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'''Savage Worlds''' is a universal [[RPG|role-playing game]] system published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group.  The purpose of the system is to provide a unified mechanic for fast-paced game play and a relative lack of preparation compared to most other systems at the expense of realism.  This is in direct contrast to games such as [[GURPS]], which focus on detail and simulationism.  The current version of the game is the Explorer's Edition, which costs about $10.
'''Savage Worlds''' is a universal [[RPG|role-playing game]] system published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group.  The purpose of the system is to provide a unified mechanic for fast-paced game play and a relative lack of preparation compared to most other systems at the expense of realism.  This is in direct contrast to games such as [[GURPS]], which focus on detail and simulationism.  The current version of the game is the Explorer's Edition, which costs about $10.


A quickstart version of the rules is available for free.  The Savage Worlds community is well known for its abundance of free material as well as setting and system conversions.
A "test drive" version of the rules is available [http://www.peginc.com/downloads.html for free].  The Savage Worlds community is well known for its abundance of free material as well as setting and system conversions.


== The System (section is copy/pasted from Wikipedia) ==
== Why would I play this? ==
The system is designed for fast task resolution, including fast combat.  The fights aren't slugfests to see who runs out of hitpoints first.  The free rules are enough to get a generic game going, and there are metric shitloads of free scenarios and splatbooks being published.  A fair chunk of the free stuff is actual meaty, not the usual "and the DM can fill in the details" crap.


===Character Creation===
People are converting so many settings to Savage Worlds.  They won't be as detailed as [[GURPS]] splatbooks, but you probably don't need as much detail as GURPS provides anyways.


Player characters are built using a point allocation system, though game masters are encouraged to design non-player characters to the needs of the game rather than to fit the system. Characters in Savage Worlds are composed of a variety of statistics. These include Race, Traits, Edges, Hindrances and sometimes Powers.
== The System ==


A character's race usually refers to his or her species, though in some settings (such as the Pirates RPG) this may instead refer to nationality. In cases of the former, modifiers to other characteristics may apply; in cases of the latter, they typically do not.
=== Characters ===
Characters have Traits, derived Stats, Edges/Hindrances, Gear, and Bennies.  If you're playing a game with supernatural events, characters may also have Powers (whether they are magic, psionic, weird-science or divine miracles is fluff; supernatural Powers have the same mechanics).


A character's traits are characteristics that are rated by a single polyhedral [[Dice|die]]. The more sides the trait is rated in, the better the character is at the trait. So a character with a Strength trait of a ten-sided die (d10) is stronger than a character whose Strength trait is rated with a six-sided die (d6). Traits are divided into attributes, which are inherent and skills, which are learned. The five attributes used in Savage Worlds are Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength and Vigor. Some examples of skills in Savage Worlds include Fighting, Healing and Stealth.
'''Traits''' come in two types: Attributes, which everyone has, and Skills, which only some characters have.  Traits are rated by the size of a single die used for rolls when testing that trait: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12.  d6 is considered average. If a character is attempting to use a Skill they do not have training in, they roll d4-2.  If making a character from scratch, use a point-buy system: set each Attribute Trait to d4 and as many points as there are Attributes in this setting.  Each point must be spent to raise an Attribute Trait one step to the next die size. (ie. 2 points would raise d4 to d8). Then use 15 points (or 3* # of Attribute Traits?) to purchase Skill Traits -- the first point raises the skill to d4.


Characters are also customized with advantages and disadvantages known as Edges and Hindrances. Edges and Hindrances, unlike Traits, are not rated with dice.
'''Attribute Traits''' mentioned in the Test Drive rules are: Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength, Vigor. '''Skill Traits''' are too numerous to list here, and may change depending on your setting.  '''Derived stats''' mentioned in the Test Drive rules are: Charisma (reputation? its use is not described), Pace (12 yards/turn by default), Parry (2 + 1/2 of Fighting skill; Minimum 4), Toughness (2 + 1/2 of Vigor attribute + armour bonuses).  Setting books may also add another derived stat to characters, such as 'faith', 'grit' or 'honour'.


In addition to Traits, Edges and Hindrances, a character has the following derived statistics: Pace (ground speed), Parry (the ability to defend one's self), Toughness (resistance to damage) and Charisma (presence and charm). Some setting supplements add a fifth derived statistic such as Reason, Sanity or Grit.
'''Edges and Hindrances''' are what other systems would call merits & flaws.  They give the character a flat bonus to some task or Trait.  Normal player characters get one free Edge, and may take a minor Hindrance, two minor Hindrances, or one major Hindrance.  Each minor Hindrance can purchase: a boost a Skill by one step, or +100% starting funds for gear.  Two minor Hindrances or one major Hindrance can purchase: boost an Attribute by one step, or an additional Edge.
 
