What’s Normal in Savage Worlds?

Since this is never explicitly spelled-out in the core rulebooks as far as I can see, it’s probably worth a post. (I originally worked this out in a comment thread that I doubt anybody but Russell is reading by now…) The default assumption in Savage Worlds is that typical Joe or Jane Citizen characters have […]

Neat Minis

I use LEGOs for minis, when we use minis, but these GAFDOZ and Hydra minis would be perfect for Elves & Espers. I’m too cheap to buy them, but I find them inspiring to look at. Hat tip: Hero Press

RPG Systems and Granularity

Dr. Checkmate, guest blogging over at Uncle Bears, writes: Dr. Checkmate’s Ode to Savage Worlds | UncleBear On a related note, d4 to d12 (or d4-2 to d12+2) doesn’t allow for a whole lot of granularity. You’re basically talking about all traits being on a scale of 1 to 5. Even some how making it […]

Not Everything Can Be Near

…because where would you put it? In the previous post, I talked about Near and Far thinking in RPGs, and recommended that the GM try to make as much as possible in the game amenable to Near thinking. As much as possible doesn’t mean everything, though; there are situations where it’s either not possible, or […]

Near vs. Far Thinking in RPGs

Overcoming Bias: Abstract/Distant Future Bias The latest Science has a psych article saying we think of distant stuff more abstractly, and vice versa. “The brain is hierarchically organized with higher points in the cortical hierarchy representing increasingly more abstract aspects of stimuli”; activating a region makes nearby activations more likely. This has stunning implications for […]

Keep Your Filthy Narrative Out of My Roleplaying

My friend Russell writes Legends In Their Own Minds When I role-play, I want to experience (echoes of ) what it is like to have adventures. I think this is exactly right, at least as far as my tastes go. Broadly speaking, there are three commonly found attitudes towards what you’re trying to accomplish when […]

The Random Esoteric Creature Generator

The Random Esoteric Creature Generator for Classic Fantasy Roleplaying Games and their Modern Simulacra, by James Edward Raggi IV, published by Goodman Games. 32 pages, $12.99 The RECG is a set of tables for constructing bizarre D&D-style creatures, complete with Armor Class, Hit Dice, number of attacks, damage, special abilities, movement, morale, etc. It’s not […]

Legends in Their Own Minds

My friend and sometime co-GM Russell has launched his own RPG blog: Legends In Their Own Minds. Check it out!

Ad Vance: To a More Vancian Magic

The tomes which held Turjan’s sorcery lay on a long table of black steel or were thrust helter-skelter into shelves. These were volumes compiled by many wizards of the past, untidy folios collected by the Sage, leather-bound librams setting forth the syllables of a hundred powerful spells, so cogent that Turjan’s brain could know but […]

Encounter Savage!

Encounter Savage! PDF Now Available FREE | UncleBear Update: previous link is dead, so you can get it from here: The complete Encounter Savage! is now available as a FREE PDF! This supplement provides rules for adapting the groundbreaking Encounter Critical for use with Savage Worlds! It’s fully illustrated by the man someone might have […]