We sat down and played Savage Worlds Deluxe: Explorer's Edition last weekend. This was an interesting game for several reasons, and we wanted to give some first impressions of how things went.First off, get the PDF copy should you order this. I spent some time with my duplex printer and heavy-duty stapler, and made booklets out of the chapters, and man did play go a lot smoother. Call me strange, but I do not like physical books during play, and I only found myself picking up the book when I needed to reference something in the index. Otherwise, I had a printed booklet for the game rules, character creation, gear, and other chapters that I could reference, toss to a player, and keep open to important pages during play.
Unlike a book, I could have multiple booklets open to different pages at the same time. I could take notes on my printed copies and not care. If they get damaged or torn I don't care, as I can always print another for cheap.
If you play the games and not collect them, go for PDF and print copies. Actually, if you collect them, use PDFs to play and store your book in a plastic bag somewhere. There are some games (Pathfinder, D&D 5) where it is hard to use PDF print copies, due to the lack of availability or the length of what you would have to print, so your mileage may vary. But games I play with people? I am finding my use of D&D/Pathfinder type "library-style" games fading, and my appreciation for compact, PDF style rules makes my life easy and my player's enjoyment of the game much greater.
Polyhedral Dice Lovers' Dream
If you love playing with polyhedral dice, play Savage Worlds instead of D&D style games, where polyhedral dice are really only used for damage. Savage Worlds makes full use of the dice range, and you will be rolling every shape during play. I enjoyed this part of the game's design, and different shapes were flying and being used throughout the session.
D&D games in recent years have been upping the damages, and really making the base set of polyhedral dice irrelevant. D&D 4 was a high water mark with huge damage rolls, but even Pathfinder and D&D 5 are on the higher side of damages and hit points when compared to something like Labyrinth Lord or Basic Fantasy. When your character or the monster you fight only has 6 hp, a d4 to d8 difference in weapon damage matters a lot. When a fighter has 20-30 hp to start (D&D 4) or even 10-20 hp (D&D 5), die choice matters less than fixed attribute modifiers do.
But yes, this game makes good use of all the shapes, and it is nice to see that for a change. The d20 is used for charts as a randomizer, and d100 isn't really used much at all (so you can do without the 00-90 "tens" die).
One possible issue is that high ability scores are still a bit random. Even with a d12 in an ability or skill, you can still quite often roll below a 4 with consistent regularity. The game does feel a bit slippery on rolls at times, at least in our experience. Since a d12 is the highest die in the game, there is a cap on how powerful characters and monsters can become. It is very much a human-centered game in terms of power and ability, but given its focus, that doesn't seem to be a problem.
That said, when we did understand what was going on, the rules system worked fairly well. We were able to make judgments on what roll needed to be made for what action, combat went quickly, and the system worked as we felt it should. It is a great pulp-action system for quick play, one-offs, playing "Pick a Movie or TV Show: The RPG" and groups more interested in playing a fast and fun game. It does what it does very well, and the generic quality to it reminds me of the old d6 System games where you could just pick a setting, roll characters, and play.
D&D games in recent years have been upping the damages, and really making the base set of polyhedral dice irrelevant. D&D 4 was a high water mark with huge damage rolls, but even Pathfinder and D&D 5 are on the higher side of damages and hit points when compared to something like Labyrinth Lord or Basic Fantasy. When your character or the monster you fight only has 6 hp, a d4 to d8 difference in weapon damage matters a lot. When a fighter has 20-30 hp to start (D&D 4) or even 10-20 hp (D&D 5), die choice matters less than fixed attribute modifiers do.
But yes, this game makes good use of all the shapes, and it is nice to see that for a change. The d20 is used for charts as a randomizer, and d100 isn't really used much at all (so you can do without the 00-90 "tens" die).
One possible issue is that high ability scores are still a bit random. Even with a d12 in an ability or skill, you can still quite often roll below a 4 with consistent regularity. The game does feel a bit slippery on rolls at times, at least in our experience. Since a d12 is the highest die in the game, there is a cap on how powerful characters and monsters can become. It is very much a human-centered game in terms of power and ability, but given its focus, that doesn't seem to be a problem.
Organization
The basic game of Savage Worlds is poorly organized. It took us a while to get proficient with the system, and we were wrestling with basic concepts all the way to the end of our first session. The Index helps in cases like this, but too many rules felt hidden all over the place, especially in skill descriptions. The system feels a little like a game that has been out a while, with all sorts of special cases cleared up and patches in random places to cover special cases.That said, when we did understand what was going on, the rules system worked fairly well. We were able to make judgments on what roll needed to be made for what action, combat went quickly, and the system worked as we felt it should. It is a great pulp-action system for quick play, one-offs, playing "Pick a Movie or TV Show: The RPG" and groups more interested in playing a fast and fun game. It does what it does very well, and the generic quality to it reminds me of the old d6 System games where you could just pick a setting, roll characters, and play.
