There's A New Edition of Savage Worlds Coming!

Next month Pinnacle Entertainment Group will be launching a brand new edition of their popular game system, Savage Worlds. In a project which was previously codenamed "Savage Worlds Black", the new edition will simply be named "Savage Worlds", and will appear on Kickstarter in October.

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What is there to know about it at this stage? Shane Hensley (the creator) revealed all over on Peginc's website:

First off, we want you to know that Savage Worlds “Black” is officially just “Savage Worlds.” The “Black” in the title was just a code name and a reference to an original cover concept, which was going to be solid black except for the Savage Worlds logo. We now have a very cool illustrated cover we’re using instead that ties it into all the Savage World Companions.

Second, the Kickstarter is currently planned for Tuesday, October 16th. That might change for a number of reasons—a big competitor launches something in the same time period, a component isn’t quite ready for us to show, personnel issues, etc.—but right now we are on track.

Third, the price will be $39.99 for the 192-page Limited Edition hardback while the softcover will be $29.99. (The price of the PDF has yet to be determined.) There will be other offerings during the Kickstarter as well.

Fourth, rest assured that the game is very compatible with previous editions and settings and we will publish a FREE conversion and update guide.

Finally, some of the changes we’ve already let slip are new Chase rules, tweaks to lots of Edges and Hindrances, Tests and Tricks, some skill, core rules, and Power Modifiers changes first previewed in The Savage World of Flash Gordon, the inclusion of Quick Combat (now called Quick Encounters as it handles more than combat!), and quite a few NEW sections, including new Setting Rules we think you’ll love.

The core book does not include the GM’s “advice” chapter found in previous editions. That will be released separately.

Much of this and more will be previewed leading up to and during the Kickstarter, along with many other great surprises as well.

Thanks for your patience amigos, and we look forward to you all experiencing the next exciting iteration of Savage Worlds!

So, Tuesday October 16th is the date to mark in your diaries. I suspect this'll be a big'un!

 

[mpathy]

a big competitor launches something in the same time period

I really really need to know who they mean.

* Cypher Systems Rulebook - there was one not so long ago
* D20 Modern and so on.. - WotC never talked about a relaunch
* FATE - why? and they are also quite open about the products
* powered by the Apocalypse - generic rules?
* Free League - generic Rules?

 

[Reynard]

The language on the PEG website is strongly suggestive of a DMsGuild style venture with the new Edition. I would totally be into that.

 

[Sir Brennen]

PEG has always been very good about examining and refining the game rules. The recently released Flash Gordon (FG) setting book includes a number of new rules which are a sort of "preview" of the new edition. Things from FG may not make it into the new edition as is, but some seem very likely. In particular, I think the new conditions will probably stick:

Distracted (-2 on character's rolls),
Vulnerable (+2 on rolls targeting the character),
Entangled (can't move, Distracted)
Bound (can't move, Distracted, Vulnerable, other)

Some people might think "Ugh! More conditions to keep track of", but really, this greatly simplifies a number of things. Instead of having to repeatedly write out "X causes a character to have -2 on all trait rolls", it's just "X causes a character to be Distracted". And those "X causes" previously varied enough that the GM or Player would have to double check the monster's ability, or power's effect, since there was some inconsistancies.

Taunts and Tricks use this simplification to their betterment. The first renders a target Distracted, the second, Vulnerable. The Grappling rules are more streamlined this way as well, using the Entangled and Bound conditions.

There were a few Skill tweaks in FG. Climbing and Swimming combinded into Athletics. Theivery replacing Lockpicking (and adding a few other thiefy features to the skill.) Performance as a new skill.

Powers in FG added the option to dynamically alter them with specific modifiers on the fly (almost like D&D metamagic) for higher point costs. The way it works for FG is something I suspect will get tweaked heavily for the new edition, but I think it could be an attempt to codify Power Trappings a bit and make them more balanced.

And, as is tradition with SW editions, the Chase rules are getting revised

 

[pickin_grinnin]

The language on the PEG website is strongly suggestive of a DMsGuild style venture with the new Edition. I would totally be into that.

Looks like that is what it was.

When it comes to the DMSGuild and similar systems (like the one Chaosium does) I'm still not clear on what products are selling best and how many sales constitute the top ten. Chaosium indicated that the best selling one on theirs has netted the creator $800, but won't say which product it is, so it's hard to tell how many sales that represents, and how many other products are anywhere close to that (or even half that). None of the people I know in real life have bought a PDF from those programs (though they have bought things from DriveThruRPG in general), but that isn't necessarily indicative of how popular the products are in general. Does anyone have any sense of how those programs are going?

 

[pickin_grinnin]

PEG has always been very good about examining and refining the game rules. The recently released Flash Gordon (FG) setting book includes a number of new rules which are a sort of "preview" of the new edition. Things from FG may not make it into the new edition as is, but some seem very likely. In particular, I think the new conditions will probably stick:

Distracted (-2 on character's rolls),
Vulnerable (+2 on rolls targeting the character),
Entangled (can't move, Distracted)
Bound (can't move, Distracted, Vulnerable, other)

Things like that aren't enough to make me want to put out the money to buy an all new core rulebook. Once the changes come out, I will just homebrew them into my existing game, if I like them. I would just break down and buy the new rulebook if it was at a better price point, but the types of things they have been talking about just aren't enough to make it worth that much money to me.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Things like that aren't enough to make me want to put out the money to buy an all new core rulebook. Once the changes come out, I will just homebrew them into my existing game, if I like them. I would just break down and buy the new rulebook if it was at a better price point, but the types of things they have been talking about just aren't enough to make it worth that much money to me.

Well, they’ve also said there’s going to be new stuff as well. But the rules changes will be made available for free for people like yourself who don’t want to pay for the (admittedly more expensive) new edition

 

[Sir Brennen]

There's a preview of one of the newer/revised mechanics up on the PEG site, with hints at a few more things to come (including a Wealth system!)

https://www.peginc.com/savage-worlds-kickstarter-support-rules-preview/