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Savage Worlds Explorer's Edition
Savage Worlds is a Fast! Furious! and Fun! rules system for any genre of roleplaying game.
Create your own setting, convert an existing one, or pick up one of our amazing settings like Deadlands, Rippers, or 50 Fathoms. The rules give players plenty of depth to create their characters and keep bookkeeping to a minimum for the Game Master. If you’re looking for a game that’s fast and easy to set up, run, and play, Savage Worlds is for you!
Savage Worlds handles pulp action, gritty noir, supers, hard scifi, space opera, horror, and anything you can imagine!
Create your own setting, convert an existing one, or pick up one of our amazing settings like Deadlands, Rippers, or 50 Fathoms. The rules give players plenty of depth to create their characters and keep bookkeeping to a minimum for the Game Master. If you’re looking for a game that’s fast and easy to set up, run, and play, Savage Worlds is for you!
Savage Worlds handles pulp action, gritty noir, supers, hard scifi, space opera, horror, and anything you can imagine!
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2003
About the author
Shane Lacy Hensley
165 books20 followersShane Lacy Hensley is an author, game designer, and CEO of Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
(source: Wikipedia)
(source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
March 1, 2015
I came to read Savage Worlds because whenever someone posts about 'What system should I use for X?', it tends to appear alongside Fate, the Basic Role Playing system and such generic games. Savage Worlds appears to be the game you turn to when you want something action orientated, with a bit of pulp and bluster.
Essentially, it represents great value for money as systems go. For less than $10 or something like £6, you get a whole system ready to go. Not only do you have the core system, but you have a bunch of gamemastery advice, a bestiary of basic creatures, a section on Powers that essentially covers for spells, miracles, superpowers and weird science gadgets, and a bunch of one-sheet adventures.
All that in less than 200 pages.
However, having read it now, I find myself troubled by a system that seems to want to be simple, all-purpose and accessible, but somehow loses that in the crunch. It bothers me that the system has a terribly war game focussed feel, as if playing without a battle mat might offend someone. It feels like old Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, referring to things in inches. You have a range of X inches, or a pace, or a blast radius. If you want real world measurements, multiply the X by Y to get yards.
Why go through that? Why not opt for something really generic, like a measurement system without specific units - and then have a section about adapting to scale? So, Pace (the speed you move) might be 6. On a tabletop, you can use that to determine the number of spaces moved in a turn. In real world descriptions, you can move that in a free action on your turn, or triple that if you use up your action by running.
Whatever... I'm focussing too hard on one thing. At heart, what I'm trying to say is - it takes simplicity and appears to unnecessarily layer on complexity.
I love the Power system. That I can say without pause or hanging a but off the end of the sentence. You have a bunch of Powers like Blast, Armor or Speed. On top of that you can use Trappings to create a bit of character. When you fire a Bolt with a Fire trapping, it might produce a flare of blinding intensity or maybe it sticks when it hits a target. In practice, the Trapping offers flavour without too much mechanical divergence from the essentials of the power - but, does offer something extra to make you stand apart from the other guy with the same Power.
You can have these Powers as spells for a sorcerer, miracles for a person of faith, or maybe built into a gadget for a superhero or a mad scientist. For example, Judge Dredd's Lawgiver would be a superhero-style device with Blast, Bolt, Burst, and Stun - representing the various types of rounds it offers. Each Power user has a pool of Power Points, and Powers consume those points when you use them.
The basic system creates a character with a bunch of Traits with levels of expertise represented by dice. A weak ability will be d4 working up to considerable ability with a d12. Skills gives you focus, and allow you to do things better when actual talent or experience matters. Anyone can try to bend a metal bar, but suturing a wound or fixing an engine requires skill. If you don't have the skill, you can try at a penalty, or you might not get a chance to try at all if it seems totally unreasonable - like repairing a warp drive or completing brain surgery without any training.
You roll the dice and try to beat a basic target of 4.
If you're opposed by someone, you both roll and the player tries to beat their opponent.
If you want to hit someone, you need to beat their Parry score. Once you hit them, you need the damage to exceed their Toughness plus Armor.
When you do something a little tricky, you take a -1. More difficult -2. Rather hard, -4. Near impossible, -6.
If you roll the maximum number of the dice for a Trait roll, you roll over. So, roll a Vigor save to resist a stun attack. If you have a Vigor of d6 and roll a 6, roll again.
Also, players and significant villains get an extra dice to roll - a Wild Die, a six-sided die. Even if you have to use a weak ability, your significance as a key driver of the story gives you a Wild Die and a better chance of success. Roll both and take the better result. If you have to roll several dice, you can swap a good Wild Die out for any one bad die roll.
That's all good. Simple enough and straight forward. However, somehow, I then found myself floundering in the morass of detail, crunchy specifics and battle mat focussed inching.
I will give it a go. Don't get me wrong, I can see something in here for simple, action-orientated gaming. However, as the Gamemastery section suggest for your first game, I can see myself stripping away the superfluous crunchiness and keeping close to the core system. A Savage Worlds Lite I can see myself trying out occasionally, but despite the good value and the relatively short read, I don't necessarily see myself opting for Savage Worlds as written.
Essentially, it represents great value for money as systems go. For less than $10 or something like £6, you get a whole system ready to go. Not only do you have the core system, but you have a bunch of gamemastery advice, a bestiary of basic creatures, a section on Powers that essentially covers for spells, miracles, superpowers and weird science gadgets, and a bunch of one-sheet adventures.
All that in less than 200 pages.
However, having read it now, I find myself troubled by a system that seems to want to be simple, all-purpose and accessible, but somehow loses that in the crunch. It bothers me that the system has a terribly war game focussed feel, as if playing without a battle mat might offend someone. It feels like old Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, referring to things in inches. You have a range of X inches, or a pace, or a blast radius. If you want real world measurements, multiply the X by Y to get yards.
Why go through that? Why not opt for something really generic, like a measurement system without specific units - and then have a section about adapting to scale? So, Pace (the speed you move) might be 6. On a tabletop, you can use that to determine the number of spaces moved in a turn. In real world descriptions, you can move that in a free action on your turn, or triple that if you use up your action by running.
Whatever... I'm focussing too hard on one thing. At heart, what I'm trying to say is - it takes simplicity and appears to unnecessarily layer on complexity.
I love the Power system. That I can say without pause or hanging a but off the end of the sentence. You have a bunch of Powers like Blast, Armor or Speed. On top of that you can use Trappings to create a bit of character. When you fire a Bolt with a Fire trapping, it might produce a flare of blinding intensity or maybe it sticks when it hits a target. In practice, the Trapping offers flavour without too much mechanical divergence from the essentials of the power - but, does offer something extra to make you stand apart from the other guy with the same Power.
You can have these Powers as spells for a sorcerer, miracles for a person of faith, or maybe built into a gadget for a superhero or a mad scientist. For example, Judge Dredd's Lawgiver would be a superhero-style device with Blast, Bolt, Burst, and Stun - representing the various types of rounds it offers. Each Power user has a pool of Power Points, and Powers consume those points when you use them.
The basic system creates a character with a bunch of Traits with levels of expertise represented by dice. A weak ability will be d4 working up to considerable ability with a d12. Skills gives you focus, and allow you to do things better when actual talent or experience matters. Anyone can try to bend a metal bar, but suturing a wound or fixing an engine requires skill. If you don't have the skill, you can try at a penalty, or you might not get a chance to try at all if it seems totally unreasonable - like repairing a warp drive or completing brain surgery without any training.
You roll the dice and try to beat a basic target of 4.
If you're opposed by someone, you both roll and the player tries to beat their opponent.
If you want to hit someone, you need to beat their Parry score. Once you hit them, you need the damage to exceed their Toughness plus Armor.
When you do something a little tricky, you take a -1. More difficult -2. Rather hard, -4. Near impossible, -6.
If you roll the maximum number of the dice for a Trait roll, you roll over. So, roll a Vigor save to resist a stun attack. If you have a Vigor of d6 and roll a 6, roll again.
Also, players and significant villains get an extra dice to roll - a Wild Die, a six-sided die. Even if you have to use a weak ability, your significance as a key driver of the story gives you a Wild Die and a better chance of success. Roll both and take the better result. If you have to roll several dice, you can swap a good Wild Die out for any one bad die roll.
That's all good. Simple enough and straight forward. However, somehow, I then found myself floundering in the morass of detail, crunchy specifics and battle mat focussed inching.
I will give it a go. Don't get me wrong, I can see something in here for simple, action-orientated gaming. However, as the Gamemastery section suggest for your first game, I can see myself stripping away the superfluous crunchiness and keeping close to the core system. A Savage Worlds Lite I can see myself trying out occasionally, but despite the good value and the relatively short read, I don't necessarily see myself opting for Savage Worlds as written.
