True20 vs Savage Worlds?

[Turanil]

Well, currently my three systems of choice are Savage Worlds, True20, and Castles & Crusades. C&C mostly for nostalgia reasons, and being 90% compatible with most of my AD&D stuff. Now, where game mechanics are concerned, my preference goes to Savage Worlds and True20. Both are similar in spirit for important points (as far as I am concerned), such as being rule-lite / fast to run, having a high degree of customization, got rid of hit-points, and getting hindrances when wounded.

However, I have yet to actually play / run both games, and several sessions if possible. So, for those who have played both, tell me which one you prefer, and why.

 

[Breakdaddy]

Savage Worlds wins out marginally because of the speed of combats. I ran a 14 person combat in about 20 minutes with SW. I run a modern military style game with lots of lead flying around, and it suits SW perfectly. I also like how easy it is to stat out your PC with any set of skills you like, although its pretty easy in True20 as well. True20 character generation time: about 20 minutes, not bad at all really. SW character generation time: about 15 minutes, a bit better, but marginally so. I have played both games only a couple of times each and like them both.

 

[Turanil]

So, for the speed of play, both games are close. Now, the following brings me another question:

I run a modern military style game with lots of lead flying around, and it suits SW perfectly.

Do you think one game is more action oriented (I would say Savage Worlds), and the other more role-play oriented (I would say True20)? I mean, considering a same setting, would using one game instead of the other change the feel of the campaign?

 

[Karl Green]

I have run and played in a lot of Savage Worlds... and I really wanted to love it... but there are things about the game that just don't set well with me. The biggest is that most everything on your character sheet is not worth a lot when compared to Bennies - when you have them you can do crazy stuff... when you're out you are not as cool and can't do much anymore (at least at lower power levels).

Conviction Points are something similar in True20 but in my experiences they don't have such a far reaching affect.

Also for some reason I never found all that fast... most games I ran it was roll a lot of dice and wait for the big "exploding" damage dice roll to splat some villain or another. I have just found that you don't need to "crit" as often in True20 in order to take out the major bad-guys like you have to in Savage Worlds.

I think it is just personal with me BUT there are a number of people in my neck of the woods who LOVE SW and just about an equal number who HATE it

Someday I am going to sit down and re-write the heck out of Savage World and "fix" all the problems I have with it but not yet

 

[ValhallaGH]

Do you think one game is more action oriented (I would say Savage Worlds), and the other more role-play oriented (I would say True20)?

I'd say they are equal and that it depends upon the group, GM and adventure. Heck, I've had players, and been a player, that have RPed through encounters with Iron Heroes and that system is all about killing things; so it's not the rules that make a particular game more action oriented, it's the gaming group. Combat is equally deadly, or not if you still have points to spend, with either of the systems under discussion so they both encourage and discourage fast action in the same way.

I mean, considering a same setting, would using one game instead of the other change the feel of the campaign?

Not really. With SW you worry about "my right tibula!" while Tr20 worries about "my grievous wound!" but they both mean about the same thing for all practicle purposes. Either way you lug that wound around until it heals or someone magics you up, burdened all the time.

Honestly, the real deciding factor is which system are you and your players more comfortable with. If they love d20 then use Tr20 and if they want to do something else then go with SW.

Good luck.

 

[Jason Anderson]

The biggest is that most everything on your character sheet is not worth a lot when compared to Bennies - when you have them you can do crazy stuff... when you're out you are not as cool and can't do much anymore (at least at lower power levels).

Could you expand on what you mean by this? All bennies do in the game is allow you to reroll tests, or to try and soak damage when you get hurt. How does that affect what is on your character sheet?

Cheers,
Jason

 

[ConanMK]

For me they would be tied, except for one factor.

True20 wins out simply because I can use the majority of my massive d20 library with it with little or no conversion work. Using it with savage worlds wouldn't be impossible, but it would be much more of a headache.

 

[Uruush]

I own all three products and have run True20 and Savage Worlds, but not yet run Castles and Crusades. I am impressed by all three and prefer them, (along with Iron Heroes, A Game of Thrones, and Mutants and Masterminds) to D&D 3.5 for all my d20 gaming. Actually, given all the third party products that improve on straight D&D, I sort of doubt I'd ever run or play D&D again...

I prefer True20 for the same reasons as ConanMK above.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

My dislike of Savage Worlds is fairly minor - but present. It seems to treat all forms and sources of damage in ways that are just way too similar.

But it was the Weird Science rules that made me decide never to run a game of it.

That said, I wonder how well Steam & Steel would work with True 20....

The Auld Grump

 

[Turanil]

True20 wins out simply because I can use the majority of my massive d20 library with it with little or no conversion work.

That looks like an interesting point (despite I don't have a "massive d20 library"). Do you have easy conversion tables to use the D&D Monster Manual with True20 rules?