Basic Roleplaying vs Savage Worlds
Compare Basic Roleplaying and Savage Worlds side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Basic Roleplaying | Savage Worlds | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Play Style | Skill-Based, Modular, Simulation, Gritty, Roleplay-Heavy, Investigation, Low-Fantasy, Classless | Cinematic, Fast-Paced, Tactical, Pulp Action, Combat-Heavy, Heroic, Miniatures |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d100 under your skill percentage to succeed. Critical success on 1/20th of skill value, fumble on 99–100. Opposed rolls compare results. Optional rules layer on complexity as desired. | Roll trait die + wild die (d6), keep the highest. Target number 4. Raises every +4. |
| Dice | d100 | d4–d12 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Community | Medium | Medium |
| License | ORC | Savage Worlds Adventurer's Guild |
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Chaosium Inc. | Pinnacle Entertainment |
| Year | 2023 | 2018 |
| Best For | GMs who want a modular, genre-agnostic percentile system they can tailor to any setting with optional rules for powers, combat, and more. | Fast-paced pulp action across any genre. Great for large groups and mass combat. |
| Highlights | Highly modular — add or remove subsystems at will, intuitive percentile mechanic, unified system across any genre, skill-based progression through use, long design heritage | Fast resolution, genre-flexible, handles large groups well |
| Considerations | Can feel generic without a specific setting, requires GM effort to select which optional rules to use, combat can be deadly and swingy | Exploding dice can produce extreme variance in outcomes, setting books vary in depth — some provide minimal mechanical content beyond a genre frame |