March 12, 2017
Fast Furious Fun is the motto, and the book and game system deliver exactly that. Beautifully designed mechanics, well-written book, and a general love of gaming and geekery add up to a compulsive and enjoyable gaming experience.
It's a testament to how clever the design of this game is, that the core book is so slim. It's one of the thinnest game books on my shelf, yet it's capable of doing so much more than books 4 times as thick. It's also a lot cheaper - incredible value for money, considering that with just this book you can run a game in almost any setting you desire. I've used it for running a fantasy-type game based on Game of Thrones, one based on The Walking Dead, and now a Victorian horror adventure. It handles all of them effortlessly.
About the only thing it doesn't do perfectly is magic, so if you intend to run a high-fantasy game I recommend picking up the free Savage Spellbook supplement by Richard Woolcock, which will help a lot (just do a search for it). However that's just one small issue in an otherwise perfect package, and I still give this book 5 stars. Hell, I would give it 6 if I could.
This system is also incredibly well supported with supplements and setting books - Deadlands Reloaded (Western horror), The Savage World of Solomon Kane (low-fantasy adventure), The Last Parsec (SF), and dozens more, as well as hundreds of fan supplements.
After 20 years of gaming using BRP and d20 systems, I find that I have pretty much switched to this for all my own games. Definitely recommended to experienced gamers and newbies alike. If you are looking for a universal ruleset, this should be your go-to system.
It's a testament to how clever the design of this game is, that the core book is so slim. It's one of the thinnest game books on my shelf, yet it's capable of doing so much more than books 4 times as thick. It's also a lot cheaper - incredible value for money, considering that with just this book you can run a game in almost any setting you desire. I've used it for running a fantasy-type game based on Game of Thrones, one based on The Walking Dead, and now a Victorian horror adventure. It handles all of them effortlessly.
About the only thing it doesn't do perfectly is magic, so if you intend to run a high-fantasy game I recommend picking up the free Savage Spellbook supplement by Richard Woolcock, which will help a lot (just do a search for it). However that's just one small issue in an otherwise perfect package, and I still give this book 5 stars. Hell, I would give it 6 if I could.
This system is also incredibly well supported with supplements and setting books - Deadlands Reloaded (Western horror), The Savage World of Solomon Kane (low-fantasy adventure), The Last Parsec (SF), and dozens more, as well as hundreds of fan supplements.
After 20 years of gaming using BRP and d20 systems, I find that I have pretty much switched to this for all my own games. Definitely recommended to experienced gamers and newbies alike. If you are looking for a universal ruleset, this should be your go-to system.
February 1, 2016
Let me start by warning you that I love Savage Worlds. As a matter of fact, it replaced Dungeons & Dragons as my number one role-playing game. That said, Savage Worlds desperately needed an update. It not only got that, but also got a fine uplift with Deluxe Edition. The book is sturdier, prettier and the material used to print it is of a better quality than the previous edition (although only slightly, as it was also a top-notch printing).
Deluxe's more sturdy and the hardcover lets it stand open by itself, and the larger size means you can find what you're looking for just by perusing your copy with little need for checking the index. The sections are also better organized — now all the situational rules are put together in the same section. Pinnacle also updated some rules and took some ideas from supplements and settings that came after the previous edition, e.g. the Fear rules from Reality Blur's Realms of Cthulhu. They also go rid of that stupid Guts skill and slightly streamlined many Edges and some Hindrances. Oh, the examples were redone and are now very, very helpful.
I did prefer the previous, Indiana Jones-esque logo, though.
Deluxe's more sturdy and the hardcover lets it stand open by itself, and the larger size means you can find what you're looking for just by perusing your copy with little need for checking the index. The sections are also better organized — now all the situational rules are put together in the same section. Pinnacle also updated some rules and took some ideas from supplements and settings that came after the previous edition, e.g. the Fear rules from Reality Blur's Realms of Cthulhu. They also go rid of that stupid Guts skill and slightly streamlined many Edges and some Hindrances. Oh, the examples were redone and are now very, very helpful.
I did prefer the previous, Indiana Jones-esque logo, though.
August 23, 2015
Okay, this has quickly become my favorite RPG system. The rules are fast, and easily learned, and it plays very well. Since it's a 'universal' RPG system with no specific genre attached to it the rules in this book are very generic and can be applied to most settings.
The real strength in this system is its adaptability. I've read the Superhero rules (my favorite) and the science fiction rules. I consider science fiction a long neglected facet of role-playing, so I was happy to see that the the system paid a little special attention to that genre.
One last thing that makes this system so appealing is the price. This book is generally under $10, so any good gamer should be able to afford. Be careful, though, because this game is like pizza. A plain pie for under $10 is great, but when add toppings, it can get pricey. The HELLFROST setting will set you back at least $100, but you don't have to go that route.
Overall, highly recommended.
The real strength in this system is its adaptability. I've read the Superhero rules (my favorite) and the science fiction rules. I consider science fiction a long neglected facet of role-playing, so I was happy to see that the the system paid a little special attention to that genre.
One last thing that makes this system so appealing is the price. This book is generally under $10, so any good gamer should be able to afford. Be careful, though, because this game is like pizza. A plain pie for under $10 is great, but when add toppings, it can get pricey. The HELLFROST setting will set you back at least $100, but you don't have to go that route.
Overall, highly recommended.
July 10, 2011
Pretty damned amazing. My personal favorite is still Fate, but that scratches a different kind of system itch. I ended my reading wanting very much to play a Savage Worlds game, which is the highest compliment I can bestow an RPG
November 25, 2018
I decided to reread this to get myself pumped up for the new Adventure Edition I helped kickstart. Unfortunately that didn’t work quite as well as I would’ve liked. I think I still overall like this system and I’d love to get a chance to play it, but I definitely noticed some gaps in the rule book.
Well, gaps is probably overstating it a tad - there’s no massive hole in the rules. Instead there’s a lot of cases where I feel like there’s not enough stuff. The two main instances of this are powers and monsters. I love the idea of the powers system. The powers are generic so you can alter them as you need to make the sorts of spells you want. A D&D style fireball? Just take the blast power and have it do fire damage. There’s stuff for flying, buffing and debuffing, and so on. But there’s a dearth of high level spells. What’s a heroic or legendary spellcaster supposed to do? Where are the world shaking spells akin to high level D&D magic? Out of the box getting more powerful generally makes you more versatile and somewhat stronger but there’s nothing that feels epic. And I do get that Savage Worlds has a flatter power curve than, say, D&D, but I would’ve liked at least a few examples of high level powers. Also I feel like there’s not enough distinguishing magic, miracles, and psionics.
The monsters also are a case where I generally like what’s there, but I just feel that there should be more of it. It feels like things lean a little heavily towards fantasy, with orca, goblins, elementals, and dragons. There are things for other genres, though sci-fi probably gets the least example critters. Obviously just as you can reflavor the powers you can refluff monsters, but I would’ve liked some examples of doing so. Maybe a few generic stat blocks of different power levels with advice on how to customize them. Or just more monsters - maybe even give a handful from Deadlands and other settings to show what the system can really do.
On the other hand, I do like much of what’s here, even if the book feels like it would benefit from being bigger. The basics of the system are pretty good. Characters are a mix of stats, skills, and edges and hindrances. The latter are a lot like D&D feats and in fact I’m pretty sure some of them, and some other things in the game, are copied from 3e. The skills are generally pretty broad and the Adventure Edition promises to fix a few cases where skills can be tightened up further. Major characters like the PCs get a Wild Die, like 5e advantage, allowing them to tackle things that mooks probably can’t. Dice can explode, and most things have a target number of just four, making resolution pretty easy. I particularly like that initiative is based on cards, meaning it’s separate from stats and it’s easy to visually track.
There’s a nice selection of gear and other materials allowing the system to be used for all sorts of genres. Admittedly out of the box most things will need some work, since there’s often not quite enough (as I’ve already discussed). Of corse there are companions for various genres which help some, not to mention the wide variety of settings. (I kinda like having them advertised in the book but on the other hand the big art spreads are pages that maybe could’ve been better used on more rules content.)
But generally I think the game delivers on its promise of being fast, furious, and fun. This is especially true in combat, which assumes most enemies are easily dispatched mooks. The resolution speed allows both heroes and villains to run around with gangs of followers and the developers mention they run a D-Day style invasion story at cons that works quite well. And this book is designed to get you up and running quickly. There are archetypes included to make character creation easier as well as some sample adventure in various genres. My favorites are the two with a horror tinge, one involving a spaceship whose crew has encountered a black hole and gone mad, the other featuring a group of vampires infesting a theater turned slaughterhouse. (Amusingly I had remembered the latter as being set in the 1950s but upon rereading it that doesn’t seem to be the case.) More than anything the adventures are what really give a sense of the strengths of Savage Worlds and I’m looking forward to the variety that will be coming my way as part of the new Kickstarter.
