I kind of like Savage Worlds but there are a few things that bother me about the system including wiff factor (hitting but doing no damage), loss of action for being shaken, attributes limiting skills and awarding bennies for good roleplaying.
Here is a few rules I came up with and they might be fairly drastic. I was wondering what others think:
1. Skills and stats limits are limited by level.
* Hero limit d10
* Veteran limit d12
* Legend limit d12+2
Attributes no longer limit skills.
3. Shaken - you no longer loose your action. Instead pcs loose their wild die and extras are at -2. To become unshaken you can spend a Bennie or an action (no soak roll).
4. Damage - if a character hits they are immediately shaken. Each raise does a point of damage. All wildcards get an extra health level starting with a 0 penalty. So health levels go 0 -1 -2 -3.
5. Spending Bennies- bennies can be spent to remove a single wound per Bennie when damage is dealt.
Bennies can be spent for a +1 to the total after the roll.
6. Gaining bennies - gain a Bennie when you score a raise that does not have an immediate mechanical effect. Only one Bennie can be gained this way (1, 2 or 3 raises all = 1 Bennie)
7. Leveling up - stats and skills can be increased by 1.
Savage Rules
Re: Savage Rules
Note that my main concern is 3 and 4. Loosing you wild die is a big deal and I like the penalty. However, if just getting hit forces you to be shaken it won't be long before everyone is shaken and the wiff factor will then be attributes to everyone just missing. I haven't tried playtesting this but it is a concern.
Re: Savage Rules
My thoughts on it.
1 & 2. I'd like to play test with this setup and see what happens. Might be cool
3. I like this, I don't really hate the existing mecha a, but this fels more heroic.
4. Hitting in SW is really easy. I think everyone would spend most of combat shaken with this rule. I don't see the need for an additional health level. Characters seem pretty sturdy as is.
5. I like this too, as long as you still have the option to roll Vigor and possibly recover multiple health levels with raises.
6. I like this one too. As a GM I often forget to hand them out. The game is more fun when bennies are spent and earned frequently. Does this rule apply to the GM as well?
7. Makes sense with the changes in #1
1 & 2. I'd like to play test with this setup and see what happens. Might be cool
3. I like this, I don't really hate the existing mecha a, but this fels more heroic.
4. Hitting in SW is really easy. I think everyone would spend most of combat shaken with this rule. I don't see the need for an additional health level. Characters seem pretty sturdy as is.
5. I like this too, as long as you still have the option to roll Vigor and possibly recover multiple health levels with raises.
6. I like this one too. As a GM I often forget to hand them out. The game is more fun when bennies are spent and earned frequently. Does this rule apply to the GM as well?
7. Makes sense with the changes in #1