Savage Worlds

[oldboy]

Alright, so I've warmed up to the card based initiative system, but I get the feeling I'm doing it wrong and the book feels a little vague. Do cards get dealt out each round? So players/npcs are going in a different order every round? Or do you get one card for the entire encounter? The former, while random, actually sounds really cool, since a player could get a lucky draw and essentially get two turns in a row by being the last on the first round, and first on the second round.

[ValhallaGH]

Originally Posted by oldboy

Alright, so I've warmed up to the card based initiative system, but I get the feeling I'm doing it wrong and the book feels a little vague. Do cards get dealt out each round? So players/npcs are going in a different order every round? Or do you get one card for the entire encounter? The former, while random, actually sounds really cool, since a player could get a lucky draw and essentially get two turns in a row by being the last on the first round, and first on the second round.

Cards are dealt each round. When the card is actually used, as opposed to being held, it is put into the discard pile. When you run out of cards, or are about to, reshuffle the deck.

[Mythtify]

Originally Posted by ValhallaGH

Cards are dealt each round. When the card is actually used, as opposed to being held, it is put into the discard pile. When you run out of cards, or are about to, reshuffle the deck.

Actualy you shuffle the deck at the end of any round in which a joker has been played.

[Princesskeyblade]

Originally Posted by oldboy

I was reading about the initiative systems in SW just earlier and was a bit put off by the card based system, Does it actually play out really well? It seems like extra work and a little too random?

I love it! This is one of the mechanics that I think works really well!!! I know what everyone is going on and it excites my players to get a Joker.

Originally Posted by Mythtify

Savage Worlds is porbaly my favorite system. The core rules cover just about all that you need. That said, the extra books that Pinnacle has are fantastic.

The pirates suplement is awesome and I had a blast running the adventure in the back!

The "adventure deck" supplement made me very nervous, as they give the players the ability to manipulate the game in ways that the gm may not be ready for. In play, it is awsome, and really challenges me as a Gm.

It is really great and quite the challenge!

Last year I was using them at a convention and the player used it so that the zombie daughter of one of the NPC's ate the father so that they could have the treasure all to themselves. The card turned all my damage on the attack into d20's and we kept aceing. We did something like 105 points of damage.

Originally Posted by oldboy

Alright, so I've warmed up to the card based initiative system, but I get the feeling I'm doing it wrong and the book feels a little vague. Do cards get dealt out each round? So players/npcs are going in a different order every round? Or do you get one card for the entire encounter? The former, while random, actually sounds really cool, since a player could get a lucky draw and essentially get two turns in a row by being the last on the first round, and first on the second round.

The cards should get handed out every round. I love the "luck of the draw" feel it has. The players and NPCs go different times each round. I pull a card for the minor NPC's and a card for each major one, and that works incredibly well for me.