Skills and Attributes
The basic attribute die for an attribute NOT being used for an unskilled check threw us. No matter what your agility is, if you are unskilled, your chance of success is only d4-2 (exploding dice and also that wild die applies). You could have a d12 agility and try to throw something, and your chance of success is only d4-2.
This also led to a situation like this when determining if a particular roll was a skill check or an ability check:
- FOR (1 to MAX_SKILLS) DO:
- IF (skill[x] COVERS action attempted) THEN:
- ROLL SKILL CHECK (unskilled or skilled)
- RETURN result
- //NOTE: no skill applies!
- ROLL ATTRIBUTE CHECK (action attempted)
- RETURN result
I hope you can read code, but that procedure basically is iterating through the entire skill list in the game each time a test comes up, and determining if a skill would cover the action. If no skill covers it, then the test falls out and is covered by an attribute roll. This throws you a little, especially when it comes to acrobatics (not covered, ability roll), or climbing or swimming (covered, skill roll). Most all social interactions are skill rolls, so base spirit rolls are very rare (except for resisting fear, removing shaken results, or internal willpower tests). Smarts tests are common with common knowledge rolls. Vigor rolls are also semi-common with health and resistance rolls.
This makes skills like Notice, Persuade, Streetwise, and Stealth must-buy skills, since they are very common to see in play. Notice is especially powerful, because this is one of those "gateway" abilities that measures you character's ability to "see " the world. Fighting and Shooting are also other must-buys skills if your group is doing any sort of combat.
The social skills are interesting since Streetwise is used to get information from NPCs, Persuade is used to convince NPCs, Intimidate is used to coerce NPCs, and Taunt is used to get NPCs into disadvantageous situations. Charisma is very powerful, and our 'charmer' PCs greased the skids for any type of social interaction with NPCs. If you referee this game, make sure to apply negative interaction modifiers when NPCs are hostile, and don't be afraid to load these up to make charming your way out of everything a too easy option.
Exploding dice did make the game "critty" for us, as some players have reported. DarkgarX thought the d4 was especially critty, as it had a 1 in 4 chance of being rolled again and again. We did have a couple d4 chain explosions in our game, which raised a couple eyebrows on the 'lowly' d4 die when used for skill rolls. He would love me to write a computer program to explore the exploding d4 die and the effects on statistical probability versus d6/d6, but I told him I have better things to do. I would love to know myself, but it would take a while to test and collect data.
The Wild Die
PCs and important characters throw a d6 "wild die" in addition to their normal skill and attribute dice, and the highest of the two are used. Both are modified and can explode, but the highest of the two final totals are used. We always used a different color 'pipped' die for the wild die, and normal numeric dice for skills and attributes to keep what die was what clear, because sometimes the rules would tell you a "1" result on the skill die was important for some actions - so we needed to keep things clear.
DarkgarX did not like the wild die mechanic as much as I did, saying he felt it was 'player protection' for lower skill levels, and made the d4 skill level matter less. I felt there is actually a bell curve out here that matters more and there is a difference between a d4/d6 roll versus a d6/d6 roll. I liked the wild die mechanic, and I felt it gave the game a heroic feel instead of a straight one-die system for rolling where a straight 'heroic' +2 to +3 modifier would be applied.
Cards Needed!
One note, you will need a deck of cards for this game for initiative. We felt the game did not go far enough in it integration of cards into the systems of the game, as there are some systems that use the cards well (chases) and others where they could be used more (social interaction and conflict).
The game is also soft on using the optional 'action cards' product for narrative events, as these are mentioned at several parts of the rules, yet are not really strongly supported.
We played the game as-is with the normal initiative cards, but we saw an opportunity to enhance narrative events through their use, so we created a system where these cards could be used during play to control the timing of roleplaying action and also add some fun randomness to story progression and random events. The system worked extremely well, and we would love to publish this for other groups to play with this and other games someday.
Damage and Combat
The damage and wounding system actually worked quite well for us. The game has a 'first hit' shaken result that is like a stun (that turns into wounds if you get stacking shaken results), and this worked well enough to simulate all sorts of battles. I was worried that having that 'first free hit' would be unrealistic, but it turned out to be realistic from a movie and TV-show simulation sort of feeling. It worked well, and combat overall was balanced and enjoyable.
The exploding dice, where you roll the highest number and your roll again and add the total up, no matter how high you go, made combat critty. We had a single stick of TNT vaporize an entire group of enemies with an exploding 27 damage total roll off a 3d6 roll. While yes, this could happen, those players who prefer a more simulation and structured approach to damage and effects may be shocked at some of the roll and damage outputs in this game. To me, it is a crit, and fate and the show's writers hated that group of bad guys and wanted the scene over with, so one stick did them all in with a single fait accompli.
