Pinnacle's Savage Worlds

[Crimson_Blade]

Wow, sounds really cool. What are its downsides?

 

[Gothmog]

Downside to SW is that it won't be as well supported as D&D or D20, and Pinnacle isn't going to come out with a ton of supplemental material for each of the campaign settings they put out. On the other hand, that could be a big plus since there won't be the dreaded D20 power creep from splatbook-o-mania!

But if you're worried it won't be supported by the fans, then think again. There are already lots of sites with conversions of lots of other games. Check this site out for a bunch of FREE conversions. www.savageheroes.com

Oh, and maddman75- while the Melee skill in SW isn't as broad as BAB, I house-ruled back in weapon grouping proficiencies (short blades, axes, bows, etc) in my D&D/D20 games, so I killed that problem too.

 

[mmadsen]

I've read that it's very concentrated on using miniatures, especially with its wargaming roots. Does this really add anything to the gameplay?

The game doesn't actually revolve around miniatures -- it's probably less miniature-oriented than 3.5 -- but it's designed to be streamlined. In particular, you don't have to track hit points for every character, and skills aren't rated in bonuses but in the die you'll roll (e.g., d4 for unskilled, d12 for master, trying to get a 4 or higher).

The designer wrote an excellent making-of article explaining his design goals:

As a Game Master:

1) I want a game that it's easy to make up monsters, NPCs, magic items, weapons, etc. on the fly. If I have to look up lots of charts and tables, add up points (as a GM, not a player), and so on, it's too complicated.

2) I want a game where "mooks" are either up, down, or off the table. I don't want to keep track of wounds for lesser NPCs--only important bad guys, villains, dragons, and so on.

3) I want a game that easily handles vehicles. The vehicle rules in many games require a PHD to decipher.

4) I want a game a non-gamer friend of mine can look at and understand *at a glance.* The basic rules for Savage Worlds can be described in one sentence.

5) I want a game that has a "spine" capable of gaming any genre, but allows me to insert special rules to tailor specific genres. Horror needs detailed fright tables, for instance, and a pulp heroes game needs to be less gritty and deadly than World War II.

7) As a GM, I want to roll *one* attack die for my bad guys to see if they hit, and I don't want to do any math to it. If three orcs gang up on a hero, I want to roll 3 dice, look for hits, and be done.

As a player I want:

1) I want a game that provides real depth for characters. I want to see my character grow, gain new special abilities, and even increase my skills and attributes.

2) I want a game that handles large battles fast. If my sergeant in World War II persuades the villagers to fight beside him, I want them on the table-top, not glossed over.

Update: After going round and round on this one a bit, what I was really after was reasonable speed--but more importantly--ease. I just don't want to do a lot of bookeeping during a fight.

3) I want my NPC allies to have names and at least a "personality" trait for each. If my Lt. in Vietnam needs to send someone to scout a hill, I want to know who's "Gung Ho," "Reliable," "Shifty," "Lazy," and so on.

4) I want a little control over the dice--like Fate Chips or bennies--so the hero I've been working on for a year doesn't drop dead because of one bad die roll. Two or three I can handle, but not one.

5) "Open ended die rolls." If I get lucky and roll that high number, I want to keep rolling and feel like I just conquered the world.

 

[kengar]

Downside to SW is that it won't be as well supported as D&D or D20, and Pinnacle isn't going to come out with a ton of supplemental material for each of the campaign settings they put out. On the other hand, that could be a big plus since there won't be the dreaded D20 power creep from splatbook-o-mania!

But if you're worried it won't be supported by the fans, then think again. There are already lots of sites with conversions of lots of other games. Check this site out for a bunch of FREE conversions. www.savageheroes.com

Shane's philosophy is that you shouldn't need more than 2 books to play: Core Rules & Setting book; and that's if you're using a published setting. No splatbooks, no supplements.

 

[Henry]

5) "Open ended die rolls." If I get lucky and roll that high number, I want to keep rolling and feel like I just conquered the world.

You just sparked a memory:

In one of the sessions I played at Gencon, I played a mantis-man soldier (sci-fi setting) and scored a high die roll on both my d8 and my wild die (d6). I scored at least once more on the d8, I believe, and the table was going nuts!

By the time I had resolved my attack, I had rolled something like a 34 on those two dice!

Unfortunately, the weapon I had used had no effect.

Again, a great game.

 

[paulewaug]

I'd say the only real downside is getting some people to try a new system...

ok,
Also there will be a Lot less stuff released because Shane (wisley IMO) is not going to do an "OGL"
He wants to keep control of approval of what is published for his system as it reflects upon the game itself.
He had an article on the website about this within the last couple of months but I can't find it now. Too bad though, it was a good article.

And I'd rahter have a few good products than a horde of stuff I don't want or need and counldn't possibley keep up with.

It's nice to have the d20 OGL for d20 because that allows things like Mutants and Masterminds, etc.
But the SW core book is designed to pretty much cover any genre (although it does favor a pulp style/feel)

The core book is actually pretty slim at 143 pages, but it has been said that they "did more with less" and I think this comment is spot on. You do not have to lug around 3 core books plus add-ons.

And some D&D products that I personally feel work Better with Sw are
the Freeport trilogy, (and all the newer Freeport stuff too) and the Witchfire Trilogy (and all IK stuff.)

 

[Crimson_Blade]

Okay, I understand that it's a universal system that can cover all genres, but how well does it cover certain ones? For example, a SciFi game is often defined by cool technology and alien species, whereas a 1930s Indiana Jones-esque game is more defined by the supernatural. Any problems?

Further, how "heroic," or deadly, is the system? Does it encourage you to become a complete wimp with your character like GURPS, or is it more like d20 where characters can do amazing things and survive?

 

[mistergone]

It's really just a good system. It doesn't need a hard sell. I do not think it can cover every single genre well. Depending on the genre, you may or may not have to do some work to get it how you want it. But, that work is not hard to do. It's super easy to make up NPCs, vehicles, powers, weapons, etc. for any setting.

As for lethality, it's "Cinematic", in that you can have a prolonged fight with a big villain then suddenly the tables turn, or sometimes you can take 'em out with one shot. It really just depends on how well you roll the dice, use the resources you have, and what tactics you employ. Your characters start out decent, and improve from there. It's easy to create a heroic character initially you can fight his way through a gang of mooks then have an epic duel with the head bad guy.

 

[mmadsen]

The core book is actually pretty slim at 143 pages, but it has been said that they "did more with less" and I think this comment is spot on. You do not have to lug around 3 core books plus add-ons.

I've also heard people say that the book isn't particular interesting to read, because the rules are so simple -- they just play well.

 

[Theron]

I would say the main rule book is deceptively dull. The rules hang together remarkably well, but it really takes some playing to see it. Individually, there are things that make the experienced player go "huh?", but in play it works beautifully.