Savage Worlds/Deadlands - newbie advices?

[Cikomyr2]

So I just joined an online game of the most recent edition of Deadlands, a system I absolutely do not know. The Gm ran me through the basics and my character creation, and while I am satisfied with the backstory/thematic, I am less sure regarding how the game will actually play out.

Anyone have just a few advices regarding how the game actually plays out? The kind of things that may not pop up when doing a customary review of the rules?

[LibraryOgre]

Spend your bennies, play your flaws.

Bennies are not to be hoarded... spend them freely. You get refilled at the next session, and if you play your flaws, you should be getting more.

Don't forget your wild die.

Getting hurt is bad. My brother-in-law doesn't like Savage Worlds because of what he calls the "death spiral"... get hurt, you get less effective, and you are more likely to die.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Spend your bennies...
Getting hurt is bad.

The number one thing I've learned from my first few sessions running Deadlands is that bennies are not optional extras--they're absolutely critical to your character's survival. Like, to the point that they're effectively a health pool. If you get hit, you soak or you die.

I would also say "don't take anything to seriously." Exploding dice mean that absurdily unlikely successes can and will happen, on both sides of the screen. Random extras will manage to chuck a stick of dynamite through a small window from sixty feet away; huge scary monsters will be turned to chunky salsa by a single gunshot. Be ready for the dice to do something horrible to you, and laugh when it happens.

[LibraryOgre]

Oh: And it may be cheap, but Nitroglycerin is NOT YOUR FRIEND.

[Cygnia]

What's your character, if you're allowed to say?

[Cikomyr2]

What's your character, if you're allowed to say?

I decided to be a cajun woodsman expert, as mundane as can be since my fellow wild cards will be mad scientist/religious caster and even a chi fighter.

I wanted my backstory to be on the run from Louisiana 'cause I helped the Underground railroad through the swamps, but the GM explained that in the current time frame, Slavery has been a abolished since about a decade. So I jumped on the opportunity to make my character older, and gave him the Veteran edge.

So he's literally an old-timer woodsman who knows his way around, on the run from the CSA for a crime that is no longer illegal. Great agility, poor Strenght, fantastic marksmanship and survival.

I think I'll play it as "the guide" for these newbies to the Wasteland

[Cryptwright]

As everyone else is saying, bennies must flow. both from the player and the Marshal. They are purposely there to help counter balance the wild swinging of exploding dice. The rules are pretty simple 4 to succeed 8 to raise, etc.

We just are finishing the heaston hill adventure in our Deadlands game and Its a lot of fun and nice to know the same system can be played with various settings without re-learning too much.

[Cikomyr2]

After playing 3 sessions..

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who provided the advice "don't hoard your bennies". Because I end up having juuuust not enough Benny most session while my fellow players usually have many leftovers.

Obviously, 2 times out of 3, I spend 1 or 2 benny on rerolls that yield 2s and 3s

But no regret. The whole "play your hindrance to get back bennies" is a really fun way to drive the plot and flow of characters. I love the back and forth with the Marshall.

Otherwise, as a nonspellcaster I am a bit worried that I just shoot my gun every round.


However, this is one of the nicest system I've had the chance to try. You really get to "play out" the West.

[BRC]

After playing 3 sessions..

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who provided the advice "don't hoard your bennies". Because I end up having juuuust not enough Benny most session while my fellow players usually have many leftovers.

Obviously, 2 times out of 3, I spend 1 or 2 benny on rerolls that yield 2s and 3s

But no regret. The whole "play your hindrance to get back bennies" is a really fun way to drive the plot and flow of characters. I love the back and forth with the Marshall.

Otherwise, as a nonspellcaster I am a bit worried that I just shoot my gun every round.


However, this is one of the nicest system I've had the chance to try. You really get to "play out" the West.

I've only ever played Deadlands Classic, so I don't know how Savage World deadlands is

But when it comes to pure combat effectiveness (in classic anyway), you don't get much better than a Gunslinger in most scenarios. Bullets are really, really good at killing things, and most spellcaster combat options are some combination of high-risk, unreliable, or just...extra steps to approach the brutal efficiency of a shotgun, rifle, or double-action pistol.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I've only ever played Deadlands Classic, so I don't know how Savage World deadlands is

But when it comes to pure combat effectiveness (in classic anyway), you don't get much better than a Gunslinger in most scenarios. Bullets are really, really good at killing things, and most spellcaster combat options are some combination of high-risk, unreliable, or just...extra steps to approach the brutal efficiency of a shotgun, rifle, or double-action pistol.

I'm four sessions into Savage Worlds Deadlands (five, once my last player gets online), but that's been my experience too-- by far the scariest PC to date has been the gal with the double-barreled shotgun. I don't think you'll be too bored; this game has overly-extensive gun mechanics.

