stays the same from a player view. Great way to introduce the Nimble concept 👍
ohhhh man this is fucking perfect. I was already doing a fair bit of these things in my D&D homebrew rules. Thanks for bringing Nimble to my attention. This is right up my Alley.
I love learning about different systems and hearing your take on them, thanks for another astounding video Bob! You really know how to spark my creativity with your fun and light hearted critiques!
I like having Constitution for providing the facet of not only things like bumping your health against higher damage enemies, but also 1) a health stat that can function for things like concentration, and also 2) I use alternative options for skill checks so that most 5e abilities have a total of 5 skills they can be used for, though con is only used as an alt for athletics and insight, because those are the only ones that can justified imo (athl as an allegory for stamina rather than strength, insight for gut feelings/hairs pricking on your neck instead of wisdom style reading body language). So I get why they took it out, but I wouldn't personally.
In absolute agreement with you. I've been playing DC20 with some guys and I've been having SO much fun! But if there are RPGs that support high fantasy with *even less reading required* I'm more than happy to give it a shot. I'll definitely put this on my radar!
@@BobWorldBuilder Brother, it's the most fun I've had playing TTRPGs! I find the rules can be a little more cumbersome than I expected. But still a lot more intuitive than D&D. It's so strange to say that I'll likely never find myself playing standard 5e again. I also believe that (while fun for me) the DC20 system can be a little resource-heavy. (grit points, PD, MD, Stamina, Mana, etc.) And when I want to introduce friends with *0* TTRPG experience to the classic high-fantasy genre, I would like them to do MINIMUM reading. Unless there are better examples This Nimble system looks pretty dang great!
good point I haven't tried to introduce any new player (no ttrpg experience) to DC20 because I feel like is hard to explain for someone new, but is a lot easier for someone who has already played 5e to transition to DC20 (5e is not easy to get at first exactly, but it has a lot of resources on the internet to start with). But maybe is just my bias idk
@alexabel8010 Shadowdark is a great rules light high fantasy RPG. Check out Bob's starter adventure for it "Witch's Word, Dragon's Doom", or his Kickstarter "Delve".
It's really interesting to see the points of convergence (action points, reactions merged into actions for more dynamic play, single roll for attack + damage) and divergence with DC20 (cutting way back on 'crunch' vs multiple metacurrencies and hyper-customisation of everything). I had a ton of fun in a short playtest of DC20 but there really are a TON of things to constantly have to keep in mind all the time.
As for rests, it might be worth using something similar to Ruins of Symbaroum. Short rest, long rest and extended rest. During long rest you regain an amount of hp equal to your class hit die. This takes 8 hrs like usual. Could probably be done something similar with the exhaustion in Nimble. But full healing takes 24 hrs in a safe location. (Inn, town or such). Just a thought.
Thanks for covering these interesting indie games. You've got a cool channel, man. Your outdoors with a microphone, nailing this Wes Anderson vibe, and doing your own thing. Keep it up guy! I'll take a look at this Kickstarter on payday; my group needs something new
@@TheLogicMouse Up to the GM of course. For me it would have to be a full 24h in a very safe location with reasonable resting facilities. Like the kind of place no one has to be on watch duty.
I was scrolling, scrolling, scrolling and passed this again. I thought to myself "I love Bob". Time to watch. Thanks for the great videos and personality. You're awesome mate!
"We are intentionally making the game less fun for the people already doing the most work and having the least fun time to the point the hobby is struggling with a shortage of people willing to play that crucial role"
@andrewdiaz3529 monsters will be more fun and easy to run, since the Monster Manual uses the same design philosophy as in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
@@SortKaffe that really isnt much of an improvement tbh. 5e already suffers from boring monsters. MotM was kinda just cleaning it up. Pathfinder 2e has cool monster design IMO. For example, in 5e an owlbear can make two attacks. thats it. A PF2 owlbear still has those two attacks, but it can also grab with its talons. If it has a creature grabbed it can attempt to disembowel them with its beak, making them sickened. It can also let out a bloodcurdling screech, frightening players. AND if they try running it can stride twice/do a screech for only two actions.
@@swaggyseal It's enough of a problem that D&DBeyond now has MCDM's : "Flee, Mortals!" and "Evil Lives!" on their site, which offers next level remakes and new mechanics for most of the monsters in the classic D&D system. It's wonderful that D&DB reached out for 3rd party support, but the material is so good you read it as a DM & go; "Sh!t. This is how all of it should go, mechanically." At least I did.
Sadly Flee! Mortals has too much D&D tactics (4E) for me to enjoy. I can't stand the job/roles that they used (Skirmisher, Controller, etc) Shure they added cool features to bland monsters but you didn't have to show your love for a system that wasn't accepted by a good chunk of players during that edition change.
Sadly, that slots right into Hasbro's long-term plans to introduce "AI" DMs (for a price) so nobody has to do the thankless task they can't be bothered to support. It won't work, because modern "AI" is a joke, and gamers want to have fun with our friends, not play a more awkward video game, but the bean-counters will never get that.
I love your video, we have some similar and other dissimilar opinions but keep your great work going!! I enjoy the decision making we have to do in D&D and other D20 games... once my Level 16 spellcaster with some draconic blood boost helping had the power to psychically magicically manipulate a little garnison on a floating castle, making them think i was the leader, managed to get the dice rolls needed and made them charge towards an imaginary army, and fall 15,000 feet down to their death. SAving my whole party on that floating castle.
i feel the closing sentence. It takes so much time to prepare a game. I'm at my 8th game in DnD and DMing and player questions take so much time either. Sure there is a learning curve but i support games trying to make things simple. I still enjoy 5e. We're having lots of fun.
