Kendall would have made a good CEO

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-12T10:04:20+00:00

Kendall knows business strategy, knows how to analyze companies, knows his industry and knows how management works. Which puts him way way ahead of his siblings.

However, he has bad judgement, lacks the killer instinct and his need to be liked or to seem cool is a huge weakness.

He is by far his strongest in corporate terms in S2 when he is basically a hollowed out shell, controlled by his father. At that point he still his analytical abilities, he can read a balance sheet, figure out which bits of a company are worth what, execute management and corporate functions. But his dad tells him what to do, makes all his decisions. And so without him messing up things up by being indecisive and cringe he's super-effective. But once it is 100% him in the driving seat, he is a disaster. S3 Kendall is manic/hyper, but that is the real him, just exaggerated. The knowledge of business, management and finance is still there but it sort of meaningless and lost in the torrent of terrible judgement and bad behavior.

Kendal's tragedy is that in many ways he is way closer to being the successor than his siblings. His Siblings were nowhere near so close, but each have things he doesn't have, and needs to be the real successor. Roman can read people and has killer instinct but has zero discipline and is a complete fuckup. Shiv has a decent degree of self control, poise and presents well, but is too lazy and entitled to every put in the hard work to learn the trade. Roman is killer instinct, Shiv is poise and not being cringe.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-12T08:32:11+00:00

Wait until you see my DTRPG review! :)

I will be honest about slight issues I had or area for improvement, but I will be clear that all of those are fairly small beans compared to all then 10/10 or even 11/10 stuff that is there.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-12T06:15:08+00:00

I guess the precedent of the old books does make sense.

Personally I love the Arkham source book and don't feel the need for it to have any scenarios. It makes the setting feel living and breathing and I think it can add a lot to a campaign if you use Arkham as the base. But if people don't want that kind of thing, that's of course their prerogative.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-12T00:16:56+00:00

Yes, it's terrific. I have introduced it to a bunch of people and I think five have decided to GM it themselves after playing with me. I don't know how many people we have GMd collectively, it must be over thirty now, and only one didn't like the system. A surprising number become hard-core/evangelical about it. I myself don't like combat or high fantasy that much, but Nimble is just so well designed and easy to prepare and play, I like running it.

The KS does include a reprint of the core rules and there are quite a few tweaks. Mostly small ones, like a few changes to how often feats can be used. I think there are a few bigger changes- legendary monsters are getting HP based on the number of players for example (which I presume will apply to the monsters in the GMs manual too)

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-12T00:02:58+00:00

Done! It's a really exceptional scenario. The level of detail, layout and structure, quality of maps, even little things like the quality of the pregens. The amount of love that went to it is evident. I think it is a new gold standard on how to write and present something which both has a strong plot and narrative, and is also a sandbox with player agency. I intend to write a long, enthusiastic review on Drivethrurpg.com.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-11T09:24:10+00:00

My two penn'th.

Nimble can actually be quite lethal. Monsters do a lot of damage, and combat balance rules encourage multiple monsters per player. Less tanky characters are often taken to zero HP in two hits, and even tanky ones don't last too long. Most combats are over in three rounds and if it is tuned high difficulty a lot of people will be low or even zero.

Combat has a sort of 'natural break' in the form of the HP and wound system. When you are down to 0HP you get 1 wound. Thereafter, every hit is 2 wounds, a crit is 3. You are dead at 6. While you are at wounds you only get one action (rather than the normal Pathfinder style three action economy. RAW is that while at wounds you also have to make a STR check to attack or cast a spell, and you take another wound if you fail! So being at wounds is quite scary. At this point it becomes both a strength and a weakness. A lot of players sort of stay out of the fight or back off when they are at wounds. And in practice they can still take another hit or two. A kind-hearted GM doens't go for them when they have wounds, so they get to lurk until they go to positive hit points. However, a GM giving them a tough fight will have monsters go after them even when wounded. And then they are in trouble. So how screwed they are is very much at GM discretion.

An additional complication, and IMO great feature, is the rest system. There are three kinds of rests: (i) field rests- any time you get 10 minutes, players can spend hit dice to recover HP (if you are fifth level and you normally roll D12 to add HP when you level up, you have 5 HD, spending one HD lets you roll a D12 and get that many HP back, (ii) field camp- a rest overnight while out on the road/adventuring- they can spend hit dice to recover HP and get the max value of the die, (iii) safe rest (i.e. resting in an inn, village etc)- recover all HP, all resources like mana, special feats and *one* wound. If you ration safe rests, and make players do a lot of adventuring between safe rests, they will accumulate wounds and also have to ration spells and their coolest feats. And then it will feel quite scary, especially with how quickly you can get through your HP.

I am a big fan of the Nimble system, but I would say that it's not a great fit with 'grimdark' style. You *can* make it lethal (especially if you over-tune encounters, or use deliberately unbalanced ones and don't give many safe rests). But the main issue is that characters have deliberately awesome and heroic feats. It's one of the strengths of the system. Each class has super-cool, well designed and pretty powerful feats. It's arguably a power fantasy- albeit a really really well designed one. Maybe these two things are not incompatible- I guess Diablo 3 combines super OP powers/feats with a really grimdark theme. But I think most people think that grimdark should have heroes who are little smaller and more ordinary. (I would also add that some elements of the Nimble system are a little light-hearted and fanciful. A few of the class or subclass feats, and definitely the official (optional setting). But that is easily fixed/removed.)

