"Feeling adventurous? This awesome 54-card deck adds a dash of player plot control to your Savage Worlds game! Players draw a number of cards equal to their rank at the beginning of the game session, and get to play one from their available choices during the game. Some cards establish long-running subplots, such as Enemy or Love Interest, while others grant you one-time bonuses, such as Backstab, or even grant your hero a magical weapon of some sort!"
So goes the official product blurb for the Savage Worlds Adventure Deck, an awesome addition to the Savage Worlds system. For $9.95, you get a 13-page color PDF file containing 54 cards and the rules to use them, five different card backs with which to customize the look of your deck, and a blank adventure card template. This product can be purchased online through RPGNow, and there’s even a free demo of the product so you can see what you’re getting into before you fork over your money.
The Adventure Deck rules fill only a single page and are easy to incorporate into your current Savage Worlds game. Here's a summary: At the start of a session, you draw one card per your character's Rank. A new Edge–Destiny’s Child (Background, Novice)–allows you to draw one extra card at the start of each session. You may trade your cards with other players at any time. You may play only one card per session; however, any card that allows you an additional draw does not count towards this limit.
Adventure cards, like Bennies, do not carry over between sessions. The cards allow you to have a degree of control over what happens during the game. For example, Bulls Eye lets you double the damage total of a successful ranged attack. Rally causes all Allies within sight or hearing to immediately lose their Shaken status. Surprise, perhaps one of the best cards in the deck, lets you spend a Benny to search through the remaining cards in the deck and take any card into your hand!
You have to assemble the cards yourself, but this is really easier than it sounds. I printed them out, cut them out, and put them in card sleeves–the same kind used by CCG players. To gine them a little “heft” I inserted a MtG™ behind each one. If you haven’t tried this product yet, you’re missing out. The Adventure Deck really adds a whole new dimension to an already awesome role-playing game!
Review Summary