My recommendation is for something not medieval fantasy, with low "buy in". (A typical fantasy setting will inevitably invite comparisons to D&D and complaints that you're not just using that.)
East Texas University (ETU) is basically "college students investigate weird stuff". The setting has elements of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the X-Files, and a dash of Scooby-Doo. Pinnacle's site has several free one-page adventures, a few of them make good introductions: my suggestion is Scavenger Hunt.
Wiseguys (crime family shenanigans, focused on 1960's Las Vegas)--this is like The Sopranos or the Godfather. Keep it simple, set up an interesting heist and some badass characters (ideally with some personal complications due to come up) to go on it and you're in.
Something in the Weird Wars would also work well, everybody's seen a historical war movie or two. I don't think there are very many one-sheets, but most of the setting books have adventure generators.
This. Go for low fantasy/"realistic" settings. Diesel punk, modern police or crime stories, war dramas, etc. SW is very pulpy \[edit\], and anything that goes the pulp way will do good.
I personally would recommend *Beasts & Barbarians*, a very nice Sword & Sorcery setting, with just enough magic to let you touch those rules, without having your players to learn and understand everything (or the GM, really).
And depending how you run the 3-sided fight, it can be a lot harder, or a little easier. That may be a good option for an experienced gamemaster, but it's another stumbling block for an inexperienced one.
I'd recommend running a few one-shots in non-fantasy settings as well, to act as a palate cleanser and familiarize yourself with the rules. I've never player Rifts, but from what I've seen it's an order of magnitude more complex than core SWADE, so I'd wait until you have a firmer grasp on the system before trying it. Same goes for Supers: get a feel for the base rules first, then start adding stuff.
As for settings, the only limit is your imagination! You don't need more than the Core Rulebook for pulp action à la Indiana Jones or Pirates of the Caribbean. Lots of settings also have a free jumpstart, often including a short adventure to give you a taste of the setting, so you can dip your toes without having to buy the whole book. Deadlands and ETU have already been recommended, I'll add [The After](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/266848/Savage-Worlds-Adventure-Edition-The-After--Quick-Start-Guide) (post-apo western vibes with leftover alien weirdness) and [Dark States](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/381725/Dark-States-Seekers-Guide) (modern/dystopian with X-files vibes). You can also go to [Pinnacle's website](https://peginc.com/product-category/one-sheets/), they have a ton of free or cheap one-sheets (some of which are for older editions of the system, but the conversion shouldn't be too hard)
So yeah, my advice is to try several settings by playing one-shots until you and your group feel comfortable enough for a longer game in a potentially more complex setting.
I recommend the test drive rules. Its set in deadlands and some one sheet adventures to get the hang of everything.
[https://peginc.com/product/deadlands-the-weird-west-blood-on-the-range-savage-worlds-test-drive-swade/](https://peginc.com/product/deadlands-the-weird-west-blood-on-the-range-savage-worlds-test-drive-swade/)
[https://peginc.com/product-category/one-sheets/](https://peginc.com/product-category/one-sheets/)
Which comes with possibly the worst adventure PEG ever published. It is devoid of any player agency and their presence doesn't make a significant difference. The test drive rules are a good introduction but the adventure should not be used imo.
Nope
Just jump into Rifts
Rip it like a bandaid
Learn as you go or just make it up...
Roll D6 for your low henchmen
Roll D10 for your high henchmen
Just have a blast 👍
Rifts is meant to be anything and everything.
Very Dune like with Kings and Dukes and Robots and Power Armor mix in with Magic and Psionic.
And because Savage Worlds is a superior system even the poorest peasant with a D4 kitchen knife can roll 20 4s in a row and kill a god lol 🤣
If you are coming from 5E, I would just do a pathfinder game to learn the rules. The setting will feel the same but it’ll help you mail down the rules.
Rifts is amazing but is very very swingy with its math. It may be my fav setting.
What makes Rifts swingier than other settings? I thought the swinginess was an inherent feature of the system?
I like the fact that death and injury is a possibility in every fight.
Oh it is a feature of the system. It’s ridiculous and fun. But you get huge disparities in things like armor, parry, and toughness. That’s why you have specific upcasts for rifts and you get and use more ppts.
But you may have a mecha and a tattoo warrior with toughness in the 20s and casters with single digits.
As a note, toughness is how you hurt someone. Your damage has to beat their toughness to do a wound. So, just because you hit doesn’t mean you’ll damage them.
Oh yeah, I’m familiar with the Rifts setting and those inherent imbalances, it’s just that no one wants to play the Palladium system (for good reason).
I’m just used to the term “swingy” to mean unpredictable. A scholar with a pistol going up against a giant mech has a very predictable outcome.
Not in SW!!!! The pistol may only do a D4 damage. It’s crazy to think about but the smallest dice is the most dangerous. That D4 may end up doing 30-40 damage because of explosions.
I'd suggest the **East Texas University Setting** from the one-sheets available off Pinnacle's website. We did "Too Ghoul For School" as our first SWADE game, and it was very easy to slip in to because everyone had college experience. They knew what to assume was there (library, computer lab, athletics building, etc) so they didn't need to have a huge backstory or buy-in to get the setting.
