In reply to rabideldar (msg # 268):

Well the explorer's edition was the last big update 50 Fathoms received. With the handy SWADE conversion rules it is really simple to just use the 50 Fathoms explorer edition with SWADE.

In reply to jamat (msg # 267):

I did not notice responses. It would be Hellfrost. Though apparently the designer, Wiggy, suffered a stroke, so I'm unsure what the status on that is. :-(

In reply to Do0m (msg # 272):

Oh hellfrost my favourite savage setting I have all the stuff for it ...didn't know they were thinking of a 2ed hopefully that will happen

In reply to Do0m (msg # 272):

Sad but not unexpected as he was struggling with heath issues.
Certainly hope he has a full recovery, not just to get more material from him but, I wouldn't wish the current condition on anyone (at least that I didn't hate).

In reply to jamat (msg # 273):

There are a few supplements I've yet to acquire, but it's probably my favorite non-D&D fantasy setting. There's a fundraiser promo on Bundle of Holding for Necropolis, which is another setting I enjoy, haven't been able to play in it though.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/Necropolis

In reply to GreenTongue (msg # 274):

Me too, check out the bundle of holding link if you want to help and get some cool PDF's while you're at it. Hope that's not untowards for me to promote such here.

I was going to promote it if you hadn't, Doom!

I can't imagine what he's going through...  Hoping the best for him though.

Quick question - wasn't The Last Parsec the setting Clint or Shane mentioned was PEGINC's nod to classic Star Frontiers?  Slipstream was the 'retro-future' / Flash Gordon and 40's-50's sci-fi tribute?

In reply to bashful_batrean (msg # 278):

I believe you are correct.

It's hard to tell because cover art for Slipstream is indisputably reminiscent of the Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn cover art.

Anyone played/run Reality Blurs' Ravaged Earth?  I have 1st & 2nd editions and really like the setting idea, but was wondering how it plays.

I know tweaks would be needed for SWAdE, or could just stick with SWDX rules.  Also looking for inspirational movies/books.

Thanks!!

Anyone playing or played Tyrnador: Fate of Ventar?

Any feedback on it?

Sadly, no, might look it up though. Newest Savage Worlds setting I acquired was East Texas University, then all my players flaked on me. >.<

Looks interesting though, Mystara was my first D&D setting back in the day, and supposedly it's looking recapture that.

This is pretty much why I stopped running Savage Worlds - my ETU group died and everyone I talked to after wanted to play 5E instead.... and that was YEARS ago sadly.

In reply to Strickland5 (msg # 285):

All the Kool Kids are playing 5E... :/

I'm not so sure the issue is the rule system so much as how it is used.
If your first encounter with the rules is to play like it was D&D and just blunder into a fight toe to toe, it will likely not be fun.
Why keep playing something that's not fun?

Considering a couple pitches. What do you guys think?


Lost Worlds
Survivors of a plane crash, a shipwreck, a wrong turn in the uncivilized depths, you awaken on a strange beach amid flotsam and jetsam. Others are there with you. The beach swiftly climbs to meet a dense jungle from which eerie cries echo. Strange creatures wheel high in the sky above. A volcano in the distance sleeps uneasily. The weather is hot, the insects are buzzing—including a dragonfly the size of your arm.

Impossible creatures surround you. Long-necked giants whose kind perished from the world eons ago. Giant sharks that could swallow any shark you ever saw whole. Titans of horn and bone, teeth and fury, and scurrying shelled things that predate even the mighty reptiles.

Where are you? What are the strange ruins half-overgrown that dot this lost world? Creatures and things from across time have collected here for some mysterious reason, but why? And more importantly, how are you going to survive long enough to find out?

Yet other things exist here: titans that defy explanation. Dragons. Gods of rock and thunder. Dark spirits of an ancient world that sank into the deeps of time. If you are to prosper in this Lost World, you must learn its ways...red in tooth and claw.

• PCs: All survivors from the modern world who have ended up in this Lost World. Your various skills can all find some use here. Gather together into a tribe of sorts to try to build up shelter, community, a sense of civilization. Or live like wild people as part of the land, taming the prehistoric beasts and adapting to your new world with pure instinct. There are mysteries to be solved here, clues to others who have come before, and what they might have found at the heart of this savage paradise.

• Example Scenes: Hunting (with and against) prehistoric beasts. Exploring overgrown ruins in search of mysterious artifacts. Negotiating with distant tribes down the river for supplies...or scouting for a potential raid (from either side).

• Variations: The Cypher System game Predation also touches on a similar prospect, with more in the way of tech and stuff being brought back. People time-traveled back to the Cretaceous to set up a new world, then the contact with the future got cut off. No need to use Cypher System necessarily; SW would work just as well, I feel.


Mass Effect
Five years ago, Commander Shepard managed the impossible: she united the people of the galaxy to end the threat of the Reapers once and for all. Now the galaxy is recovering in the aftermath of war. Piracy has increased on the edges of civilized space. Worlds laid to ruin by the Reapers devolve into chaos, while on others ruins long since buried have been uncovered on others. The unity fostered by Shepard is threatening to dissolve into open war once more.

