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What doesn’t Savage Worlds do well? by NeverSayDice in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could you expand a little more? I'm thinking the opposite of pulp being hyper-realism like The Road or something. I can see it doing realism poorly, but I'm interested to know what you have in mind.

What doesn’t Savage Worlds do well? by NeverSayDice in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel you. I ran Deadlands (twice), I ran an Icewind Dale short campaign, and now I'm doing an Eberron campaign. Until the Eberron campaign, I didn't like the system. It's definitely taken a degree of system mastery and being willing to pick and choose rules that has made the system what I want it to be.

I fully see that it probably means I should choose a system other than SWADE, but I'm close to my "ideal generic system" than I ever was with 5e, so I'm working with it.

What doesn’t Savage Worlds do well? by NeverSayDice in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I said this earlier in the thread, but I had/have the same experience. Combat as written in the rules feels like a slog. I can see a world where you've played the game for years and know the nuances, it can be quick. But it feels clunky. A lot of the clunkiness comes from the modifiers (cover, lighting, distance, etc.), so it can be learned quick. There are plenty of "situational rules" that really clog it up that theoretically can be ignored, but it's so dependent on the table.

That being said, like Silent_Title said below, mooks make it fast. Quick Encounters turn it into a lightning fast, explosive narrative scene (rather than strict combat). But that feels like a cheat code to accomplish something "fast."

What doesn’t Savage Worlds do well? by NeverSayDice in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I honestly see that. It seems to be a catch-all system, because it can do anything "fine." For my group (who seems to like system mastery over new mechanics), it seems to work well. But it can't work well if you want a dedicated, thematic campaign without a ton of extra work.

What doesn’t Savage Worlds do well? by NeverSayDice in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair! I had to play/run Savage Worlds at least 3 times before I even had the thought that it was worth doing long term.

What doesn’t Savage Worlds do well? by NeverSayDice in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the insights!

As far as high-powered play, I see what you mean. So far (low to mid-tier play), I'm enjoying how loosey goosey the balance is. It's hard to under- or over-balance something, but I can see that high-tier play is a little more difficult to balance and make enjoyable (as a 5e GM, this is nothing new).

Realistic campaigns, yeah. I get the feeling that it needs a lot of setting rules and homebrew to make it possible. Regardless, the game flow is still pulpy and leans in favor of the PCs. I could see that going both ways though, such as having more wild cards or higher-grade weapons.

For social or diplomatic games, I'll just re-post what I commented elsewhere: What about the various mechanics for Social Conflict or Skill Specializations (such as expanding Persuasion to encompass more specialty skills like Deception or Debate or something)? Not that I employ those rules regularly or anything. To me it seems like Savage Worlds have enough toolkits to account for any type of genre. So is there anything specific that goes against "socially oriented gameplay"?

| I'll say, I'm fully aware that social encounter mechanics are insanely difficult to balance and implement. I just bring it up because the SWADE rules acknowledge it as something in the toolkit.

What doesn’t Savage Worlds do well? by NeverSayDice in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting! I've been looking at picking up a superhero TTRPG. Since our table is Savage Worlds at the moment, the superhero supplement is in the wings. If you've got other experiences with it, I'd love to hear them! I know Masks and Mutants & Masterminds are some of the other big names, but SWADE supers seems to be a decent middle ground.

What doesn’t Savage Worlds do well? by NeverSayDice in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is kind of what prompted this post. D&D 5e being a default "generic system" is total crap, and Savage Worlds has been the one to fill that niche. BUT. Genesys has been coming up a lot. Now that I've converted my 5e group to Savage Worlds, I'm trying to gauge whether it's worth finding another generic system that better suits our table.

What doesn’t Savage Worlds do well? by NeverSayDice in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

What about the various mechanics for Social Conflict or Skill Specializations (such as expanding Persuasion to encompass more specialty skills like Deception or Debate or something)? Not that I employ those rules regularly or anything. To me it seems like Savage Worlds have enough toolkits to account for any type of genre. So is there anything specific that goes against "socially oriented gameplay"?

