To Worlds Most Savage...
I have recently discovered a new gaming system, compliments of the fine folks at Happy Jacks RPG Podcast. I've been listening to a lot of gaming podcasts since I started my new job; after all, I sit at a computer with my MP3 player for about 8 hours a day... after all, even my diverse tastes in music have largely run their course. It's nice to have something else to focus on.
I could certainly do a post promoting the podcasts I have discovered and come to enjoy, and perhaps I will. But for now, let me just say that Happy Jacks is easily one of the most entertaining groups out there if you want to listen to people talk about tabletop roleplaying games for a couple hours, provide a slew of good advice for DMs and their players, employ a particularly crass degree of humor, and drink a lot of beer. It's serious quality, my friends. *grins*
One of the Jackers' passions, predictably enough, is the game systems they prefer, including such classics as GURPS, Traveller, and HERO System (or Champions), and a more contemporary construct entitled Savage Worlds. Released in 2004 (I think) as a system for Pinnacle Games' Deadlands property, Savage Worlds is a genre-neutral, rules-lite system with a focun on "fast, furious fun." And after years of D20 games, I was ready to check out something new. So I've started a couple of games with it. Keep in mind that these are hard-core, immersive roleplay, old-school D&D players, accustomed to a lot of crunch but addicted to narrative gaming. Here's a look at the results:
The first adventure I ran was a hard sci-fi offering at the back of the Savage Worlds Deluxe handbook, entitled The Salvage of the USS Kaine. In this scenario, the PCs run a salvage ship investigating a derelict deep space probe situated near a black hole. Without giving anything away, the PCs encounter a dangerous and horrific scenario aboard the vessel and have to decide how to deal with it. My group exercised a great deal of caution in their exploration and retreated as soon as they encountered the first real danger aboard the ship.
The players enjoyed the short adventure so much that they asked me to put together another one. So the following week, the PCs were docked at a space station while their vessel was undergoing repairs when they find out that the station administrator had a derelict probe vessel toed to the station. Needless to say, from the moment the crew learned of the arrival of the USS Kaine, tension mounted as they struggled to find a way off the station and the horrors they knew lurked aboard the ship began to affect everyone and everything around them. In the end, they hooked up with the pilot of a small military vessel and escaped the station, blowing it up in the process. It was, in a word... awesome.
Meanwhile, I also started a Savage Worlds Gaslight game with roulette_, demi_sakura, and moonled. They wrote up characters for a Victorian horror scenario and ended up investigating a murder at a high society function. There ended up being a bit of sorcery involved in the plot, which was beyond the experience or expectation of anyone involved in the investigation, but they ultimately helped capture the villain and had her arrested.
They, too, requested a follow-up, so I built a scenario where they had to actually break the enchantment cast during the first scenario by tracking down the man who taught the witch how to do it. They traveled to his estate in the north of France and found that he was some sort of vampire-like monster. At first, they were charmed by his demeanor, but they ended up confronting him in his lair when they uncovered his true nature and defeated him. In the process, they were able to secure the tome which explained how to break the spell.
In short, Savage Worlds is a hit with my group(s), and I'm working on the underpinnings of a large campaign. I'll be sure to keep everyone apprised of our progress as we continue to explore the intricacies of the system, but I am seriously enthusiastic about the results thus far and definitely excited about the adventures ahead.
I could certainly do a post promoting the podcasts I have discovered and come to enjoy, and perhaps I will. But for now, let me just say that Happy Jacks is easily one of the most entertaining groups out there if you want to listen to people talk about tabletop roleplaying games for a couple hours, provide a slew of good advice for DMs and their players, employ a particularly crass degree of humor, and drink a lot of beer. It's serious quality, my friends. *grins*
One of the Jackers' passions, predictably enough, is the game systems they prefer, including such classics as GURPS, Traveller, and HERO System (or Champions), and a more contemporary construct entitled Savage Worlds. Released in 2004 (I think) as a system for Pinnacle Games' Deadlands property, Savage Worlds is a genre-neutral, rules-lite system with a focun on "fast, furious fun." And after years of D20 games, I was ready to check out something new. So I've started a couple of games with it. Keep in mind that these are hard-core, immersive roleplay, old-school D&D players, accustomed to a lot of crunch but addicted to narrative gaming. Here's a look at the results:
The first adventure I ran was a hard sci-fi offering at the back of the Savage Worlds Deluxe handbook, entitled The Salvage of the USS Kaine. In this scenario, the PCs run a salvage ship investigating a derelict deep space probe situated near a black hole. Without giving anything away, the PCs encounter a dangerous and horrific scenario aboard the vessel and have to decide how to deal with it. My group exercised a great deal of caution in their exploration and retreated as soon as they encountered the first real danger aboard the ship.
The players enjoyed the short adventure so much that they asked me to put together another one. So the following week, the PCs were docked at a space station while their vessel was undergoing repairs when they find out that the station administrator had a derelict probe vessel toed to the station. Needless to say, from the moment the crew learned of the arrival of the USS Kaine, tension mounted as they struggled to find a way off the station and the horrors they knew lurked aboard the ship began to affect everyone and everything around them. In the end, they hooked up with the pilot of a small military vessel and escaped the station, blowing it up in the process. It was, in a word... awesome.
Meanwhile, I also started a Savage Worlds Gaslight game with roulette_, demi_sakura, and moonled. They wrote up characters for a Victorian horror scenario and ended up investigating a murder at a high society function. There ended up being a bit of sorcery involved in the plot, which was beyond the experience or expectation of anyone involved in the investigation, but they ultimately helped capture the villain and had her arrested.
They, too, requested a follow-up, so I built a scenario where they had to actually break the enchantment cast during the first scenario by tracking down the man who taught the witch how to do it. They traveled to his estate in the north of France and found that he was some sort of vampire-like monster. At first, they were charmed by his demeanor, but they ended up confronting him in his lair when they uncovered his true nature and defeated him. In the process, they were able to secure the tome which explained how to break the spell.
In short, Savage Worlds is a hit with my group(s), and I'm working on the underpinnings of a large campaign. I'll be sure to keep everyone apprised of our progress as we continue to explore the intricacies of the system, but I am seriously enthusiastic about the results thus far and definitely excited about the adventures ahead.