At one time I felt like Savage Worlds could be my favorite game except I somehow kept forgetting about it. It certainly does a lot I like, and even if this core book is a bit more barebones than I want, there’s plenty of settings and supplementary material out there to use. I’m not sure it’s likely to become my absolute favorite but I’m glad I reread this and I’m hoping the new edition will help motivate me to get some games going, especially cause it seems like the new mechanics are going to make things even more fast, furious, and fun.
Original review from 2012: Very good set of universal rules. I'm looking forward to using this soon. Also, I like how the book includes a variety of art and different sample adventures to emphasize how it can be used for various genres.
Well, gaps is probably overstating it a tad - there’s no massive hole in the rules. Instead there’s a lot of cases where I feel like there’s not enough stuff. The two main instances of this are powers and monsters. I love the idea of the powers system. The powers are generic so you can alter them as you need to make the sorts of spells you want. A D&D style fireball? Just take the blast power and have it do fire damage. There’s stuff for flying, buffing and debuffing, and so on. But there’s a dearth of high level spells. What’s a heroic or legendary spellcaster supposed to do? Where are the world shaking spells akin to high level D&D magic? Out of the box getting more powerful generally makes you more versatile and somewhat stronger but there’s nothing that feels epic. And I do get that Savage Worlds has a flatter power curve than, say, D&D, but I would’ve liked at least a few examples of high level powers. Also I feel like there’s not enough distinguishing magic, miracles, and psionics.
The monsters also are a case where I generally like what’s there, but I just feel that there should be more of it. It feels like things lean a little heavily towards fantasy, with orca, goblins, elementals, and dragons. There are things for other genres, though sci-fi probably gets the least example critters. Obviously just as you can reflavor the powers you can refluff monsters, but I would’ve liked some examples of doing so. Maybe a few generic stat blocks of different power levels with advice on how to customize them. Or just more monsters - maybe even give a handful from Deadlands and other settings to show what the system can really do.
On the other hand, I do like much of what’s here, even if the book feels like it would benefit from being bigger. The basics of the system are pretty good. Characters are a mix of stats, skills, and edges and hindrances. The latter are a lot like D&D feats and in fact I’m pretty sure some of them, and some other things in the game, are copied from 3e. The skills are generally pretty broad and the Adventure Edition promises to fix a few cases where skills can be tightened up further. Major characters like the PCs get a Wild Die, like 5e advantage, allowing them to tackle things that mooks probably can’t. Dice can explode, and most things have a target number of just four, making resolution pretty easy. I particularly like that initiative is based on cards, meaning it’s separate from stats and it’s easy to visually track.
There’s a nice selection of gear and other materials allowing the system to be used for all sorts of genres. Admittedly out of the box most things will need some work, since there’s often not quite enough (as I’ve already discussed). Of corse there are companions for various genres which help some, not to mention the wide variety of settings. (I kinda like having them advertised in the book but on the other hand the big art spreads are pages that maybe could’ve been better used on more rules content.)
But generally I think the game delivers on its promise of being fast, furious, and fun. This is especially true in combat, which assumes most enemies are easily dispatched mooks. The resolution speed allows both heroes and villains to run around with gangs of followers and the developers mention they run a D-Day style invasion story at cons that works quite well. And this book is designed to get you up and running quickly. There are archetypes included to make character creation easier as well as some sample adventure in various genres. My favorites are the two with a horror tinge, one involving a spaceship whose crew has encountered a black hole and gone mad, the other featuring a group of vampires infesting a theater turned slaughterhouse. (Amusingly I had remembered the latter as being set in the 1950s but upon rereading it that doesn’t seem to be the case.) More than anything the adventures are what really give a sense of the strengths of Savage Worlds and I’m looking forward to the variety that will be coming my way as part of the new Kickstarter.
At one time I felt like Savage Worlds could be my favorite game except I somehow kept forgetting about it. It certainly does a lot I like, and even if this core book is a bit more barebones than I want, there’s plenty of settings and supplementary material out there to use. I’m not sure it’s likely to become my absolute favorite but I’m glad I reread this and I’m hoping the new edition will help motivate me to get some games going, especially cause it seems like the new mechanics are going to make things even more fast, furious, and fun.
Original review from 2012: Very good set of universal rules. I'm looking forward to using this soon. Also, I like how the book includes a variety of art and different sample adventures to emphasize how it can be used for various genres.
July 10, 2019
The latest edition of what has become the go-to for anyone looking for a great, fast-paced, universal Role Playing Game system. This edition takes what was already a beautifully simple and well-designed system and makes it even better. All of the changes are evolutionary rather than revolutionary - there are hundreds of small but essential tweaks that keep whole game feeling fresh and exciting, without bogging it down with feature creep. It also preserves compatibility with older supplements and settings, so you can still use adventures designed for the previous editions without any problems and only very minimal alterations required (which is so easy you can do it on the fly).
All in all, this is a must-have for anyone who already plays Savage Worlds, and an even bigger must-have for anyone looking for a new and exciting RPG system that can handle anything you can throw at it. It gets my highest recommendation.
All in all, this is a must-have for anyone who already plays Savage Worlds, and an even bigger must-have for anyone looking for a new and exciting RPG system that can handle anything you can throw at it. It gets my highest recommendation.
October 10, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this rulebook, and while that's not unusual for me, I really appreciated how streamlined and spare the system and the writing are. I've read a few generic systems before, but this one really struck me as one that would be easy to grasp and run with, and I expect to try running a few one-shot games with it to start developing my skills with it as a backup to my 5E games. I also really liked the author's periodic insights into the reasons they made many of their design decisions, which would help a game master apply the systems on the fly in the games, or perhaps tweak the rules but remain true to the designers' philosophy. I look forward to checking out some of the setting expansions that are meant to accompany the core rulebook.
December 29, 2008
This is the start of the best idea for an RPG system I've seen yet. It does what many others (including GURPS and Fudge) tried to do (and in an obviously product-generation sense GURPS did very well, while Fudge has remained in the background). However, Savage Worlds feels more adaptable to more situations. And, as I was already familiar with the Deadlands games, I would say that it was easier to learn. This system also has two very big advantages: First, world/character/race generation is much easier for the GM, and the players control friendly NPCs, which makes it the winner for basic game engine in my book (no pun intended).
July 7, 2011
Hands down, the best Fast Furious Fun RPG on the market!
The rules fade into the background, character creation is a breeze but at the same time deep!
We have played many, many games with the Explorer's Edition, and now, we will play many, many more with the updated Deluxe rules.
Awesomeness!
The rules fade into the background, character creation is a breeze but at the same time deep!
We have played many, many games with the Explorer's Edition, and now, we will play many, many more with the updated Deluxe rules.
Awesomeness!
July 24, 2010
Simple, customizable, and easy to learn pen and paper role-playing. Such a simple concept but most really great ideas are.
January 31, 2021
I read many more role playing games than I will ever play, as real life always gets in the way. But if I ever got to play regularly, in Savage Worlds I've finally found my perfect system. There are all sorts of great things it does, but for me it ticks the following boxes:
* No Hit Points. The grind/attrition of chipping away at Hit Points in games is tedious. Savage Worlds has two types of characters, Extras which go down with one successful hit, and Wildcards (the PCs and major bad guys) who can take a few hits. Despite this simplification, SW manages to include aimed shots, critical hits (permanent injuries, lose an eye or limb etc), being 'Shaken' (no action on your turn until you recover with a Spirit roll = rally morale). Which means combat is fast, tense, and narratively interesting.
* Use all the fun dice. I like simple systems, but often they are all d6. SW makes all attribute and skill values a dice type, so you get to use everything from d4 to d12 all the time. d20 is used rarely - but that's fine, I have a weird allergy to d20s, they are just inherently ugly things.
* Minimum prep. For a random NPC, give them a d6 or d8 in their area of expertise, and that's it. Building a villain? You can ignore the character building rules the PCs have to follow and assign any advantages or skills you like.
*Spells by function Instead of having an encyclopedic spell list that includes 20 variants of Fireball, just have one (Blast). It doesn't matter if you are throwing fireballs, swarms of bees, icicles, mechanically they are all the same, so just have one rule. Note this doesn't make the game bland, just easier to run - your fireball will still set light to flammable objects, your blast of light will still vaporise vampires, it's just that mechanically they all follow the same rules. Even better, it's not called a spell it's called a Power, because Blast could also be used for the gremlin's laser gun, or the superhero's superpower. I am old. I will be dead soon. I don't have the time or the inclination to memorise 10,000 different magic missile spells, I just want something that will help tell the story with just enough crunch that it doesn't feel random or arbitrary.