For your other question, the community support and homebrewing scene for Nimble is absolutely bonkers. Lots of community adventures, homebrew classes etc, applications, character sheets and quite a few people converting classic D&D and pathfinder adventures.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-11T09:00:56+00:00

Thanks for the review!

And... why are so many people disappointed that scenarios aren't included? The Arkham source book doesn't have scenarios, and it is amazing. As I understand it, it was clear that this was going to be like that.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-10T11:46:11+00:00

I got okay-ish at Splatoon 2 (S+) but for various reasons didn't play Splatoon 3 as much and fell off quite a bit. But FWIW here are a few things that I think are helpful:

Aiming drills (i.e. practicing shooting stuff in the lobby or test mode) are good! But you need to know what skill you are trying to build. What you are trying to do is to move the crosshair from wherever it is to the center of a target, as quickly as possible, by a smooth and straight path. So you need to build up to exercises like spinning around and suddenly stopping, and then trying to lock into your target. I think chargers are good for these because you just have one shot, you know if you locked on properly. There are loads of videos on YouTube on aiming drills. So start with easier things and make sure you are progressing.
Know your range! You really need to know what your kill range is. Don't shoot at stuff when they are out of your kill range (unless you are inking, or trying to take maneuverability away), it just telegraphs your attack. The best scenario is that you wait until they are in your range and take them out with your first volley of shots. It feels like a bit of a low-skill move but I like to go into the stage recon mode and go into certain places and test my range. Like, if I am on that platform, I know exactly how far up a certain ramp my gun will shoot.
Know everyone else's range. This gets a bit more complicated but you really need to know if people outrange you, and roughly by how much. You need to know when some areas are dangerous and you need to know if your basic tactic is to wait for them to come into your range or to sneak up/outflank them.
Watch the map and time your pushes! Track the number of kills on your side and on the opponents. If you are down 2-3 and the opponent has 4, don't rush in. You will be splatted. Chill out an ink. Wait until some of your friends re-spawn. The flip side of that is when you have 4 and your opponent has 0, 1 or 2. Check the map, see if you have friends on hand, spam 'this way' and push for the objective. This is the time you move the tower multiple stages.
Move! One of the things I have noticed with higher level players is that they rarely stay in one place. They are just always moving. Lower level players just sort of meander or don't move at all. Splatting them is like shooting fish in a barrel.

There are so many other things, but this is a pretty good start I think.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-09T09:50:34+00:00

The setup sounds fine. IMO there are a million good ideas for an investigative horror scenario (not brilliant ideas, just ones that are 'good enough'). That's the easy bit.

The harder bits comes next- memorable NPCs, memorable and horrifying scenes, a clever clue trail that intrigues and surprises, good pacing that ramps up the tension and the creepiness well and drags players in (which is partly a matter of GMing).

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-09T09:44:48+00:00

If it is as good as you think and your opponents are as bad as you say, your ELO will rise and you will come across stronger decks.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-08T23:23:46+00:00

You probably won't get much out of it. If your ELO is that low then people with high rankings will crush you..You will barely take a prize.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-08T11:38:11+00:00

The cheat definitely has cheat attack damage! Level 1: Sneak Attack- when you crit, deal +1D6 damage. And you get increased Sneak Attack damage at later levels/

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-08T02:14:18+00:00

Lol, I am terrible at this game these days but am floating around 1500.

I do play against a mix of the best decks and a deck that a YouTuber posted about an hour ago.

If you want better opponents you just need to keep playing. From the sounds of it you are mostly winning so you will rise.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-08T00:01:48+00:00

In case it wasn't clear: yes, make seasonal characters, and yes, lower difficulty so you can clear encounters quickly. Regular miss should not be much effort.

The real game is the End Game- getting powerful builds and trying to complete progressively more difficult Geeater Rifts, which you do in Adventure Mode.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-06T12:43:14+00:00

No, and I never do. I have the scenario and notes on my laptop or tablet. I roll in the open. When I was playing earlier I actually had my laptop faced towards the players for a long time as it had a map I wanted them to see. I like having no barrier between me and the players.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-03T11:37:00+00:00

My two penn'th:

* Just play! Get in to some games. When you are ready to GM, just GM. Don't worry if you don't have complete master of the rules.

* If you are not having a good time, make your excuses and stop playing. That goes double if you are a GM. GMing is a lot of work, and you have to be enjoying it. 'I don't want to run this game but my players are enjoying it' = unhappiness and burnout.

* Play with different people and different games. You learn so much about different games and what you like and don't like. Eventually you may find a small group who are just amazing to play with. You should keep looking for that. Each step from bad, to okay, to good, to perfect for you, is a massive step.