The Exhaustion and Long Rest rules are interesting. On the one hand, I agree with you: Not being able to take a Long Rest to get rid of Exhaustion because you're not in town sucks, and can ruin the fun and power that D&D allows. On the other hand, if my friend got mauled half to death by a bear, I don't think they'd be able to properly recover while camping out in the wilderness. The rules might need a bit more work, but it's a solid foundation
Regarding the long rests, if you actively build rules to make the exploration pillar relevant by e.g. using survival checks, you can then turn camping out in the wilderness into a long rest. That's how I try to make it work in my games. My ranger and druid players love it.
Hey @BobWorldBuilder, one idea I've never seen anywhere for helping to fix long rests is to just remove the direct healing aspect of them. You still get half your hit dice on a long rest and can spend them to heal, but you don't automatically jump to full resources. Similarly, spellcasters gain their spellcasting level in spell slots back instead of all of them. I think this simple rule fixes the majority of problems DM's have with long rests in difficult environments. Long rests in D&D 5e are too powerful, and the gritty recovery rules don't make this better, just change the time scale of the problem. If you don't want to change the existing nomenclature, call this a "medium rest" if you will. What are your thoughts on the topic?
a certain type of player will look at this and rest 3 times in a row until everything that can be refilled is at maximum. stackable refills are often just full refills with extra steps. instead maybe a refill that gets to 50% of the max value?
@@ruolbu I would still limit my players to one "medium rest" per day and require them to have a camp of some kind to take one. I personally don't see any problem with players resting up over multiple days. In exploration environments, (such as the wilderness or dungeons) taking multiple days to rest up is not free from risk (random encounters), or expenses (rations). The point of medium rests is to maintain tension in these environments without either crippling the party's ability to recover (only short rests) or trivialising the danger through complete recovery (allowing long rests). I would still allow the party to recover 1 level of exhaustion per medium rest, but that is because exhaustion is more common in my games and I use them to replace death saves. In a more standard game, I might allow a DC 10 CON save to recover a level of exhaustion instead to keep things interesting and impactful.
Thanks! Like many systems coming out today, I think it's got some graet ideas to learn from, but I encourage people to frankenstein their own games at home. So in that way, yeah I'll probably put some Nimble into whatever I run next year at GDF :)
Because you brought up the grid: As long as the rules include movement speeds, area of effect sizes, attack ranges etc. my favored way to play will always be on a grid. I want the satisfaction of that perfectly placed fireball. In gridless combat distances become arbitrary and constant DM decisions are needed to adjucate what distance you can move, what is in range, how many targets are hit by an aoe etc. Because of this, I'd actually argue playing on a grid is faster, because players don't need to constantly check in with the DM about everything.
Same. I think games that want to support theater of the mind better should all have "close" and "far" at least as constant tags everyone has with mechanical meaning. It's too ambiguous otherwise.
I agree with the satisfaction of a perfectly placed area effect! As for constantly checking with the DM, has that been your experience when trying gridless? I've not had that experience.
@@BobWorldBuilder Unfortunately, yes. "Can I make it to that orc with 30 feet? Not that one, the other one." "How many enemies can I hit with my fireball? Oh no I mean without hitting my friends." "Are any of the enemies in range of my hand crossbow?" How do you handle this stuff without a grid, and without having to ask? Maybe I just don't see the obvious.
I love the new Novice and lvl 0 from DC20 as it makes it easier to get new players in a roleplaying BEFORE they even have a sheet to look at XD teaches them to be in character first.
We seemed to be really aligned in gaming styles. I especially liked when you said something about people should not have to spend all their time on learning 300+ page rules. I have been running D&D 5E since February for my wife's group, and I am ready to stop using it. We have thrown out so many rules that I don't think we are really playing 5E anymore (lol). I planned on running EZD6 when we come to a stopping point on this campaign. I'll check out Nimble, and thanks for the recommendation!
@@Alien-ss2kp Oh, I have it! I run it for my oldest daughter, her friends, and for a tweens group. I love it! The main problem is that my wife's group likes all those options from 5E, but they don't like a lot of rules. They felt that Shadowdark was too low powered. But at least all the kids like it, right?
There are only two points I would like to add: 1. Almost every mechanic you criticized was considered a necessary holdover from D&D, because the developers wanted it to be fully compatible with existing 5e modules. It might be comforting to know that the developers would’ve liked to change some of those things as well. In fact, I don’t think they wanted to do conditions at all. 2. You really need to take a shot at playing Nimble with the RAW long rest mechanics. I think it works and my group enjoys it. Being that you’re really into DCC, I bet you’ll grow to really like it too. The new long rest mechanics do raise the stakes but not so much that dungeon crawling feels impossible to do, it just adds a sense of urgency.
Don’t knock exhaustion + long rest rules until you try it. It’s great. Hitting 0 hp HURTS and you feel the pain for a long time so as a result players work harder to stay away from 0 hit points (in my experience) so it sort of becomes a non issue. But when you do get wrecked and take exhaustion you feel it for DAYS and it becomes thematic. “Oh yeah I still have -1 from that time the bug bear hadoukened me off the cliff, don’t even know how I survived that haha” it becomes a point in time referred back to. I also make players roll on long lasting injury / scar table.
My group switched over to Nimble a few months back. I've enjoyed it. I do think that just getting everyone to understand the rules is the biggest drawback but that's the danger of any RPG or game. I have seen the fights bog with a lot of enemies. Regardless, I've backed the updated Nimble. Love your videos! Keep it up.
I really liked the Nimble zine and I happily backed this new expanded version. I have used some of the proposed changes from Nimble to great effects - the modification to the combat action (ex.: dash) and the death saves have been extremely fun for my group. The new rest mechanics are also really good.
I love gridless combat. My wife and I are wargamers so we have been able to convince our friend who is running a Pathfinder 1e game to go gridless. It has been so good for the game.