*No levels. I grew up on Runequest. I never liked or understood levels, they take me out of the game.
*Pulp feel. I want the players to win most of the time, to be the heroes and centre of the action. This means that although SW is generic in the sense that you can run anything, from WW2 skirmish to space opera, it does all feel the same in terms of power levels. But that's fine - I love pulp, I want to play a pulpy game. If I was going to play anything else for the system, it would be Warhammer Fantasy / 40K rpg / Call of Cthulhu / Runequest for the grittiness (I have fond memories of wading through the Big Rubble, I don't know why modern Runequest is obsessed with protracted negotiations with goat herders, that's a level of gritty no one wants surely). Though I'd still use SW for Heroquest. Rifts, Pathfinder, Star Wars, for me they all work better with SW.
*Tactical miniatures fights (optional). I have a very specific crunch level, which is just enough that tactical decisions make a mechanical difference. Overly simplistic systems (Troika/Fighting Fantasy/Tunnels and Trolls) make your choices fairly meaningless. SW is set up for miniatures battles on a grid, with examples of different moves (you can charge into someone with your shield, pushing them back and causing minor damage) enough that you can make up and execute your own moves for an interesting narrative battle with rules that have consequences. But, crucially, it doesn't over do this, you do not have D&D style feats that mean players just pull out the same three moves every fight. It hits the sweet spot. On top of this, all the miniatures stuff (and all running, weapon ranges etc are given in inches for the tabletop, so it's really built in) is completely optional, it would be fine running the whole game just off paper.
I can't see any downsides to SW, but online some have been mentioned, I'm not sure if they will hold up in play for me:
* No good for long-term play. “D&D is designed for long term playing. My players like the idea of building from nothing and playing for more than 20 sessions over years. Savage Worlds is designed for short term gaming. After 10 sessions, my players got bored with winning most of the time. " This sounds likely, but I'm lucky to play an evening one shot, let alone 10 session campaign. If it's limited to short term play that's fine.
* Ineffective combat. "D&D has lot of HP grinding = successful hits that do little damage for hours on end. SW has lots of whiffs and pings = successful hits that have no effect (at all). Sometimes hits will "shake", but after a while that just becomes an extra step. In general there are wasted rolls that result in no effect.” In the games I've played this hasn't been true. For example, the PCs were attacked by sharkmen, even though they were hit by rifle fire the sharkmen's Toughness shrugged the shots off. Because all PCs are Wildcards with only three Wounds (=hits, and each Wound inflicts a penalty on the Wildcard's actions) there was a feeling that these guys could be hard to take down, and as soon as they got in melee range the PCs would be in serious trouble. It never felt like there were 'wasted rolls that result in no effect,' a hit that doesn't dent an enemy feels threatening. But I haven't played enough, this may be a problem.
Actually, I have thought of a personal downside, but it's not an important one. It's the terms used. Edges and Hindrances, I'd prefer the GURPs-style simplicity of Advantages and Disadvantages. I hate the American spelling of Vigor (not Vigour) and Armor (not Armour), Ax (not Axe). (Most American spelling doesn't bother me either way, 'traveler,' 'organization,' those are all fine, it's just these handful of words that come up all the time in SW). And worst of all Bennies (short for 'Benefits') rather than Fate points. Of course I can change these in my own games, but it's irritating to read.
* No Hit Points. The grind/attrition of chipping away at Hit Points in games is tedious. Savage Worlds has two types of characters, Extras which go down with one successful hit, and Wildcards (the PCs and major bad guys) who can take a few hits. Despite this simplification, SW manages to include aimed shots, critical hits (permanent injuries, lose an eye or limb etc), being 'Shaken' (no action on your turn until you recover with a Spirit roll = rally morale). Which means combat is fast, tense, and narratively interesting.
* Use all the fun dice. I like simple systems, but often they are all d6. SW makes all attribute and skill values a dice type, so you get to use everything from d4 to d12 all the time. d20 is used rarely - but that's fine, I have a weird allergy to d20s, they are just inherently ugly things.
* Minimum prep. For a random NPC, give them a d6 or d8 in their area of expertise, and that's it. Building a villain? You can ignore the character building rules the PCs have to follow and assign any advantages or skills you like.
*Spells by function Instead of having an encyclopedic spell list that includes 20 variants of Fireball, just have one (Blast). It doesn't matter if you are throwing fireballs, swarms of bees, icicles, mechanically they are all the same, so just have one rule. Note this doesn't make the game bland, just easier to run - your fireball will still set light to flammable objects, your blast of light will still vaporise vampires, it's just that mechanically they all follow the same rules. Even better, it's not called a spell it's called a Power, because Blast could also be used for the gremlin's laser gun, or the superhero's superpower. I am old. I will be dead soon. I don't have the time or the inclination to memorise 10,000 different magic missile spells, I just want something that will help tell the story with just enough crunch that it doesn't feel random or arbitrary.
*No levels. I grew up on Runequest. I never liked or understood levels, they take me out of the game.
*Pulp feel. I want the players to win most of the time, to be the heroes and centre of the action. This means that although SW is generic in the sense that you can run anything, from WW2 skirmish to space opera, it does all feel the same in terms of power levels. But that's fine - I love pulp, I want to play a pulpy game. If I was going to play anything else for the system, it would be Warhammer Fantasy / 40K rpg / Call of Cthulhu / Runequest for the grittiness (I have fond memories of wading through the Big Rubble, I don't know why modern Runequest is obsessed with protracted negotiations with goat herders, that's a level of gritty no one wants surely). Though I'd still use SW for Heroquest. Rifts, Pathfinder, Star Wars, for me they all work better with SW.
*Tactical miniatures fights (optional). I have a very specific crunch level, which is just enough that tactical decisions make a mechanical difference. Overly simplistic systems (Troika/Fighting Fantasy/Tunnels and Trolls) make your choices fairly meaningless. SW is set up for miniatures battles on a grid, with examples of different moves (you can charge into someone with your shield, pushing them back and causing minor damage) enough that you can make up and execute your own moves for an interesting narrative battle with rules that have consequences. But, crucially, it doesn't over do this, you do not have D&D style feats that mean players just pull out the same three moves every fight. It hits the sweet spot. On top of this, all the miniatures stuff (and all running, weapon ranges etc are given in inches for the tabletop, so it's really built in) is completely optional, it would be fine running the whole game just off paper.
I can't see any downsides to SW, but online some have been mentioned, I'm not sure if they will hold up in play for me:
* No good for long-term play. “D&D is designed for long term playing. My players like the idea of building from nothing and playing for more than 20 sessions over years. Savage Worlds is designed for short term gaming. After 10 sessions, my players got bored with winning most of the time. " This sounds likely, but I'm lucky to play an evening one shot, let alone 10 session campaign. If it's limited to short term play that's fine.
* Ineffective combat. "D&D has lot of HP grinding = successful hits that do little damage for hours on end. SW has lots of whiffs and pings = successful hits that have no effect (at all). Sometimes hits will "shake", but after a while that just becomes an extra step. In general there are wasted rolls that result in no effect.” In the games I've played this hasn't been true. For example, the PCs were attacked by sharkmen, even though they were hit by rifle fire the sharkmen's Toughness shrugged the shots off. Because all PCs are Wildcards with only three Wounds (=hits, and each Wound inflicts a penalty on the Wildcard's actions) there was a feeling that these guys could be hard to take down, and as soon as they got in melee range the PCs would be in serious trouble. It never felt like there were 'wasted rolls that result in no effect,' a hit that doesn't dent an enemy feels threatening. But I haven't played enough, this may be a problem.
Actually, I have thought of a personal downside, but it's not an important one. It's the terms used. Edges and Hindrances, I'd prefer the GURPs-style simplicity of Advantages and Disadvantages. I hate the American spelling of Vigor (not Vigour) and Armor (not Armour), Ax (not Axe). (Most American spelling doesn't bother me either way, 'traveler,' 'organization,' those are all fine, it's just these handful of words that come up all the time in SW). And worst of all Bennies (short for 'Benefits') rather than Fate points. Of course I can change these in my own games, but it's irritating to read.
June 8, 2023
Good evening and welcome fellow Children of Chaos.
While I think the bones on this system is really good, I think it gets a little lost in some of that late 90s early 00s game design failures, things like pointless verisimilitude and completionist charts.
For example, there are a few pages dedicated to momentum and turning, instead of just making things like stunt driving a skill roll. Also untrained skills are so punishing that there is no point in making those checks. And in a lot of ways the core statistics feel more or less pointless except that RPGS have core stats. Personally I'd let the players roll both skill and core statistic. But only let skills explode.
