How to play Savage Worlds

How to play

Make your hero: You have five attributes (Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength and Vigor) and a set of skills, all rated as dice from d4 to d12. Every character has five core skills: Athletics, Common Knowledge, Notice, Persuasion and Stealth. Pick Edges, special abilities, and take Hindrances, flaws that earn you points to spend. Work out Pace (6 for most humans), Parry (2 plus half your Fighting die) and Toughness (2 plus half your Vigor die, plus armour).

Traits and the die system: To do something, roll the die for the Trait the GM names and try to get 4 or more. Every 4 points above the target is a raise, which makes the result better. As a Wild Card, you also roll a d6 Wild Die and keep the higher result. If you have no skill that fits, roll a d4 and subtract 2. Rolling a 1 on both dice is a critical failure, and it can't be rerolled.

Exploding dice (Acing): When a Trait or damage die shows its highest face, roll it again and add the result, and keep going as long as it keeps Acing. Even a d4 can reach high numbers.

Bennies: You start each session with three Bennies, and the GM hands out more for good play. Spend one to reroll a Trait roll or a damage roll, recover from being Shaken, make a Soak roll against Wounds, draw a new Action Card, or regain Power Points. The GM gets one Benny per player character, and each villain who is a Wild Card has two more.

Initiative and actions: Each round every Wild Card, and each group of the GM's characters, is dealt a card from a 54-card deck with two Jokers. The GM counts down from Ace to Two, and ties go Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, then Clubs. A Joker lets you act whenever you like, adds +2 to your Trait and damage rolls, and gives every player a Benny. On your turn you move your Pace and take one action, or up to three at −2 for each extra action.

Damage, Shaken and Wounds: Melee attacks roll against Parry and ranged attacks against 4, and a raise adds +1d6 damage. Damage that meets Toughness makes the target Shaken, and every raise over it causes a Wound. Extras are out after one Wound. You can take three, each giving −1 to your rolls, and a fourth leaves you Incapacitated. Straight after taking Wounds you can spend a Benny on a Vigor Soak roll: each success and raise cancels one Wound.

Advances: As the campaign goes on, the GM awards Advances, which buy new Edges or raise skills and attributes. Every four Advances raise your Rank, from Novice through Seasoned, Veteran and Heroic to Legendary.

Strategy

Spend your Bennies: You get three every session and they don't build up, so a Benny saved for later is often a Benny wasted. The best uses are Soak rolls against a big hit, rerolls on the roll that decides a scene, and clearing Shaken so you can act at once. Remember that a critical failure can't be rerolled, so don't hold one back for that. Fish for raises: A raise on an attack adds +1d6 to damage, and a raise over Toughness is what causes Wounds. Stack the odds before you roll: close in to avoid range penalties, let an ally distract the target, and choose targets without cover. Cover gives attackers −2, −4 or −6, so use it yourself. Mind the multi-action penalty: You can take up to three actions a turn, but each extra action gives −2 to all of them. Two actions at −2 are often worth it; three at −4 rarely are, unless the rolls are easy. Clear the Extras fast: Extras go down after one Wound, and a Shaken Extra who is Shaken again takes that Wound. Wild Cards should spread their attacks across the mooks while someone ties up the real villain. Save your big effects for enemy Wild Cards, who have Bennies of their own and can Soak. Use the whole party: Many problems are not fights. Notice, Persuasion and Common Knowledge, three of the five core skills, carry a lot of play, so make sure the group has someone good at each. Every hero uses them, so raising them is rarely wasted. Know your setting: Pinnacle's settings and Companions add their own Edges, powers and optional Setting Rules that change how lethal or heroic play feels. Read those rules before you build your hero, so your character fits the game you're actually playing.

Tips

- Spend Bennies freely: you start every session with three and they don't pile up. - A Benny spent on a Soak roll can cancel several Wounds at once. - Being Shaken limits you to free actions; spend a Benny to clear it immediately, even on someone else's turn. - The Wild Die works on Trait rolls only, never on damage. - A Joker means +2 to Trait and damage rolls this round, and a Benny for every player. - A raise on your attack roll adds +1d6 damage, which is how you cause Wounds. - Two actions at −2 are often worth it; three at −4 rarely are. - Download Pinnacle's free Test Drive rules and adventure to try the game before buying the book.

Players and time

A GM and a small group of players, in sessions of a few hours. Card-based initiative and quick damage keep even large fights moving, so one-shots and short campaigns work especially well. Pinnacle's free Test Drive includes the basic rules, pregenerated characters and a Deadlands adventure for a first session.

Official settings

Pinnacle publishes Deadlands: The Weird West (horror westerns), Pathfinder for Savage Worlds (the licensed fantasy setting), Rifts for Savage Worlds, Necessary Evil and East Texas University, among others. Each adds its own Edges, Hindrances and Setting Rules on top of the core book, and many licensed publishers make more.

Genre versatility

The core book is genre-neutral, and Pinnacle's Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction and Super Powers Companions add the powers, gear and creatures for each style. That lets one group switch from a western to a space opera without learning a new system.

Common beginner mistake

Hoarding Bennies and playing it safe. Wild Cards are built to take risks: Bennies reroll bad luck, clear Shaken and Soak Wounds, and a fresh three arrive every session. Bold play is what the rules reward.