Genesys vs Savage Worlds
Compare Genesys and Savage Worlds side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Genesys | Savage Worlds | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Play Style | Career-Based, Character Building, Character-Driven, Cinematic, Hackable, Modular, Narrative, Skill-Based, Social Intrigue, Theater of the Mind, Toolkit | Cinematic, Fast-Paced, Tactical, Pulp Action, Combat-Heavy, Heroic, Miniatures |
| Core Mechanic | Assemble a pool of custom narrative dice — positive dice (Boost, Ability, Proficiency) from character ability and skill, negative dice (Setback, Difficulty, Challenge) from task difficulty and circumstances. Roll all dice and cancel opposing symbols: Success vs. Failure determines if the task succeeds, Advantage vs. Threat determines beneficial or harmful side effects, and Triumph/Despair trigger powerful narrative outcomes. All three axes resolve independently, so a check can succeed with complications or fail with a silver lining. | Roll trait die + wild die (d6), keep the highest. Target number 4. Raises every +4. |
| Dice | Custom dice | d4–d12 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Accessibility | Low | Medium |
| Community | Low | Medium |
| License | Genesys Foundry (community content program) | Savage Worlds Adventurer's Guild |
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Fantasy Flight Games | Pinnacle Entertainment |
| Year | 2017 | 2018 |
| Best For | Groups who want a genre-flexible system where every dice roll generates narrative texture beyond pass/fail, and who enjoy interpreting results collaboratively at the table. | Fast-paced pulp action across any genre. Great for large groups and mass combat. |
| Highlights | Every roll produces multiple axes of outcome, creating layered narrative results beyond binary success/failure. Full social encounter rules give non-combat interactions the same mechanical depth as combat. The GM Toolkit provides structured guidance for creating custom settings, species, talents, and gear. Six example settings (fantasy, steampunk, weird war, modern, sci-fi, space opera) included in the core book. | Fast resolution, genre-flexible, handles large groups well |
| Considerations | Requires proprietary narrative dice or the Genesys Dice App — standard polyhedral dice cannot be used without conversion charts. Interpreting multiple symbol types on every roll can slow play for groups unfamiliar with the system. No free quickstart or SRD available. | Exploding dice can produce extreme variance in outcomes, setting books vary in depth — some provide minimal mechanical content beyond a genre frame |