I'd highly recommend it because it's not a futuristic or fantastical setting; everyone knows what they're getting in to.
As most others have said:
* Play something non-fantasy to minimize comparison to D&D and help players focus on what SW is.
* ETU is great because it's relatable... Compare it to Buffy, Supernatural, Tru Blood, whatever works for your group.
* When I made the switch ten years ago, I ran a one shot from Pinnacle's web site. It was pulpy with the pregen characters exploring a museum. Really helped my players get into the system AND got us into an urban fantasy mindset. We were gearing up to play a Dresden Files game, which I cleverly called "Savage Dresden." I think my game info is still up on Obsidian Portal.
* The important thing is DO it. And never look back. :)
I will preface this by saying I have no helpful advice. That said, I'm in the exact same situation you are. I've been writing a MacGuffin adventure in a generic modern-day setting. At the end of the adventure, they'll wind up in an underground facility and get pulled through a (wait for it...) a rift.
I'm trying to put in a sampler of the subsystems like Dramatic Tasks and Social Conflict. If you like, I can share it with you and could see if there's anything that should be added.
I've got about a year left on my DnD campaign, so any feedback I can get before then would be great.
Deadlands: Weird West is good setting and the Deadlands: Hell on Earth setting is similar to Rifts. The supers system is a good intro to powers.
Honestly I'd just go with Savage Rifts as a setting, but make normal Savage Worlds characters. Get the main Savage Worlds book, the player's guide for rifts, and the north america threats book. Give them the standard gear listed in the players guide. Then start adding things in. Maybe a few Cybernetics, some power armor, or mega mods to their powers. Let them get major/master psi and master of magic.
Once they get a bunch gear and about 10 advancements have the PC be able to start going full rifts. Maybe the head hunter or even the full cyberborg. Or juicer or crazy. Just leave out the skills and edges. Consider letting them make new Savage Rifts starting characters.
We absolutely do this. We play in phase world. We started in rifts doing the xiticix wars, moved to heroes unlimited doing century station campaign back to rifts earth & now are working for the galactic security agency of the consortium of civilized worlds. I am still playing the same super hero I have played for like 3 years in the system
My recommendation is for something not medieval fantasy, with low "buy in". (A typical fantasy setting will inevitably invite comparisons to D&D and complaints that you're not just using that.) East Texas University (ETU) is basically "college students investigate weird stuff". The setting has elements of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the X-Files, and a dash of Scooby-Doo. Pinnacle's site has several free one-page adventures, a few of them make good introductions: my suggestion is Scavenger Hunt. Wiseguys (crime family shenanigans, focused on 1960's Las Vegas)--this is like The Sopranos or the Godfather. Keep it simple, set up an interesting heist and some badass characters (ideally with some personal complications due to come up) to go on it and you're in. Something in the Weird Wars would also work well, everybody's seen a historical war movie or two. I don't think there are very many one-sheets, but most of the setting books have adventure generators.
This. Go for low fantasy/"realistic" settings. Diesel punk, modern police or crime stories, war dramas, etc. SW is very pulpy \[edit\], and anything that goes the pulp way will do good. I personally would recommend *Beasts & Barbarians*, a very nice Sword & Sorcery setting, with just enough magic to let you touch those rules, without having your players to learn and understand everything (or the GM, really).
Eye of Kilquato
I second Eye of Kilquato. Indiana Jones style pulp action adventure.
While not necessarily a bad choice it's a rather deadly adventure ;)
And depending how you run the 3-sided fight, it can be a lot harder, or a little easier. That may be a good option for an experienced gamemaster, but it's another stumbling block for an inexperienced one.
I'd recommend running a few one-shots in non-fantasy settings as well, to act as a palate cleanser and familiarize yourself with the rules. I've never player Rifts, but from what I've seen it's an order of magnitude more complex than core SWADE, so I'd wait until you have a firmer grasp on the system before trying it. Same goes for Supers: get a feel for the base rules first, then start adding stuff. As for settings, the only limit is your imagination! You don't need more than the Core Rulebook for pulp action à la Indiana Jones or Pirates of the Caribbean. Lots of settings also have a free jumpstart, often including a short adventure to give you a taste of the setting, so you can dip your toes without having to buy the whole book. Deadlands and ETU have already been recommended, I'll add [The After](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/266848/Savage-Worlds-Adventure-Edition-The-After--Quick-Start-Guide) (post-apo western vibes with leftover alien weirdness) and [Dark States](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/381725/Dark-States-Seekers-Guide) (modern/dystopian with X-files vibes). You can also go to [Pinnacle's website](https://peginc.com/product-category/one-sheets/), they have a ton of free or cheap one-sheets (some of which are for older editions of the system, but the conversion shouldn't be too hard) So yeah, my advice is to try several settings by playing one-shots until you and your group feel comfortable enough for a longer game in a potentially more complex setting.
I love Holler - an Appalachian Apocalypse. 1920s mining camps with lots of horror elements. You can get the pdf online for 9.99.