The thing that I think could justify this Long Rest/Exhaustion combo would be that it can encourage using Downtime Activities. Granted, you'll need to make Downtime engaging (and I feel 5e only did this marginally successfully after XGtE), but this does incentivize including it in your game. I personally love Downtime Activities because it enriches the world and the PC's interactions with it, so I like that this version of resting and healing could further encourage it, but I know that's not every group's cup of tea.
Your comments on reactions remind me of the philosophy for reactions in my favorite [board] game, Dominion. I think all the reactions in it are meant to happen when you're already supposed to do something.
Hot Take: Regarding skills, I'm not sure if only using ability scores and removing skills somehow magically generates more creative play solutions or approaches. You will still have players who will try avoid using bad stats or trying to use their best stats for achieving an objective. IME, it just shifts the problem around.
Bob, as I was watching the video it occurred to me that 2or 3 of things you thought bad could in fact be the counter to each other. I'm talking about high HP and the death/exhaustion/long rest. It seems to me that higher HP values would make the dying/exhaustion issue less likely. And when you did the plug for Nimble before, their take on Long Rests was the first time I EVER liked the mechanic at all....
I use exhaustion on knockouts but use 10 levels of exhaustion, death at 10, short rests recover 1, long rest 3, lesser restoration 2, greater restoration 4, heal all. Also have more ways to give it
I love that they're bringing some fresh ideas to the game. This is definitely on my list. You didn't really go into how armor works tho. That would be useful for people who haven't seen your other ... oh, I see. 😉
We can't really say how much more powerful character classes are getting in the new core rulebook until the Monster Manual comes out. Ideally the monsters will be appropriately challening based on their challenge rating. Looking forward to hearing more about Nimble!
It sounds as if there are strong "borrowings" from the "D6 System", which does the "you can attack, or you can defend, but you have to take that action to do it. And the trimming of attributes by removing Constitution and grouping it with Strength. The whole interrupt when others are doing something reminds me of another game (can't remember the name). So it sounds like Nimble is an amalgam of a few concepts from other games.
As much as I enjoy D&D (3rd, 5th, heck even AD&D) I do have a soft spot for the Microlite20 system (a heavily simplified d20/3.5 system), so this was nice to see.
I think skills are a great way to help characters with similar stats feel unique in areas where class mechanics don't apply, but I do agree that the skills look really bloated the sheet. I personally love how Lancer RPG does skills, where a player can stat into a vague skill like "Charm" and the player can justify how that skill bonus can apply to a situation. Helps a lot with the common feeling of 5e where everyone is stepping on each other's toes.
The tax return part was hilarious 😆 I remember making a 4e character with a generator once and printing out all the pertinent ability cards and stuff and it was legit like the size of a tax return, sorta turned me off right away because I had to hastily review all of that before my first turn after I was told that the character generator would make everything a lot easier 💀 on exhaustion, I like the idea of stacking exhaustion penalties that are less specific than the usual ones in 5e to discourage getting knocked out constantly, but IMO the exhaustion threshold for death should be based on CON or HD or something instead of being fixed at 6 for all characters.
Backed it with the affiliate link. Looks like a great modern/indie improvement to 5E. I don’t play 5E but this looks great. Just have to leave out Skills and Proficiencies.
@13:43 character flaws are character features lol i like to look at the skills list to remind me what other options there are to solve a problem and if i'm not good at the associated skill it gives me an opportunity to flesh out my character with role play, which admittedly took me a while to learn to do. but yeah if you are not going to use what you are given and always revert to the same playstyle/problem solving methods, then they are a waste of space and distracting. i am not trying to disparage against that method, i've had some fun characters who always blew up their problem or always ran away but thats definitely down to the player and not a fault of the system.
I've experimented with "always hit" and exploding dice instead of rolling to hit in the past, but the conclusion I came to is that players get way more hyped at the natural 20 or natural 1 than they would in another way.
I really want to try Nimble as soon as they have a Fantasy Grounds ruleset. I've stopped backing even games that look awesome if they don't have a VTT version; I have too many games that I will never get to the table. To anyone contemplating a new game - commit to (at a minimum) Fantasy Grounds, Foundry and Roll20 versions before you launch your kickstarter.
I'm coming into this as a long-time Hero System/Champions gaming background. When I heard that Fatigue was healed by a long rest, thinking about D&D's ridiculously fast healing system, I crinkled my nose. ("Mm. More of the same.") Then, when you said a Long Rest could only be found in a legitimate healing situation, my interest grew. I get that epic fantasy has equated to video game healing rates since the 80s, but I would not watch a movie or read a book with that low threshold for removing drama. Any kind of story, for me, needs gritty stakes, but that's about modifying the threat, not kindergartening the healing rate. Again, that's what Hero does, that's what exciting stories do, and that's not what D&D does. I like this game's re-grit-ifing the epic fantasy genre.
💥 Nimble 5e Backerkit (affiliate): www.backerkit.com/c/projects/nimble-co/nimble-2-your-best-5e-combat-ever?ref=bwb
Already backed! Thanks for bringing Nimble: Streamlining your 5e game to my attention; that one was definitely worth it!
you are my favourite homeless dnd youtuber
Wondering if this hobo is a murderous one
😂
😅
@@Max3110 , Bob jumps out of the bushes, dealing 3d6 sneak attack damage with his microphone.
Same
“Oh look, it’s the hill I’ll die on” lol
everybody's got one!!
@@BobWorldBuilder And I'll die on the hill on the opposite side from yours! (But I do respect your opinion lol)
Lets sell all our DnD stuff to finally buy this man a house🙏🙏
It's been really tempting to record inside again with the summer heat haha
"We are intentionally making the game less fun for the people already doing the most work and having the least fun time to the point the hobby is struggling with a shortage of people willing to play that crucial role"
Lmao
@@BobWorldBuilder That's a really counter-intuitive sentence for a reader from a no-AC country.
