No. Just how to roll dice, how they explode, how to do traits. How to deduct Toughness and figure out wounds. Soak rolls, shaken conditions, etc.
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My "Savage" Experience
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Thomas Shey
Legend
There's a lot in that "etc"
In progress...
Savage Worlds Cheat Sheet
Acing/Exploding Dice
Any time your die comes up as the highest possible result, you can keep rolling and adding to that number until you don’t get the highest possible result.
Trait Tests
When you want to use a skill (called a Trait in Savage Worlds), roll the die associated with the check AND your “Wild Die” (a d6). Take the better result - but do not add the dice together. A 4 or better is a success. Every 4 over that is a “raise” and may have an additional benefit.
If you are using a trait untrained, use a d4 (AND don’t forget your Wild Die d6) and subtract 2 from both dice.
Ranged Combat
Use your Shooting trait AND your Wild Die d6. Take the better result - but do not add the dice together. You may have a penalty to your roll due to cover or distance. A 4 or better is a success. If you get 8 or higher, you get to add +1d6 to your damage (see below).
Rate of Fire
If you have a ranged weapon with a Rate of Fire (RoF) greater than 1, you can shoot multiple times with the same action. What you do is roll a Shooting die for each shot AND only a single Wild Die d6 for the whole group. Subtract the weapon’s Recoil from each die roll. Remember that any die you roll can explode. Once you figure out all the hits, assign them to the targets you choose.
If your ranged weapon has the Burst trait - it MUST be fired at its maximum RoF.
Melee Combat
Use your Fighting trait AND your Wild Die d6. Take the better result - but do not add the dice together. Your target number is your opponents’ Parry number (which is derived from their Fighting trait.) If you get 4 higher than your opponent’s Parry number, you get to add +1d6 to your damage (see below).
Ranged Damage
Your ranged weapon has damage dice associated with it. If you hit the enemy, roll both dice and add them together. Remember that a die that comes up as the highest possible result explodes and can be rolled again and added to the total. If you happened to get a raise on your Shooting roll, you can add +1d6 to this (which can also explode). This total is deducted from the opponent’s Toughness (which includes their Armor bonus). If your weapon has an AP number (Armor Piercing), that amount is also deducted from their Armor bonus (effectively lowering your opponent’s Toughness).
Read about Shaken and Wounds below.
Melee Damage
Your melee weapon has a “Str + damage die” associated with it. This means you use your Strength attribute die and the damage die of the weapon. If you hit the enemy, roll both dice and add them together. Remember that a die that comes up as the highest possible result explodes and can be rolled again and added to the total. If you happened to get a raise on your Fighting roll, you can add +1d6 to this (which can also explode). This total is deducted from the opponent’s Toughness (which includes their Armor bonus). If your weapon has an AP number (Armor Piercing), that amount is also deducted from their Armor bonus (effectively lowering your opponent’s Toughness).
Read about Shaken and Wounds below.
Shaken and Wounds
If your damage roll meets or exceeds the Toughness of your opponent, you Shake them. While Shaken, a character can’t make attacks, cast spells, etc. At the start of a Shaken character’s turn, they can make a Spirit roll to lose the Shaken condition. OR at any time, they can spend a Benny to lose the Shaken condition.
Every 4 points of damage beyond the Toughness of an opponent translates into a Wound. This kills most enemies, which have a single Wound. More powerful enemies and your heroic characters can withstand 4 Wounds before starting to roll death saves.
If you don’t want to get wounded (and you don’t), use a Benny to make a Soak roll. Make a Vigor test, and each success of 4 reduces a Wound. If you end up taking no Wounds - then you’re also not Shaken.
Each Wound gives a -1 penalty to your Pace and all your rolls.
Multiple Actions
You can move your Pace in squares/inches AND perform an action (attack, make a skill check, cast a spell, etc.) in your round. You can do more than that. Announce at the start of your turn and take a -2 to your die rolls for each additional action. For example, if you want to fire your gun AND cast a spell, you would be -2 to Shooting and -2 to Arcana. If you wanted to do three actions, you would be -4 to all of them.
Bennies
You get bennies when you …
Start each session with 3 bennies. (The GM starts with 1 benny per player and each of his Wild Card enemies gets one at the start of an encounter.)
Draw a Joker for Initiative - everyone in your party gets one.
Have a Hindrance that sets you back in a scene or causes a significant complication.
Do something cool, GM takes pity on you, etc.
You can spend bennies to …
Be dealt a new Initiative card after everyone else has been dealt
Reroll a skill check or weapon damage (as long as it’s not a Crit failure - which is a 1 on both dice)
Instantly get rid of the Shaken condition at any time
Make a Soak roll immediately after taking a Wound
Instantly recharge 5 Power Points
Influence the story (subject to GM approval)
cbwjm
Legend
This is a cheat sheet I did for my players, I didn't mention the wild die, maybe I should have but at the time I was probably just going to explain that to them. It has most of the more peetinent information for the short session I had planned (technically still have planned, scheduling sucks when you're an adult).
It might be rare to die on the initial roll, but the Bleeding Out is brutal. The pc needs a vigor roll of 7 (usually) to avoid death and an 11 to stabilize and not need to roll again. It's usually the first thing I tweak for a SW game.
I think this is too wordy and probably isn't significantly easier to digest than the book text.
Thomas Shey
Legend
I'd just note a few things:
1. First, you have a fair bit of repetition; after telling them the basic process for trait tests, you shouldn't need to repeat it every time in the combat summary. Same for spelling out the damage process twice there. While melee and ranged damage are derived slightly differently, they aren't rolled any differently.
2. Though it might be necessary given the specific campaign you were running, explaining autofire is not a basic mechanic; in the majority of non-military campaigns its either difficult or impossible to acquire autofire weapons.
3. Though technically correct, the amount of whitespace you seem to be using there is not what most people would think of when hearing "single space". It implies a considerably greater density of text than what you've got (assuming what you posted is structurally similar to the handout you're preparing).
Right. The examples listed here serve better (especially graphically) as quick flow charts. I guess I was constructing mine to teach the game to complete beginners. I'll probably use one of these others.
I gave them all copies of the new Players Guides from Pinnacle. They've had them for almost a month now. I just don't understand not reading about how the basics of a game works.
RPGS have a real RTFM problem.
Thomas Shey
Legend
Yeah, honestly, unless they're just so massively stuck in a D&D mindset it keeps bouncing, its hard to see someone not understanding at least the basics there after a quick read-through. The hardest thing I've typically seen people run up against is that attributes operate as a cost controller on skills rather than adding to them, which is kind of quirky as games go (well, open ended dice in general can be a new concept, but its not like its complicated).
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