I do love the Jokers Wild initiative system though. And I think it would be cool if more games allowed for that kind of "critical hit" in initiative rolls. Allows for the occasional just insane action elements in the game, where a character can interrupt the action, would fix the concentration skill in OGL games.
While I think the bones on this system is really good, I think it gets a little lost in some of that late 90s early 00s game design failures, things like pointless verisimilitude and completionist charts.
For example, there are a few pages dedicated to momentum and turning, instead of just making things like stunt driving a skill roll. Also untrained skills are so punishing that there is no point in making those checks. And in a lot of ways the core statistics feel more or less pointless except that RPGS have core stats. Personally I'd let the players roll both skill and core statistic. But only let skills explode.
I do love the Jokers Wild initiative system though. And I think it would be cool if more games allowed for that kind of "critical hit" in initiative rolls. Allows for the occasional just insane action elements in the game, where a character can interrupt the action, would fix the concentration skill in OGL games.
March 11, 2018
I purchased this because a friend is going to be running a game based on this system. Savage Worlds is a generic gaming system that can theoretically be used for any genre (like Hero Games or GURPs) but advertises itself as a simpler and easier to use. On the positive side, I will say that it is a short and inexpensive RPG, coming in at 192 pages and less than ten bucks for the full package, and, as advertised, could be used for pretty much any genre. There is specifically a chapter on rule modifications to use in obtaining certain effects ("blood and guts", "gritty damage", "high adventure", etc.). Interestingly, Savage Worlds also includes what seems to be some very easy-to-use rules for handling combat using allies, up to, and including world-spanning battles with millions of combatants (the example was an alien invasion of Earth). The rules for various perils (cold, hunger, lack of sleep, etc.) also seem fairly elegant. The system for vehicular combat and chases is also interesting, especially as interpreted for age of sail battles where crewmembers can either fight or help to maneuver the vessels. On the negative side, while Savage Worlds is touted as an RPG, the majority of the rules deal with combat (which, honestly, do seem a bit war-gamey). Character creation (and their magic/special powers rules), on the other hand, feels pretty basic, which, in all fairness, is what they were shooting for. I'm just a little put off by an RPG with elaborate combat rules and very basic everything else. Right now I'm giving this a solid 3 stars, probably to be raised or lowered after we actually play a few games. FYI, Savage Worlds also has many supplement books for specific genres, but at this time I haven't seen any of then.
December 16, 2017
Savage Worlds has a level of crunch that I in theory find ideal. It prides itself on being "Fast, Furious, and Fun," and through its various supplements, you can run pretty much any game you want with it. It has hit locations, advantages and disadvantages, plot points, and other features which make it seem like a potential "GURPS-lite."
That said, it has a few problems. I find it a bit too swingy. I recall an encounter where a brutish-but-experienced gangster character sprayed machine gun fire into a crowded enemy mob and hit nothing. Soon afterwards, it was this Brooklyn gangster, not the occult psychic or the scientist of the party, who succeeded at his Knowledge check regarding a Theosophist tome. This kind of thing can happen in any RPG, but it seems to happen more often in Savage Worlds. I also have had mixed results with its combat system, wherein near-misses or hits for no damage stun the target--as well as the card initiative system. The latter is something that I think works much better when playing games in person than on Roll20.
This is just personal preference, but I also don't like its cartoony aesthetic, which combined with its rules catering to miniatures seems to cater to the worst sort of neckbeard. I don't own it, but I'd be embarrassed having the Fantasy Companion on my shelf, as there's a redhead warrior in the worst sort of fantasy bikini chainmail on the cover.
That said, it has a few problems. I find it a bit too swingy. I recall an encounter where a brutish-but-experienced gangster character sprayed machine gun fire into a crowded enemy mob and hit nothing. Soon afterwards, it was this Brooklyn gangster, not the occult psychic or the scientist of the party, who succeeded at his Knowledge check regarding a Theosophist tome. This kind of thing can happen in any RPG, but it seems to happen more often in Savage Worlds. I also have had mixed results with its combat system, wherein near-misses or hits for no damage stun the target--as well as the card initiative system. The latter is something that I think works much better when playing games in person than on Roll20.
This is just personal preference, but I also don't like its cartoony aesthetic, which combined with its rules catering to miniatures seems to cater to the worst sort of neckbeard. I don't own it, but I'd be embarrassed having the Fantasy Companion on my shelf, as there's a redhead warrior in the worst sort of fantasy bikini chainmail on the cover.
October 7, 2014
I'm trying to learn and run the Deadlands RPG. That means I have to learn the Savage Worlds system. Having NO experience in RPGs, I thought this book would be skewed towards a beginner.
Sadly, I was wrong.
At the very least, I expected the rules to be in the front. That was not the case. Why would characters be before the rules? Reading the characters made no sense because I didn't have a simple grasp of the game. I couldn't understand how to make a character or have my players do it if I didn't understand how everything functioned.
On the bright side, things did get better once I started to read the rules first. Each detail had their own section, things were bolded, and there were easy to follow examples. But still, the fact that the rules weren't in the beginning bothers me to this day.
Which brings me to a point. How do people get into RPGs? I guess it's by being exposed to them. But when you're starting from scratch, it sure would be nice if the books that are supposed to be for beginners are helpful. Then again, maybe RPG books aren't for beginners? That's why the same dwindling people buy the books over and over for the updated rules or new traits or characters. That said, I fail to see how the hobby will ever grow.
I'm sure I'll have to reread things when I get around to my campaign...if I can ever understand role playing.
Sadly, I was wrong.
At the very least, I expected the rules to be in the front. That was not the case. Why would characters be before the rules? Reading the characters made no sense because I didn't have a simple grasp of the game. I couldn't understand how to make a character or have my players do it if I didn't understand how everything functioned.
On the bright side, things did get better once I started to read the rules first. Each detail had their own section, things were bolded, and there were easy to follow examples. But still, the fact that the rules weren't in the beginning bothers me to this day.
Which brings me to a point. How do people get into RPGs? I guess it's by being exposed to them. But when you're starting from scratch, it sure would be nice if the books that are supposed to be for beginners are helpful. Then again, maybe RPG books aren't for beginners? That's why the same dwindling people buy the books over and over for the updated rules or new traits or characters. That said, I fail to see how the hobby will ever grow.
I'm sure I'll have to reread things when I get around to my campaign...if I can ever understand role playing.
February 1, 2016
I never played the previous edition, so I don't have anything to compare it with — except other RPGs, and I think this system rocks!
It's incredibly simple, but that's the whole idea. The notion of using the same mechanics for magic, miracles, super-powers and weird science is elegant and functional. That style is seen throughout the whole system, e.g., you may create a character in under 15 minutes.
The small format makes this edition easy to transport, and the price ($ 9.90) allows for having a couple of books at the table. The binding from the first printing wasn't so good and the pages tended to come off after a couple of months of handling, but Pinnacle replaced those books for free. I didn't send my copy to be replaced, though — I preferred to unglue all the pages and re-bind them with spiral bindings, making it easier to stay open at any page a the game table.
This is a full-color book, very well-cared in its layout, although most (if not all) of the illustrations were taken from previous books, so you end up with a mélange of pictures of varied qualities — not all of them good.
All in all, it's a fine system. And I wouldn't be surprised if it replaced many systems at your table.
It's incredibly simple, but that's the whole idea. The notion of using the same mechanics for magic, miracles, super-powers and weird science is elegant and functional. That style is seen throughout the whole system, e.g., you may create a character in under 15 minutes.
The small format makes this edition easy to transport, and the price ($ 9.90) allows for having a couple of books at the table. The binding from the first printing wasn't so good and the pages tended to come off after a couple of months of handling, but Pinnacle replaced those books for free. I didn't send my copy to be replaced, though — I preferred to unglue all the pages and re-bind them with spiral bindings, making it easier to stay open at any page a the game table.
This is a full-color book, very well-cared in its layout, although most (if not all) of the illustrations were taken from previous books, so you end up with a mélange of pictures of varied qualities — not all of them good.
All in all, it's a fine system. And I wouldn't be surprised if it replaced many systems at your table.
October 3, 2012
The best version of one of the most versatile RPG Systems out there.
November 19, 2015
Excellent book, im glad I finally got around to reading it before Savage Rifts comes out. I will surely use this as my go to rules set for shorter one shots in the future.
April 23, 2018
Ring Side Report- Savage Worlds Deluxe Core Rules
Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com , a new idea everyday!
Product- Savage Worlds Deluxe Core Rules
System-Savage Worlds
Producer- Pinnacle Entertainment
Price- $9.99 here http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/9...
TL; DR-Super Swingy, but super fun! 97%
Basics-Wanna do…. Anything? Savage Worlds is a generic RPG that isn’t tethered to any one world or system. It's so untethered to any setting that the first few pages of the book are all the different worlds the Pinnacle Entertainment and others offer. Let’s dive into this game and see what’s there.