"Bob, don't forget to script a segue..." nicely done.
😎
Love how bob is always outdoors, admiring his creations
I hope that one day I'll be walking down the street and bob will come out from some bush with a microphone in hand to just tell me about something dnd related.
He has many videos made indoors. His PC often has a Mario desktop.
I really like the "The Good, The Bad and The Amazing" sections of the vid. It helps a lot to understand the benefits or drawbacks of a system from Bob's perspective
Re: Long Rests
The characters find safe places in the wilderness, an elvish grove, an old fisherman's cabin, strange circle of stones, rope trick...
Yeah it doesn't feel like that's the intention to me, but that's the easiest way to smooth it over
Yep, that's the intent. Making the timing of Long Rests up to the GM instead of allowing the players to cheese the rules and warp encounter balance by resting after every fight. We players will do optimal (but unfun) things whenever we can :D
@@BobWorldBuilder I think its worth mentioning that (unless *I* am missing something), you don't get exhaustion from not taking a Long Rest. If that were the case, then yes, every 6 day journey means you have to find an inn or you die (you probably should be staying at inns while you travel, but dying is a bit harsh).
The fact that Long Rests are the only way to recover exhaustion shouldn't make a journey deadly unless you were already getting exhausted doing anything else (like falling unconscious repeatedly, which is obviously detrimental to your health).
In 4e I ended up running rests as narrative concepts. A short rest was a scene break. One moment John McClane is getting his feet all cut by broken glass, the next he's most OK again, bruised but not crippled. A long rest was more of a chapter break. The characters come out of that one fully charged and ready to go, even if they got impaled yesterday.
@@BobWorldBuilder Level Up has the concept of a Haven that is needed, not for Long Rests, but to recover all levels of exhaustion (and strife). A character can lose one level of exhaustion without a Haven but that is it. It does bring up a recording issue where if they gain levels of exhaustion and lose one of those, if they gain exhaustion again, that's a separate pool which they can lose one from the new pool of exhaustion on a Long Rest.
Equally, this could explain why there are Inns approximately a day apart from each other until you get out into the frontier.
Tiny Hut then counts as a Haven, which makes it invaluable. That's up to each group to decide if they like that.
Before they get Tiny Hut at third level then, the only question is whether they can make their own Haven at early levels or if that's part of those early levels. Level Up has the concept of Supplies, which could be food but also expendable gear used to make something. In the end, the game term could be two Supplies per person to get a Long Rest while the explanation is they fortify an area with half of those Supplies. As that might require a wagon, or a lot of strong characters, it's a source of interesting role playing to figure out what to do in those early levels.
In the end, I think it's good because it adds this level of thought to going out into the wilderness. As a middle aged guy who can sneeze wrong and throw out my back, I appreciate those rules. I do understand that in my 20s, which most adventurers are the equivalent, probably don't need to worry about it as much. It feels more an opportunity as I said to think about these things.
The one liners you hit us with are hilarious, IMHO.
"... and Bob, don't forget to script a segue into the next part... Oh."
"Oh! It's the hill that I'll die on!"
The cool thing about the combination of action points and all players sharing a turn is: There is no reason players can't interweave their actions as appropriate. Example: The cleric casts a buff, the bard casts a buff, the ranger casts a buff, then they all attack. This is both strategic and beastly.
And we all forget why this is a thing that creators add in games: people wait for too long for their turn and zone out. We are talking about a way to keep players in game right now, not in their phones or anything else
With such mechanic you as a GM don't need to rush the combat to end it faster, it unfolds more organically by itself, and all players may sometime bring something unexpected into the scene
This sounds great and I just backed it halfway through the video 😁
Glad you like the sound of it! Thanks for supporting them :)
go play AD&D 3 point 5.
The peak of Dungeons & Dragons.
Period.
The gospel of AD&D3 rd edition!!!!
@@througtonsheirs_doctorwhol5914 I played AD&D, 3.0, and 3.5. I much prefer 5e. But you play what you like!
@@througtonsheirs_doctorwhol5914 DnD3.5 became too convoluted over time with an excess of prestige classes and feats. WoTC turned D&D into Magic: the Gathering, with an infinite pool of card options and combos.
I stopped playing it due to the necessity of consulting dozens of books to do a 20 level optimal build before the first session everytime I played.
5e simplicity is a step in the right direction, it's not as simple and fossilized as AD&D, but not as convoluted as 3.5. 5e's problem is it's too simple; they should have used this 2024 update to elaborate it more.
Wow! I scrolled past ads for Nimble before not thinking it was in any way special . My go-to for simplified/improved D&D is Index Card RPG. But all the positive highlights you give sound great, and the concerning ones sound manageable. I ordered a softcover set using the affiliate link. Thanks for looking at it and sharing, Bob! Build on, dude!
To preface: I am a Nimble MegaFan, so I may be biased here, but I think I can address some of the "bad section" from my experience with v1
1. Using APs on other people's turns has never felt like an interruption, and usually occurs when one person is struggling with a decision, so another player says "oh, I can help here!". This thematically has felt really good in my game, with players more often working together than being interrupted.
2. The death/exhaustion mechanic: I do agree with you on the "deadly camping trip" issue, and this can be really easily fixed by either: using 5e death saves but getting 1 AP while "unconscious" OR, recovering 1 exhaustion while camping.
