Post originally by Jack Holcomb at 2003-10-17 14:09:24
Converted from Phorums BB System

Great review! Like Dan, I have historically been a big fan of streamlined systems oriented toward storytelling like Over the Edge, Everway, Risus, etc., but I found Savage Worlds really caught my imagination and made me interested in running a dice-and-minis game. Its purpose is similar to that of D&D--good simulationist whackty-whack--but it's a more streamlined and IMO elegant design.

Regarding the comment about Knowledge rolls, the rules are actually loose enough that you can handle languages in a few different ways. Depending on how you want to handle it, you can do languages as specific Knowledge skills (as Dan points out), or you could do something like a Knowledge: Languages skill, like the Languages skill in the old WEG Star Wars game (which would let you speak a variety of languages), or you could treat languages as Common Knowledges (based on a Smarts roll with appropriate modifiers). That's the kind of thing that Common Knowledge is good for; cultural backgrounds and liberal artsy stuff. In a fantasy game, I'd say that everyone could speak the languages of the major species (Common, Elf, Orc) with a Smarts roll. For exotic species (Dragon), you'd need a Knowledge skill of some sort.

You can also treat languages as subsidiary to other Knowledge skills; in a modern horror game, I'd let a character who has Knowledge: Occult read Latin, Greek, Arabic, etc. on a successful roll, since the two are connected.

Still and all, a good review.

Jack Holcomb