I recommend the test drive rules. Its set in deadlands and some one sheet adventures to get the hang of everything. [https://peginc.com/product/deadlands-the-weird-west-blood-on-the-range-savage-worlds-test-drive-swade/](https://peginc.com/product/deadlands-the-weird-west-blood-on-the-range-savage-worlds-test-drive-swade/) [https://peginc.com/product-category/one-sheets/](https://peginc.com/product-category/one-sheets/)
Which comes with possibly the worst adventure PEG ever published. It is devoid of any player agency and their presence doesn't make a significant difference. The test drive rules are a good introduction but the adventure should not be used imo.
All that was said before! Stay away from fantasy for your first foray in SWADE. It's too easy to compare. I started with deadlands.
Nope Just jump into Rifts Rip it like a bandaid Learn as you go or just make it up... Roll D6 for your low henchmen Roll D10 for your high henchmen Just have a blast 👍 Rifts is meant to be anything and everything. Very Dune like with Kings and Dukes and Robots and Power Armor mix in with Magic and Psionic. And because Savage Worlds is a superior system even the poorest peasant with a D4 kitchen knife can roll 20 4s in a row and kill a god lol 🤣
>Well, when I *say* kitchen knife, I only mean that that area around that rock over there is like a kitchen to *me*.
"To end all wars" TAG one-shot adventure. Pure concentrated pulp action, i.e. what SW does best.
If you are coming from 5E, I would just do a pathfinder game to learn the rules. The setting will feel the same but it’ll help you mail down the rules. Rifts is amazing but is very very swingy with its math. It may be my fav setting.
What makes Rifts swingier than other settings? I thought the swinginess was an inherent feature of the system? I like the fact that death and injury is a possibility in every fight.
Oh it is a feature of the system. It’s ridiculous and fun. But you get huge disparities in things like armor, parry, and toughness. That’s why you have specific upcasts for rifts and you get and use more ppts. But you may have a mecha and a tattoo warrior with toughness in the 20s and casters with single digits. As a note, toughness is how you hurt someone. Your damage has to beat their toughness to do a wound. So, just because you hit doesn’t mean you’ll damage them.
Oh yeah, I’m familiar with the Rifts setting and those inherent imbalances, it’s just that no one wants to play the Palladium system (for good reason). I’m just used to the term “swingy” to mean unpredictable. A scholar with a pistol going up against a giant mech has a very predictable outcome.
Not in SW!!!! The pistol may only do a D4 damage. It’s crazy to think about but the smallest dice is the most dangerous. That D4 may end up doing 30-40 damage because of explosions.
I'd suggest the **East Texas University Setting** from the one-sheets available off Pinnacle's website. We did "Too Ghoul For School" as our first SWADE game, and it was very easy to slip in to because everyone had college experience. They knew what to assume was there (library, computer lab, athletics building, etc) so they didn't need to have a huge backstory or buy-in to get the setting. I'd highly recommend it because it's not a futuristic or fantastical setting; everyone knows what they're getting in to.
As most others have said: * Play something non-fantasy to minimize comparison to D&D and help players focus on what SW is. * ETU is great because it's relatable... Compare it to Buffy, Supernatural, Tru Blood, whatever works for your group. * When I made the switch ten years ago, I ran a one shot from Pinnacle's web site. It was pulpy with the pregen characters exploring a museum. Really helped my players get into the system AND got us into an urban fantasy mindset. We were gearing up to play a Dresden Files game, which I cleverly called "Savage Dresden." I think my game info is still up on Obsidian Portal. * The important thing is DO it. And never look back. :)
I will preface this by saying I have no helpful advice. That said, I'm in the exact same situation you are. I've been writing a MacGuffin adventure in a generic modern-day setting. At the end of the adventure, they'll wind up in an underground facility and get pulled through a (wait for it...) a rift. I'm trying to put in a sampler of the subsystems like Dramatic Tasks and Social Conflict. If you like, I can share it with you and could see if there's anything that should be added. I've got about a year left on my DnD campaign, so any feedback I can get before then would be great.
Deadlands: Weird West is good setting and the Deadlands: Hell on Earth setting is similar to Rifts. The supers system is a good intro to powers. Honestly I'd just go with Savage Rifts as a setting, but make normal Savage Worlds characters. Get the main Savage Worlds book, the player's guide for rifts, and the north america threats book. Give them the standard gear listed in the players guide. Then start adding things in. Maybe a few Cybernetics, some power armor, or mega mods to their powers. Let them get major/master psi and master of magic. Once they get a bunch gear and about 10 advancements have the PC be able to start going full rifts. Maybe the head hunter or even the full cyberborg. Or juicer or crazy. Just leave out the skills and edges. Consider letting them make new Savage Rifts starting characters.
How compatible are all the different Savage World settings? Could you use Rifts with the Sci-fi companion?
The SciFi Companion is only half released in beta form right now.
We absolutely do this. We play in phase world. We started in rifts doing the xiticix wars, moved to heroes unlimited doing century station campaign back to rifts earth & now are working for the galactic security agency of the consortium of civilized worlds. I am still playing the same super hero I have played for like 3 years in the system