Disclaimer: I am a fan of the Savage Worlds system and it is my current go-to for anything that I run.
Here's the corporate blurb:
"Savage Worlds is the core ruleset for all of Pinnacle’s current roleplaying games, including Deadlands, 50 Fathoms, Weird Wars: Rome, and more. It has everything you need to play narrative or miniature-based games, with quick, simple, yet comprehensive rules for everything from combat to Dramatic Tasks, Chases, and Interludes. The emphasis is on less bookeeping for the Game Master so he can quickly and easily create worlds and adventures for any setting, and focus on the players and their actions during frenetic combat."
Um...that doesn't look simple, like at all.
And truthfully, it isn't. At first glance.
There is a mess of special actions to enhance combat options, setting rules to adjust the system to fit the flavor of game you want to run, subsystems to facilitate everything from casting magic to soaking damage, everything is measured in inches as opposed to actual distance, chases are done abstractly, etc.
So, why in the Savage World would they even suggest it is simple?
Because, at its core, it is - especially if you're a player. All you really need to do is roll the die type associated with the action you're attempting (for example, Fighting if you want to punch or stab someone, Driving to race a car, etc) along with a d6 (this is called the Wild Die), and take the best result (not add them together). Most of the time, you're looking for a result of 4 to succeed, with additional sums of 4 (8, 12, etc) counting as Raises. Oh, and good news! Either die you roll has the chance to Ace - which is to say, if it rolls the maximum value (say a 6 on a d6), you get to pick it up and roll again, adding the previous value to the new roll....and you can keep rolling for as long as the die Aces.
Now, there are variables that can adjust that roll (positively or negatively), but for those just starting out as players, the Gamemaster can handle those on a case-by-case basis as needed. Which, I suppose, is true of basically all traditional roleplaying games. The thing to remember here is: Most times, a total of 4 is all that is needed to succeed.
The other thing that I enjoy is that character creation is quick and easy (I can normally do it without a book now), but doesn't lack on options. You're not going to have cookie cutter characters unless you intend to.
Finally, while the above picture shows multiple books, you really only need one - the book in the very first picture - the Savage Worlds Deluxe Explorer Edition, and with just that one, you can play (or run) just about anything your twisted mind can come up with.
And that, right there, more than anything else I can say about Savage Worlds, is the biggest draw for me. With just one book, I can (and have) ran anything my twisted mind thinks is a good idea. I mean, sure, there are the companions (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Super Powers, and Horror) which have new ideas, mechanics, and advice for their specific genres, but I don't need them. I mean, I do have them, but that's more due to the fact that I'm a bit of a collector than anything.
Add to that the cost of the main book (just $10), and you have a very affordable, very robust, very portable game system. A game system that not only has a ton of support, but also licensees.
And that's just from Pinnacle....
I was never a Savage World's guy, but not because of any particular or specific failing with the system or setting – it's just that after 30 years collecting and digesting role-playing games of various sorts, it just didn't bring anything to the table that I didn't already own and the mechanics are nothing special to phone home about. If anything, it goes out of its way to be sort of bland and inoffensive for a cinematically-inclined role-playing game. It is a full on traditional GM-centric stat+skill system with all that that implies in all the baggage that comes with.
Not really my bag. But it wouldn't even evoke that much response from me (this much response for me) if it wasn't for the fact that for a year or maybe two, Savage Worlds was the only RPG that the bouncy, enthusiastic masses on RPGNet would recognize or talk about, and if you weren't into playing Savage Worlds, you weren't worth talking to or about.
As someone whose tastes run a little more out of the mainstream, it was and remains not a great place for me to share my ideas on the subject. And that's a real problem. Sometimes the fan base for a game is something that the developers sort of grow organically and they have very little to do with the formation of, but that's not the case here. Pinnacle has really courted a certain demographic slice, and they work it very hard.
I've never found that licenses have done much to improve role-playing game for me. Either the material is such that my immediate reaction is "I can certainly do better than this," which is a valid source of inspiration, or the material doesn't really give me space to do my own thing and demands by its presence that I do something else. It's just more burdensome than usual, multiplied by the fact that there is a strong portion of the already described toxic community which will tell you, in no uncertain terms, "you're doing it wrong" unless you get every little jot and tittle about the wider setting that is supposed to govern your game dead on, dead nuts perfect. God forfend that you leave out an element of the setting that they find absolutely crucial. You'll never hear the end of it.
For the same purposes that pinnacle puts Savage Worlds to, I suspect that my preferred option, if I were going to stick to the traditional GM-full gameplay architecture, would be to involve Wushu as the core system, because it can do anything Savage worlds can put on the table and dance around it while keeping the players engaged and interested in what's about to unfold at every given point.
That it's free is just a little extra gravy.
For someone looking to experiment with more solo gaming experiences, I might even suggest the Two Hour Wargames free core mechanics which can be pulled from the website. Using them, you ought to be able to run almost any modern or medieval game without actually needing to own every miniature, spend 10 minutes on a character sheet, and go often to combat which has a very limited number of possible outcomes. You never know exactly what is going to break whether it be your way or the other way.
And it too is free.
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Our gaming group has done a lot in Savage Worlds. It is one of my favorite systems. I have found it to be pretty easy to get characters killed by accident. There are so many options for settings to play in that most groups can find something fun to do.
We are looking forward to the Monster Hunter International setting!
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With damage dice having the capability of Acing, along with players only ever having 3 Wounds in addition to needing a Benny to invoke a Soak Roll, death is a very real threat in Savage Worlds, no matter how advanced the character is. It is one of the things I actually like about the system, but also one of the things to always keep in mind for both player amd gamemaster.
I agree there is so many options for settings. In fact, I think my next post may highlight an upcoming one, if I can find the right words.
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