The Good, the Bad, and the Savage

The year is 1884, the month of July. The sun rises over Custer County in the Dakota Territory. The small town of Redemption is your destination. You have each come to Redemption for your own reasons. The one thing that you all have in common is that you are all new arrivals.



This is a Savage Worlds game is set in the American West, c. 1884. This will be a cinematic game, so don't expect everything to follow history exactly. We will be choosing entertainment value over historical accuracy. Likewise, while this is not Deadlands, there may be some supernatural elements.



Rather than blindly accept the first five people to apply, I will be requesting character briefs before you create a character and I will select the five characters I think will make a most interesting campaign, but still be compatible. As I said above, historical accuracy takes a backseat to fun, so feel free to pitch any kind of (human) character. Some ideas are below.



We will be tracking Reputation as a die type (d4 through d12). This is not an attribute, just a way of tracking how (in)famous your character is. Everyone starts with a d4. You gain Reputation by surviving duels, heroic deeds, infamous crimes, or acts of mercy. You lose Reputation for cowardice, betrayal, or public disgrace. For each step above d6, you gain a +1 to social rolls when dealing with those who respect your legend (or a -1 with rivals).



Legend Points are awarded for legendary acts, such as saving an entire town, winning a famous duel, or similar circumstances. Legend Points can be spent to gain temporary bonuses, sway NPCs, and trigger "legendary moments" (at the GM's discretion). Bennies represent not just luck, but grit, willpower, and the favor of fate. In addition to their normal uses, they can be used to find cover in a desperate moment, reveal a hidden advantage, or survive a seemingly fatal wound (with a narrative twist). We will be encouraging legendary, larger than life play. Try the impossible, it just might work!



Everyone is welcome in this game, regardless of color, sexual preference, gender identity, creed, or political affiliation (not that it will ever come up, but...). I will not discriminate based on your personal feelings.



Some archetypes for you to consider:
* Classic Lawman/Lawwoman
* Scout/tracker
* Gambler
* Doctor
* Cowboy/cowgirl
* Preacher
* Wandering monk
* Inventor/gadgeteer
* Buffalo soldier
* Masked Avenger
* Runaway/Orphan
* Native American brave
* Newspaperman/woman
* City slicker
* or anything you can think of!



To apply, submit a character concept, including a name, why you have come to Redemption, and a brief background (a sentence or two is okay). I'll leave this open for a week and see who bites.

interested, never played savage worlds or a western rpg. so i'd be interested in a pregen to name Django (freed slave, bounty hunter) or Blondie/Man with no name (gunslinger).

I'm interested! I love westerns but I've never played Savage Worlds, so I'll probably need my hand held when it comes to the rules. Here's my pitch for a Gambler archetype character.


Name: Adelbert "Del" Washburne
Archetype: Gambler

Del Washburne always had luck on his side. From hustling card sharks in his native Buffalo, New York to staying off the front lines while serving in the Union army, to running a secret poker room in the nation's capitol, Del took big risks and won even bigger rewards. That was until 1881 when a desperate man who was boarding at his modest Washington DC home broke into his strong box, purchased a revolver, and shot the newly-elected President James A. Garfield. His clients and creditors now out for his blood, the western frontier had never looked more appealing to Del. Using the scant remaining funds and connections available to him, he sets out.

No experience is needed, I can teach you the system in a matter of a few minutes. All attributes and skills are types of dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, or d12). When you use a skill, roll the appropriate die. If you score a 4 or higher, you succeed. If you roll the highest number possible on that die, it's called an Ace, and you roll again and add the results. If you Ace again, keep going! Rolling 4 above the Target Number (usually 4) is called a Raise, and it brings extra benefits. You can also Ace damage rolls!

With every skill or attribute roll, you also throw a d6, called the Wild Die. This one can Ace just like the other die. You take the result of your regular die, or the Wild Die, whichever result is higher. There are some other rules, but that's the gist of the mechanics. Thus, even if you don't have a skill (which would be a d4-2 roll), you have at least a 50% chance of success due to the Wild Die. Only player heroes and "named" NPCs get a Wild Die (hence they are referred to as Wild Cards).

