Quote from: Antiquation!;1116125Oh by the way, are there any splats/settings for SWADE that specifically handle "gritty" really well? Not that I mind a heroic baseline for the core game, but I genuinely love me a good "mud-covered peasants with pitchforks outsmarting monsters" campaign and similar.

All the settings *just now* rolling out are mini-settings for the most part. I'm not currently running SW right now (running FFG Star Wars) but my SW pile-o'-stuff is growing.

Looking at the basic SWADE book... the *bog-standard* stats for your basic D&D monsters in that book - Orcs, Goblins etc. in their small bestiary are *dangerous* even to starting characters. Sure you can kill them, but they can certainly jack you. Like Rhedyn said you can make your PC's look anyway you want, if you wanna simulate Grim-n'-Gritty...

Use these setting options:

Gritty Damage
This variation on damage works well for settings such as gritty detective scenarios or "realistic" military adventures. It can be very lethal so use it cautiously. Whenever a Wild Card takes a Wound, roll on the Injury Table and apply the results immediately (but roll only once per incident regardless of how many Wounds are actually caused). A hero who takes two Wounds from an attack, for example, rolls once on the Injury Table. Injuries sustained in this way are cured when the Wound is healed. Injuries sustained via Incapacitation may be temporary or permanent as usual. A Shaken character who's Shaken a second time (from damage) receives a Wound as usual but does not roll on the Injury Table.

Hard Choices
Use this rule for more dramatic and gritty games. The GM and her Wild Card characters don't start with Bennies, but every time the players spend one it goes into her pool where it can be used for any of her characters. If this rule is in play, Jokers no longer grant Bennies to either side.

There are others - but these two come from the basic SWADE book (and there's a lot of others). And while I've never used these... I can tell you right now... having these in play LOL will make your gritty-dreams come woefully true.

Quote from: Antiquation!;1116132Ah, right. This was an issue I had with my read-through of Everywhen; not that I mind the "PCs-default-to-action-heroes" model as it can be appropriate in many campaigns and genres, but it does tend to harm my suspense of disbelief when in a "realistic" campaign (no loaded intent meant with that term, hopefully you get what I mean) the 12-year-old bookworm in a wheelchair PC can beat up 3 crooks or whatever by himself by virtue of being a protagonist (the same thing often bugs me in movies and television unless it's intentionally portrayed tongue-in-cheek or comic book-y).

Not a deal-breaker for me, but worth noting. Thanks for the recommendation!

Yeah, it sounds like to me that your setting would need a reason for Wildcards to be Wildcard beyond "plot relevance". Maybe that is dragon blood, possession by demons, blessed by fate, Ta'veren, a member of the royal family of Amber, etc. For some reason, your PCs and significant enemy NPCs are just better than regular people. Many Savage Worlds fans accept "movie logic", but that is not the only way to use the system.

Quote from: tenbones;1116133All the settings *just now* rolling out are mini-settings for the most part. I'm not currently running SW right now (running FFG Star Wars) but my SW pile-o'-stuff is growing.

Looking at the basic SWADE book... the *bog-standard* stats for your basic D&D monsters in that book - Orcs, Goblins etc. in their small bestiary are *dangerous* even to starting characters. Sure you can kill them, but they can certainly jack you. Like Rhedyn said you can make your PC's look anyway you want, if you wanna simulate Grim-n'-Gritty...

Use these setting options:

Gritty Damage
This variation on damage works well for settings such as gritty detective scenarios or "realistic" military adventures. It can be very lethal so use it cautiously. Whenever a Wild Card takes a Wound, roll on the Injury Table and apply the results immediately (but roll only once per incident regardless of how many Wounds are actually caused). A hero who takes two Wounds from an attack, for example, rolls once on the Injury Table. Injuries sustained in this way are cured when the Wound is healed. Injuries sustained via Incapacitation may be temporary or permanent as usual. A Shaken character who's Shaken a second time (from damage) receives a Wound as usual but does not roll on the Injury Table.

Hard Choices
Use this rule for more dramatic and gritty games. The GM and her Wild Card characters don't start with Bennies, but every time the players spend one it goes into her pool where it can be used for any of her characters. If this rule is in play, Jokers no longer grant Bennies to either side.

There are others - but these two come from the basic SWADE book (and there's a lot of others). And while I've never used these... I can tell you right now... having these in play LOL will make your gritty-dreams come woefully true.

Ah, these are very nice, thanks for pointing those out! I really like the first one for those poor dirty PC peasants getting maimed. The second one I would want to try out in play before deciding, but definitely sounds like it would go a long ways towards tweaking the "protagonist armor" factor.

