5 Things Savage Worlds Does Best

Let's talk #SavageWorlds!
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[@TheBigDanois]

Agree 100% Bennies and Card based initiative is the 1st thing I miss when playing other systems.

[@svenk5221]

I love about the game how it encourage players to play out their hindrences/weaknesses. They basically get bennies to get themselves in trouble and my players had a ton of fun with it.

[@sequoyahwright]

James, Long time viewer/first time commenter. We have a lot in common! I too love Savage Worlds, DCC, and even Demon Lord! Small world, huh? I often comment on "5e hack" videos that 5e players really just wanna play Savage Worlds, but they just don't know it. Your video here def supports my theory! 5e players, consider this: In SW, your characters basically have Advantage on EVERY roll! And it's even better than that! I enjoy occasional technical RPG systems like 3e/Pathfinder, but there is absolutely no greater feeling than when the last player standing explodes their Novice plumber character's damage dice all over the table and kills a dragon with a single blast of a shotgun. Savage Worlds is kickass, and in a way that those more technical, player skill/rule knowledge based games can't compete with. It's apples n oranges. A brilliant but risky strategy that wins a war after many grueling battles is also supremely satisfying. Not better, but different. SW is for a certain style of play. More importantly, after running many dozens of SW games at cons in Denver, where the Savage community was thousands strong and rabid af in the 20-teens, SW is superior. I can teach non-Savages and even first time gamers how to play it in ten minutes. After a session, a player who doesn't care about rules knows all they need to know to enjoy the heck out of SW for years to come. BUT, SW is also robust enough that a rules-loving tactical player will also enjoy the heck out of it when munchkin-ing over the maneuvers and character builds and Powers, etc. Most importantly, both of those players will enjoy the same session just as much! SW can satisfy BOTH of those players at the same time, and leave both of them with an amazing fun-time memory afterward. I have run many, many RPGs over decades, and I never had that happen before SW. Not to the degree that SW does it.

[@Living4Crits]

I really like that quote of yours: "Savage Worlds isn't for everyone, but it is for MOST everyone." Fantastic! I've really found that Savage Worlds has a wonderful balance of what it does well. It offers just the right amount of crunch without too much crunch. The ability to have focused characters that could fit the archetype of a class system, without classes. In the past, I've always felt that Savage Worlds does a lot of great things, but that other systems excel when it comes to Fantasy. For me, Dungeon Crawl Classics and Shadow of the Demon Lord firmly hit that mark. But I must say that I'm intrigued by the upcoming updated SW Fantasy Companion. I have the original one for Explorer's Edition, and while it's a nifty little book, it still didn't make Fantasy feel right to me. So far from the PDF, I'm impressed. Thanks so much for watching and hanging with us!!!!

[@sequoyahwright]

@@Living4Crits I agree. After running other genres with SW, and with so many sub-genres of Fantasy (Heroic, Epic, High, Dark, Grimdark, Pre-Apoc, Post-Apoc, et al.), using the Deluxe Fantasy Companion felt very different to other Fantasy RPGs I knew, and any flavor of D&D. I did have a fair bit of success adapting some old AD&D adventure modules to SW, but with a hefty helping of Earthdawn mixed in to help the narrative accommodate the superheroic/pulp/wuxia feel of SW. I didn't actually end up using anything from the Fantasy Companion on that project. I find that DCC, Demon Lord, OSE, Earthdawn, Rolemaster, Symbaroum, Forbidden Lands, and even Pathfinder are more than adequate for all of my Fantasy sub-genre gaming. I don't even use D&D any more besides OSE, DCC, and Pathfinder (depending on your definition of "D&D"). When my son is older, I may run 5e for him, or let him run it, but he has already played SW (a Last Parsec Construct character PunchB0t), so he may already be spoiled on 5e. I also look forward to the SWADE Fantasy Companion, but I must admit, not as much as the Sci Fi Companion. I adapted Shatterzone (a fun little Sci Fi RPG from 1993) into my Last Parsec campaign and we love it. Fun fact: As I was doing the adaptation work, and I began to see/feel some similarities between the two games and settings (along with Star Frontiers, the official primary influence of TLP), and it turns out our friend Shane Hensley has a contribution credit on Shatterzone! Haha! That was a real treat, and I hope to spring that on him when I see him next! Thanks for your reply, James. Until next time!

[@TheFreepie]

I agree they should've named the Healing power something like "Restoration" to clearly differentiate it

[@BillWiltfong]

If you want to skip past the rambling to get to the start of the title's subject, skip to 7:33

[@jerod6085]

Great video, I love SW as well. Maybe you can help me with a question. Seven Worlds and Last Parsec??? Are they completely different, or some kind of "progression"? I mean you can hardly find any information on Seven Worlds. It isn't even listed on Pinnacles sight. Like it is some unwanted child they have locked in the basement. Do you know what the deal is there? Or did they just do a massive overhaul and decided to rename it something else ie LP? Although neither of them have a SWADE version. I'd like to see a Sci-Fi setting make an "OFFICIAL" SWADE conversion/update. Same with 20 Fathoms. Thoughts? Or maybe another video topic ;)

[@Living4Crits]

So Seven Worlds is a 3rd party licensed product, not a Pinnacle product. That's why it's not listed on Pinnacle's site. Last Parsec is an official Pinnacle setting. So that's why they don't really click. Honestly, if I was going to run a Savage Worlds sci fi game right now, I'd probably do Deadlands: Lost Colony. It's a space western, a spinoff of the legendary Deadlands setting, and more importantly: it's SWADE!