[Cikomyr2]

So a point of rule I am wondering and the internet seems divided over it.

If you use the edge "Marksman" and you have a scope, do you get the Scope's bonus? or the scope's bonus is only effective if you take the FULL aim action?

[LibraryOgre]

So a point of rule I am wondering and the internet seems divided over it.

If you use the edge "Marksman" and you have a scope, do you get the Scope's bonus? or the scope's bonus is only effective if you take the FULL aim action?

My ruling would be:

Marksman removes 2 points of penalties, even without aim.
If they do Aim, they get another 4 points (or +2 to the roll)
If they Aim with a Scope, they get another 2 points cancelled.

So, if you are a Marksman who Aims with a Scope, you can ignore 4 points of penalties (Marksman + Scope) and get a +2 to your roll, or ignore 6 points of penalties you've somehow accumulated.

If you don't Aim, you don't get the benefit of Aim or the Scope, but you still get to ignore two points of penalties. The scope specifically says that its benefits apply when aiming; ergo, you must be aiming to get the Scope benefit.

You wanna be Quigley, you have to take the time. ;-)

[Blackhawk748]

After playing 3 sessions..

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who provided the advice "don't hoard your bennies". Because I end up having juuuust not enough Benny most session while my fellow players usually have many leftovers.

Obviously, 2 times out of 3, I spend 1 or 2 benny on rerolls that yield 2s and 3s

But no regret. The whole "play your hindrance to get back bennies" is a really fun way to drive the plot and flow of characters. I love the back and forth with the Marshall.

Otherwise, as a nonspellcaster I am a bit worried that I just shoot my gun every round.


However, this is one of the nicest system I've had the chance to try. You really get to "play out" the West.

As others have said, shooting every round is fine. Maybe it's not super interesting, but it's consistent, good damage output and you will put more things in the ground than most of the fancy people.

Ive played classic twice, and both times I was a gunslinger,though the first I was also a Faithful. Pretty much just used it for healing.

Savage worlds is great and if you get bored of shooting, don't be afraid to go grab some skills and go for that. It's amazing what a d6 in something gets you

[theomc]

Otherwise, as a nonspellcaster I am a bit worried that I just shoot my gun every round.

Don't be afraid to do things other than shoot. Chuck a rock to distract someone, kick dirt in the bad guy's eyes, rile up the horses and cause a stampede, climb on the roof and jump down on the guard. Savage Worlds doesn't rely on the "action economy" of games like 5E and the rounds go so quick that you can do "other things" without ruining the action for everyone, or sitting there for 20 minutes waiting to go again.

[Cikomyr2]

All right.

I may have managed to acquire a Gatling pistol and single-handely wiped all minions of the Nosferatu we hunted down in a single round.


I get the point now. Guns are really powerful. Although our group was getting almost TPK by the minions and fully engaged in melee. I just decided to LITERALLY Spray and Pray; clamoring a prayer that God would shield His owns and Smite the Wicked.

The other players admitted they were so tense; they genuinely believed we were going to all die in that fight to the Vampires. Half the group was on 3 wounds already, when I drew the Ace of Hearts and finished the battle in one go.

[Cikomyr2]

Well, I am happy to report that after facing Nosferatu, Sand Things, Rattler, Apaches, and on the prowl to hunt demons

My 65-year old character almost died of a heart attack the moment he stepped into California

goddamn hippies

[Mordar]

Glad to hear it is working well for you and you seem to be enjoying it.

I'm a much more "classic" Deadlands fan, but I know times change.

Echoing what the others have said re: gunfire...but also suggest looking for special shot opportunities when they present, and getting an axe for thematic melee.

- M

[BRC]

What are the big differences between Reloaded and Classic?
I've played a single session of a Savage Worlds system, which seems like a major slim-downing of Deadlands Classic mechanics, and I'm led to believe that they flattened all the different magics into a single system.

[Cikomyr2]

What are the big differences between Reloaded and Classic?
I've played a single session of a Savage Worlds system, which seems like a major slim-downing of Deadlands Classic mechanics, and I'm led to believe that they flattened all the different magics into a single system.

AFAIK, all magic kind of works roughly the same, with roleplay limitation to powers, behavior, etc..

Hucksters can play cards with spirits to overplay their hand, but there's a large risk of backfiring

[Grod_The_Giant]

Like, to the point that they're effectively a health pool. If you get hit, you soak or you die.

My group just got ample confirmation of this fact. After surviving werewolves, aquatic tentacle horrors, tunnel demons, ogres and worse, the party suffered their first casualty last night at the hands of a standard-issue guy with a revolver*. The player went into the fight with a single benny, spent it prematurely, and promptly took three bullets to the face and died in a single action.



