A Primer

What do I need to play?

As a group, you will need:
Savage Worlds Deluxe (SW:D)
Deadlands Revised: Players Guide (DLPG)
Deadlands Revised: Marshals Handbook (DLMH)
A Character Sheet for each PC
Dice: 1d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d10, & 1d12
1 deck of playing cards with Jokers
Why Three Books? Toolbox?
Savage Worlds is a set of rules, but has no setting.
Deadlands is setting, but has no rules. Frequently one
book will reference the other and together you get one
game with two books. There are many books dedicated
to specific settings or expansions to specific areas of
gamer interest. Your group is encouraged to take up
which settings, rules, and books fit your group best, and
leave behind the ones that do not. This is called The
Toolbox approach to rules. This is great for players
because you can learn one set of core rules (here called
Savage Worlds Deluxe) and play many wildly different
games without having to relearn different rules for the
same thing. Also, crossover games are easily
accommodated. Conversely, this is not good for players
because each game may lack the level of cohesion a
game gains when its core mechanics are custom
designed to suit its theme.
A note on Reskinning
Savage Worlds provides rules devoid of story context. It
is intended to be used, customized, and adapted to the
idiom provided in a setting book. This means everything
is named and described in generalities, but intended to
be renamed and redescribed as fits your setting. For
example, the Power Bolt might be called Magic
Missile in a fantasy setting, or Soul Burn in an
Elizabethan horror setting, or Mind Blast in a game
with psyonics. All three are attacks that hit for 2d6 at
range, but have different meanings and connotations in
their respective settings. This applies from the ground
up, affecting most everything in the game.

Who is the Marshal?

Marshal is the reskinned DM, GM, or ST. Same thing,
different name. Move along, cowpoke.

Core Dice Mechanic Overview

Players have Traits and Skills, each measured in dice,
like Strength d4 or Firearms d10. The higher the number
of faces on the die, the better. When a check is called
for, generally players will roll their Trait or Skill die and
add relevant bonuses and penalties to the final total. The
result is compared to a Target Number (TN) provided by
the GM. The TN is usually a static 4, but some
circumstances use alternate methods to determine the
TN.

Wild Die: Wild Cards (see below) always roll a 1d6

along with their Trait or Skill roll. The active player
chooses to use either die result (usually the higher one)
after all roles and rerolls are completed. Wild Die can
Ace.

Aces: Any die landing on its maximum value is rolled

again and has the new number added to the previous
number. This is cumulative and repeats until a nonmaximum number is rolled. Both Wild Cards and Extras
can Ace.

Raises: Every 4 points by which you beat the TN of a

roll is called a Raise. This is important to the Marshal.

Wild Cards: All player characters and particularly

important or powerful NPCs are called Wild Cards. This
allows them access to a special rules like the derived
stat Grit and the Wild Die.

Extras: Every villain worth his spit needs minions, a

flock of hangers-on who are no threat alone, but
potential more dangerous in numbers. We call these
short lived fools Extras.

Character Creation
SW:D pg 44-47

1 - Choose a race
2 - Buy Traits
3 - Buy Skills
4 - Determine Derived stats
5 - Choose Hindrances & Edges
6 - Buy Gear
7 - Create background details

Pace: How fast you walk in a turn. Pace starts at 6 +/Advantages and Flaws. Run = Pace +1d6. See Scale.
Parry: How hard you are to hit in melee. Parry =
Fighting/2 +2 +/- Bonuses from weapons and
Advantages & Flaws. If Fighting = 0, use 2 instead.
Round total value down.
Toughness: Damage Threshold. Toughness = Vigor/2
+2 +Armor. Round total value down.

1 - Race

Skills

Humans only. +1 Free Edge. No Elves or Dwarves in

Deadlands, only tough hombres made of spit and glass
make it in the Weird West.