You have to accept the "will of the crazy invisible pulp writer" when dealing with the dice in this game. Sometimes things will go really crazy, but really, pulp writers of the time were known to exaggerate and write in silly and unrealistic results, so let it be and live and let live with the crazy dice results and have fun. That's just me though, and that is just this game - if you want something more simulation-style and realistic, please play another game. It's important to understand what you expect in a game versus what a game delivers when you review and play it. Sometimes a game doesn't deliver what you prefer, but that doesn't make the game any less fun or valid for people that do like that style of play.
How It Plays
The game is a pretty standard 'rules light' system. Compared to Mongoose's Legend, this is a more 'pick up and play' system geared towards pulp and movie style adventures. Legend is a Runequest-y style system more for fans of medieval combat simulators, and not really a generic game. From the book, the game does a good job of providing the framework of a night's fun.
We found the sample adventures a bit on the simple side; at two printed pages, all they could do is lay out a couple combat encounters and background detail, so a lot had to me made up. With our hand-crafted adventure and situation cards, the system played a lot better, and filled in some of the missing details quite nicely.
I can see why people like this, it does a good job at being a simple 'anything' RPG. You could play in a standard D&D game world and reasonably simulate mages, fighters, thieves, and clerics and just hand wave the rest. It makes me think that the D&D tropes are just some part of a big circus tent of 'rules and spells and content you must accept' that you are forced to enjoy a high fantasy game. Here, you don't need any of that, and the Savage Worlds system just keeps happily tossing the polyhedral dice around and having fun like those other games don't exist.
I feel the pulp nature is what does this. Plenty of games try to be pulp adventure, but many just say they are and don't live up to the ideals. You could play a pulp adventure with Pathfinder, and in fact, a lot of the new classes and source material for Pathfinder are pulp-inspired, but it isn't the same thing. It's pulp adventure through the d20 AC/hit points/classes glasses of 3.5 D&D, and it is not rules light, and you are still playing lip service to pulp while worrying about the same-old attack bonus and CR d20 D&D magic and hit dice sort of thing. It is the same feeling of playing Steampunk with D&D. It's still D&D.
With a game system that is more malleable and setting-neutral, you don't have D&D or Pathfinder's character builds, Golarion, Faerun, or anything else hanging over your head. Yes, there is that whole thing "you don't have to learn a new system" thing but there is also that thing "the new system really ain't that hard to learn and it fits the feeling better" thing. In the past, D&D simulated generic high fantasy roleplaying. Today?
I feel D&D more simulates D&D, as Pathfinder is just starting to simulate the world of Pathfinder.
But with Savage Worlds, the game is designed to fit a pulp-action feeling. Now this feeling crosses genres and stories. You can find pulp-action in fantasy settings as well as you can Indiana Jones or Star Wars. Jurassic Park. The Road Warrior. Movies and television. You can find pulp-action everywhere, and a game devoted to a universal genre is a fascinating concept with a wide appeal. It does such a good job at doing everything (more so than say GURPS) because it is simulating a feeling rather than a specific genre.
DarkgarX hated the constant d4 rolling, as having to pick those things up every turn got to be a pain. I swear the game industry needs to do more to redesign that particular platonic solid for ease of use, as the d4 is the Windows 8 of roleplaying.
The third scenario where the characters had to check out an abandoned spaceship never got off the ground for us, and that one did not click with our group. Yes, this is sort of an Alien and horror inspired design, but in the spirit of blasting space bugs, give me my laser pistols and cool sci-fi weapons and let my players blow off some steam. We did an spooky investigation in the first scenario, a survival game in the second, and my group was ready for a bit more action.
It is also a game good for beginners and new players, as it gets you up and running and it doesn't have a deep system complexity. There is such a thing as good system complexity versus bad, of course. With Mongoose's Legend, the complexity is rewarding to players that dive in, and we found ourselves ranking that game higher than this one in terms of how the game rewards you in terms of special rules and character advancement. This was a great 'pick up and play' system, while Legend was a great system for those who wanted to shine and take it to the bad guys at higher levels of play.
Would we keep playing this after the playtest? For one-off games, I don't see why not. I sense a hesitance from some of my players, as they are a more experienced group and appreciate a deeper system complexity that rewards progression and complexity of combat and tactics. As a universal 'house system?' Probably not for us. This is simple and no-fuss enough to do the job for many, and it works well, so many groups would probably need little else than the starting book.
I enjoyed this game, and I liked its simplicity and unified mechanics. It did everything I threw at it well, despite some bad choices by characters (in character design) for the adventures we had - they were able to contribute and survive. Not every player wants such a simple game, so your experience may vary. To me, I could enjoy playing this on a regular basis with friends, as it gamemasters well and it is expressive enough for worlds of adventure.