Some Edges mentioned in the Test Drive are: Attractive (+2 Charisma), Hard To Kill (ignore wound penalties when testing Vigor), Level-Headed (draw two cards for initiative, keep the better one).  Some Hindrances are: Illiterate (minor, cannot write nor read), Anemic (minor, -2 Vigor to resist illnesses), Heroic (major, must always help those in need).
 
'''Gear''' is just starting equipment.  Characters start with $500 by default, and equipment lists are in the setting handbook.  Equipped Gear can alter a character's derived stats. ie: a shield to improve Parry, or a kevlar vest to improve Toughness.
 
'''Bennies''' are hero points.  Each player gets three at the start of each session, and they can be used to re-roll any dice, attempt to quickly recover from wounds, or use very specific advantages from Edges.  Each important NPC also gets two bennies at the start of a session, and all the NPCs get a pool of (# of players) bennies to draw from.  Bennies cannot be saved-up for the next session; use them or lose them.


===Task resolution===
===Task resolution===
Dice are rolled to determine the outcome of character actions and interactions in the game. Usually a trait die is rolled against a target number of four. If the roll equals or exceeds the target number, the action succeeds; otherwise it fails.
Trait dice are rolled to determine the outcome of character actions and interactions in the game. Usually a Trait die is rolled against a target number of 4. If the roll equals or exceeds the target number, the action succeeds; otherwise it fails.  If the result exceeds the target number by 4 (ie. rolling 8 or better in a typical test), it is called a 'raise' and may have additional positive effects.
 
Player characters and important NPCs (called a "wild card" and marked in scenarios as such with a macabre jester icon) will roll an extra d6 for Trait tests and damage dice.  This "wild die" can be used to substitute for any other die rolled at the same time.


If a player rolls the highest number possible on a given die (such as an 8 on an eight-sided die), the die may be re-rolled and its result added to the initial roll. This is known as "Acing". A die may continue to Ace as long as the highest die number is rolled.
Trait dice and damage dice [[Exploding die|explode]]; called "rolling an ace" in Savage Worlds. A "wild die" may also "ace," and the resulting value used to substitute for any other die rolled at that time.


Player characters and significant non-player characters are known as "Wild Cards". Wild Cards get to roll a second die, known as a "Wild Die", alongside their trait rolls. This roll may Ace as normal. The player of the Wild Card uses the higher of the two rolls (trait die or Wild Die) to determine the actual result of the roll.
Combat initiative is determined by a dealing from a standard deck of playing cards (with two jokers).  Each character and important NPC receives one card; mooks use the card dealt to their leader, or get one card for the entire group.  Characters act in sequence according to the fall of the cards from highest (ace) to lowest (deuce). Ties are broken by suit: first spades, then hearts, diamonds, clubs.  A character can "hold" their action, waiting to act after anyone else, or even interrupt someone  if they succeed in an Agility contest. A joker card allows that character to act at any time during the round, interrupting without needing a test, and giving bonuses on rolls during their turn. The deck is shuffled at the end of every round in which a joker card was seen.


Combat initiative is determined by a standard deck of playing cards (with two jokers); characters act in sequence according to the fall of the cards from highest to lowest. Ties are broken by suit (in order from best to worst, spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs). Jokers beat all other cards and additionally give bonuses on rolls made in the round one receives them. The deck is shuffled at the end of every round in which a joker was dealt.
=== Damage ===
Characters in Savage Worlds don't have "hit points" that must be eroded to defeat the opponent.  Instead, a contest is made against the target's Toughness stat.  In the case of mortal combat, on a successful attack the attacker would roll the weapon's damage dice versus the target's Toughness as the target number.  A success means the target has the "Shaken" status. Characters (and groups of mooks) that are "Shaken" can take no action other than moving at half-speed and attempting to recover by rolling Spirit trait (default target number of 4). Getting hit again while "Shaken" will incapacitate mooks and wound important characters.  Important "wild card" characters suffer a -1 penalty to all rolls for each wound, up to -3. The next wound after that incapacitates them and they're removed from the fight.  "Wild card" characters can try to avoid being incapacitated by testing Vigor trait, but this does not dismiss any wounds.


==External Links ==
==External Links ==

Revision as of 03:47, 24 October 2011


Current Version, Jun 2008.

Savage Worlds is a universal role-playing game system published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. The purpose of the system is to provide a unified mechanic for fast-paced game play and a relative lack of preparation compared to most other systems at the expense of realism. This is in direct contrast to games such as GURPS, which focus on detail and simulationism. The current version of the game is the Explorer's Edition, which costs about $10.

A "test drive" version of the rules is available for free. The Savage Worlds community is well known for its abundance of free material as well as setting and system conversions.

Why would I play this?

The system is designed for fast task resolution, including fast combat. The fights aren't slugfests to see who runs out of hitpoints first. The free rules are enough to get a generic game going, and there are metric shitloads of free scenarios and splatbooks being published. A fair chunk of the free stuff is actual meaty, not the usual "and the DM can fill in the details" crap.

