Savage Worlds: Pathfinder, Part 2

So where do you begin converting a game setting to a new set of rules? My first thought is this, you start here:

..and that's it. Stop there. Do not open up the Core Rulebook, Gamemaster's Guide, Advanced Class Guide, or any other rule book. It feel strange not using this to play the namesake game; but in essence, this product is just a world guide and atlas, and you could play this with Legend, D&D 5, or any other set of rules - and many have.

Yes, it still feels strange, but look at it this way, you are still buying this book from Paizo and your interest is in this world. Well, hey, they still made the sale, and this still is a super quality product.

Play with the basic set of magic powers as defined in the Savage Worlds rulebook, and hand-wave the rest away. Thieves are thieves, fighters are fighters, and the rest should feel right. Remember, you are shooting for feeling here, not a one-to-one translation and simulation of every spell, power, feat, and magic item in the book. Just go with the base Savage Worlds rulebook.

Don't try to convert a class in. Don't worry about playing the latest archetype. Just pick a character you like from the book, and be yourself - or that character, if you prefer. Design it what it looks like. Forget about any other rules, or trying to convert something over.

You won't be worrying about "what is a +1 sword" in Savage Worlds, it will just be a "magic sword" that does "whatever" you want it to, maybe stuns on hit, does an extra point of damage, or some other interesting power.

But by all means, go by what you see instead of what's written down. That cover? It looks like a fighter and a mage battling a lich and some evil ravens. They are fighting. They are casting spells. Those could be any spells, and likely spells from the Savage Worlds book.

The key phrase here is, "in your world."

In your world, things work this way. Things look like the pictures in the book, with action everywhere and magic flying. This world isn't so obsessed with XP and leveling, magic items and character builds. Heroes start out their "playing piece" here, and they build in skill and knowledge as they adventure and solve problems. They progress along paths of their choosing, not restricted to a class or a set path of advancement.

Perhaps the sorceress on the cover dons plate mail and becomes a fearsome "spell sword" because she's tired of getting clawed by the monsters of the world. Perhaps the fighter there finds a lost religion and becomes a paladin. Perhaps the thief in the background learns a form of Elven "shadow magic" and declares herself a "shadow blade" - the first of her kind of magical rogue.

Your paths and direction are up to you, and the characters and this world are free to go in any direction the play of the game takes them in. Yes, this is also true when playing this by Pathfinder rules, but here there is no plan set forth by rules, no perfect builds sharpened by computer programs, and no overwhelming need for treasure or XP.

Monsters may be a problem. You may feel tempted to open up Bestiary I and find yourself lost in monster stat blocks. Fortunately, the links given in the previous post will give you more monsters than you will ever need. You can also pull from the Savage Worlds rulebook or the Fantasy Companion as well. Remember, you are not doing a direct conversion, so no one is going to take off points because those are not official by-the-rules Paizo goblins (tm). They just have to be good enough, or fantasy enough to work - and this is fantasy, so you have a heck of a lot of room to work with.

We do not worship rules here in this world, just adventure and have fun. Whatever the road throws at us. What is happening in the next town or village? Do they need a jaunty band of heroes to help? Does a strange haunted house on the hill only appear at night, and the town is terrified of this strange and evil place? Why, I think your band of heroes fits the bill and is perfect to check it out!

Stick with the imagery, not the words. Go with the feeling, not the mathematics. Do not feel beholden to a set of rules which are just suggestions anyways. If the rules are truly suggestions, then throwing them all out and playing with a new set of rules is just following a suggestion, isn't it? Or at least the spirit of making the game your own.

Later on, you can still crack open an adventure path or a rulebook and pull something from that for an adventure. You may want to create a special character based on a picture from one of the books, or pull in some unique monster and create Savage Worlds stats for the beast. You don't want to get caught in the trap of converting everything though, this is not how you are using the books, and conversions only lead to disappointment (and a load of wasted effort).

