Dungeons & Dragons is virtually synonymous with “tabletop role-playing video games,” however generally you need one thing a little bit completely different. Or not less than I do. And within the wake of Wizard of the Coast’s 2023 OGL fiasco, a ton of TTRPGs which might be D&D-like however completely different in their very own approach popped up–Vital Position’s Daggerheart, Kobold Press’ Tales of the Valiant, The Arcane Library’s Shadowdark, Gila RPGs’ Dragon Slayers, and MCDM Productions’ Draw Steel, simply to call a number of. My favourite of the lot (so far–time and cash prevents me from enjoying all the things I need to attempt) is Nimble, which initially existed instead ruleset for D&D 5e in 2023, however then it advanced into its personal system in 2024 with a Backerkit crowdfunder that exceeded its $5,000 objective by over $260,000. Now, Nimble is on Kickstarter for a reprint and growth, and it has overshot its $50,000 objective by $663,000 with per week to go (as of publishing this text).
Nimble is a system constructed on velocity. It accomplishes this by being extra environment friendly than plenty of different combat-driven TTRPGs. Simply evaluating it to D&D 5.5e, Nimble has 4 means scores as an alternative of six, and 10 abilities as an alternative of 18 (which is too many, WotC!). These modifications make for a smaller and easier-to-track character sheet. This additionally makes it very simple to onboard new gamers, even when they’ve by no means performed a TTRPG. As a substitute of maintaining observe of the pages of notes you’d want for one thing like D&D, Nimble solely asks you to maintain on prime of what quantities to half a web page of numbers whenever you’re first beginning out. In Nimble, you possibly can perceive your character at a look.
Fight is the place Nimble actually shines, although. There aren’t a ton of weapons and spells however every does one thing distinctive and is beneficial, and since initiative places emphasis on the gamers going earlier than enemy creatures and assaults nearly all the time hit, each participant feels suitably heroic each time fight occurs. A easy and easy-to-remember motion economic system and loosy-goosey dealing with of initiative order ensures the Sport Grasp can maintain battles feeling punchy and fast-paced as effectively, controlling the tempo of each scene and creating avenues for the gamers to be each inventive and tactical. My largest qualm with D&D, particularly on the larger ranges of play, is {that a} single fight encounter can final for 3 to 4 hours (generally longer!). In Nimble, the longest encounter I’ve ever had was an hour. I like having room for the exploration and social pillars in my classes, which generally solely final for 3 hours.
All that mentioned, there are a number of notable holes in Nimble. For instance, one in all my gamers needed to play as a magical inventor or tinkerer in one in all my adventures, and that wasn’t actually an option–Nimble solely launched with the barbarian-like Berserker, thief-like Cheat, weapon specialist Commander, bow-wielding Hunter, magic specialist Mage, paladin-like Oathsworn, summoner-focused Shadowmancer, healer-focused Shepherd, support-focused Songweaver, druid-like Stormshifter, and martial artist Zephyr, with the witch-like Hexbinder accessible as an add-on. And so that is what this second Kickstarter for Nimble is–a means by which to handle probably the most distinguished holes within the system for each gamers and Sport Masters.
“Most of this marketing campaign is [Monsters & More], a e book of tons of of latest monsters,” Nimble designer Evan Diaz instructed me. “It makes it simple on the [Game Master] to run them, and it is simple to steadiness them, and it is simple to prep, and also you needn’t do plenty of these issues that make individuals not need to be a GM.”
Those that again the Kickstarter additionally obtain a free PDF of the Creator’s Equipment, a how-to information for making homebrew content material for Nimble to then share with the group. “I am printing [the Creator’s Kit] now for the primary time extensively, so all of the orders are coming with that,” Diaz mentioned. “I actually need to incentivise individuals making their very own stuff, and I believe that the third-party creator’s license for Nimble is probably the most open amongst any TTRPG. It is principally ‘use something.’
“The group has been so cool, so I need to give away as a lot of these items [as possible], simply let individuals use it in homebrew and even make stuff and promote it. I need it to be as simple as potential for individuals to try this, and folks have been making plenty of actually cool stuff. In order that’s one factor I am actually enthusiastic about. I am actually pleased with that.”
Of course, some do not have a need to leap into the Sport Grasp chair (cowards) or to make their very own creations. This Kickstarter is geared toward these gamers as effectively, including new choices in character creation. Most notably, the Kickstarter bundles new hero courses into a brand new assortment of zines–this contains the beforehand separate Hexbinder, however provides the magical inventor Artificer, telepathic and telekinetic Psion, and death-defying Revenant as effectively.
“At first I did not even see the fantasy for the Artificer,” Diaz mentioned. “I used to be like, ‘I do not know. I do not need to do it.’ However then some individuals have been like, ‘All proper. Two phrases for you: Iron Man.’ And I used to be like, ‘All proper. We’ll make it.’ I simply have to see the angle, after which I get it.”
“The Psion is just like the anti-Mage. They may do magic-like issues, however slightly than controlling the weather, they management individuals. They management individuals or objects. So it’s distinctly purely bodily and never magical. After which the Revenant is simply off by itself. It is doing its personal factor.”
The Revenant, a stretch objective add-on, sounds very cool. And I am a little bit mad that D&D does not actually have something like it–a class that dangers all of it to toy with demise, slightly than attempt to keep away from it like all of the others. “The courses, they drop to zero hit factors, they get weaker, proper?” Diaz mentioned. “However the Revenant, they drop to zero hit factors they usually’re stronger now, they’ve this different mode.”
