[RPG]: The Savage World of Solomon Kane, reviewed by Benedict (5/5)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13569.phtml

Ben Chapman's Summary:

A high quality product, both in content and production value. Recommended for anyone ready to smite evil with rapier and pistol.

Go to the full review for more information.

[mrswing]

I agree 100 %. This is a beautiful book, rules are clear and well laid out, the gazetteer is inspiring (though a bit too vague about many potentially interesting countries), but the campaign material is weak. Too many adventures consist of showing up at a place, meeting one or more NPCs who give the necessary background to the piece, and then slaying the monster(s) which haunt the area. If these stories had been more pulp-cthulhu (or swashbuckle-cthulhu) in nature, with good plots, recurring opponents, and real investigation to precede the rapier-slinging, this would have been one of the best RPG releases ever. Now it's 'merely' very good.

[charmed_rpg]

Originally Posted by mrswing

I agree 100 %. This is a beautiful book, rules are clear and well laid out, the gazetteer is inspiring (though a bit too vague about many potentially interesting countries), but the campaign material is weak. Too many adventures consist of showing up at a place, meeting one or more NPCs who give the necessary background to the piece, and then slaying the monster(s) which haunt the area. If these stories had been more pulp-cthulhu (or swashbuckle-cthulhu) in nature, with good plots, recurring opponents, and real investigation to precede the rapier-slinging, this would have been one of the best RPG releases ever. Now it's 'merely' very good.

I'd bump this up from very good, to great,
but you do have a valid point,

but all in all I don't think anyone will regret buying this game,
you get more than your money's worth with this,

and this is from someone who is not a fan of the system

Great Book,

[Dan Davenport]

Outstanding review, Ben! Very comprehensive and fair-minded.

How does the game emulate swashbuckling swordplay? The Savage Worlds system seems rather bland in that regard.

[JTS]

Originally Posted by mrswing

I agree 100 %. This is a beautiful book, rules are clear and well laid out, the gazetteer is inspiring (though a bit too vague about many potentially interesting countries), but the campaign material is weak. Too many adventures consist of showing up at a place, meeting one or more NPCs who give the necessary background to the piece, and then slaying the monster(s) which haunt the area. If these stories had been more pulp-cthulhu (or swashbuckle-cthulhu) in nature, with good plots, recurring opponents, and real investigation to precede the rapier-slinging, this would have been one of the best RPG releases ever. Now it's 'merely' very good.

I don't have the book, but I can understand this complaint. I think, though, that it is possible that the campaign is left that way since that's largely the way that Solomon Kane had his adventures in the stories. It's been a while since I read the storied, but I can only think of one recurring character (besides Kane of course) right offhand. Generally, the stories were rapid moving yarns that weren't in media res, but they sure didn't take long to get there.

Also, just as devil's advocate, it may be that the left the gazetteer vague to reflect the mystery of both the stories and the general mindset of the time. The Dark Continent of Africa really was uncharted territory.

JTS

[Benedict]

Originally Posted by JTS

I don't have the book, but I can understand this complaint. I think, though, that it is possible that the campaign is left that way since that's largely the way that Solomon Kane had his adventures in the stories. It's been a while since I read the storied, but I can only think of one recurring character (besides Kane of course) right offhand. Generally, the stories were rapid moving yarns that weren't in media res, but they sure didn't take long to get there.

I think you're quite right there. The campaign does feel appropriate for the source material. If Howard had wanted to link some Solomon Kane stories together, he might very well have done something similar. For an RPG campaign however, I think it is lacking.

In my review, I didn't want to be overly critical of the campaign, though I did think it was important to describe it as I saw it.

Also, just as devil's advocate, it may be that the left the gazetteer vague to reflect the mystery of both the stories and the general mindset of the time. The Dark Continent of Africa really was uncharted territory.

Another fair point. I took the gazetteer sections to be merely introductions and took the location descriptions, functioning as examples, to be the more useful parts of the description of the world of Kane.

