Savage Worlds Deluxe Edition Review

This is a highlighted review of the new Savage Worlds Deluxe Edition.  You can pick this bad boy up at Drivethru RPG!

Come on baby.. You know you want it.

• Layout is crisp, clean, and efficient. I like the choice of color for the paper a bit more this time around.

• Artwork is a step up from SWEX (not that I’m complaining about most of the art in SWEX). It definitely is much higher. My favorite art pieces are; Pages- 17, 23, 34, 55, 117, and 34.

• The Archetype characters are a really nice touch for quick play.

• Races have been added to the book. Very nice! There are new rules for creating your own race that delve a bit deeper into the mechanics than SWEX.

• Guts has been reworked as a optional setting rule and not a standard skill. My players and I have actually discussed the same thing as it didn’t make sense for certain characters to be making guts checks.

• Several new Edges in the book.

• I would have liked to seen more discussion/explanation of
Soaking. It is one of the main things that people new to SW have a trouble wrapping their heads around. I know I did. In this new book there really isn’t even an example.

• Dramatic Tasks are SW version of Skill Challenges. I think it is more elegant and fluid than 4e SC however.

• The Interludes Mechanic is pretty damned cool. It’s simple and not complicated at all and while it might not affect the game play at hand it really will help flesh out a character.

• A much more expansive and comprehensive list on Trappings. You can take these as is or simply use them as an awesome example of how to make your own trappings.

• A TON of new Powers.

• Game Mastering Section is standard fare- What is role-playing, how to run again, different genres, how to build a party, etc. There is some good advice here for new players/GM’s and good refreshers for veterans.

• New way to figure out challenges- basically equivalent to 3.x Challenge Rating. I can see this taking a bit of time to figure out. It’s slightly cumbersome, but would definitely be effective for trying to build balanced encounters for SW. On many forums I’ve seen people asking how to do this, or that they had trouble finding “that sweet spot.” This is a good tool.

• Cool and useful advice for creating your own world and setting.

• A cool Bestiary with a nice variety of baddies for any genre.

• Several one page adventures which are great for quick play.

• The last pages of the book are filled with game aid chart, templates, an index, and a character sheet.

This is a nice update for Savage Worlds with many awesome additions. The question must be asked however, is it worth the price point of $19.99? I’m going to say yes for 2 reasons; 1) there is enough stuff in this to make it new and useful over SWEX. 2) Supporting an awesome gaming company that has always supported their fans with respect and enthusiasm.