Savage Worlds with no combat?

[aramis erak]

But by the book and raw, I think that SW doesn't play any different than any other trad rpg with skills.

Bennies, dude... Bennies are not a trad thing.

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

Bennies, dude... Bennies are not a trad thing.

I give you that, it's a big part of why SW is my fave system. What I meant was rather that any system can be played with out combat - mosts trad systems are very focused on the combat party, so it depends a lot on GM fiat and improv to work no matter what system.

But yeah, Bennies to keep things flowing and make PCs take risks give SW an edge over, say DnD.

 

[kronovan]

I'd categorize SWADE as a system as strong for non-combat roleplaying. Of the 12 TTRPG rules I use, I'd group it among the better 3 with FATE Core being the best.

As dbm and others have already mentioned, there's a number of gameplay mechanics that support encounters other than combat. But a clarification 1st; Quick Combats has been mentioned, but that was the older term when the play mechanic was 1st introd as an addendum to the SWD version of the rules. In SWADE it's referred to as Quick Encounters and the book highlights these 6 types - chase, combat, heist, crisis, mission and trek. There's a Social Conflict play mechanics that's already been mentioned, but I've at times instead used the Quick Encounters framework for social encounters. The same is true for Dramatic Tasks, which the SWADE details for Social Conflicts mentions as an alternative approach to handling social encounters - better when the pressure of time is a factor.

Another thing that's often overlooked is how a PC's Hindrances can potentially be brought into play. I frequently use them like you would a trouble aspect in FATE, or some other aspect. I also at times link into a PC's hindrance as a source for an adventure hook - mostly for a short adventure. There's an optional Adventure Deck that's available for SWADE, for which each card presents a nice boon - some of them situational. I typically use an adventure card instead of a benny as a reward at the completion of a hindrance-hooked adventure. You can employ hindrances for all sort of narrative play, if as GM you're mindful of the hindrances each PC has.

And as to bennies - the RAW says to award 3 to PCs at the beginning of a session, but there's nothing saying that as GM you could hand out fewer -say 2- at the start of sessions for which combat is going to be minimal, or non-existant.

 

[Autumnal]

I’ve been looking over a friend’s shoulder at their library of settings and supplements. Savage Rifts looks like a hoot, and I never played the original. (After struggling with Beyond the Supernatural and Mystic China, I knew I wasn’t up for struggling with the system any more.)

Of course it figures that I’d really get hooked on Streets of Bedlam, despite seeing that it’s 255 pages without bookmarks, in obvious need of more editing, has a bunch of incomplete abilities, on and on. I wish Jason Blair had been able to finish the darn thing. Then I could buy gleefully and without reservation. I wouldn’t use it for Sin City flavor, but neo-noir easily encompasses Body Heat, Le Samourai, and various John Woo moments, too.

 

[Jahydin]

Savage World is my goto system as a perma-GM, and we usually play very rp heavy campaigns with a low amount of combat and a focus on conspiracy, mystery and intrigue.

I've never been able to play SW long enough to get my players to the Veteran power levels, have you? Does the game more or less play the same?

 

[aramis erak]

I've never been able to play SW long enough to get my players to the Veteran power levels, have you? Does the game more or less play the same?

my best (most reliable attendance) was hitting 9th level just before the finale, most were 7th... it made some difference, in terms of the special abilities, but that's still not a huge one; it's comparable to shifting from 3rd to 5th level D&D going from 1st to 9th in SavW.

 

[innerdude]

I've never been able to play SW long enough to get my players to the Veteran power levels, have you? Does the game more or less play the same?

It plays more or less the same, only characters are busting out some seriously powerful (and fun) edges and tricks, and your enemy selection has to get much more deliberate and careful not to unbalance the parry + toughness thresholds so that combat doesn't bog down (unless you use the Strain house rules I posted in a different thread, in which case you can have fun tactically using strain to complement how enemy combatants are worn down).

 

[grimmgoose]

I've never been able to play SW long enough to get my players to the Veteran power levels, have you? Does the game more or less play the same?

Yes! I've got a group all the way up to 19, and the best part is: combat is still scary.

My party of Legendary heroes boarded a pirate ship, all cocky, and were nearly blown apart by pirates wielding plasma miniguns.

If I have a complaint about late-game SW, it's that it gets modifier-crazy. A multi-action at Novice is a big choice; a multi-action at Legendary is just another turn.

 

[Jahydin]

It plays more or less the same, only characters are busting out some seriously powerful (and fun) edges and tricks, and your enemy selection has to get much more deliberate and careful not to unbalance the parry + toughness thresholds so that combat doesn't bog down (unless you use the Strain house rules I posted in a different thread, in which case you can have fun tactically using strain to complement how enemy combatants are worn down).

Never heard of strain, will certainly look it up though. Seems to help one of the major issues of the system.

 

[Jahydin]

These posts are really making me want to run SW again...

No, must run Draonbane first...