Savage Worlds is a flexible, setting-agnostic RPG. The system has been translated into plenty of different settings. Some are unique to the Savage Worlds, whilst others have iterations over a number of different systems.
I have the old Explorer’s Edition rulebook, but I never got a chance to play it. I’d picked it up for a game that was to be run by a friend who then ended up moving out of the area. I did read it, and I liked a lot of what I saw. I particularly like how traits (attributes and skills) are rated using types of die, ranging from D4 for your lower skills up to D12 for a skill that you have mastered. This seems quite an elegant way of showing progression or differentiating trained and untrained skills.
Since then, in 2018, we have seen the release of a new edition, the Adventure Edition. This is the latest version of the rules, but it does not invalidate earlier editions. Given the huge amount of content produced for previous editions of Savage Worlds, I imagine that this backward compatibility is a strong selling point.
DriveThruRPG is currently running a sale on Savage Worlds and its supplements and settings. You can visit the sale by clicking here. The sale is due to end in a few days time. I’m going to pick out a few highlights that have grabbed my attention. Of course, whatever you go with, the core book is a must-have, and currently carries a sale price of £5.52, down from the normal price of £9.20.
I do enjoy a DTRPG sale!
Any links to DTRPG in this post are affiliate links and a small portion of any sales will go to supporting this site.
Deadlands: The Weird West
Deadlands is, for me, probably the most iconic Savage Worlds setting. It’s been around since the mid-90s and was published by Pinnacle Entertainment, the same folks who put Savage Worlds itself.
It’s a mish-mash of alternative history, wester and occult horror. At 192 pages, this is a sizeable PDF stuffed with rules, resources, background and ideas. This is the current book for the setting, rewritten for the newest edition of Savage Worlds and containing everything you need as both a player and a GM.
Here’s a video that features some of the artwork and helps to set the tone:
Here’s a lengthy review that really goes in-depth on the book:
The review is pretty reassuring to potential purchasers, praising the book as being pretty fantastic. It’s not perfect, of course, but it’s very good.
You can click here to visit the DTRPG page for this book.
Big Apple Sewer Samurai
Let’s acknowledge something right from the start. Let’s take a look at that cover, and at that title and just agree on exactly what we are talking about here. let’s agree on one piece of media that will set the tone for this book and games you play with it:
Okay. Our cards are on the table. THis is further confirmed by one of the reviews on DTRPG, which reads:
Long story made short: if you’re thinking about buying Big Apple Sewer Samurai because of any reason related to your appreciation for TMNT or other Saturday morning action cartoons, just buy it already. It really is everything you’d want from a toolkit for running TMNT-style RPG games in Savage Worlds. And then some.
Garrett W. [Verified Purchaser]
The book, weighing in at 60 pages, can be used as a toolkit for developing your own game and setting, or as a microsetting in its own right. It promises a range of content for you to use:
- More than 30 new Edges.
- 6 new character races with 25 uniques variations and guidelines to create your own.
- Stat blocks for dozens of adversaries.
- 4 one-page adventures.
- 8 iconic pregens.
Of course you will, as ever, also need the core Savage Worlds book to make use of all of this. You can click here to visit the DTRPG page for Big Apple Sewer Samurai.
Interface Zero 3.0
The largest offering that I am highlighting are these two books for the Interface Zero setting. I’m including both the Player’s Guide and the Game Master’s Guide. Both are weighty tomes, consisting of 352 and 384 pages, respectively. Obviously, you will only need the latter item if you intend to run the game, rather than play in it.
This is a sci-fi setting, taking place on an Earth which has suffered a number of catastrophes, including:
- global warming
- nuclear and conventional wars
- the emergence of a powerful A.I.
Over time, scientific knowledge has also advanced, particularly in our understanding of the human genome. Genetic hybris are now common, though there are also vat-grown slaves sold on the open market. Cybernetics has also advanced considerably, though this does mean that such technology is affordable to the masses. We have access to the TAP, giving us untold amounts of information piped directly into our minds, but opening us up to malicious cyber attacks that can result in stolen secrets and identities.
It feels like there’s a lot going on, and I’m quite excited by the Cyberpunk elements.
The content promised in the Players’ Guide includes:
- Races for Interface Zero 3.0
- Edges and Hindrances
- Our revised system for hacking
- Weapons and equipment, along with rules to create your own!
- Creation rules for Biotech, Cybertech, Chemtech, Genetech and Nanotech
- New setting rules
This is then built upon in the GM’s Guide. In here, you’ll find chapters on topics such as:
- Building your city
- Toolkits to enhanced your campaign
- Plot Points and Campaigns
- Threats for your players
- Using the TAP as a plot device
The chapter on building your city is probably the most interesting one to me. I generally love that element of planning a game. It’s certainly one of the best things about the FATE system, and the Dresden Files variant, specifically.
Picking up both books will give you everything you need to run your campaign and will cost you, at sale prices, less than £20 combined. You can click through to see the product pages for the Interface Zero 3.0 Player’s Guide, and the Interface Zero 3.0 GM’s Guide.
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