A group hand-picked by Shepard of each race must come together and solve problems the galaxy over. You are that group. The galaxy needs heroes who can embody the unity that once saved civilization as we know it. Can you answer the call?

• PCs: All the PCs are part of a special team dedicated to solving problems across civilized space. This team doesn’t operate above the law, like Spectres, but instead maintains a deliberately high-profile mission, a symbol of unity in a troubling time. The team comes from all species and careers, from scientists to soldiers and spiritualists. They are authorized to use every method within the law to solve problems, empowered by the Council to be their face to galactic civilization. Succeed and show everyone that unity wasn't just a one-time solution in the face of extinction. Fail...and you might just plunge the galaxy into civil war!

• Example Scenes: Investigating a derelict supply ship. Battling deadly alien creatures while investigating a mysterious signal on a distant planet. Visiting a refugee camp to help with supply raiders. Participating in a tense debate about galactic policy.

• Special Note: I take my playthrough as "canon" for gaming purposes: full Paragon (except for headbutting a Krogan), female Shepard, romanced Liara and/or Tali. Cured Genophage, freed the Geth, united everyone, activated the Crucible, wiped out the Reapers but not all artificial life. Happily ever after!

In reply to Strickland5 (msg # 285):

Well, for us it was going to be a holiday one shot, so thankfully an entire campaign didn't die. I'm hoping to get the group keen on Savage Worlds after our current D&D game, though I suspect it's going to run for quite some time. We started back in August and have been gaming regularly on a weekly basis, the PC's are only just about to hit 4th level, largely because they love to role play, so no complaints here.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:56, Fri 10 Jan 2020.

In reply to GreenTongue (msg # 286):

That is something I'm concerned about whenever introducing people to the system. While there are certainly settings that can play very similarly to D&D (I'm a fan of Hellfrost for any Savage Worlds fantasy games myself), it still requires a very different mindset. Probably something a lot closer to old school D&D, given the expectation of having Extras and the risk combat poses, rather than 3rd-5th editions.

In reply to Do0m (msg # 289):

You ever try Hellfrost using Savage Worlds Showdown rules?

Problem is D&D 5E is a massive upgrade from the dumpster fire that was 4th E. So people are flocking to it in droves. I recently started a game and within days had about 12-15 players. You just don't find that with Savage Worlds unless hype is for a new setting that just came out or something like RIFTS which already had a HUGE Following.

To be quite honest I am shocked they never converted Shadowrun/Earthdawn to Savage Worlds, I think it would do amazingly well.

In reply to rabideldar (msg # 291):

SW is considered a niche game. No way around it.
Still, it seems to me that it does most of what players of 5E are looking for.
Just got to get them to give it a try.
With the right setting and GM.

In reply to GreenTongue (msg # 290):

Sadly, no. Haven't tried Showdown rules at all really, though Hellfrost in particular has been a bit of a curse for me. It's usually my most successful SW sales pitch, but I've never been able to keep a game going for long. Or, when I get people keen on trying Savage Worlds, they end up picking a different setting because they want to try something a bit further away from D&D than Norse and Old Germanic fantasy.

Of the Triple Ace Games settings I have (Hellfrost, Sundered Skies, and Necropolis), Sundered Skies has been the most popular, probably because it has the recognizable fantasy elements of D&D, but it's alien enough that it grabs the eye. Makes me think old D&D settings like Planescape, Dark Sun, and Spelljammer could see some interesting Savage Worlds conversions if someone had the gumption.

I think PEGInc can ride this wave of RPG popularity and come out far ahead of where they might otherwise if they just push their strengths. Release an Explorer's Edition of the new rules set, for one. If they haven't already, release a new Test Drive packet, or even multiple. D&D 5E's big seller is it's accessibility, be it streaming games like Critical Role or Acquisitions Inc, the free rules PDF or $20 starter sets, organized play (love or hate it). Savage Worlds has the potential to be much more accessible, being rules light, and typically far more affordable than D&D.

Sorry, rambling at this point. :-P

I understand. Ramble on.

I'm guilt of running a "Beyond the Wall" game because it is enough like D&D to get interest even though I have most all of the "Hellfrost" basic stuff.

To me, the problem with "store bought" settings is putting your own spin on it.
People that know of the setting have set expectations which constrains things enough to stifle imagination.

I think that "Hellfrost" has good bones to support your own ideas on but then it is not RAW and there is push back.

I'd like to use the Resource Management to run a game around a settlement but that seems not to be Heroic enough to gather players.

Popularity is definitely a factor. Wiggy released a ton of information about the setting, but in small chunks, so it can be used to taste. That said, the setting isn't very well known, it's a niche fantasy setting in a niche RPG, I know most people I introduce to Savage Worlds will probably know only what I expose them to, or maybe some of PEGinc's settings like Rippers or Deadlands. Compare that with, say, the Forgotten Realms, and on a Tuesday in a random game store I might run into five people who will tell me that I'm playing a particular town or NPC the wrong way according to supplement 25B The Toilets of Triboar.