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doc21g Novice
Joined: 11 Apr 2012 Posts: 12
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 12:50 am Post subject: First Savage Game |
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| My group all has their books and we're making characters soon for our first deadlands game. I have deadlands reloaded the combined edition, the flood, and savage worlds deluxe. Any tips on what adventure I should run? Anybody have any reccomendations? |
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jpk Legendary
Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 2178 Location: Tazewell, East Tennessee, USA
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 2:23 am Post subject: |
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I'd suggest you get the updates to Deadlands Reloaded (that turn the combined book into the split books, with some significant differences for Blessed and Shamans) and the Deadlands Deluxified that helps combine the Deadlands setting with the Deluxe printing.
They're both free on the peginc.com web site, and I believe they're on the same page as a mess o' One Sheets. |
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Edgeworth Seasoned

Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 136 Location: Kouvola, Finland
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 3:39 am Post subject: |
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I don't really run pre-made adventures ( I prefer to plan just the situation and NPCs' goals and motivations), the currently on-going Flood being my first, so I don't really have experience with one-sheets or such.
Since it's your first game, you might want to really make it a western: Describe the poker tables, saloon gals and piano players when they stop by for a drink; Make the NPCs accuse them of cheating if they are winning all the time in the cards; Saloon brawls are nice way to introduce some harmless hand-to-hand combat, until someone draws their sixshooter; When the players are making their way to the bandit leader through his minions, challenge them to a duel; Make clear that normal townsfolk respects the lawmen and priests; When going gets serious, make sure there's plenty cover and advantage points for both sides to encourage shootin' instead of fistfights. That kind of stuff.
Also, even though you have the Flood, I wouldn't toss the players in the Maze right away. It's very different from the typical West. Besides, it's no fun to use those Price Modifiers if the players don't know how cheap everything is anywhere else.  |
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doc21g Novice
Joined: 11 Apr 2012 Posts: 12
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 9:35 am Post subject: Thanks |
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Thanks for the good advice. I do have those rule updates although I thought that the reloaded update only has things for the Shamans and Mad Scientists.
Those are some great tips btw. I don't necessarily need to prefab adventure I'm just lookinng for something small and uncomplicated. I'll probably just through togther some things like I have for game in the past.
I was just wondering if anyone would reccomend a particular one sheet or monster. Thanks again for your help. |
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ValhallaGH Legendary
Joined: 25 Apr 2010 Posts: 4561
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 9:55 am Post subject: Re: First Savage Game |
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| doc21g wrote: | | Any tips on what adventure I should run? Anybody have any reccomendations? |
Pretty much any of the Deadlands one-sheets (from the pinnacle website) are great. Some of them will need to be adjusted for your posse, and you'll want to add a lot more flavor (more ready minor NPCs, details like Edgeworth mentioned, et cetera), but they are generally excellent.
I especially like Envy, which can be turned into a mundane western with almost no effort. Lynched is always a lot of fun, even when stupid players get their characters lynched by the townsfolk! Scare Crow is ... scary; novice heroes can handle it but they'll need a good bit of luck to not all die. Buffalo Soldiers is also extremely dangerous, but a moderately intelligent posse can handle it at any rank. House Call is a blast; creepy, but a lot of zany fun at the same time. Feast of Famine is subtle and corrupting, while being a fantastic set up for dozens of long-range plots. Daddy's Boy will always have a special place in my heart; I always liked the misunderstood monster. Deep, Dark Woods, Ghost Town, Silent Night, and Lover's Quarrel are all great fun and well assembled, but may not be the themes and styles you want to start with - all are very Deadlands, though, so don't be afraid to use them to break up the tone and pacing of your campaign.
Short Version: you can't go wrong with the one sheets.
For longer campaigns, both The Flood and The Last Sons are excellent. Intimidating, but excellent (and much easier to run than that first look makes you expect). But, you can come up with equally fun and awesome stuff for yourself. Just pick a plot hook out of the setting books and go forth - build a scheme around it, just like you would for any other setting. It's hard to go wrong as long as you remember that this setting is about cowboys and indians facing Evil in a similar manner to Arthurian knights, but sticking with their style.
Would John Wayne or Clint Eastwood face it in one of their movies? Then it fits in Deadlands.  _________________ "Got a problem? I've got the solution: Rocket Launcher."
"Not against a Servitor."
"... We're all gonna die." |
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doc21g Novice
Joined: 11 Apr 2012 Posts: 12
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 4:46 pm Post subject: one of those |
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I will probably end up working one of those one sheets into the game. Thanks for your help. Since this is our first time playing this ruleset do you think that I should use some premade characters for the players?
All of them have role-played quite a bit except for one whose probably only played 2 or 3 sessions in his life. |
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fanchergw Heroic
Joined: 13 May 2003 Posts: 1478 Location: Seattle area
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 5:38 pm Post subject: |
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Depending on your posse and how common/special you want the weird aspects to be, it may be worth considering easing them into the weird part of the Weird West. One good western adventure written by grubman for Savage Worlds is http://www.savageheroes.com/adventures/the%20Gatling%20Decision.pdf. Might make a good place to start a campaign.
Gordon |
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Wibbs Seasoned
Joined: 02 Jan 2011 Posts: 428 Location: London
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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| That's my favourite starting adventure for that very reason. As written there's no wierdness in it at all, so it works really well as a way of starting things off as 'normal'. |
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VonDan Legendary