Base Mechanics- Here is where the fun begins. Savage Worlds uses a dice chain. When you want to do a thing that needs a roll, you roll your skill die and aim for a 4 after modifier. That’s pretty much it. Hit 4 and the thing happens. Every 4 above 4 is a raise and does something awesome. Sometimes damage, sometimes extra effects, but it's always something good. If you hit the max number on a die, then got an ace, and you roll the dice again adding to the total. Ace again? Keep going! Like I said above, this system is super swingy, but fun.
Stats- Your skills and attribute dice are decided at character generation. Your attribute are Agility, Smarts, Strength, Spirit, Vigor. These are dice ranging from a d4 to a d12. Most humans have a d6 in every attribute. When you build a character you get dice for a skill, but the skill advancement is tied to each attribute and advancing past an attribute dice cost a lot more than normal. If you ever don’t have the skill that you want to use, you roll a d4-2 still trying to hit the 4, so hope for the ace!
Wild cards and Extras -Extras are random background people from the mook attacking the bar to the faceless ninjas that you mow down in wave after wave. Wild cards are special character ranging from your player character to the big bad evil guy. Wild cards get an extra die to all rolls called the wild die that is a d6. You roll this for attacks and skills, even if you are untrained!
Edges and Hindrances- Something I miss from light systems are feats. Savage Worlds has edges and hindrances. At character generation you get hindrances that flesh out your character as well as bonuses called edges that give you extra little abilities from being able to hit harder bare handed or bonuses on some skill rolls.
Combat and Initiative -Savage Worlds has roots in some crazy RPGs and none comes out more that initiative. Players don’t roll, but get cards from a deck of playing cards with the Jokers left in. High card and suit (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and finally Clubs). Jokers do crazy things to the person who draws them and then after the round the initiative deck is reshuffled. Each round you get to move a bit and do one action. Actions range from shooting people to doing a skill. Melee attacks means you have to hit the opponents parry value. Ranged attacks have to hit a 4. In either case rases add an additional 1d6 of damage to the target. If you hit you then roll damage equal to your weapon value. If the damage value equals an enemies toughness (2 + half the opponents vigor die), then the opponent is shaken. Shaken means your do nothing next turn except try to shake off the hit via a Spirit roll (4 to shake it off, 8 to act normally). If you get a raise on the toughness, than the enemy takes a wound. Wild Cards have three wounds before a fourth kills them, but extras only have one before they are down!
Bennies- Oh story candy! I love you! Bennies are chips you get to reroll dice, immediately shake of being shaken, and whatever you convince your GM that you can do. The GM gets a pile as well! Act like your character would? Story Candy. Do something cool? Story Candy. Buy the GM a coke? STORY CANDY!
Character Generation- A big theme in savage worlds is rules light, and Savage Worlds is really light when it comes to character generation. Characters are made by doing a number of small steps. When you build a character you start by choosing a race, which may give you additional starting abilities with humans getting one extra edge, then you get point to buy new attribute dice, going up one level on the dice chain for each point, points to get and advance skills , one for one as before, move to selecting edges, then you can select to get extra hiderence to get more points for skills and edges, and finally you get gear based on the campaign you’re playing. DONE. The hardest part is selecting what gear and edges you will chose.
Leveling up or Advancement- Every good game needs XP, and this one give xp at the end of each session. For every five xp, a character can get a new edge, advance attribute dice, raise one skill above an attribute, raise two skills with values under a linked attribute, or get a d4 in a new skill. For every 20 XP a character enters a new rank that give access to new edges.
Magic, machines, and maham- Savage Words is system agnostic, so magic and powers a built in but not essential. Characters can get powers via different routes from the gods, reading books, or simply building a crazy lightning boxes from technology. All power work the same as they start with getting an edge. The powers have a rank you can get them at, a cost in power point (think magic points from Final Fantasy), and some skills you have to roll to make them happen, if needed for things like attacks. It feels like old schoo video game!
Ok, enough background, what are my thoughts.
Theme or Fluff-No fluff for this one. Each world needs its own fruff. There is awesome stuff here from the Rippers universe where people fight monsters in a Victorian setting with magic, monstrous power of their own, and machines to Solomon Kain fighting monsters across the world. It’s all fun, but Savage Worlds is anything you want it to be. You give the biggest thing in the world to d12+2 for his or her thing, and then you set the smallest or weakest thing at d4-2 for their thing, and scale accordingly. You can do Savage Hacks for literally anything from Shadowrun to DnD. If you like the math above, see if your favorite system or setting has a Savage Hack out there, or go make one! -/5
Mechanics or Crunch- Holy cow is this thing swingy! That’s not a bad thing, but it is a thing. If you need careful balance where expected results always happen, WALK AWAY NOW! But if you love you some pulp craziness, then get into this game. Its light and fast. I play with no miniatures, but many people love miniatures. I just love the math here. It goes fast and plays quick. The one thing I don’t like is how little the attributes matter. They are important for some things like Spirit rolls and determining toughness, but overall they feel slightly left aside. As this is mostly a skills game, its ok, but I always hate when games have attributes, but don’t really use them as much as say Dungeons and Dragons. It’s not bad, but it’s something that sticks in my craw. If you can ignore that one complaint I have, then Savage Worlds is a swingy, amazing system! 4.9/5
Execution- Is this available in PDF since its past 2015? Check. Hyperlinked to make my life easy? Check. Overall, I love how the book looks. I’d like a bit more walkthrough on a few things, but once you work through the rules it’s easy enough. Also, I’d like a bit more tables to break up some of the text for things like spells. It’s a well done book that you can skim through in an afternoon without an advanced degree or major eye strain. 4.8/5
Summary-I am a convert! I love lots of different systems, but Savage Worlds is one that always seemed off in the corner where the weird kids hang out. It’s a smaller system, but its got a big cult following, almost like The Evil Dead. And I think that that’s a good way to look at this system. If you want your standard fantasy where predictable thing happen at predictable time scales, then this isn’t for you. It’s not bad, but it’s not for you. If you want a faster pace with some crazy stuff happening like a player who is the town poopscooper getting five aces in a row and triple critting the big bad evil guy on the first turn, then this is the game for you. The system is slick, fast, and low crunch. The book is well put together and reads quickly and enjoyably. That’s everything I want in an RPG, and a system I can’t wait to get back into. 97%
Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com , a new idea everyday!
Product- Savage Worlds Deluxe Core Rules
System-Savage Worlds
Producer- Pinnacle Entertainment
Price- $9.99 here http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/9...
TL; DR-Super Swingy, but super fun! 97%
Basics-Wanna do…. Anything? Savage Worlds is a generic RPG that isn’t tethered to any one world or system. It's so untethered to any setting that the first few pages of the book are all the different worlds the Pinnacle Entertainment and others offer. Let’s dive into this game and see what’s there.
Base Mechanics- Here is where the fun begins. Savage Worlds uses a dice chain. When you want to do a thing that needs a roll, you roll your skill die and aim for a 4 after modifier. That’s pretty much it. Hit 4 and the thing happens. Every 4 above 4 is a raise and does something awesome. Sometimes damage, sometimes extra effects, but it's always something good. If you hit the max number on a die, then got an ace, and you roll the dice again adding to the total. Ace again? Keep going! Like I said above, this system is super swingy, but fun.
Stats- Your skills and attribute dice are decided at character generation. Your attribute are Agility, Smarts, Strength, Spirit, Vigor. These are dice ranging from a d4 to a d12. Most humans have a d6 in every attribute. When you build a character you get dice for a skill, but the skill advancement is tied to each attribute and advancing past an attribute dice cost a lot more than normal. If you ever don’t have the skill that you want to use, you roll a d4-2 still trying to hit the 4, so hope for the ace!
Wild cards and Extras -Extras are random background people from the mook attacking the bar to the faceless ninjas that you mow down in wave after wave. Wild cards are special character ranging from your player character to the big bad evil guy. Wild cards get an extra die to all rolls called the wild die that is a d6. You roll this for attacks and skills, even if you are untrained!
Edges and Hindrances- Something I miss from light systems are feats. Savage Worlds has edges and hindrances. At character generation you get hindrances that flesh out your character as well as bonuses called edges that give you extra little abilities from being able to hit harder bare handed or bonuses on some skill rolls.