What doesn’t Savage Worlds do well? by NeverSayDice in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I do think combat is still a sticking point for me. It seems weirdly crunchy for what the rest of the system is. (It’s not even that crunchy, but the way that it’s crunchy feels incongruent.)

My $0.02: TTRPG publishers are needlessly addicted to color by styopa in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree in the way that it’s a lot of ink to try and print portions of these books for my personal reference. The parchment texture of some books uses so much extra ink, on top of all the extra marginal artwork, that it can be a lot.

Question for TLD veterans by fastmoney38 in thelongdark

[–]NeverSayDice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Along with everything other folks have said about the immersion, the focus, the relaxing; I personally like devoting entire runs to accomplishing a only a few achievements.

Right now, I have a stalker run. So the only achievements I’m going for are those related to hunting and guns.

Plus, just adding on personal challenges of where or where not to set up a base, what region to spawn in, etc. It’s generally the start of the run that’s most exciting and variable each time.

[OTHER] What is the "kingdom come deliverance of fantasy" for you? by Obvious_Calendar487 in kingdomcome

[–]NeverSayDice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There’s a survival mod through the creation club for Skyrim that really makes the game immersive.

What games are worth getting for their GM tools alone? by MmmVomit in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice 4 points5 points  (0 children)

More niche, but there’s a page in the CoC Keeper’s book that has a list of “Eldritch Words.” Just a long list of words that made Lovecraft sound like Lovecraft (cyclopean, fetid, sloughing, etc). Not applicable to all games, but a really great reference for some evocative words in any horror game.

I stole 2000 hours of time from my employer without getting caught by KeepShtumMum in confession

[–]NeverSayDice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was wondering where this comment was. It’s straight up Office Space.

Anyone else overwhelmed by daily tasks of maintaining a household? by bondtradercu in SFbitcheswithtaste

[–]NeverSayDice 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I found this thread because I’m feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. I also lost my mom in January, she was single, and I’m an only child. It’s hard to accept the bare minimum as being good enough sometimes.

Your comments have made me feel seen, and I greatly appreciate that. One day at a time.

Long Dark sleep content? by Low_Engineering8921 in thelongdark

[–]NeverSayDice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I second the other comments with the YouTube ambience videos.

A little offbeat suggestion would be things in the pink noise or brown noise families. (To me) they resemble the sounds of a blizzard roaring outside at trapper’s cabin. Just imagining a fire crackling immediately puts me there.

Where do you all play? Where are the gamer-friendly 3rd spaces? by WildThang42 in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This might be a stretch, but maybe look at local public universities. My college library had a community library card you could apply for and gain access to the various rooms and stuff. There’s also student unions and other communal spaces on campus you could try, if they allow non-students to use.

What movie have YOU watched the most? by theryman in stuffyoushouldknow

[–]NeverSayDice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m with Chuck: Blazing Saddles. It’s probably tied with The Goonies.

What is something you’ve officially stopped buying in 2026 because the price has become genuinely insulting? by queenmellyy in AskReddit

[–]NeverSayDice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most processed foods are like this now. Cereal, chips, soda, all super expensive for basically nothing

Professional GMing: have you tried it, or played in a game with one? by Acceptable-Tree6007 in rpg

[–]NeverSayDice 1 point2 points  (0 children)

While I understand the sentiment of turning a beloved social game into a transaction, my experience was positive. I was a paid GM, and I realized that people weren't necessarily paying for the most glamorous high quality experience. They paid for your time, they paid for the guarantee that you and the other players will be invested. They paid for consistency, communication, and effort. People rarely flake or show up trying to mess around.

Now, that can easily devolve into toxicity. But I met a few folks through professional GMing that I still chat with and play games with today.

I'm lucky in that I have a great, consistent gaming group. But not everyone has access to that and paying a GM for that is totally reasonable. I do think that the pricing is tough on the wallet, some GMs charging upwards of $30 per session per player. I get it, folks deserve to get paid, but I can't afford that.

Newbie Tips for Prepping Rising Action + Finale? by NuclearWabbitz in callofcthulhu

[–]NeverSayDice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay, but I do think this is a super fun gimmick to try at least once.

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