The rest of the complaints I think are valid, but are a function of one of the biggest *selling points* of Nimble: that it appeals to people who wouldn't otherwise want to try a new system. My group has 3 of us who are "tinkerers", who are always trying new systems, and 3-4 players who just want to tell a story with the minimum amount of cruft possible. The latter players have been willing to try a new system here and there, but Nimble is the first time I have heard any of them say that they PREFER it to regular 5e. It's familiar enough that they are comfortable picking it up quickly, but fixes lots of the issues that get in the way of telling a story. By making it play nice with 5e content, these players don't have to choose between two systems, it just feels like they are leveling up to a new, better way of doing things. In order to do this, you need to copy some of the ideosyncracies of 5e, and that's a choice we all individually need to decide if we're comfortable with.
This video was a great analysis of the system, and I'm excited to get the full ruleset once the campaign ends!
Nimble looks really cool but I am confused how it is 5e compatible. Even if it contains rules for DnD 5e conversion (does it even have that?), it doesn't feel very compatible. The skills and abilities don't match and if I take a monster stat block from DnD 5e it is going to be full of non-compatible stuff.
It feels more like it is made with the intention of being easy to use with DnD 5e adventures and monsters, but isn't actually "5e compatible". This is of course completely fine for a game, but if it has 5e in the name and a permanent "sticker" on front saying "5e compatible" I kind of feel it actually needs to be properly compatible.
But maybe I am missing something. What are your thoughts on this?
@@MrNoface0 Monster stat blocks for nimble are almost exactly the same, the only difference is you ignore the "to hit". Monster Armor is a quick conversion from AC. In nimble, monsters still have action, bonus action, movement. They don't have APs like players do, so you run monsters as-is. There are custom Nimble legendary monsters that do special nimble things, but you don't have to use those.
The "Compatible" label doesn't mean they fit with the core rules, as Nimble is a replacement for those. It means the nimble core rules are compatible with any existing published expansion or 3rd party content.
You can use spells, monsters and even some class options with minimal conversion, which is why it's compatible. I could run any monster from Volos, I could use any magic item from Tasha's, I could run Curse of Strahd, and all I have to do is ignore one number (to hit bonus) and convert AC. Everything else transfers.
17:56 Yeah, I'd change it to that you only can't long rest in a dangerous location. That way you can long rest at camp, but not in a dungeon.
Nimble 5e makes me think of Microlite20 or Microlite Fifth Adamantine Edition. Also, Whitehack 4e is an interesting game too.
Totally agree. I've been following (and backing) Nimble since before the zine came out, and I'm really looking forward to running it once the full set is released.
Damnit! Fine Bob! You win. I'll go back the kickstarter.
A lawless RPG of pure anarchy. . . sign me up. And I Love ALL Bob World Builder videos!
Watching reviews of other TTRPGs in the making are indeed inspiring me.
Rn I'm also into the making of a TTRPG with the goal of building a system that gives all the tools to craft whatever you want to have. It's a system without classes or races, you make your own spells, maneuvers and abilities.
What I want to achieve with this TTRPG is a system where you can play whatever you want, play however you want and focus on the narrative and roleplaying side.
So thanks for all the videos that you are making, they are helping me understand more and more and are also helping me build my TTRPG brick by brick!
It is nice to see new games coming out, even new spins on currently existing ones.
The passion for the hobby is ALIVE!
I love ALL Bob World Builder videos!
Thanks as always for commenting! :)
Would love more videos on nimble! Please do at least one more on classes and spells
I supported the first version of Nimble a few years ago too! His 'light/lite"' version of just going with combat tweaks meshed really quickly with 5e: that pre-calculation of the damage dice for each PC weapon attack - regular, heavy and critical hits - speeds everything up! Everything else just stays the same from a player view. Great way to introduce the Nimble concept 👍
ohhhh man this is fucking perfect. I was already doing a fair bit of these things in my D&D homebrew rules. Thanks for bringing Nimble to my attention. This is right up my Alley.
I love learning about different systems and hearing your take on them, thanks for another astounding video Bob! You really know how to spark my creativity with your fun and light hearted critiques!
Skate Wizards t-shirt!!!!!!!!!!
I like having Constitution for providing the facet of not only things like bumping your health against higher damage enemies, but also 1) a health stat that can function for things like concentration, and also 2) I use alternative options for skill checks so that most 5e abilities have a total of 5 skills they can be used for, though con is only used as an alt for athletics and insight, because those are the only ones that can justified imo (athl as an allegory for stamina rather than strength, insight for gut feelings/hairs pricking on your neck instead of wisdom style reading body language). So I get why they took it out, but I wouldn't personally.
In absolute agreement with you. I've been playing DC20 with some guys and I've been having SO much fun! But if there are RPGs that support high fantasy with *even less reading required* I'm more than happy to give it a shot. I'll definitely put this on my radar!
Thanks! Awesome to hear you've been enjoying DC20 :)
@@BobWorldBuilder Brother, it's the most fun I've had playing TTRPGs! I find the rules can be a little more cumbersome than I expected. But still a lot more intuitive than D&D. It's so strange to say that I'll likely never find myself playing standard 5e again.
I also believe that (while fun for me) the DC20 system can be a little resource-heavy. (grit points, PD, MD, Stamina, Mana, etc.) And when I want to introduce friends with *0* TTRPG experience to the classic high-fantasy genre, I would like them to do MINIMUM reading. Unless there are better examples This Nimble system looks pretty dang great!
good point I haven't tried to introduce any new player (no ttrpg experience) to DC20 because I feel like is hard to explain for someone new, but is a lot easier for someone who has already played 5e to transition to DC20 (5e is not easy to get at first exactly, but it has a lot of resources on the internet to start with). But maybe is just my bias idk
@alexabel8010 Shadowdark is a great rules light high fantasy RPG. Check out Bob's starter adventure for it "Witch's Word, Dragon's Doom", or his Kickstarter "Delve".