Combat and Initiative -Savage Worlds has roots in some crazy RPGs and none comes out more that initiative. Players don’t roll, but get cards from a deck of playing cards with the Jokers left in. High card and suit (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and finally Clubs). Jokers do crazy things to the person who draws them and then after the round the initiative deck is reshuffled. Each round you get to move a bit and do one action. Actions range from shooting people to doing a skill. Melee attacks means you have to hit the opponents parry value. Ranged attacks have to hit a 4. In either case rases add an additional 1d6 of damage to the target. If you hit you then roll damage equal to your weapon value. If the damage value equals an enemies toughness (2 + half the opponents vigor die), then the opponent is shaken. Shaken means your do nothing next turn except try to shake off the hit via a Spirit roll (4 to shake it off, 8 to act normally). If you get a raise on the toughness, than the enemy takes a wound. Wild Cards have three wounds before a fourth kills them, but extras only have one before they are down!
Bennies- Oh story candy! I love you! Bennies are chips you get to reroll dice, immediately shake of being shaken, and whatever you convince your GM that you can do. The GM gets a pile as well! Act like your character would? Story Candy. Do something cool? Story Candy. Buy the GM a coke? STORY CANDY!
Character Generation- A big theme in savage worlds is rules light, and Savage Worlds is really light when it comes to character generation. Characters are made by doing a number of small steps. When you build a character you start by choosing a race, which may give you additional starting abilities with humans getting one extra edge, then you get point to buy new attribute dice, going up one level on the dice chain for each point, points to get and advance skills , one for one as before, move to selecting edges, then you can select to get extra hiderence to get more points for skills and edges, and finally you get gear based on the campaign you’re playing. DONE. The hardest part is selecting what gear and edges you will chose.
Leveling up or Advancement- Every good game needs XP, and this one give xp at the end of each session. For every five xp, a character can get a new edge, advance attribute dice, raise one skill above an attribute, raise two skills with values under a linked attribute, or get a d4 in a new skill. For every 20 XP a character enters a new rank that give access to new edges.
Magic, machines, and maham- Savage Words is system agnostic, so magic and powers a built in but not essential. Characters can get powers via different routes from the gods, reading books, or simply building a crazy lightning boxes from technology. All power work the same as they start with getting an edge. The powers have a rank you can get them at, a cost in power point (think magic points from Final Fantasy), and some skills you have to roll to make them happen, if needed for things like attacks. It feels like old schoo video game!
Ok, enough background, what are my thoughts.
Theme or Fluff-No fluff for this one. Each world needs its own fruff. There is awesome stuff here from the Rippers universe where people fight monsters in a Victorian setting with magic, monstrous power of their own, and machines to Solomon Kain fighting monsters across the world. It’s all fun, but Savage Worlds is anything you want it to be. You give the biggest thing in the world to d12+2 for his or her thing, and then you set the smallest or weakest thing at d4-2 for their thing, and scale accordingly. You can do Savage Hacks for literally anything from Shadowrun to DnD. If you like the math above, see if your favorite system or setting has a Savage Hack out there, or go make one! -/5
Mechanics or Crunch- Holy cow is this thing swingy! That’s not a bad thing, but it is a thing. If you need careful balance where expected results always happen, WALK AWAY NOW! But if you love you some pulp craziness, then get into this game. Its light and fast. I play with no miniatures, but many people love miniatures. I just love the math here. It goes fast and plays quick. The one thing I don’t like is how little the attributes matter. They are important for some things like Spirit rolls and determining toughness, but overall they feel slightly left aside. As this is mostly a skills game, its ok, but I always hate when games have attributes, but don’t really use them as much as say Dungeons and Dragons. It’s not bad, but it’s something that sticks in my craw. If you can ignore that one complaint I have, then Savage Worlds is a swingy, amazing system! 4.9/5
Execution- Is this available in PDF since its past 2015? Check. Hyperlinked to make my life easy? Check. Overall, I love how the book looks. I’d like a bit more walkthrough on a few things, but once you work through the rules it’s easy enough. Also, I’d like a bit more tables to break up some of the text for things like spells. It’s a well done book that you can skim through in an afternoon without an advanced degree or major eye strain. 4.8/5
Summary-I am a convert! I love lots of different systems, but Savage Worlds is one that always seemed off in the corner where the weird kids hang out. It’s a smaller system, but its got a big cult following, almost like The Evil Dead. And I think that that’s a good way to look at this system. If you want your standard fantasy where predictable thing happen at predictable time scales, then this isn’t for you. It’s not bad, but it’s not for you. If you want a faster pace with some crazy stuff happening like a player who is the town poopscooper getting five aces in a row and triple critting the big bad evil guy on the first turn, then this is the game for you. The system is slick, fast, and low crunch. The book is well put together and reads quickly and enjoyably. That’s everything I want in an RPG, and a system I can’t wait to get back into. 97%
December 6, 2021
I didn't realize how close these rules were to the original Deadlands, which was a game I had a TON of fun with back in the 90s. The Western trappings have been dropped and a few things have been smoothed or adjusted, but much of the mechanics remain. That might be both a strength and a weakness. Deadlands had a bit of a steep learning curve. It took a while to get used to the system, though once everyone was on board, it flowed very well and you could have tons of fun. Since I know Savage Worlds has its fans, I'm guessing others have found similar fun in it.
I don't love how this book is written and presented, yet I'm not sure that I can give reasons or suggestions of how I'd have done it. I just found it occasionally a bit dull and overly noodley. I'd say I don't know that someone would be able to pick this up and learn the game very easily, but apparently people do that with Dungeons & Dragons all the time, and in almost 50 years they haven't managed to make those rules very readable.
This isn't going to become my go-to system, but I sure wouldn't mind giving it another spin. I miss playing Deadlands, actually.
I don't love how this book is written and presented, yet I'm not sure that I can give reasons or suggestions of how I'd have done it. I just found it occasionally a bit dull and overly noodley. I'd say I don't know that someone would be able to pick this up and learn the game very easily, but apparently people do that with Dungeons & Dragons all the time, and in almost 50 years they haven't managed to make those rules very readable.
This isn't going to become my go-to system, but I sure wouldn't mind giving it another spin. I miss playing Deadlands, actually.
September 13, 2017
Good full system with interesting character ideas and a really gritty, deadly feel without reducing character empowerment. There is a lot a person can do, both in and out of combat and the world feels rich and full. THIS OPENS THE WORLD UP SIGNIFICANTLY as well as giving good, easily used options for a GM.
October 22, 2019
The best universal rpg on the market. It is a breeze to learn, teach, and play. It has a surprising amount of depth for customization, and the right amount of crunch without being too lean. It's the only system my gaming group wants to run in. Combat and skill checks are fast, furious, and fun!!
September 20, 2017
en este momento, junto con D&D 5ta, son los sistemas que más me gustan para una partida de rol, sencillas, divertidas y amigables con el jugador
December 12, 2018
Junto a Star Trek el mejor juego de rol que he podido leer este año. Será un fijo en 2019
December 3, 2016
This is part one of a review originally printed in Utah Geek Magazine. Part two was posted to their website. A second part is available at Guildmastergaming@blogspot.com.
Savage Worlds role playing game (RPG) has been around for a while. I had heard very little about the system, simply it was a good system, so I picked up the basic book, recently when I had the opportunity. What I was told was correct, and here is why.
The first words after the table of contents are, "Fast! Furious! Fun!" And, with that as the motto for their RPG, it delivers. The concept of the system is to get people past the rules and into the storyline of the game. Savage Worlds' basic game book is less than 150 pages. Within the space provided you get the basic rules for creating characters, adventures, etc. for any genre.
Character creation is simplified. There are 5 attributes to work with and the attributes are based on the common dice gamers use. Everything starts at a 4-sided die (d4). Players then have 5 point to spend on improving their attributes—1 point for 1 die, a d4 to a d6, etc.—a d6 is considered average, and no attribute can go above a d12.
After attributes you have 15 points for skills. They're based against the attributes and work in the same progression. Skills are presented in broad scope so you don't have to maintain a long list of skills some systems require. Then you can choose hindrances end edges. These are balanced out for beginning characters, you can't get an edge unless you have a hindrance. These flaws and innate traits are common to other games, some of the edges have prerequisites in rank, so you can't start with them.
Characters advance in levels, using a two-step approach. All characters start out in the rank of novice and advance up through four other ranks. Each rank effectively has four levels (except the last, legendary, which is open ended). With each level advancement, you choose between several ways of improving your character.
One aspect I like about this system is you don't need to figure out conversions to determine success. Everything is based on the die your attribute or skill are at. There are modifiers based on your edges and conditions, but to determine success you roll the appropriate die and if it is a 4 or greater, you succeed. Main characters (on both sides) have additional benefits because they are heroes.
Initiative is done by using a deck of playing cards, including the two jokers. The highest card decides to go first are holds their action for later in the round. Jokers are wild cards giving special advantages for the round.
The system also provides guidelines for followers and doing larger miniature style battles. This provides the ability to run a mass combat with the characters involved, or on the sideline of the adventurers, which they could still effect.
