Gothmog
First Post
I'll echo pretty much everything Savage Robby said- Savage Worlds is an incredible game, and has completely revitalized my love of gaming. I haven't used it for as much fantasy as I have other genres, but we have done some swords & sorcery style fantasy (similar to Conan), as well as dark horrific fantasy with it, and it worked flawlessly. I had a little bit of a hard time selling it to my D&D die hards, but after they tried it, we left D&D behind and play Savage Worlds almost exclusively now.
Basically, SW can do everything D&D can, and then some- with LESS work! My players and I really like Tricks in combat, which reward creative tactics in combat by giving some pretty serious advantages over foes, and it discourages the stand and slug combat that seems common in D&D. SW doesn't play like D&D- so if your players' only experience is with D&D, it might take some adjustment. SW characters start out more competent than a D&D character, but at the peak of their power, they are skilled mortals, not superheroes. Also, a lucky shot by a random goblin can take a skilled character down, so I've noticed characters being slightly more cautious in SW.
If your players are used to D20, the areas they will be most frustrated with is it is less crunchy than D20- but in a really good way. You don't have to agonize over character development decisions like PrCs and feat chains, and it leads to less metagaming on the part of players. My players balked at first, but after 2 or 3 sessions, they loved it.
The other thing, like Savage Robbie mentioned, is magic. The magic system doesn't have hundreds of spells, and magic isn't as potent as it is in D&D at high levels. SW sorts spells by their effect- so a Bolt spell could be a ray of arcane energy, a short lightning strike, or a small swarm of insects that bite and sting the target- its up to however your player wants to describe it. It takes a little getting used to, but using it makes magic feel, well...magical again. Magic items also don't tend to be as common, so the Christmas tree of magic items common in D&D doesn't tend to happen so much in SW- you simply don't need that much magic.
If you're wanting to run a SW fantasy game, I'd definitely get the SW Fantasy Toolkit, World Builder, and Bestiary. I also picked up the Horror Toolkit and Horror Bestiary, since I like to take things a littler darker with my games.
I can't say enough positive about Savage Worlds- its the most revolutionary game system I've ever tried since it combines the customizability of D20 with simplicity and speed of play. It has revitalized my gaming group, taken the focus of the game off powergaming and mechanics and put it on character and story, and I can prep an 8 hour gaming session in under 1 hour!
That just simply can't be done with D20 IME. I can happily say for me and my group, we won't be going back to D20 for any of the games I run. I'll still play the occasional D20 game, but I won't ever be running it again. SW scratches all my GMing itches perfectly with a fraction of the work of any other game system (with the exception of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2, which we play a lot of as well). Give Savage Worlds a try- you won't regret it! 
Basically, SW can do everything D&D can, and then some- with LESS work! My players and I really like Tricks in combat, which reward creative tactics in combat by giving some pretty serious advantages over foes, and it discourages the stand and slug combat that seems common in D&D. SW doesn't play like D&D- so if your players' only experience is with D&D, it might take some adjustment. SW characters start out more competent than a D&D character, but at the peak of their power, they are skilled mortals, not superheroes. Also, a lucky shot by a random goblin can take a skilled character down, so I've noticed characters being slightly more cautious in SW.
If your players are used to D20, the areas they will be most frustrated with is it is less crunchy than D20- but in a really good way. You don't have to agonize over character development decisions like PrCs and feat chains, and it leads to less metagaming on the part of players. My players balked at first, but after 2 or 3 sessions, they loved it.
The other thing, like Savage Robbie mentioned, is magic. The magic system doesn't have hundreds of spells, and magic isn't as potent as it is in D&D at high levels. SW sorts spells by their effect- so a Bolt spell could be a ray of arcane energy, a short lightning strike, or a small swarm of insects that bite and sting the target- its up to however your player wants to describe it. It takes a little getting used to, but using it makes magic feel, well...magical again. Magic items also don't tend to be as common, so the Christmas tree of magic items common in D&D doesn't tend to happen so much in SW- you simply don't need that much magic.
If you're wanting to run a SW fantasy game, I'd definitely get the SW Fantasy Toolkit, World Builder, and Bestiary. I also picked up the Horror Toolkit and Horror Bestiary, since I like to take things a littler darker with my games.
I can't say enough positive about Savage Worlds- its the most revolutionary game system I've ever tried since it combines the customizability of D20 with simplicity and speed of play. It has revitalized my gaming group, taken the focus of the game off powergaming and mechanics and put it on character and story, and I can prep an 8 hour gaming session in under 1 hour!
That just simply can't be done with D20 IME. I can happily say for me and my group, we won't be going back to D20 for any of the games I run. I'll still play the occasional D20 game, but I won't ever be running it again. SW scratches all my GMing itches perfectly with a fraction of the work of any other game system (with the exception of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2, which we play a lot of as well). Give Savage Worlds a try- you won't regret it! 