[Benedict]

Originally Posted by Dan Davenport

Outstanding review, Ben! Very comprehensive and fair-minded.

How does the game emulate swashbuckling swordplay? The Savage Worlds system seems rather bland in that regard.

Thanks Dan.

That's an interesting question about Savage Worlds. It is quite a bland system, or at least no less bland than most other mainstream systems. There is nothing inherent in the system that specifically refers to swashbuckling action. It is a fast system though and swashbuckling action should be fast.

However, it should be easy to use the rules, bland as they are, to run swashbuckling swordplay – more successfully than with many other systems, I would suggest. For example, the 'shaken' state in combat really demands more description than loss of hit points, and that description can be put in swashbuckling terms. There is a system of 'tricks' in combat (with better examples given for Solomon Kane than in the main rule book), which are very much swashbucklery – throwing your cape over your opponent's face for example. The available edges include many fencing advantages, such as lunge or riposte.

I'm not sure I would describe the system as emulating swashbuckling action, though in my opinion it does facilitate it.

[manifold]

Originally Posted by Benedict

Thanks Dan.

That's an interesting question about Savage Worlds. It is quite a bland system, or at least no less bland than most other mainstream systems. There is nothing inherent in the system that specifically refers to swashbuckling action. It is a fast system though and swashbuckling action should be fast.

However, it should be easy to use the rules, bland as they are, to run swashbuckling swordplay – more successfully than with many other systems, I would suggest. For example, the 'shaken' state in combat really demands more description than loss of hit points, and that description can be put in swashbuckling terms. There is a system of 'tricks' in combat (with better examples given for Solomon Kane than in the main rule book), which are very much swashbucklery – throwing your cape over your opponent's face for example. The available edges include many fencing advantages, such as lunge or riposte.

I'm not sure I would describe the system as emulating swashbuckling action, though in my opinion it does facilitate it.

Savage Worlds is only as bland as the group that plays it. It's expected that the players and GM will provide descriptive substance (called 'trappings') for their actions. So, while it may seem to lack detail, SW actually distills the end result of many Stunts, Maneuvers, Combat Rites, Feats, and other d20 crunchy bitz into a few combat options. With the rules for tricks and tests of will, for example, SW does in a few paragraphs what took The Book of Iron Might several chapters.

Savage Worlds encourages vivid description, both in and out of combat. How much swashbuckling flavor that description contains is up to the players.

[satbunny]

When I heard of this I was excited and bought the full book of SK stories. Oh dear! The racism and misogynism of Conan was exacerbated and the stories didn't have the visceral power of the Cimmerian. There is no subtlety in the tales and therefore the fact that the campaign is rathe linear doesn't surprise me, since the stories are too. However, it was the Marvel comics versions that inspired me, and the setting would respond very well to slightly more involved (maybe Moorcockian) treatment. Having seen the book it is beautiful. So, maybe 5/5 was generous, maybe the source material isn't quite as great as all that, but this could well be a great game. Just that I ain't gonna buy it..

[Spectral Knight]

Originally Posted by manifold

Savage Worlds is only as bland as the group that plays it. It's expected that the players and GM will provide descriptive substance (called 'trappings') for their actions. So, while it may seem to lack detail, SW actually distills the end result of many Stunts, Maneuvers, Combat Rites, Feats, and other d20 crunchy bitz into a few combat options. With the rules for tricks and tests of will, for example, SW does in a few paragraphs what took The Book of Iron Might several chapters.

Savage Worlds encourages vivid description, both in and out of combat. How much swashbuckling flavor that description contains is up to the players.

This is very true. Some of the most interesting (and fast) games I've ever played were in the 50 Fathoms setting at conventions. Yet though they were fast, none of those sessions lacked for detail or entertainment value, and the dice part of the game took only a few seconds to resolve.

It is ultimately the preferences of your roleplaying group that will determine whether or not you like Savage Worlds. Players that enjoy vivid descriptions will probably like the system, as it encourages them to go into detail but keeps the dice factor down. The ones that stop at 'I hit him again' probably will prefer other systems.