People are converting so many settings to Savage Worlds. They won't be as detailed as GURPS splatbooks, but you probably don't need as much detail as GURPS provides anyways.

The System

Characters

Characters have Traits, derived Stats, Edges/Hindrances, Gear, and Bennies. If you're playing a game with supernatural events, characters may also have Powers (whether they are magic, psionic, weird-science or divine miracles is fluff; supernatural Powers have the same mechanics).

Traits come in two types: Attributes, which everyone has, and Skills, which only some characters have. Traits are rated by the size of a single die used for rolls when testing that trait: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12. d6 is considered average. If a character is attempting to use a Skill they do not have training in, they roll d4-2. If making a character from scratch, use a point-buy system: set each Attribute Trait to d4 and as many points as there are Attributes in this setting. Each point must be spent to raise an Attribute Trait one step to the next die size. (ie. 2 points would raise d4 to d8). Then use 15 points (or 3* # of Attribute Traits?) to purchase Skill Traits -- the first point raises the skill to d4.

Attribute Traits mentioned in the Test Drive rules are: Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength, Vigor. Skill Traits are too numerous to list here, and may change depending on your setting. Derived stats mentioned in the Test Drive rules are: Charisma (reputation? its use is not described), Pace (12 yards/turn by default), Parry (2 + 1/2 of Fighting skill; Minimum 4), Toughness (2 + 1/2 of Vigor attribute + armour bonuses). Setting books may also add another derived stat to characters, such as 'faith', 'grit' or 'honour'.

Edges and Hindrances are what other systems would call merits & flaws. They give the character a flat bonus to some task or Trait. Normal player characters get one free Edge, and may take a minor Hindrance, two minor Hindrances, or one major Hindrance. Each minor Hindrance can purchase: a boost a Skill by one step, or +100% starting funds for gear. Two minor Hindrances or one major Hindrance can purchase: boost an Attribute by one step, or an additional Edge.

Some Edges mentioned in the Test Drive are: Attractive (+2 Charisma), Hard To Kill (ignore wound penalties when testing Vigor), Level-Headed (draw two cards for initiative, keep the better one). Some Hindrances are: Illiterate (minor, cannot write nor read), Anemic (minor, -2 Vigor to resist illnesses), Heroic (major, must always help those in need).

Gear is just starting equipment. Characters start with $500 by default, and equipment lists are in the setting handbook. Equipped Gear can alter a character's derived stats. ie: a shield to improve Parry, or a kevlar vest to improve Toughness.

Bennies are hero points. Each player gets three at the start of each session, and they can be used to re-roll any dice, attempt to quickly recover from wounds, or use very specific advantages from Edges. Each important NPC also gets two bennies at the start of a session, and all the NPCs get a pool of (# of players) bennies to draw from. Bennies cannot be saved-up for the next session; use them or lose them.

Task resolution

Trait dice are rolled to determine the outcome of character actions and interactions in the game. Usually a Trait die is rolled against a target number of 4. If the roll equals or exceeds the target number, the action succeeds; otherwise it fails. If the result exceeds the target number by 4 (ie. rolling 8 or better in a typical test), it is called a 'raise' and may have additional positive effects.

Player characters and important NPCs (called a "wild card" and marked in scenarios as such with a macabre jester icon) will roll an extra d6 for Trait tests and damage dice. This "wild die" can be used to substitute for any other die rolled at the same time.

Trait dice and damage dice explode; called "rolling an ace" in Savage Worlds. A "wild die" may also "ace," and the resulting value used to substitute for any other die rolled at that time.

Combat initiative is determined by a dealing from a standard deck of playing cards (with two jokers). Each character and important NPC receives one card; mooks use the card dealt to their leader, or get one card for the entire group. Characters act in sequence according to the fall of the cards from highest (ace) to lowest (deuce). Ties are broken by suit: first spades, then hearts, diamonds, clubs. A character can "hold" their action, waiting to act after anyone else, or even interrupt someone if they succeed in an Agility contest. A joker card allows that character to act at any time during the round, interrupting without needing a test, and giving bonuses on rolls during their turn. The deck is shuffled at the end of every round in which a joker card was seen.

Damage

Characters in Savage Worlds don't have "hit points" that must be eroded to defeat the opponent. Instead, a contest is made against the target's Toughness stat. In the case of mortal combat, on a successful attack the attacker would roll the weapon's damage dice versus the target's Toughness as the target number. A success means the target has the "Shaken" status. Characters (and groups of mooks) that are "Shaken" can take no action other than moving at half-speed and attempting to recover by rolling Spirit trait (default target number of 4). Getting hit again while "Shaken" will incapacitate mooks and wound important characters. Important "wild card" characters suffer a -1 penalty to all rolls for each wound, up to -3. The next wound after that incapacitates them and they're removed from the fight. "Wild card" characters can try to avoid being incapacitated by testing Vigor trait, but this does not dismiss any wounds.

External Links

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