It's really interesting to see the points of convergence (action points, reactions merged into actions for more dynamic play, single roll for attack + damage) and divergence with DC20 (cutting way back on 'crunch' vs multiple metacurrencies and hyper-customisation of everything). I had a ton of fun in a short playtest of DC20 but there really are a TON of things to constantly have to keep in mind all the time.
Gandalf (the prototype wizard) is well known for using a Sword ... so yeah, sword wizards!
As for rests, it might be worth using something similar to Ruins of Symbaroum. Short rest, long rest and extended rest.
During long rest you regain an amount of hp equal to your class hit die. This takes 8 hrs like usual. Could probably be done something similar with the exhaustion in Nimble.
But full healing takes 24 hrs in a safe location. (Inn, town or such).
Just a thought.
So glad to see you cover Nimble! Only new ttrpg that's gotten me excited
Great video. I always enjoy your game breakdowns (also very useful for research, thank you!)
Thanks for covering these interesting indie games. You've got a cool channel, man. Your outdoors with a microphone, nailing this Wes Anderson vibe, and doing your own thing. Keep it up guy! I'll take a look at this Kickstarter on payday; my group needs something new
Taking a full day of downtime removes all exhaustion. Now there's a reason for a spa day!
I like the sound of that, but what limitations do they put on when and how you can do that?
@@TheLogicMouse Up to the GM of course. For me it would have to be a full 24h in a very safe location with reasonable resting facilities. Like the kind of place no one has to be on watch duty.
Been following this and backed as soon as it dropped. Glad to see the appreciation for it!
Nice skate wizards shout out. I wish my kids would give it a try.
I was scrolling, scrolling, scrolling and passed this again.
I thought to myself "I love Bob". Time to watch. Thanks for the great videos and personality. You're awesome mate!
I like so much the zombicide grid style, its just big areas and the meelee attack is just hit someone in your area
I love that D&D clones are getting back to Fort/Ref/Will saves.
Dude! Your take on the skill list and player/GM imagination is SPOT ON! I couldn't agree more. Well said.
Great video! Thanks for continuing to cover games other than D&D. Yeah I enjoy it still too, but other games need time in the light too.
here's my upvote, my comment, and my view! :)
"We are intentionally making the game less fun for the people already doing the most work and having the least fun time to the point the hobby is struggling with a shortage of people willing to play that crucial role"
@andrewdiaz3529 monsters will be more fun and easy to run, since the Monster Manual uses the same design philosophy as in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
@@SortKaffe that really isnt much of an improvement tbh. 5e already suffers from boring monsters. MotM was kinda just cleaning it up. Pathfinder 2e has cool monster design IMO. For example, in 5e an owlbear can make two attacks. thats it. A PF2 owlbear still has those two attacks, but it can also grab with its talons. If it has a creature grabbed it can attempt to disembowel them with its beak, making them sickened. It can also let out a bloodcurdling screech, frightening players. AND if they try running it can stride twice/do a screech for only two actions.
@@swaggyseal It's enough of a problem that D&DBeyond now has MCDM's : "Flee, Mortals!" and "Evil Lives!" on their site, which offers next level remakes and new mechanics for most of the monsters in the classic D&D system. It's wonderful that D&DB reached out for 3rd party support, but the material is so good you read it as a DM & go; "Sh!t. This is how all of it should go, mechanically." At least I did.
Sadly Flee! Mortals has too much D&D tactics (4E) for me to enjoy. I can't stand the job/roles that they used (Skirmisher, Controller, etc) Shure they added cool features to bland monsters but you didn't have to show your love for a system that wasn't accepted by a good chunk of players during that edition change.
Sadly, that slots right into Hasbro's long-term plans to introduce "AI" DMs (for a price) so nobody has to do the thankless task they can't be bothered to support. It won't work, because modern "AI" is a joke, and gamers want to have fun with our friends, not play a more awkward video game, but the bean-counters will never get that.
I love your video, we have some similar and other dissimilar opinions but keep your great work going!! I enjoy the decision making we have to do in D&D and other D20 games... once my Level 16 spellcaster with some draconic blood boost helping had the power to psychically magicically manipulate a little garnison on a floating castle, making them think i was the leader, managed to get the dice rolls needed and made them charge towards an imaginary army, and fall 15,000 feet down to their death. SAving my whole party on that floating castle.
That you Bob, for your awesome content and also introducing me to this!
i feel the closing sentence. It takes so much time to prepare a game. I'm at my 8th game in DnD and DMing and player questions take so much time either. Sure there is a learning curve but i support games trying to make things simple. I still enjoy 5e. We're having lots of fun.
Sales of Skate Wizards t-shirts just spiked precipitously, I'll bet!
that sony camera stop recording noise at the end activated my fight or flight response
Let’s learn to have more fun!
Great video! Can’t wait to try Nimble.
Im excited to see someone talking about this
The Exhaustion and Long Rest rules are interesting. On the one hand, I agree with you: Not being able to take a Long Rest to get rid of Exhaustion because you're not in town sucks, and can ruin the fun and power that D&D allows. On the other hand, if my friend got mauled half to death by a bear, I don't think they'd be able to properly recover while camping out in the wilderness. The rules might need a bit more work, but it's a solid foundation
ngl, I like everything about nimble Nimble! Excited to start GMing this system!
Really loving this video style. Keep up the awesome work! also finding it hilarious the WOTC keeps sabotaging you with various forms of transportation
I was literally just looking for a 5e-compatible system that I can use to augment my games!
Regarding the long rests, if you actively build rules to make the exploration pillar relevant by e.g. using survival checks, you can then turn camping out in the wilderness into a long rest. That's how I try to make it work in my games. My ranger and druid players love it.
Hey @BobWorldBuilder, one idea I've never seen anywhere for helping to fix long rests is to just remove the direct healing aspect of them.