*See Derrived Stats

2 - Traits
All Traits start at d4. Start with 5 points. -1point
increases a Traits die type by 1. Capped at d12.
Agility: Nimbleness, quickness, and dexterity.
Smarts: General knowledge and mental agility.
Spirit: Inner wisdom & willpower. Helps you recover
from being Shaken.
Strength: Raw physical power, fitness, & melee
damage
Vigor: Endurance, resistance to disease, poison, or
toxins, and damage mitigation

3 - Skills
All Skills start at 0, or untrained. Start with 15 Points. -1
point increases a Skills die type by one. The first
purchase grants a d4. Skills purchased with a die type
above their linked Trait cost 2 points. Linked traits are
color coordinated above and below. Skills are capped at
d12. Other skills, especially knowledge skills, can be
created as needed. Some are granted by Advantages

4 - Derived Stats
These are much like Traits, but they are not bought.
Their value is derived from other values.
Charisma: your characters appearance, manner, and
general likability. Starts at 0 and is raised/lowered by
Edges and Flaws. Charisma is added to Persuasion and
Streetwise Rolls. The GM can use this to determine first
impressions for NPCs
Grit*: This measures your heros willpower and
experiences. Essentially, how well you keep it together
when WEIRD stuff starts happening. Wild Cards receive
+1 Grit/Rank. Grit adds directly to Guts rolls.

Boating

*Persuasion

Climbing

Piloting

Driving

Repair

Fighting

Riding

Gambling

Shooting

*Guts

Stealth

Healing

*Streetwise

Intimidation

Survival

Investigation

Swimming

*Knowledge [X]

Taunt

Lockpicking

Throwing

Notice

Tracking

5 - Hindrances & Edges

Start with 0 Points. Minor Hindrances add a point, Major
Hindrances add 2 points. Limit 1 Major and 2 Minor
Hindrances. Raising an Attribute or adding an Edge is -2
points. Gaining a skill point or gaining an additional $250
is 1 point. Human receive 1 Edge for free. Edges +
Hindrances must = 0 at the end. See Unbalanced
Hindrances?

6 - Gear
Start with $250. Buy stuff from DLPG 55-57. Its so
simple, I almost made it on one line.

7 - Background Details
Name? Origin Story? Motivation? Life Goal? What
makes you a person worthy of story, and not just a
mook?
Worst Nightmare
What scares your character? What causes him to wake
up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat? Write it
down. Tell the Marshal. No reason

Other Things
Level UP!

Using Skills

Each session you will receive 1 - 3 XP. Character Level

is called Rank and is judged by Total XP gained. XP
can be spent on advancements. Each advancement
costs 5XP. Keep track of total XP earned, and XP spent
separately.

Unfamiliar Skills: -2 for skills used in ways the

character is not used to. This lasts until the character is
familiar with the skills new use, determined by the
Marshal.

Gain a new Edge

+1 to die type of one skill its linked Attribute
+1 to die type of two skills < than linked Attribute
+1 new skill at d4
+1 to one Attribute die type, once per rank.

Common Knowledge: Some knowledge is assumed to

be present. If a roll requires a check against something
common knowledge, roll Smart. +2 if it seems likely the
character knows it based on background/experiences. -2
for foreign subjects. Success yields common basic
information. EG: This cave was carved, not formed
naturally.

All edges can be purchased as advancements, even

background edges. The Marshal and player are
encouraged to come up with any reasonable justification
and allow the purchase.

Ranks
Total XP
0-19
20-39
40-59
60-79
80+

Rank
Novice
Seasoned
Veteran
Heroic
Legendary

Specific Knowledge: Anything rolled using Knowledge

[Specific Topic] skill should provide detailed information
on the subject, not generic overviews. They should
provide significant impact on the game. EG: This cave
was carved by (Race X) in (Year) and can be collapsed
at points Y & Z.
Unbalanced Hindrances?
Savage Worlds assumes you will take a full complement
of Hindrances and reap the benefits. The designers are
aware that some Hindrances can be gamed around for
free points. They encourage the Marshal and player to
incorporate them into the story, but Hindrances are
designed to help a player develop a character, not
penalize him.