[@hweidigiv]

Wild Cards vs Extras (vs Minions) Wild Cards - Main characters (Protag, Antag, Love Int) Extras - Supporting cast (Those two guys in the background, the leader of the city the MCs are visiting in thwir way to the plot) Minions - Background extras (Did you notice the same guy walked passed three times? First she wore a hat, then was reading a newspaper, and the last time being carried. Might not have even seen their face.)

[@lagautmd]

Ooo! Reminded me why I might like to play Savage Worlds again.

[@Living4Crits]

Do it!

[@geoffreynelson8012]

My wife still awards and asks for imaginary bennies all the time, and she doesn't even play.

[@WildDieWoodard]

This 'Savage Worlds' thing sounds pretty cool!

[@Living4Crits]

Very nifty! You might be interested in one of the settings… Flash Gordon?

[@WildDieWoodard]

@@Living4Crits I'll check it out!

[@Living4Crits]

@@WildDieWoodard The Sixth Gun is also very good.

[@battedmd]

Hey Judge James, Love the channel. I've been learning up on DCC/MCC/Umerica, and recently bought the DCC starter kit for my group. It came with the Frozen in Time module, which is pretty awesome, and made me excited to run a weird sci fi/fantasy game. I remember hearing on Glowburn that you also like to mix and match for your games. I was wondering how you go about porting over the classes from MCC, Umerica, and other games/settings into DCC. Do you make your own occupation tables for the zero levels? Or do you do it some other way? The occupation table in the back of frozen in time seems like a pretty good table for adding new classes, especially from MCC, because it has hunters and gatherers already on it. If the player rolls one of those I figure I can just make them roll a genotype. And anything super weird like Robots or Grays, maybe I can just have the players find them in the world and make it possible for them join the party. What's your method? Also, have you checked out the Scientific Barbarian stuff for MCC? I haven't seen much on it, but I was thinking of picking up the omnibus to expand my options. Or maybe Star Crawl.

[@Living4Crits]

I've been porting the Mutant and Manimal over to DCC for quite some time now. At least since 2017. I feel that the mutations they gain keep them balanced in a party of fantasy characters. In my own House Rules for my long-term DCC campaigning, the Mutant is a "core class" as is the Kith form the Purple Planet box set. Here's a link to my own Occupation table: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1742TwvlcpA5ZtmNhdyzhHZO6aaAvbGM_tBhksqhi5Ns/edit?usp=sharing This includes options for Mutants and Kith. I own several of the Scientific Barbarian zines, and while they are gorgeous I haven't really done much with them yet. I ran through all the published MCC modules over the last 18 months, and I think I picked a few artifacts from them, but that's about it.

[@TheJDough1]

Other than the new Pathfinder, does Savage Worlds have any normal settings? That’s my biggest hang up with them and Cypher. The settings are just Tooooo far out there.

[@Living4Crits]

What's a "normal" setting? Do you mean traditional fantasy? I'd say the closest is their take on Lankhmar. But honestly, what you see as your hang up with them and Cypher is what I feel is their biggest strength. For instance, I have no interest in the Pathfinder setting whatsoever. Give me Deadlands every time.

[@TheJDough1]

@@Living4Crits Good point about “normal” there is no normal, only preference in gaming. I tend to agree that they being so different is a major strength. I seem to like more established or perhaps more used game settings. For example, if I’m looking to do a western, it’s Aces & Eights all day. The realism is amazing. I bought a ton of books for cypher but don’t seem to care for the settings. The ideas are amazing but it doesn’t seem to be my cup of tea. I love the system!! I’m going to pick up Ptolus for cypher and Godforsaken to get my fix I believe. I just got pathfinder for savage worlds but never used savage worlds. A few years back I also purchased East Texas University & Wierd Wars Rome but still never played them. I do look forward to these though

[@Living4Crits]

@@TheJDough1 Gotcha! I get what you mean. If I was to run a Cypher fantasy game right now, I'd be hard pressed to not do Cypher Ptolus. Definitely a super established setting, with years upon years of adventures packed in. ETU is probably the most fun modern setting I've ever run. I've done a handful of campaigns with it, and having adventures that swing from horror to college rom com is great. I've done single adventures with Weird Wars Rome, but for long term campaign play, it's hard unless you have a bunch of die hard history fanatics in your group.

[@dungeondumbo]

Hellfrost by Triple Ace Games is an awesome fantasy setting and doesn’t get too weird. Wonderful support of supplements and adventures.

[@TheJDough1]

@@dungeondumbo Do they have an updated version for SWADE or would we just have to do some conversions

[@jaybakata5566]

Call the healing skill first aid so they are different?

[@Living4Crits]

Good idea

[@agrayday7816]

that a stack of terrain in the background on the chair?

[@Living4Crits]

Only the finest Trader Joe’s Terrain Storage in our house.

[@jgiesler]

Your players should be renaming their powers to suit their trapping IMO. But totally get that they should be different names. Maybe medicine for healing skill? But usually I would think that the description of healing the person would help give context. "I get out some bandages and begin working on their wounds" vs. I lay my hands on them and recite a prayer. But maybe I just prefer the roleplaying more.

[@repetern]

You goofball! I do listen to these even though I'm not able to listen live. My PC name is Father Joseph Eugene. Father Eugene or Padre. So, I accidentally called my character Father Padre and now it is being made fun. Hmmm. Then again, what is in a title? Oh, well. Call my PC what you like. I am still unknown in what I really may be. Bahahaha

[@Living4Crits]

FATHER PADRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@booms]

I appreciate the content but sometimes new viewers will just be here to hear about whatever the title of the video says, so it's a little rough to take 7.5 minutes to get to the topic. I gave the video a thumbs up and I'm glad it's out there, just pointing that out.