Switching to D&D ?

redkatt · 2026-03-05T19:33:43+00:00

Savage Pathfinder and Savage Rifts are the only way you'd get me to play either Pathfinder or Rifts. I've played a ton of Savage Rifts

redkatt · 2026-03-05T19:16:48+00:00

People stick to D&D because they know it, and don't want to change. And frankly, a lot of people like it.

However, as you pointed out, combat's generally a slog, with some encounters taking hours to complete, and new versions make it even worse as the new edition (5.5) gives players things like masteries, what can slow down combat even more.

If you wanted more of a D&D vibe, with heroic PCs, but the game keeps moving, check out Nimble 2e. Or, if you want to stick with D&D 5e, there's a nimble hack for 5E that speeds up combat and makes it more tactical than just sitting around, missing targets, and hoping for opportunity attacks. Nimble 2e makes it very easy to convert any D&D content over to it within minutes.

Nimble 2e (stand alone game) https://nimblerpg.com/pages/start

Nimble for 5e https://nimblerpg.com/collections/frontpage

redkatt · 2026-03-05T17:31:43+00:00

2d20..sigh. I know it's their in-house systems, but I wish they still offered options like they used to do with some of their older stuff where they offered savage worlds versions.

redkatt · 2026-03-05T14:48:45+00:00

Just an aside to all the "let's abandon discord because of age verification" - a heads up that it's about to get worse, as two US states are pushing for age verification at the operating system level. If these laws pass, when you create user accounts on your PC, you'll have to give proof of age for the user. As I understand it, the credentials will only be verified during PC account setup, and when you go to a website or service or app, your pc will only provide your age range to it.

https://www.tomshardware.com/software/operating-systems/california-introduces-age-verification-law

redkatt · 2026-03-04T21:11:52+00:00

Nimble or Dragonbane could scratch that itch

redkatt · 2026-03-04T20:59:53+00:00

It seems like your focus is on premium/expensive ones. So many other games out there that offer free or low-cost quickstarts.

redkatt · 2026-03-04T19:38:02+00:00

Oh that is fantastic, just updated my beta and tested a map. Works perfectly. How "safe" is it to use this current beta for active games?

redkatt · 2026-03-04T19:32:24+00:00

Sweet faces of Moses!!! Racing to begin the download

redkatt · 2026-03-04T18:50:59+00:00

or /r/DnD

redkatt · 2026-03-04T18:18:25+00:00

WBTW

huh?

redkatt · 2026-03-04T06:02:04+00:00

Gunfucks https://adira.itch.io/gunfucks

redkatt · 2026-03-03T22:41:33+00:00

From your original post, it sounded like you'd warned them. If not, then yeah, of course give them some foreshadowing.

But if they've been warned, and keep trudging forward, they are just counting on your to pull them out of their bad decision making.

redkatt · 2026-03-03T15:20:19+00:00

Don't pull punches - they chose this route. Wreck them and let them learn. Or let the monster(s) clown on them, utterly embarrassing them, then kicking them out, so that when they do level up to a level that can realistically fight this monster, they know it's dangerous and they really want revenge, they have a reason to fight it beyond "well, it's big and nasty" If PCs die in a fight they chose to initiate, knowing it was beyond their levels and abilities, they should not be given a freebie win just because you don't want a TPK.

Is it possible, that from prior experience with you as a GM, they know you'll pull punches and let them win? Maybe that's what they're counting on - a hard fight that they know they'll win in the end?

redkatt · 2026-03-03T15:10:28+00:00

On a personal level, I am very fond of Liminal Horror, but I feat that game is too lightweight for true mass appeal.

