[Savage Worlds] New GM to SW and Sundered Skies...

[Is_907]

Hey all, I'm about to start running a Savage Worlds (Deluxe book) three players (wife and another couple... my son is just a year old, so not yet.)

We are wanting to play in Sundered Skies, and I have that book on its way to me now, but I'm hoping to get some feedback and advice for someone who's never PLAYED Savage Worlds trying to run it?

I've made it through all the gameplay sections of the book and have a decent grip on the skills and combat systems. My plan is to run a mock combat and maybe some miscellaneous skill roll situations for myself to get a good grip on everything.

We are thinking of running Tomb of Terrors--the fantasy one page with pregen characters--to learn the system. One player has experience with SW but it was a good while back and only one or two sessions, I think, so we're all novices.


It's been a LONG time since I've played at a table where everyone was new to the system. It's very exciting and a bit intimidating
I welcome advice, tips, tricks, and stories.

 

[AngryMojo]

A few suggestions:

First, there's an unofficial character sheet available with "training wheels." I find using this with new players helps, as it shows how all the math is derived and gives a short list of all the major combat maneuvers you can do.

http://peginc.com/Downloads/SWEX/SWEX_TrainingWheelsCS.pdf

Second, make sure the players know about tricks. These are a central part of the game, and I can't express enough how much they add to the cinema. If you think WWIJD (What Would Indiana Jones Do) during a fight, it's a lot more fun.

There's lots of savages out there, and we're generally very happy to help people get into the game.

 

[innerdude]

The biggest thing for our group when shifting to Savage Worlds was the idea that "who your character is" is more important than "what your character does."

Tricks, tests of will, most combat actions, etc. can be done by anyone. No longer does just the one fighter guy/gal, with all the right feats do all of the "fancy maneuvers." Everyone's expected to be using the tools in front of them.

Some players found the transition to be incredibly freeing, letting them work on cool character concepts and push their characters in new directions. Others didn't really catch the "Savage Spirit," and generally complained that it felt "dull," or "too cookie-cutter."

A little flavor goes a long way in this game.

Also--as much as you can, play up your characters' disadvantages. Make them come into play in the game.

And don't be stingy with the Bennies.

 

[amerigoV]

It's been a LONG time since I've played at a table where everyone was new to the system. It's very exciting and a bit intimidating
I welcome advice, tips, tricks, and stories.

You are taking your first step into a larger (Savage) World

Here is what I learned from my first fantasy campaign using Savage Worlds:

Savage Ravenloft | Running Savage Worlds | Obsidian Portal

 

[Is_907]

Thanks for all the advice so far! Hope more will chime in.

Two of us are no strangers to running and playing new rulesets... I think the difficulty will be the wives, who have largely only played d20 games.
(My wife has only played Pathfinder while the other wife has played 2e and 3.x/PF.)

I downloaded the Training Wheels sheet last night but hadn't looked at it. That will be an immense help!

 

[amerigoV]

To get people in the Savage mood, you might run a non-fantasy genre to introduce the rules (then jump to Sundered Skies). It helps break the "5' step to avoid the AoO and I put some Condition on them" thinking. A bit of Deadlands (weird, wild west) gets people thinking of their characters as people and not just combat beasts (and shows people that range weapons, even in the hands of extras, is deadly - best dive to cover when the lead starts flying).

 

[Greg K]

Here is a stickied thread that I started at the PEG forums. It is a collection of faq, system insights and suggestions by Clint Black, the Savage Worlds Brand Manager. It was for the Explorer's Edition, but most things should still hold.

 

[catsclaw227]

This weekend my group is starting a new Savage Worlds - Deadlands campaign. We're all new to the system, so our first session will be creating characters and then maybe a one-sheet adventure (we've got 6-7 hours to play).

I'm excited, though I am a bit nervous being a first-time Marshal, even though I have some 30+ years DMing D&D in all its incarnations.

I've been culling advice and one consistent piece that I have seen mentioned is that your character is much more about your Hindrances and Edges than your skills, and a +2 or -2 here and there are major. Also, that combat can be swingy when you start seeing aces coming out, so like [MENTION=26651]amerigoV[/MENTION] said, the game can get lethal!

I've been told that since you get XP for roleplaying and not killing things and getting loot, it can be a tough paradigm shift for d20 or 4e gamers. If the orc is guarding a door, it's not just about killing him so that you can bash down the door, maybe you talk to him, negotiate or even lure him away instead.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to it and I am sure we'll all stumble along at first, but I am looking forward to a system and genre change to shake off some of my fantasy 3.x/4e burnout.

 

[Piratecat]

Can you talk more about tricks? I, too, will soon be running SW for the first time. Any hints are really useful.

 

[Insight]

I wish I could transition my groups to Savage Worlds. It really is an elegant system and usable for just about any campaign concept. The system may not be robust enough for certain gamers, and to be fair, I have only played SW at conventions. I would love to run a SW campaign some time.