Think of it this way. You pick up your favorite comic book, say Batman, and you want to play a roleplaying game in that world. So you pick a rules system, any rules system, and it does not have to be the licenced one for Batman, just one of your favorites. You then play, without worrying about "the official this" or "how the Batman rules did that." You just play. Using your current system, and using the pictures as a guide.

This should seem like second nature, and "it's easy to do!" But with long-established game systems, the weight of the rules, the sheer quantity of the material out there, and the number of players wanting to go back to the original rules can feel overwhelming at times. Why do you need to do things this way? Enough people like the original game, why shouldn't you? The books are here, ready to go, and no conversions are needed!

I know we are not converting, but the power of what's on your shelf and what players say is undeniable. Large games have a gravity all their own, and I find it helpful when someone comes along and says, "You can do it another way!"

"Inspired by," are your key words, followed by, "using the imagery and feeling of the world."

When the artists painted those pictures, they were not done with a d20 and rulebook in hand. Well, at least not to my knowledge. Similarly, that world could exist in any number of parallel dimensions, and the one you happened upon is following the rules system of your choice.

This is your world, and your game. Play it how you want to play it.

The Experience Point System

One of the facets of fantasy role-playing gaming that has bothered us over the years is the experience point systems in games. Granted, these are a staple of role-playing games, with XP charts going up into the millions to reflect what it takes to be maximum level and all that stuff. But really, are they needed?

In casual games where I don't know if the group will be around the next week I am giving a level a session. In any sort of casual game I prefer giving out larger rewards, or have games where some improvement is reflected at the end of the night, even if it is Legend's 1-10% per-skill improvement.

Give me something here, game! I get s strange feeling sitting there and saying "nope, nobody improved tonight, nice session all!" It's not that I run gimme games, it is just that I want a game that awards something more than empty numeric progression at the end of the night.

Going by the book and awarding 900 XP when 1,000 would level everyone is a pretty dickish move, and I don't really see the point in having a system that maths every point down to the fraction, divides contributions, and generally goes out of its way to short players on XP awards. Yes, in these cases, I would tend to just give out the full 1,000 XP and be done with it.

The CR system out of D&D 3 and Pathfinder feels off to me. I am not a fan of math that tries to rate something as subjective and subject to roleplaying solutions as "challenge" and I don't find the system at all useful when it is used with a full mathematical calculation rating this, that, party level, composition, and so on. If you introduce one overpowered splatbook class or high-level mage to a party it throws the whole system out of whack.

I mean seriously, if an Orc is only worth 50 XP, make him worth 50 XP and be done with it. I do not want to sit here with a calculator to figure out encounter difficulty. If you can come up with a chart saying at level 1, an average encounter for a group of five players should be a total of 250 XP, then say that and rate everything accordingly. I can pick five 50 XP Orcs, or two Orcs and a 150 XP Ogre.

And don't have me dividing things or multiplying by something like 80% because of any factor either, keep XP simple and straightforward.

But then again, why? Just say "if you have a great adventure, give everyone a level" and then structure your level system around that. If you are worried about running out of levels too quickly, then make the game go 50 levels and set the bar there. Get rid of the whole system that just grinds on as levels go higher, and that grind forces players to become increasingly greedy themselves as they maximize their point earning opportunities. Make it about completing stories and adventures, and get rid of the math that punishes having fun.

Yes, there are tropes in role-playing, and an ever increasing XP pile is one of them. However, we shouldn't be blinded by keeping them around if they encourage a negative play experience, especially at higher levels. Leave tracking millions of experience points to video games and MMOs, where slow progression keeps you paying a subscription fee, and think outside of the box. Create reward systems that encourage play and reward coming back each week, and tailor them to a feel-good reward at the end of a long session.

To me, getting rid of the math and ever-decreasing rewards feels like a better answer than sticking with systems we held onto for far too long, and we need to engineer better end-of-night experiences other than, "Come back next week, I know you are 33 XP short of level 9, but you'll make it!"