We found the sample adventures a bit on the simple side; at two printed pages, all they could do is lay out a couple combat encounters and background detail, so a lot had to me made up. With our hand-crafted adventure and situation cards, the system played a lot better, and filled in some of the missing details quite nicely.
I can see why people like this, it does a good job at being a simple 'anything' RPG. You could play in a standard D&D game world and reasonably simulate mages, fighters, thieves, and clerics and just hand wave the rest. It makes me think that the D&D tropes are just some part of a big circus tent of 'rules and spells and content you must accept' that you are forced to enjoy a high fantasy game. Here, you don't need any of that, and the Savage Worlds system just keeps happily tossing the polyhedral dice around and having fun like those other games don't exist.
I feel the pulp nature is what does this. Plenty of games try to be pulp adventure, but many just say they are and don't live up to the ideals. You could play a pulp adventure with Pathfinder, and in fact, a lot of the new classes and source material for Pathfinder are pulp-inspired, but it isn't the same thing. It's pulp adventure through the d20 AC/hit points/classes glasses of 3.5 D&D, and it is not rules light, and you are still playing lip service to pulp while worrying about the same-old attack bonus and CR d20 D&D magic and hit dice sort of thing. It is the same feeling of playing Steampunk with D&D. It's still D&D.
With a game system that is more malleable and setting-neutral, you don't have D&D or Pathfinder's character builds, Golarion, Faerun, or anything else hanging over your head. Yes, there is that whole thing "you don't have to learn a new system" thing but there is also that thing "the new system really ain't that hard to learn and it fits the feeling better" thing. In the past, D&D simulated generic high fantasy roleplaying. Today?
I feel D&D more simulates D&D, as Pathfinder is just starting to simulate the world of Pathfinder.
But with Savage Worlds, the game is designed to fit a pulp-action feeling. Now this feeling crosses genres and stories. You can find pulp-action in fantasy settings as well as you can Indiana Jones or Star Wars. Jurassic Park. The Road Warrior. Movies and television. You can find pulp-action everywhere, and a game devoted to a universal genre is a fascinating concept with a wide appeal. It does such a good job at doing everything (more so than say GURPS) because it is simulating a feeling rather than a specific genre.
Support
Savage Worlds is a widely supported system, with many different worlds to play in, along with a remarkable amount of third-party support at places like RPG Now. It is nice to see a company support third-party development, and the game's publisher, Pinnacle, does a good job at keeping quality high while keeping the doors open for people to add options and worlds to the game. This feels like the D&D of the early 00's in terms of support and the worlds available to play, and that is a good thing.Our Experience
The game has its quirks, but it is a good system. We played through the first two adventures with our cast of characters pulled from Scooby Doo, and things worked well. The investigations worked nicely, the narrative clicked, and players were able to contribute and take part in different parts of the adventure. Exploding dice rolls took out enemies with surprising regularity in both of these scenarios, and since our group wasn't as combat focused they had trouble with the combat encounters.DarkgarX hated the constant d4 rolling, as having to pick those things up every turn got to be a pain. I swear the game industry needs to do more to redesign that particular platonic solid for ease of use, as the d4 is the Windows 8 of roleplaying.
The third scenario where the characters had to check out an abandoned spaceship never got off the ground for us, and that one did not click with our group. Yes, this is sort of an Alien and horror inspired design, but in the spirit of blasting space bugs, give me my laser pistols and cool sci-fi weapons and let my players blow off some steam. We did an spooky investigation in the first scenario, a survival game in the second, and my group was ready for a bit more action.
It is also a game good for beginners and new players, as it gets you up and running and it doesn't have a deep system complexity. There is such a thing as good system complexity versus bad, of course. With Mongoose's Legend, the complexity is rewarding to players that dive in, and we found ourselves ranking that game higher than this one in terms of how the game rewards you in terms of special rules and character advancement. This was a great 'pick up and play' system, while Legend was a great system for those who wanted to shine and take it to the bad guys at higher levels of play.
Would we keep playing this after the playtest? For one-off games, I don't see why not. I sense a hesitance from some of my players, as they are a more experienced group and appreciate a deeper system complexity that rewards progression and complexity of combat and tactics. As a universal 'house system?' Probably not for us. This is simple and no-fuss enough to do the job for many, and it works well, so many groups would probably need little else than the starting book.
I enjoyed this game, and I liked its simplicity and unified mechanics. It did everything I threw at it well, despite some bad choices by characters (in character design) for the adventures we had - they were able to contribute and survive. Not every player wants such a simple game, so your experience may vary. To me, I could enjoy playing this on a regular basis with friends, as it gamemasters well and it is expressive enough for worlds of adventure.
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