Tell Me About Savage Worlds (please)...
Friday's session was a blast (literally, figuratively, and pun intended).
Mechanics-wise, I found SW a refreshing change from D&D 3e/4e (and I like them both). It was so nice to simply throw dice and watch what happens, without needing to tally a running count of modifiers each round. I even liked the playing-card based initiative, it's nice and game-y.
Each PC felt suitably different; a super-attractive space Valkyrie good at piloting and making men fight over her (who's on a death wish/life quest to acquire a harem of 77 husbands), a bitter space detective good with fists and guns (who was almost husband #1), and pint-sized child engineering prodigy good at making rocketship engines explode (who was just rescued from pirates).
It was a pretty short evening; mostly a single big combat with rock-men who interrupted our rocketship repairs. It looks like the start of a beautiful friendship between SW & our group.
As for the feel of the session... this is the email the GM sent around for the players who couldn't make it:
"So: It's been decided that the game is called Sex and Rockets. Mainly because, through an ingenious combination of sex appeal and rocketry, the PCs managed to explode the planetoid* they had landed on for repairs, igniting a mile-high plume of radioactive fire that pushed the rock from its orbit. But not before we established the Rock Man life cycle: they are born as enormous Boulder Men by their mother, the volcano, and as they age they are gradually eroded down to Rock Men, then Pebble Men, some of whom spontaneously evolve into ninja (by Acing Agility tests), and finally end up as Zen Gardens. Since the planetoid now has a second volcano, Steve named it Heather, because it has two mommies.
* Amber Alert wanted to smelt the fallen rock men down for useful rare metals. On her Knowledge (Science!) roll to figure out the best way to do that, she rolled snake eyes, a critical failure. Then on her roll to actually carry out her terrible plan, she Aced three times, rolling a 22 on a d6. Thus, turning the whole planetoid into a volcanically-powered rocket missile.
Before Amber destroyed their homeworld, Freja managed to seduce one of the Rock Men attackers into becoming a potential second husband. Zinc Hardbody is quite a hunk. Of stone."
Mechanics-wise, I found SW a refreshing change from D&D 3e/4e (and I like them both). It was so nice to simply throw dice and watch what happens, without needing to tally a running count of modifiers each round. I even liked the playing-card based initiative, it's nice and game-y.
Each PC felt suitably different; a super-attractive space Valkyrie good at piloting and making men fight over her (who's on a death wish/life quest to acquire a harem of 77 husbands), a bitter space detective good with fists and guns (who was almost husband #1), and pint-sized child engineering prodigy good at making rocketship engines explode (who was just rescued from pirates).
It was a pretty short evening; mostly a single big combat with rock-men who interrupted our rocketship repairs. It looks like the start of a beautiful friendship between SW & our group.
As for the feel of the session... this is the email the GM sent around for the players who couldn't make it:
"So: It's been decided that the game is called Sex and Rockets. Mainly because, through an ingenious combination of sex appeal and rocketry, the PCs managed to explode the planetoid* they had landed on for repairs, igniting a mile-high plume of radioactive fire that pushed the rock from its orbit. But not before we established the Rock Man life cycle: they are born as enormous Boulder Men by their mother, the volcano, and as they age they are gradually eroded down to Rock Men, then Pebble Men, some of whom spontaneously evolve into ninja (by Acing Agility tests), and finally end up as Zen Gardens. Since the planetoid now has a second volcano, Steve named it Heather, because it has two mommies.
* Amber Alert wanted to smelt the fallen rock men down for useful rare metals. On her Knowledge (Science!) roll to figure out the best way to do that, she rolled snake eyes, a critical failure. Then on her roll to actually carry out her terrible plan, she Aced three times, rolling a 22 on a d6. Thus, turning the whole planetoid into a volcanically-powered rocket missile.
Before Amber destroyed their homeworld, Freja managed to seduce one of the Rock Men attackers into becoming a potential second husband. Zinc Hardbody is quite a hunk. Of stone."
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I use the card-based initiative for other games, including d20 derivatives.
Thanks for the recap. Sounds fun.