*I guess technically he was a wild card with a d10 in Shooting and an ally who'd just dropped a Smite spell on his gun, and he got some pretty good rolls fanning the hammer. But still, kind of an amusing letdown.

[BRC]

My group just got ample confirmation of this fact. After surviving werewolves, aquatic tentacle horrors, tunnel demons, ogres and worse, the party suffered their first casualty last night at the hands of a standard-issue guy with a revolver*. The player went into the fight with a single benny, spent it prematurely, and promptly took three bullets to the face and died in a single action.



*I guess technically he was a wild card with a d10 in Shooting and an ally who'd just dropped a Smite spell on his gun, and he got some pretty good rolls fanning the hammer. But still, kind of an amusing letdown.

I love the chips/bennies system so much, the only odd piece out (At least in classic) is that it leads to a weird thing where
1) Since your biggest investment of Chips is at start of session, players have incentive to stall out sessions to refill their chips. Similarly, before a big fight, the GM is encouraged to have some low-stakes sessions that just exist to let people draw some chips so they can survive the big finale.

2) Since Chips are also XP, after a big confrontation is when you're least likely to be able to "Level Up" your character, since you're likely to have spent every chip you have.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I love the chips/bennies system so much, the only odd piece out (At least in classic) is that it leads to a weird thing where
1) Since your biggest investment of Chips is at start of session, players have incentive to stall out sessions to refill their chips. Similarly, before a big fight, the GM is encouraged to have some low-stakes sessions that just exist to let people draw some chips so they can survive the big finale.

2) Since Chips are also XP, after a big confrontation is when you're least likely to be able to "Level Up" your character, since you're likely to have spent every chip you have.

Those do make for some weird incentives, yeah. Reloaded is just "you start each session with so many chips;" there's no connection to xp outside of super-rare "legend chips." Which I guess gives you a bit of incentive to end a session right before something big and dangerous?

[LibraryOgre]

I love the chips/bennies system so much, the only odd piece out (At least in classic) is that it leads to a weird thing where
1) Since your biggest investment of Chips is at start of session, players have incentive to stall out sessions to refill their chips. Similarly, before a big fight, the GM is encouraged to have some low-stakes sessions that just exist to let people draw some chips so they can survive the big finale.

This can be mitigated if the GM is not stingy with bennies. I've seen it be the biggest problem when the GM rarely gives bennies, so players either hoard them or are always thirsty.

Players should always be at the point where they'll remember to ask you to get them water if you're up, anyway... thirsty enough to be aware of it, but not so thirsty that they've got to stop everything to get more.

[Cikomyr2]

Ahhh.. my old timer suffered a heart attack and nearly died stepping into California.

He decided it wasn't for him and went back East, and parted ways with the rest of the group. He decided to travel a bit with the white-haired stranger named Gavin.

Turns out... that was a bad idea, and he's now his prisoner.


Well, I got a new Character now! With Black Jack! And magic guns!! Screw you Fate!


Oh spellcasting is funnnnnn

[Rynjin]

The number one thing I've learned from my first few sessions running Deadlands is that bennies are not optional extras--they're absolutely critical to your character's survival. Like, to the point that they're effectively a health pool. If you get hit, you soak or you die.

I would also say "don't take anything to seriously." Exploding dice mean that absurdily unlikely successes can and will happen, on both sides of the screen. Random extras will manage to chuck a stick of dynamite through a small window from sixty feet away; huge scary monsters will be turned to chunky salsa by a single gunshot. Be ready for the dice to do something horrible to you, and laugh when it happens.

One of my first Savage Worlds games was a Fallout game.

On the "badass character moments" side of the equation, my character (a buff nerd reactor engineer who primarily used his fists and energy weapons) soaked about 8 wounds worth of damage from a point blank shotgun blast, flavored as just headbutting the shotgun so hard the bullets didn't leave the barrel.

On the flipside, had a bad time against Super Mutants and got an arm permanently crippled by a sledgehammer blow (had to cut teh sucker off and make a new robo-limb with McGyver and general Repair skills).

Savage Worlds can be super swingy.

Ahhh.. my old timer suffered a heart attack and nearly died stepping into California.

He decided it wasn't for him and went back East, and parted ways with the rest of the group. He decided to travel a bit with the white-haired stranger named Gavin.

Turns out... that was a bad idea, and he's now his prisoner.


Well, I got a new Character now! With Black Jack! And magic guns!! Screw you Fate!


Oh spellcasting is funnnnnn

Hucksters are probably the coolest Deadlands "class" for sure, maybe tied with Mad Scientists.