You still get half your hit dice on a long rest and can spend them to heal, but you don't automatically jump to full resources. Similarly, spellcasters gain their spellcasting level in spell slots back instead of all of them.
I think this simple rule fixes the majority of problems DM's have with long rests in difficult environments.
Long rests in D&D 5e are too powerful, and the gritty recovery rules don't make this better, just change the time scale of the problem. If you don't want to change the existing nomenclature, call this a "medium rest" if you will.
What are your thoughts on the topic?
a certain type of player will look at this and rest 3 times in a row until everything that can be refilled is at maximum.
stackable refills are often just full refills with extra steps. instead maybe a refill that gets to 50% of the max value?
@@ruolbu I would still limit my players to one "medium rest" per day and require them to have a camp of some kind to take one. I personally don't see any problem with players resting up over multiple days. In exploration environments, (such as the wilderness or dungeons) taking multiple days to rest up is not free from risk (random encounters), or expenses (rations).
The point of medium rests is to maintain tension in these environments without either crippling the party's ability to recover (only short rests) or trivialising the danger through complete recovery (allowing long rests).
I would still allow the party to recover 1 level of exhaustion per medium rest, but that is because exhaustion is more common in my games and I use them to replace death saves. In a more standard game, I might allow a DC 10 CON save to recover a level of exhaustion instead to keep things interesting and impactful.
Great video Bob, I will be trying to talk my players into using Nimble. Think we might see this at Green Dragon Fest next year?
Thanks! Like many systems coming out today, I think it's got some graet ideas to learn from, but I encourage people to frankenstein their own games at home. So in that way, yeah I'll probably put some Nimble into whatever I run next year at GDF :)
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by nimble. Lots of nice ideas!
Right after you were interrupted by a plane, one flew over my place. Weird timing. Lol
Same thing happened at my house…so weird!!
Bob is spoiling us with two different vehicles this time!
Because you brought up the grid: As long as the rules include movement speeds, area of effect sizes, attack ranges etc. my favored way to play will always be on a grid. I want the satisfaction of that perfectly placed fireball. In gridless combat distances become arbitrary and constant DM decisions are needed to adjucate what distance you can move, what is in range, how many targets are hit by an aoe etc. Because of this, I'd actually argue playing on a grid is faster, because players don't need to constantly check in with the DM about everything.
Same. I think games that want to support theater of the mind better should all have "close" and "far" at least as constant tags everyone has with mechanical meaning. It's too ambiguous otherwise.
Agreed and with online VTT tools such as Owlbear it's so easy to set up combat and scenarios
I agree with the satisfaction of a perfectly placed area effect! As for constantly checking with the DM, has that been your experience when trying gridless? I've not had that experience.
@@BobWorldBuilder Unfortunately, yes.
"Can I make it to that orc with 30 feet? Not that one, the other one."
"How many enemies can I hit with my fireball? Oh no I mean without hitting my friends."
"Are any of the enemies in range of my hand crossbow?"
How do you handle this stuff without a grid, and without having to ask? Maybe I just don't see the obvious.
I love the new Novice and lvl 0 from DC20 as it makes it easier to get new players in a roleplaying BEFORE they even have a sheet to look at XD teaches them to be in character first.
ohhh that tax form joke got me good!
We seemed to be really aligned in gaming styles. I especially liked when you said something about people should not have to spend all their time on learning 300+ page rules. I have been running D&D 5E since February for my wife's group, and I am ready to stop using it. We have thrown out so many rules that I don't think we are really playing 5E anymore (lol).
I planned on running EZD6 when we come to a stopping point on this campaign. I'll check out Nimble, and thanks for the recommendation!
Give Shadowdark a look too! Very fun and free, and I think Bob has a video on it too
@@Alien-ss2kp Oh, I have it! I run it for my oldest daughter, her friends, and for a tweens group. I love it!
The main problem is that my wife's group likes all those options from 5E, but they don't like a lot of rules. They felt that Shadowdark was too low powered. But at least all the kids like it, right?
I enjoy all of Bob World Builder videos 😊
Thanks Bob. Going to check it out.
train ambience to study to - I see what you did there
There are only two points I would like to add:
1. Almost every mechanic you criticized was considered a necessary holdover from D&D, because the developers wanted it to be fully compatible with existing 5e modules. It might be comforting to know that the developers would’ve liked to change some of those things as well. In fact, I don’t think they wanted to do conditions at all.
2. You really need to take a shot at playing Nimble with the RAW long rest mechanics. I think it works and my group enjoys it. Being that you’re really into DCC, I bet you’ll grow to really like it too. The new long rest mechanics do raise the stakes but not so much that dungeon crawling feels impossible to do, it just adds a sense of urgency.
Don’t knock exhaustion + long rest rules until you try it. It’s great. Hitting 0 hp HURTS and you feel the pain for a long time so as a result players work harder to stay away from 0 hit points (in my experience) so it sort of becomes a non issue. But when you do get wrecked and take exhaustion you feel it for DAYS and it becomes thematic. “Oh yeah I still have -1 from that time the bug bear hadoukened me off the cliff, don’t even know how I survived that haha” it becomes a point in time referred back to. I also make players roll on long lasting injury / scar table.
My group switched over to Nimble a few months back. I've enjoyed it. I do think that just getting everyone to understand the rules is the biggest drawback but that's the danger of any RPG or game. I have seen the fights bog with a lot of enemies. Regardless, I've backed the updated Nimble. Love your videos! Keep it up.
I really liked the Nimble zine and I happily backed this new expanded version.
I have used some of the proposed changes from Nimble to great effects - the modification to the combat action (ex.: dash) and the death saves have been extremely fun for my group. The new rest mechanics are also really good.