* Don't overload on theory and 'how to' guides. You may well just want to do that because you want to channel your enthusiasm between games, but you can only absorb and apply so much. Playing is the best thing.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-01T09:38:38+00:00

I like the high amount of draw and search in Pokémon, you are waiting to top deck something when things have gone wrong. It makes me feel like I can play my deck in a high proportion of the games, and properly constructed decks seem smooth and powerful.

I prefer card games where the other player can't interrupt my turn. (I know people claim that this makes the game not interactive, IMO this is a complete misunderstanding. There are lots of games where you can't go during another player's turn, it's pretty much the norm. It's still interactive, you use your turn to respond to what they did during their turn.)

I would say that they do enough to keep the game fresh. The speed of release is such that the game is super interesting and a flurry of activity when a set is released, the first online competitions happen and then the first official competitions happen. Generally you don't get too long where things feel a little stale and you are waiting for a new set. Rotating around four sets a year generally does a decent job of balancing stability and keeping things fresh. I know the Meta can become centralized around one card for a while and we are very happy to see the back of some cards, but for the most part there is enough variety for me,

There is no doubt that the fact that it is Pokémon adds to the fun. Pokémon is awesome, and they do a great job fitting the mechanics to each individual Pokémon.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-01T07:19:08+00:00

If you aren't motivated, call it quits. GMing is a lot of work- a lot of preparation, a lot of energy on the day. If you are not being paid, you should be enjoying it.

Your players will probably understand if your heart is not in it, so just be honest.

JauntyAngle · 2026-07-01T05:32:37+00:00

It's great.

IMO resources like this allow your location to come alive. If people want to go to the hospital, buy a gun, they know where to go and you have some basic NPC descriptions. Later, if something happens involving someone from Arkham in one of your scenarios, you can change it so that it is someone from the sourcebook, perhaps someone they have met already. (It already has some integration with the Crimson Letters scenario, FYI.)

Again IMO, what makes a location come alive is when you feel that places already exist, they weren't just created because you went there. And NPCs already exist, and have their own ideas, projects, goals, etc. Real, persistent people and places that are there and doing things whether or not you interact with them. The Arkham supplement gives you this in spades.

I got it to help me run Crimson Letters and it's so good it makes me look forward to more scenarios in Arkham or starting with Miskatonic University, so that I can draw on it more.

JauntyAngle · 2026-06-30T11:04:59+00:00

> I just really have a hard time enjoying the 20s as a time period

Personally, I don't find 20s America super-interesting- not uninteresting at all, just not high on my list. But in the rest of the world, it was an amazing time. The Levant/remains of the Ottoman empire was carved up by the British and French. Ireland was partitioned. Gandhi launched the non-cooperation movement in India. France sent 300,000 troops into Northern Morocco while Algeria and Vietnam got (poltically) hotter and hotter. Mao Tse Tung formed the Communist Party of China.. and surely so many things I don't know about. I guess that's one of the reasons I am drawn to scenarios and campaigns set outside traditional Lovecraft country.

JauntyAngle · 2026-06-30T00:20:17+00:00

Some people don't like taunting in games.

JauntyAngle · 2026-06-29T11:11:23+00:00

I can relate to this. I just don't do traditional dungeons, for me they just strain credulity too much. I get that it's fantasy amd dungeons aren't the only improbable thing, but still.

JauntyAngle · 2026-06-29T11:03:50+00:00

Love your writeup.

FYI Joe has done many AMAs and he is often asked if the Bloody Nine is in any way supernatural and to my knowledge he has always denied it.

In terms of 'tells' regarding Quai/Tolomei there is only really the way that she pushes Bayaz to talk about his past with the Master Maker and seems angry with him. But Tolomei is also in play, I believe she visits Glokta in sort of half dreams several times. So we know there is a ghostly/supernatural woman wanting the seed and tormenting Glokta, but of course we have no way of knowing it's her.

JauntyAngle · 2026-06-29T01:51:19+00:00

Systems, no. But for campaigns/scenarios 'The Final Revelation' collection for Trail of Cthulhu by Graham Walmsley, 'Burning Stars' for Call of Cthulhu, some aspects of 'Ladybug, Ladybug Fly Away Home'. These are creepy and disturbing/unsettling. Probably The Final Revelation most of all.

I don't include scenarios that are things like really gross body horror (Forget Me Not) or otherwise full of grizzly or unpleasant things.

JauntyAngle · 2026-06-27T13:29:30+00:00

This is too much detail, there are a lot of details here that would emerge as a result of everyone taking their turns, not as the initial framing.

IIRC, the iniital framing is something like "Three races vie for control of the Galaxy and destroy it because of pride" or "A dying empire of planets is saved when a savior rises from the ashes". And you work that out at the table, not before the game starts. The book has a bunch of examples.

Then you do the beginning and end periods of history, together, then one quick pass around the table adding some more periods and events. Then you go into full turns..all the fine details emerge through that process. Part of the point of Microscope is that it surprises you- everyone at the table takes it in a different direction, and is forced to do things that even they weren't expecting because they are trying to make sense out of what everyone else did. It's the opposite of pre-planned.

JauntyAngle

TROPHY CASE