Twowolves
Explorer
Most of the complaints about the "d4 is better than a d6" tend to overlook the Wild Die.
As for settings, I got a hard copy (via Lulu) of one of the Savage Gamma World fan conversions and it's probably the best version of GW (and I own them all). Likewise, the fan version of Savage Star Wars emulates the genre perfectly, IMO.
Unfortunately, the crunch-minded combat-whores of my group couldn't get their heads wrapped around the "no hit points" concept and couldn't get their RPG juices flowing enough to stick with it, especially with our limited play schedule and higher-priority campaigns ongoing. But when I first introduced it by making them play versions of themselves in a zombie apocolypse setting, they loved it!
As for settings, I got a hard copy (via Lulu) of one of the Savage Gamma World fan conversions and it's probably the best version of GW (and I own them all). Likewise, the fan version of Savage Star Wars emulates the genre perfectly, IMO.
Unfortunately, the crunch-minded combat-whores of my group couldn't get their heads wrapped around the "no hit points" concept and couldn't get their RPG juices flowing enough to stick with it, especially with our limited play schedule and higher-priority campaigns ongoing. But when I first introduced it by making them play versions of themselves in a zombie apocolypse setting, they loved it!
A
amerigoV
Guest
I updated my long list after having a session yesterday. It was two buddies of mine and I, one who only had played SW a few times. I was a player this day.
We had a blast with 2 0XP Wildcards and 4 Extras to round out the group. We did two short scenarios. I ran the Extras with my WC in the first scenario. The Extras really opens up some interesting tactical options that you just do not get in "normal" games. Its not that you would not get those options if you had some henchmen, but they are such a PITA unless you are running something like 1e. I have been in an Olde Skoole state of mind of late and it really harkens back to the days when your were almosted expected to have henchmen in your party (although oddly enough, our group did not use them Back in the Day (tm))
We ran a second short scenario and my buddy ran the Extras without missing a beat (remember, he is has only played a few times). Plus it gave him some extra dice to roll because is main PC was having a tough day with the dice early on.
And the great thing is that you get attached to those Extras. One got taken down in a fight. He survived, but was Incapacitated until he could get real healing. So we had to account for him as we continued the adventure (example - it would have been better if we had been on foot and not taken the wagon, but due to his injury we had to take the wagon with us).
The best thing from a system perspective? Not a single thing was written on paper for the Extras. And the Extras about stole the show! Extras working together are a viable threat in SW. For low level, you can get away with everything is a d6 (experienced troops can get away with most items at d8, and peasants / regular people d4s combat-wise). Plus it is just fun to grab a fist full of d6s in an attempt to beat up or shoot something. At a glance you quickly know how many hits you have and then grab up some more dice to load up on damage. Definately FFF!
We had a blast with 2 0XP Wildcards and 4 Extras to round out the group. We did two short scenarios. I ran the Extras with my WC in the first scenario. The Extras really opens up some interesting tactical options that you just do not get in "normal" games. Its not that you would not get those options if you had some henchmen, but they are such a PITA unless you are running something like 1e. I have been in an Olde Skoole state of mind of late and it really harkens back to the days when your were almosted expected to have henchmen in your party (although oddly enough, our group did not use them Back in the Day (tm))
We ran a second short scenario and my buddy ran the Extras without missing a beat (remember, he is has only played a few times). Plus it gave him some extra dice to roll because is main PC was having a tough day with the dice early on.
And the great thing is that you get attached to those Extras. One got taken down in a fight. He survived, but was Incapacitated until he could get real healing. So we had to account for him as we continued the adventure (example - it would have been better if we had been on foot and not taken the wagon, but due to his injury we had to take the wagon with us).
The best thing from a system perspective? Not a single thing was written on paper for the Extras. And the Extras about stole the show! Extras working together are a viable threat in SW. For low level, you can get away with everything is a d6 (experienced troops can get away with most items at d8, and peasants / regular people d4s combat-wise). Plus it is just fun to grab a fist full of d6s in an attempt to beat up or shoot something. At a glance you quickly know how many hits you have and then grab up some more dice to load up on damage. Definately FFF!
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