I love gridless combat. My wife and I are wargamers so we have been able to convince our friend who is running a Pathfinder 1e game to go gridless. It has been so good for the game.
The new classes and features look awesome! Pocket sand is epic. Watch out!!
The thing that I think could justify this Long Rest/Exhaustion combo would be that it can encourage using Downtime Activities. Granted, you'll need to make Downtime engaging (and I feel 5e only did this marginally successfully after XGtE), but this does incentivize including it in your game. I personally love Downtime Activities because it enriches the world and the PC's interactions with it, so I like that this version of resting and healing could further encourage it, but I know that's not every group's cup of tea.
Your comments on reactions remind me of the philosophy for reactions in my favorite [board] game, Dominion. I think all the reactions in it are meant to happen when you're already supposed to do something.
Hot Take: Regarding skills, I'm not sure if only using ability scores and removing skills somehow magically generates more creative play solutions or approaches. You will still have players who will try avoid using bad stats or trying to use their best stats for achieving an objective. IME, it just shifts the problem around.
Bob, as I was watching the video it occurred to me that 2or 3 of things you thought bad could in fact be the counter to each other. I'm talking about high HP and the death/exhaustion/long rest. It seems to me that higher HP values would make the dying/exhaustion issue less likely. And when you did the plug for Nimble before, their take on Long Rests was the first time I EVER liked the mechanic at all....
I use exhaustion on knockouts but use 10 levels of exhaustion, death at 10, short rests recover 1, long rest 3, lesser restoration 2, greater restoration 4, heal all. Also have more ways to give it
Enjoying the outdoor vids ...
I love that they're bringing some fresh ideas to the game. This is definitely on my list. You didn't really go into how armor works tho. That would be useful for people who haven't seen your other ... oh, I see. 😉
We can't really say how much more powerful character classes are getting in the new core rulebook until the Monster Manual comes out. Ideally the monsters will be appropriately challening based on their challenge rating.
Looking forward to hearing more about Nimble!
That tax form during the character sheet bit got me good. I howled on accident.
Build it Bob! Build it!
I love all your videos!
If we all skip the new edition of D&D we could donate enough money to help this man get a place to live!
It sounds as if there are strong "borrowings" from the "D6 System", which does the "you can attack, or you can defend, but you have to take that action to do it. And the trimming of attributes by removing Constitution and grouping it with Strength. The whole interrupt when others are doing something reminds me of another game (can't remember the name). So it sounds like Nimble is an amalgam of a few concepts from other games.
"Players are getting more powerful! DMs aren't having fun!"
Me, a DM: (adds more/stronger enemies, cackles madly)
As much as I enjoy D&D (3rd, 5th, heck even AD&D) I do have a soft spot for the Microlite20 system (a heavily simplified d20/3.5 system), so this was nice to see.
Those stat numbers honestly make me want to try it with 2d6 skill checks...
I never liked being able to do something like block on another players turn unless you have a reaction for it. The interpose sounds cool
I think skills are a great way to help characters with similar stats feel unique in areas where class mechanics don't apply, but I do agree that the skills look really bloated the sheet. I personally love how Lancer RPG does skills, where a player can stat into a vague skill like "Charm" and the player can justify how that skill bonus can apply to a situation. Helps a lot with the common feeling of 5e where everyone is stepping on each other's toes.
The tax return part was hilarious 😆 I remember making a 4e character with a generator once and printing out all the pertinent ability cards and stuff and it was legit like the size of a tax return, sorta turned me off right away because I had to hastily review all of that before my first turn after I was told that the character generator would make everything a lot easier 💀 on exhaustion, I like the idea of stacking exhaustion penalties that are less specific than the usual ones in 5e to discourage getting knocked out constantly, but IMO the exhaustion threshold for death should be based on CON or HD or something instead of being fixed at 6 for all characters.
I think you could fix the long rest problem by adding a medium rest, which is basically a short rest that can reduce exhaustion.
Backed it with the affiliate link. Looks like a great modern/indie improvement to 5E. I don’t play 5E but this looks great. Just have to leave out Skills and Proficiencies.
@13:43 character flaws are character features lol
i like to look at the skills list to remind me what other options there are to solve a problem and if i'm not good at the associated skill it gives me an opportunity to flesh out my character with role play, which admittedly took me a while to learn to do.
but yeah if you are not going to use what you are given and always revert to the same playstyle/problem solving methods, then they are a waste of space and distracting.
i am not trying to disparage against that method, i've had some fun characters who always blew up their problem or always ran away but thats definitely down to the player and not a fault of the system.
I've experimented with "always hit" and exploding dice instead of rolling to hit in the past, but the conclusion I came to is that players get way more hyped at the natural 20 or natural 1 than they would in another way.
I really want to try Nimble as soon as they have a Fantasy Grounds ruleset. I've stopped backing even games that look awesome if they don't have a VTT version; I have too many games that I will never get to the table. To anyone contemplating a new game - commit to (at a minimum) Fantasy Grounds, Foundry and Roll20 versions before you launch your kickstarter.
Yeppers. Nimble once a 6 page document of key ideas and tips. Now it’s going to be its own real boy. I backed it and went for the full boxed set. ❤
I'm coming into this as a long-time Hero System/Champions gaming background. When I heard that Fatigue was healed by a long rest, thinking about D&D's ridiculously fast healing system, I crinkled my nose. ("Mm. More of the same.") Then, when you said a Long Rest could only be found in a legitimate healing situation, my interest grew. I get that epic fantasy has equated to video game healing rates since the 80s, but I would not watch a movie or read a book with that low threshold for removing drama. Any kind of story, for me, needs gritty stakes, but that's about modifying the threat, not kindergartening the healing rate. Again, that's what Hero does, that's what exciting stories do, and that's not what D&D does. I like this game's re-grit-ifing the epic fantasy genre.