Each class in Nimble has two subclasses, with the participant selecting which path their character opts for at degree 3. However a number of of the courses have a 3rd “story-based” subclass, which may solely be chosen below sure circumstances. If the Oathsworn breaks their oath, they turn into an Oathbreaker; the Commander turns into a Spellblade in the event that they discover a magical artifact or weapon; the Shadowmancer turns into a Reaver in the event that they’re lower off from the patron that presents them their magic; and the Hunter transforms right into a Beastmaster in the event that they undertake a magical monster like a dragon or owlbear. New books on this Kickstarter add extra of those story-based subclasses, in addition to conventional subclasses to buff up the numbers of these historically supplied.
“The Cheat is getting a brand new story-based subclass,” Diaz mentioned. “So somebody who began off as a swindler or cheater, after which they provide that up. It is referred to as the Honor Seeker. So that they’re sincere, they usually have a [unique] mechanic as an alternative of Sneak Assault.” Sneak Assault is generally the principle mechanic of the Cheat, permitting them to deal further harm to enemies who’re distracted. Your complete class is constructed around–as the identify suggests–trying to “cheat” a battle and reap the benefits of weakened targets.
“[The Honor Seeker] will get benefit when the enemies have the higher hand. They’re an underdog, they usually’re attempting to get extra enemies to battle them. It is nonetheless the Cheat, but it surely’s the other of [how the class works]. A whole lot of the completely different courses are getting their very own story-based subclass. The Revenant remains to be very early. The Artificer is a bit additional alongside, however ideally I would really like for every class to have not less than one story-based subclass the place it is the other, just like the Oathsworn and Oathbreaker … Individuals simply need that, and it’s a must to help that.”
As well as, Monsters & Extra provides a brand new college of magic. In Nimble, all magic is split into components: Hearth, Ice, Radiant, Necrotic, Lightning, and Wind. The spells within the Hearth record hit exhausting or craft illusions, whereas Ice spells maintain creatures in place or concentrate on divination or protection, Radiant spells primarily heal or buff allies, Necrotic spells summon minions or enchant, Lightning spells concentrate on attacking from vary or teleporting, and Wind spells have a excessive likelihood of touchdown a essential hit and may push or pull targets. This new e book provides Earth spells to the sport.
“Earlier than this, all cantrips price one motion,” Diaz mentioned. “So I began to ask what mechanically can be iconic about Earth. It is sluggish, however robust. So the Earth cantrip prices two actions, but it surely’s actually robust.
“I actually need every spell college and every class to really feel distinctive and to really feel prefer it has its personal lane and it is not simply ‘one other d8 harm, however this spell appears to be like like hearth, and this different one appears to be like like this.'”
The largest query I had for Diaz was about complexity and energy creep. It occurs to each system that will get quite a few post-launch add-ons eventually–the creators maintain including extra courses and spells and guidelines, and shortly the complete TTRPG is an altogether completely different beast the place the brand new stuff is meta, the outdated stuff is out of date, and the principles take longer to be taught. We’re seeing this now with D&D 5.5e, which, whereas marketed as backwards suitable with 5e, is not actually proving to be the case with the brand new variations of subclasses and spells outpacing the “legacy” content material first revealed again in 2014 for 5e. The brand new stuff is simply stronger. There’s additionally simply extra of it although, with every of the brand new courses and subclasses (for probably the most half) able to making extra selections and having extra offensive choices from decrease ranges. Nimble made a reputation for itself with its simplicity and tactical, punchy gameplay. If the sport continues to evolve and develop and acquire an increasing number of mechanics, does not it lose a few of that?
“The factor that I am keenly conscious of is scope creep,” Diaz mentioned. “So I need to be tremendous cautious to hook into the present mechanisms and never have bloat. So any extra guidelines like terramancy or the Earth college [isn’t more]–spellcasters can select this college, however it’s a must to quit one in all your different spell faculties that you understand. So if you understand Lightning, Radiant, or Wind spells, you may give up a kind of spell faculties and change it with Earth magic. There’s not yet one more factor that it’s a must to maintain observe of.”
“There’s undoubtedly a hazard in placing an excessive amount of in your plate and ballooning the system and making it unorganizable. There are 9 Hearth spells [in Nimble], simply 9. And half of them you may by no means use as a result of no person’s going to play as much as degree 13, 14, 15, however they’re cool to take a look at … I do not assume we’d like any extra. There’s sufficient.”
He continued: “I’ve this view that I am making an entire system. We would have liked a bunch of monsters as a result of within the GM information, there wasn’t a bestiary in any respect. It was simply ‘Use your D&D monster books.’ However the individuals have been like, ‘No, you bought so as to add a bestiary.’ And so I am like, ‘All proper, I am going to add a number of.’ After which individuals have been like, ‘Oh, that is nice. How a couple of bunch extra?’ And that is smart. However after you have sufficient monsters, it is like, effectively, that is sufficient.”
“There’s this place that I am working towards, and I believe I am going to know once I get there, and I believe we’re fairly near there now. There have been these sure gaps within the system, identical to with any new system, that after we [fill those], then that’ll be completed. You possibly can all the time have extra adventures–you can all the time have extra different issues.”
If you wish to again Nimble’s Monsters & More Kickstarter, you will have till March 12. And in case you’re trying to speak store with different gamers, focus on homebrew creations, or search for a gaggle of individuals to play with, I extremely suggest hopping into the Nimble Discord–like so many different TTRPGs, all of it comes again to Discord.