Savage Worlds seems like it's one of the easiest to learn and diverse toolboxes out there for those who want to either explore one-off sessions or campaigns that could stretch out over months and years.
Pick Your Poison...
One of the neat things to talk about first off is that Savage Worlds is a roleplaying game where you can explore whatever genre takes your fancy. As well as your traditional Fantasy and Sci-Fi adventures the game also works well for thrillers, horror, steampunk and pretty much any genre in between. If you can dream it up, they've covered it.This is done through a very loose way to create races and characters. There are a number of races included in the book, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings and the like but this is opened up further with the addition of a great set of rules for creating your own races, be they strange aliens from Pluto or something else entirely.
The second element of character creations which feeds in nicely to this 'all-in-one' system is the fact that there are no classes. You don't have to choose something as rigid as a Paladin or a Cleric; if you want to come up with your own custom character who fights and develops as you envisioned, the system allows for that.
This isn't the first game to do this obviously but I think the way in which Savage Worlds approaches character creation is one of the most freeing elements of the game. If you're coming from the likes of Dungeons & Dragons this freedom might feel a little intimidating at first but I really think he helps put the power directly into the player's hands and allows them to go wild.
In addition to all of that good stuff the rules, especially within this new edition, have a sharper and pretty exhaustive set of Traits and Edges which offer up cool things for your characters to specialise in with enough eye candy to get you excited for later levels when you gain enough experience to level up.
The Nitty Gritty
One of the core elements to any roleplaying game is in how you do stuff. Whilst the Savage World system might take a little getting used to at first it is actually very simple indeed. Each character has a set of main statistics; Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength, and Vigor. All of these are pretty self-explanatory but they unlock the chance for you to get yourself specific skills which are related to how adept you are in each of those five core statistics.When it comes to any moment where you need to do a check you'll simply roll a dice corresponding to your particular skill or attribute and try and hit the target number provided by your storyteller. Edges, weapons and all sorts of other things might help in some regard but as well as your dice from your character you'll also roll a d6 alongside it, a little bit of mitigation against bad luck and something you get for being the hero of the story!
If you end up rolling the highest you can on a given roll you will explode or ace it, rolling once more and applying this to the final score for your check. This is important as for every four points you score over the needed value you'll get what's called a Raise, unlocking the potential to do more damage, enabling a particular ability you have or something else.
The standard score for you to beat in the game is a four but some things can make this harder or easier giving -2 or +2 to the roll. They want things to be easy but not that easy!
This core mechanics in the game means it is ridiculously easy to play and whilst those with bigger dice in skills and such will succeed more often than not the fact that a dice can explode means that even if you aren't as adept at something there's more chance of you pulling off that hail mary Hollywood moment.
Combat is pretty much at the core of campaigns we run and here is also where Savage Worlds rocks. You are what counts as a Wild Card. You are the hero and so you can take a mighty three wounds before you go down. Everyone else, apart from big story-based villains and terrifying monsters are what are known as Extras. They go down in one hit...they might be hard to actually hit but once they do, you've taken them down.
This means that say for example you're playing a deadly Samurai warrior. You will kill most of your foes in one powerful and well-choreographed strike. It makes you feel so utterly badass when you're playing the game and really enforces the idea of 'the rule of cool'. You also will more often than not find yourself actually doing something on every turn rather than whiffing and then having to wait ages for your next go.
Another way that Savage Worlds encourages the player is with the use of Bennies. These 'benefits' allow you to re-roll dice and whilst all players start with some they can be awarded by the storyteller for those who think outside the box and do something cool. They reward players who add more flair and thought into their actions and help to get those who might be a bit more timid thinking about things in a different way too. A little Bennie goes a long way!
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the rules but hopefully, it gives you a good handle on the core mechanics of the game. I would highly recommend those who want a much better breakdown of this to read the Up To Four Players Comic which explores the rules with some handy examples...it really helped my group.
A World Of Possibilities
Beyond that core set of mechanics, Savage Worlds really does have a lot to offer players. The core book, the Adventure Edition, comes with everything you need to get going in the game; especially if you like Fantasy and Sci-Fi adventures. The rest of the book beyond the rules is packed with gear for any world you might want to play in, a bestiary with a selection of core monsters and a massive array of powers for those who want to cast spells and be superheroes too.
Savage Worlds can potentially be a little overwhelming though too. With so much freedom it could be a little bit of a stumbling block for new players but if you have maybe two or three people in your group read over the rules in full it should help speed things along.
Whilst there is a good bestiary in the back of the book it doesn't particularly feel as in-depth as someone who might have been used to running things with a Monster Manual! It might be a little too easy to accidentally get your party into some sticky situations but remember, they are the Wild Cards. if you are finding it a bit hard to work out the threat for a group just play it by ear. Also, there are lots of additional bits and pieces out there in supplements and the like which can help you tailor encounters to suit your party.
I think of it a little bit like stepping into a big open world roleplaying game for the first time. Yes, it is going to be a bit wild, to begin with, and you'll make mistakes but you'll soon find out what you need to do and how far you can push the game. The newest edition has done a lot to help try and get over this hurdle you might face with it at first glance. There are a lot more tables and helpful examples throughout the new Adventure Edition and everything has been streamlined to try and avoid you having to flip back and forth through it.
One of the best ways I can explain how much I like this game is to say that I wanted to run a session and it took me all of a day come up with all the different story elements. Then, my players had a load of fun making their characters and we dived right in. We were up playing an Indiana Jones/The Mummy style adventure within no time. They got the rules quickly and were racing around in cars, shooting mummies, interrogating dastardly villains and beating up the undead in short order.
I'm even currently thinking about how I can tweak the rules and settings I have come up with to work with a grimdark world and a superhero one! I have had no end of fun with this system.
The key thing to remember is that Savage Worlds is a toolkit and one which is a lot easier to get your head around than something like Genesys and has a lot more depth when compared to GURPS. In addition, the game caters really well to both those who like playing Mind's Eye and with miniatures (in fact, the game came from a miniature wargaming world!). So, if you're coming over from miniatures games and want a nice RPG experience, Savage Worlds can offer that.
Red Riding Art by Konrad Krogull
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