A Wild Card can take up to four wounds before being incapacitated. Non-Wild Cards can take only one wound (maybe two for really tough foes), and as I said, they don't get a Wild Die. Skills are intentionally very broad. You don't have a skill for each weapon, or even each weapon type. Regardless of what kind of weapon you use (or don't use), you roll your Fighting skill; if you have a missile weapon, whether a crossbow, a long bow, or an AK-47, you use your Shooting skill. If you're thinking this makes it too easy, you might want to rethink that. Remember that even ordinary foes can Ace, and an Ace can turn a dagger wound into a fatal disemboweling! I've seen a hero take down a giant with a short sword thanks to a lucky roll. And if you roll double ones ("Snake Eyes"), that's really bad! That invokes a penalty of some kind (dependent on the situation).

I'll resist pitching in for now (plate is full), but I do love a good western, and westerns done Savage Worlds-style. I'll keep an eye on this in case you don't see enough interest, WhtKnt...

Also, if you haven't seen it, the relatively new Sidewinder: Reloaded for SWADE from Dog House Rules is an amazing resource for 'straight' western play.

I would be interested as well.

I want to play a Métis man — caucasian and Amerindian blood — in a frontier town called Reedems.

He is both Christian and a follower of Indigenous spirits, which he sees not as a contradiction but as a truth: the spirits, to him, are angels sent to walk alongside his people. It is through one of these that he received a vision directing him to Reedems. He does not know exactly why. He came anyway.

He has chosen journalism as his trade — a profession where a man of mixed blood faces fewer closed doors, and where his pen can go where his presence might not be welcomed. He believes Amerindians carry within them the deepest and most honest stories. He intends to tell them.

He arrives in town dressed in vestments drawn from both his cultures — nothing that belongs entirely to one world or the other. He carries a revolver, a scarf, and a notebook.

He is observant, measured, and harder to place than most people he meets. He asks more questions than he answers. He is looking for the story Redemption has to tell.


*All elements are open to adaptation based on the story, the system, and the GM's vision.*

sounds good, look forward to gaming with you.

Anybody else interested in an exciting Wild West adventure ? It is even based on historic background !

There is still room for anyone interested! I'll take the ones who have applied thus far and begin setting up the forum this weekend.

Hey hey! Long time, no see, knt! I'm throwing my hat into the ring since I've had a character I've been wanting to play for just this sort of game.

Enter Michael Wallace, a preacher looking for his faith and redemption. A man in his 50's, he's seen the atrocities of the Civil War. His faith in the Lord and his fellow man was tested constantly until a breaking point. Becoming a preacher only added to the guilt upon his heart and mind. He's been travelling, wandering; looking for a way to atone for the sins he's committed. The town of Redemption seemed an apt place to start.

I have set up an official forum and invited those who expressed an interest. I still have three slots open.

Bumping in case my post got accidentally looked over

Consider yourself invited!

Woo!

There are still two slots available, and we are about to kick the game off! Speak up if you want an invitation!

sweet, might have another.

If there's room, then I'd like to join please! I haven't played Savage Worlds before, but it sounds like it's pretty straightforward if it's OK to add in another new to the system player.

Maybe a doctor would be good for the group?

Her given name is Li Mei Anh, but she goes by May Ann Lee. She was following her brother East from California, stopping at Chinese communities and any other settlement that allowed them in along the way to administer traditional medicine as well as Western techniques learned along the way. Her brother Chan disappeared one night without a trace and she has been searching for him since. Redemption was one of their stops on their trip East so she is hoping to find clues or at least resupply there. She knows some basic hand to hand defense and keeps a small derringer for emergencies.

Im assuming this game is already going on but I love the idea of The western themed game and i love cinematic role-playing. Definitely interested if you need another player or have an open spot i can pitch a character

It has already started, and while I would love to accept everyone, I have an upper limit of six, and I'm at five right now. @Esidrix, if you are still interested, you can have the sixth slot. If not, it will go to @quilltid.