Quote from: Rhedyn;1116135Yeah, it sounds like to me that your setting would need a reason for Wildcards to be Wildcard beyond "plot relevance". Maybe that is dragon blood, possession by demons, blessed by fate, Ta'veren, a member of the royal family of Amber, etc. For some reason, your PCs and significant enemy NPCs are just better than regular people. Many Savage Worlds fans accept "movie logic", but that is not the only way to use the system.

Yeah, something like that might work. Even something as simple as "favored by the gods" or something, like favored pawns of the pantheon to move around and mash against each other like action figures. Thanks, food for thought.

Quote from: Antiquation!;1116137Yeah, something like that might work. Even something as simple as "favored by the gods" or something, like favored pawns of the pantheon to move around and mash against each other like action figures. Thanks, food for thought.

It can also just be an exceptional person (Including exceptional luck). Which just happens sometimes.

Quote from: Shrieking Banshee;1116141It can also just be an exceptional person (Including exceptional luck). Which just happens sometimes.

True, which is I suppose is more-or-less the standard assumption for most "PCs-as-heroes" campaigns; that is, the party is a microcosm of particularly exceptional people coming together more or less by chance, at least in the eyes of the campaign world.

Quote from: Antiquation!;1116142True, which is I suppose is more-or-less the standard assumption for most "PCs-as-heroes" campaigns; that is, the party is a microcosm of particularly exceptional people coming together more or less by chance, at least in the eyes of the campaign world.

Yup. I mean your not gonna have them roll for indigestion after eating poorly and then going to the hospital for 3 weeks mid-finding out who stole the queens jewels.

Quote from: Shrieking Banshee;1116147Yup. I mean your not gonna have them roll for indigestion after eating poorly and then going to the hospital for 3 weeks mid-finding out who stole the queens jewels.

Depends on the campaign and how much empathy I feel towards the player at the time, really...

Quote from: Antiquation!;1116148Depends on the campaign and how much empathy I feel towards the player at the time, really...

It IS tempting.

Regardless I think savage worlds is the next game Il have the possibility to realistically play with a group of people.

Quote from: Shrieking Banshee;1116149It IS tempting.

Regardless I think savage worlds is the next game Il have the possibility to realistically play with a group of people.

If you do get a SW group together, please report back with your findings!

I picked up SW last year sometime on a whim.  On first skim it didn't really do it for me, but you guys have convinced me to take another look.

EDIT:  Oh sh*t!  I see they have a Lankhmar expansion now.  Interest intensifying.

SW is not really an exciting rules set, but it is a very solid set from which to create some great games.  I'd suggest giving it shot sometime.  

I never minded the initiative system, but do find it a bit hokey.  However, I really dislike the chase rules using cards in the various incarnations we've attempted them.

Quote from: tenbones;1116120Added the the fact I own most of the previous editions material (which is a ton)... yeah I think it's made a good impression. ALL of that material is useful simply for the fact you can crib rules and supplementary material to create your OWN thing. For a GM that likes to tinker - It's gold, I tell you. GOLD.

Which Materials would you recommend I pickup for playing some High fantasy Demi-god esque stories?

Quote from: Shrieking Banshee;1116217Which Materials would you recommend I pickup for playing some High fantasy Demi-god esque stories?

Shaintar. Hands down.

Just understand that Shaintar has been made across at least two editions of Savage Worlds. Despite the fact that all editions are easy to convert, the setting itself has it's own "Setting Rules" that are different from their core rulebook editions (which is normal - but Shaintar dials it up).

I recommend Legends Arise (which is Novice to Veteran rank rules) and Legends Unleashed (which is Heroic to Legendary high-level play). You can use all the gazetteer material to fill in any blanks if you're interested in the world. Plenty of material. Or just treat those books like Greybox-style Realms and fill it in yourself.

Great stuff all the way around. But just remember SWADE rules make some significant tweaks you'll have to adjust for/against for Shaintar's setting rules. All easily done.

Quote from: RMS;1116215SW is not really an exciting rules set, but it is a very solid set from which to create some great games.  I'd suggest giving it shot sometime.  

I never minded the initiative system, but do find it a bit hokey.  However, I really dislike the chase rules using cards in the various incarnations we've attempted them.

Don't worry, the chase rules were long considered to be one of SW's weakest areas. Some time ago I found this online and never looked back: https://www.reddit.com/r/savageworlds/comments/7i4icg/heres_a_printable_mat_of_easy_swexinspired_chase/

Quote from: Brand55;1116255Don't worry, the chase rules were long considered to be one of SW's weakest areas. Some time ago I found this online and never looked back: https://www.reddit.com/r/savageworlds/comments/7i4icg/heres_a_printable_mat_of_easy_swexinspired_chase/

They completely rewrite them every edition so far.

The current SWADE ones seem fine, especially since they were playtested (and changed completely like 3 times during the kickstarter).

Fun chase rules are hard...