Savage Worlds, from Great White Games/Studio Publishing, developed by Shane Lacy Hensley strives for, and delivers, a quick learning, and quick play system. For more, check online at Utah Geek Magazine for more (or hold on until my next article).
Savage Worlds role playing game (RPG) has been around for a while. I had heard very little about the system, simply it was a good system, so I picked up the basic book, recently when I had the opportunity. What I was told was correct, and here is why.
The first words after the table of contents are, "Fast! Furious! Fun!" And, with that as the motto for their RPG, it delivers. The concept of the system is to get people past the rules and into the storyline of the game. Savage Worlds' basic game book is less than 150 pages. Within the space provided you get the basic rules for creating characters, adventures, etc. for any genre.
Character creation is simplified. There are 5 attributes to work with and the attributes are based on the common dice gamers use. Everything starts at a 4-sided die (d4). Players then have 5 point to spend on improving their attributes—1 point for 1 die, a d4 to a d6, etc.—a d6 is considered average, and no attribute can go above a d12.
After attributes you have 15 points for skills. They're based against the attributes and work in the same progression. Skills are presented in broad scope so you don't have to maintain a long list of skills some systems require. Then you can choose hindrances end edges. These are balanced out for beginning characters, you can't get an edge unless you have a hindrance. These flaws and innate traits are common to other games, some of the edges have prerequisites in rank, so you can't start with them.
Characters advance in levels, using a two-step approach. All characters start out in the rank of novice and advance up through four other ranks. Each rank effectively has four levels (except the last, legendary, which is open ended). With each level advancement, you choose between several ways of improving your character.
One aspect I like about this system is you don't need to figure out conversions to determine success. Everything is based on the die your attribute or skill are at. There are modifiers based on your edges and conditions, but to determine success you roll the appropriate die and if it is a 4 or greater, you succeed. Main characters (on both sides) have additional benefits because they are heroes.
Initiative is done by using a deck of playing cards, including the two jokers. The highest card decides to go first are holds their action for later in the round. Jokers are wild cards giving special advantages for the round.
The system also provides guidelines for followers and doing larger miniature style battles. This provides the ability to run a mass combat with the characters involved, or on the sideline of the adventurers, which they could still effect.
Savage Worlds, from Great White Games/Studio Publishing, developed by Shane Lacy Hensley strives for, and delivers, a quick learning, and quick play system. For more, check online at Utah Geek Magazine for more (or hold on until my next article).
July 10, 2014
Having played a good deal of different RPG systems, I really appreciate this book. It's easy to follow and contains all the rules anyone needs for any setting. The price is right at a mere $10, yet you'd never know it was so cheap since the binding, art, paper, editing, etc. are all of the utmost quality.
The system itself is simple and easy to understand, but different enough that gamers burnt out on d20 will be excited to try something new. The best feature about this system is how open it is. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, it's made to fit any setting, and the available options for races and gear reflect this. It also comes with details about how to create new races, making it even more open ended for Game Masters.
Since it doesn't pertain to any one particular setting, there isn't much "fluff" available. That's left to other books (campaign settings). This is slightly different than the usual approach, since most publishers include a lot of world-building information in the same book as the rules and races, but I appreciate this approach. It helps keep the book contained and more pertinent to users, and is no doubt a reason they can offer such a stellar book at such a low price.
After having played D&D 3.5 for years, I'm excited to be trying a new system. I've also played World of Darkness and Shadowrun, and I think Savage Worlds strikes a nice balance between simplicity and options. It's made to be an easy-to-follow system so you don't spend half your session looking up obscure rules.
This book should be on every gamer's shelf if they're looking for a new system to try.
The system itself is simple and easy to understand, but different enough that gamers burnt out on d20 will be excited to try something new. The best feature about this system is how open it is. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, it's made to fit any setting, and the available options for races and gear reflect this. It also comes with details about how to create new races, making it even more open ended for Game Masters.
Since it doesn't pertain to any one particular setting, there isn't much "fluff" available. That's left to other books (campaign settings). This is slightly different than the usual approach, since most publishers include a lot of world-building information in the same book as the rules and races, but I appreciate this approach. It helps keep the book contained and more pertinent to users, and is no doubt a reason they can offer such a stellar book at such a low price.
After having played D&D 3.5 for years, I'm excited to be trying a new system. I've also played World of Darkness and Shadowrun, and I think Savage Worlds strikes a nice balance between simplicity and options. It's made to be an easy-to-follow system so you don't spend half your session looking up obscure rules.
This book should be on every gamer's shelf if they're looking for a new system to try.
October 1, 2012
Szukałem jakiegoś prostego systemu, w którym mógłbym poprowadzić grę dla znajomych. Chciałem aby podręcznik był dostępny w języku polskim, aby system miał bardzo proste zasady, które da się wytłumaczyć graczom w pół godziny i nauczyć ich w to grać oraz żeby nie musieli czytać podręcznika. Do tego jeśli jeszcze system jest generyczny i umożliwia prowadzenie gry w dowolnej konwencji, to już w ogóle super. Te wszystkie wymagania spełnia właśnie Savage Worlds - dostajemy cienką, kolorową książeczkę formatu B5 na dobrej jakości papierze, a w środku znajdujemy całą niezbędną mechanikę do prowadzenia gry w dowolnym settingu - wygląda na to, że Brawurowe Światy umożliwiają nawet rozegranie dowolnej gry z marszu, mechanika powinna działać z horrorami, sci-fi, fantasy, opowieściami o piratach, poszukiwaczach skarbów, itd. Mechanika jest prosta, zwięzła i nie wymaga obliczenia kątu lotu pocisków przy użyciu ekierki i cyrkla oraz uruchamiania Excela celem obliczenia trafień, współczynników i obrażeń. Bardzo mi się podoba taka prostota. Jeżeli chodzi o samą ksiażkę to jest ładnie wydana, ma fajne ilustracje, dobry układ i właściwie poza kilkoma literówkami nie mam do czego się przyczepić.
July 31, 2012
Savage Worlds is by no means my favorite system. That honor goes to FATE and its relatives. And while I typically don't have much love for "trad" games and their creators, I find it hard to say a bad word about SHan Hensley and his compatriots.
As far as "traditional" RPGs go, Savage Worlds is easily in the top 3. As far as games to be played at a convention, again, top 3 (and easily beats Pathfinder and D&D in this category).
One of the best things is the SW business model. Buy the Core book, either the Explorer's Edition ($10) or the Deluxe Edition ($more) and then whatever setting you want. No need for collections of 10 or more books. Just a $10 buy in and then mix and match what you like. Deadlands, Noir, Sundered Skys (execelent), Space Opera, Hard Sci-fi, Steam Punk, Post Apoc, Weird West (oh, you saw what I did there... yeah, that was cheap...).
Great game system, great value, great book. If you're just upgrading from D&D and you want your group to see why other games are great, this is a terrific way to go.
As far as "traditional" RPGs go, Savage Worlds is easily in the top 3. As far as games to be played at a convention, again, top 3 (and easily beats Pathfinder and D&D in this category).
One of the best things is the SW business model. Buy the Core book, either the Explorer's Edition ($10) or the Deluxe Edition ($more) and then whatever setting you want. No need for collections of 10 or more books. Just a $10 buy in and then mix and match what you like. Deadlands, Noir, Sundered Skys (execelent), Space Opera, Hard Sci-fi, Steam Punk, Post Apoc, Weird West (oh, you saw what I did there... yeah, that was cheap...).
Great game system, great value, great book. If you're just upgrading from D&D and you want your group to see why other games are great, this is a terrific way to go.
December 5, 2016
If you are a role-player and have never tried Savage Worlds, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. The game advertises itself as Fast! Furious! Fun! and I have to agree. It is rules lite, fast moving, and loads of fun to play! The mechanics are simple enough. Each attribute or skill has a type of die (d4, d6, d8, d10, or d12) associated with it. Simply roll the die type that matches your skill or attribute, add or subtract modifiers, and if you roll a 4 or higher, you succeed!
Ah, but then there's the wild dice; a d6 that always gets rolled with your other dice. You take either the result of the wild dice OR the regular dice, depending on which is higher. And if you roll the maximum amount possible, you get a bonus roll to add to that one. And if that is the maximum possible, you add and roll again, ad infinitum! Thus, a near miss can turn into a hit right between the eyes with just a throw of the dice.
If you've never tried it, give it a go. You won't be sorry!
Ah, but then there's the wild dice; a d6 that always gets rolled with your other dice. You take either the result of the wild dice OR the regular dice, depending on which is higher. And if you roll the maximum amount possible, you get a bonus roll to add to that one. And if that is the maximum possible, you add and roll again, ad infinitum! Thus, a near miss can turn into a hit right between the eyes with just a throw of the dice.
If you've never tried it, give it a go. You won't be sorry!
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