The New Savage Worlds Is Storming Kickstarter

At nearly $200K after one day since launch, the new Savage Worlds Adventure Edition is pretty much smashing it on Kickstarter.

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This is a new edition of the popular multi-genre tabletop RPG ruleset, updated to a new edition after 15 years of advancements. This includes new narrative play elements, and updates to every aspect of the game.

"We've taken everything we've learned over the last 15 years...all the feedback you've given us via our forums, social media, store, convention, and personal play...to make it faster, more furious, and more fun!

We're especially proud that this version combines the tactical nature of the original system with the best elements of narrative play.

Every aspect of the game has been reviewed and playtested, from all new Chase rules to Setting Rules, Edges & Hindrances, character creation, powers, creatures, and more.

This is also the most beautiful version of the game we've ever done, with full-color chapter headers and interior pages by incredibly talented artists from all over the world."

The hardcover book costs $50 (black leatherette collector's edition for $100) with additional rewards at higher pledge levels. The hardcover will be 192 pages, full colour, in the graphic novel sized format.

New to Savage Worlds? It was launched back in 2003 by Pinnacle Entertainment Group, and designed by Shane Hensley. It's a generic rules system, and over the last 15 years has had tons of support in the form of various setting books, games powered by the Savage Worlds system, and more covering a wide range of genres. It's very much a go-to for multi-genre gaming with a fast, light system. It has powered things like Deadlands, Flash Gordon, The Last Parsec, Rifts, and more.

The Kickstarter page says that this new edition is highly compatible with previous editions; but there will also be a free conversion guide for those who need it.

 

[dco]

Looks more of the same to me, from art to small rules tweaks that you could do yourself, but more expensive. It seems the things I dislike will continue there:
- The wild die and its quirks, 63% for a d4 and 88% for d12 and sometimes a better die is worse.
- Open rolls that make the game very swingy and slower.
- Lack of uniformity or consistency, I have the sensation of playing minigames for some rules and others are disjointed.
- It claims to be fast but it isn't.

Will check it when it is released, perhaps it surprises me improving a lot of little things but the last edition had some negatives compared to the previous one.

 

[ajevans]

Tempted but $75 for a core book including postage is on the steep side. Shame they couldn't line up any decent international fulfillment arrangements.

 

[CubicsRube]

It's the core rulebook with a bunch of pdf content for stretch goals. It's not well listed on the campaing page.

It will go to retail and you'll be able to buy the pdf or hardcover from retail channels (officially announced). I believe they will be a decent bit cheaper than that

 

[Azgulor]

Looks more of the same to me, from art to small rules tweaks that you could do yourself, but more expensive. It seems the things I dislike will continue there:
- The wild die and its quirks, 63% for a d4 and 88% for d12 and sometimes a better die is worse.
- Open rolls that make the game very swingy and slower.
- Lack of uniformity or consistency, I have the sensation of playing minigames for some rules and others are disjointed.
- It claims to be fast but it isn't.

Will check it when it is released, perhaps it surprises me improving a lot of little things but the last edition had some negatives compared to the previous one.

Different strokes, different tastes, etc. Savage Worlds isn't for everyone, so no worries if you don't like it. However, the game plays fast. If you're saying it doesn't, I'd say that's a user issue rather than a system issue.

 

[Doctor Futurity]

Looks more of the same to me, from art to small rules tweaks that you could do yourself, but more expensive. It seems the things I dislike will continue there:
- The wild die and its quirks, 63% for a d4 and 88% for d12 and sometimes a better die is worse.
- Open rolls that make the game very swingy and slower.
- Lack of uniformity or consistency, I have the sensation of playing minigames for some rules and others are disjointed.
- It claims to be fast but it isn't.

Will check it when it is released, perhaps it surprises me improving a lot of little things but the last edition had some negatives compared to the previous one.

You should find an experienced group to try it with. None of the problems you identify manifest at my table, and the game is definitely fast (and furious).

 

[Retreater]

I'm a little disappointed in myself that I never got around to using any of my previous SW products, including Explorer's Edition, Deluxe, Solomon Kane, or Rifts, before this new edition has been announced.

 

[TreChriron]

Does anyone know what are the biggest differences between this and the Explorer’s Edition?

Here's a good summary --> https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/9pesth/anyone_actually_got_a_clue_what_changes_are_in/

 

[Dr. Bull]

Doctor Futurity:

I completely agree with you. As an example of the fast nature of combat in SW, I ran a siege scenario with 3 experienced players and 2 inexperienced players. Each experienced player ran 1 captain and 4 soldiers and the inexperienced players were in control of 2 soldiers (for a total of 19 characters controlled by players). I attacked their castle with a group of 40 hobgoblins. It was an epic battle filled with twists, turns, and heroics. In the end, about 7 or 8 hobgoblins limped away in defeat. The players lost about half of their characters.

I didn't use the "mass combat" rules. Every pc and npc acted individually (an important distinction).

Each round only took about 8-10 minutes. The entire battle lasted about 100 minutes. I can't think of any system that could come close to handling such large number of adversaries. If that's not fast, I don't know what is...

- Dr. Bull

 

[dco]

Different strokes, different tastes, etc. Savage Worlds isn't for everyone, so no worries if you don't like it. However, the game plays fast. If you're saying it doesn't, I'd say that's a user issue rather than a system issue.

You should find an experienced group to try it with. None of the problems you identify manifest at my table, and the game is definitely fast (and furious).

Combat: There is initiative that runs faster than it seems but it's slower than avoiding an initiative phase each round like a lot of other games. Anyone can attack up to 3 or 6 times using rapid attack, those attacks are open ended so they can involve more than rolling dice one time for each attack. You still can do more actions on the round like test of wills, etc. Edges can give you more attacks like counterattack and first strike. There are oportunity attacks or rolls to avoid them if you have some edge. Defenders can decide to roll full defense. Damage is open ended and it also can involve more dice rolling. You can add possible re-rolls and soak rolls to resist damage, stun locks that only makes the fight have more rounds, a bit chunk of math with cover, illumination, edges, combat maneuvers...

Compared to this there are games where you don't roll initiative each round, you have 1 or 2 actions, don't roll dice various times, don't have rerolls or rolls to see how much damage do you resist, etc. The only thing that looks fast with Savage Worlds is to give extras only one wound.

That's combat, then you have things like chases, if I remember well you have a x set of rounds, people roll dice, get cards, depending on the cards they have to roll different things or they cant do anything, when the round finish if all stays the same people escaped. That was slow for us and completely looked like a mini game.

Skills: You have to find the type of dice, roll, perhaps roll more times, perhaps reroll...

Magic: Like most systems opposed rolls or attack rolls for attacking spells, but buffs and other spells need a roll to see if you succeed, fail or raise contrary to a lot of other systems where it goes faster.

I only see and experience a bunch of options that don't make the game very fast, perhaps if I compare it to when I played Rolemaster, but we were already fast with it and it would be faster if we made most enemies with 10hp.