Joined: 08 Jul 2008 Posts: 3304
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Baiyo Seasoned
Joined: 09 Jun 2010 Posts: 158 Location: Los Angeles or there-abouts
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:52 pm Post subject: Re: one of those |
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| doc21g wrote: | | I will probably end up working one of those one sheets into the game. Thanks for your help. Since this is our first time playing this ruleset do you think that I should use some premade characters for the players? |
I would. Pregens are best if you want to just dive right into the game and start learning how to play. There are a lot of ways that the various Savage Worlds Hindrances and Edges fit together that people may not realize before they start playing.
You can use the pregen characters from the Pinnacle site, but personally I would edit a few details of some of those characters. (At least I would remove "Vendetta" Vasquez's Duelist Edge. She has one Edge too many for a 0 XP character.)
Fortunately, the character sheets you can download off the Pinnacle site are form-fillable.
| VonDan wrote: | Hats most important
Every player needs the Hat there PC would wear |
Agreed. All PC's have to have a hat or headband or headgear of some kind. _________________ My blog: http://ninjasridingdinosaurs.wordpress.com/ - Now with occassional updates! |
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Edgeworth Seasoned

Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 136 Location: Kouvola, Finland
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:14 am Post subject: |
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| Baiyo wrote: | | VonDan wrote: | Hats most important
Every player needs the Hat there PC would wear |
Agreed. All PC's have to have a hat or headband or headgear of some kind. |
Unfortunately we don't have enough hats, but we do use a stetson as a chip pot. Does that count?
While One Sheets are good to run with little work, I find them to be great for drawing inspiration even if you can't find the special one for the first game. As for the "monster of the week", it really depends what kind of game you want to run. I've ran Deadlands as a action-packed Resident Evil 4/5-type zombie game with some foreshadowing to HoE (those gorram wormlings) and connections to Norse mythology, as well as a gritty down-to-earth western.
Sometimes you want the bad guy to be Edward the Sparkly Vampire, a Desert thin' or just a normal guy who wanted something and happened to cross paths with the PCs. There's plenty good monsters in the Marshall's Handbook which can be used in different situations. For deeper campaigns with a lot plotting and story hooks, I love to use the Rail Barons.
If you're feeling a bit evil, have them travelling with a hero who has El Diablo on his trail
Oh, and pregen characters are good way to make sure there's possibilities to use Test of Wills, Tricks and other fancy moves. |
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