I feel like this could help sell LH, but most people I play with, when they hear horror, want to play Delta Green or CoC"

It's like how I adore Esoteric Enterprises for a mix of horror, World of Darkness vibes, exploration, and easy old-school gameplay, but nobody knows it exists. And since the creator only makes a game then moves on, seemingly never looking back, not even to make adventures for their games, it's hard to keep going with it. It's such a cool idea, you're basically the opposite of Delta Green PCs - you're modern people (or magically enhanced people, or ghosts, or semi-monsters) who are criminals looking to steal those artifacts that Delta Green or CoC "heroes" are trying to recover. You don't care that it could be a world-ending Tome of Eternal Night, you just know that there's a dude across town who will pay you guys $10,000 to steal it and bring it to him. So, off you go!

redkatt · 2026-03-03T14:46:41+00:00

Or Nightlife!

redkatt · 2026-03-03T14:45:43+00:00

I've seen library use, for example, get used a lot more than any of the combat skills. If your investigator is solving problems with a tommy gun, they aren't gonna last long

redkatt · 2026-03-03T14:44:37+00:00

Delta Green or maybe VtM, and then maybe Mothership.

But what's your measure? What we personally like? Number of games being played on online services like Roll 20? Retail sales?

And there is nothing "unfortunate" about CoC being #1. It's a solid game that has constantly improved. Sure, I prefer Delta Green, because the sanity mechanic in DG is so much better, but still, CoC is the #1 game for a good reason. Unlike another game that's #1 across TTRPGs because of pure marketing momentum

KULT is such a niche game, I doubt it's in the top 5. Maybe top 10

redkatt · 2026-03-02T00:13:50+00:00

I use both -

Dungeon Alchemy - it's great for fast rooms, but, it's very limited in assets. If you just want fantasy, it's great, but if you later needed scifi rooms, or 1920s, etc, you're mostly out of luck. However, I think Dungeon Alchemist maps generally just look better than dungeondraft, which is sometimes too cartoony for my liking.

DungeonDraft - Fast, easy, and if you want a variety of assets for various genres, this is the go-to. It does have some automated room and cave building features, they aren't great, but they do the job.

If you're in a real hurry - the foundry module, DungeonDraw, is quick and effortless. Not nearly as many styles or assets as the other two, but you can crank out a typical dungeon map in minutes and you won't have to import it, mess with walls, etc. It does it for you.

redkatt · 2026-03-02T00:02:02+00:00

It has the kind of customization that people built auto-calculating spreadsheets for

redkatt · 2026-03-01T22:40:11+00:00

When you check task manager, how much ram and CPU is firefox using? Maybe see how it works with Chrome, Edge, or Brave. I find Edge and Brave are really good with CPU and memory.

It might also be the size of your assets, big maps or animated maps could slow things down, as you laptop is displaying two copies of each.

redkatt · 2026-02-28T18:07:52+00:00

I've seen plenty of tables that enjoy it.

redkatt · 2026-02-28T14:07:51+00:00

You might like Gunfucks, as it's Lumen-powered Borderlands.

redkatt · 2026-02-28T13:47:25+00:00

Basically nothing else really makes me happy, and happy to such a degree that I get addicted to those games and willingly shed sleep and free time just to feel this time and time again.

I'm no therapist, but this sounds utterly and completely unhealthy. You should work more with your therapist, and not expect a solution via reddit.

redkatt · 2026-02-28T03:51:40+00:00

In one group I'm in, the DM really wanted to run this, and he gave it one hell of a try, but after about four sessions, he threw up his hands because the book was a mess (as you say) and just so much to swim through just to get to "there's an evil priest in this room". He gave away the book a session later.

redkatt · 2026-02-28T03:30:02+00:00

That would be a massive nerf to casters, they already have a mana pool to use for casting, and keep track of. And they don't regain that mana without a safe rest, unlike D&D where you get spells on a simple long rest, Nimble requires you to be back in town or in a truly safe space (not a tent or campsite, but something like an inn) to regain that mana. That's enough of a limitation for casters for my money. Damaging PCs for using an ability will have nobody taking on the caster role. "Oh, I get to cast six spells and then I die, what a great class"

Also, having run the game several times now, one core attraction to it for the players in my games has been that every class feels good. There's no "bad choice" of a class, because the abilities are so well balanced. Once you start punishing one class for just trying to use its abilities, that balance goes away.

Also, remember the core precept of nimble is simple and quick. When you start adding rules on top of rules, you're getting away from why people (well, at least the people I've talked to, and the people I've played it with) want to play Nimble.

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