Savage Worlds vs Star Wars Saga Edition
Compare Savage Worlds and Star Wars Saga Edition side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Savage Worlds | Star Wars Saga Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Sci-Fi |
| Tags | Cinematic, Fast-Paced, Tactical, Pulp Action, Heroic, Miniatures | Licensed IP, Space Opera, Heroic, Cinematic, Character Building, Tactical, Combat-Heavy, Crunchy, Grid-Based, Miniatures |
| Core Mechanic | Roll trait die + wild die (d6), keep the highest. Target number 4. Raises every +4. | Roll d20 + modifiers against a target number or a Defense score. Three static defenses (Reflex, Fortitude, and Will) replace saving throws. Trained skills grant a flat +5 bonus. A five-step condition track runs alongside hit points, so a single heavy hit can impose cumulative penalties before a character drops. Force Points and optional Destiny Points provide narrative and mechanical resources for critical moments. |
| Dice | d4–d12 | d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Availability | Free quickstart | Out of print |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | Savage Worlds Adventurer's Guild | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | No verified route found |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Pinnacle Entertainment | Wizards of the Coast |
| Year | 2018 | 2007 |
| Languages | English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Hebrew | English, Italian |
| Best For | Fast-paced pulp action across any genre. Great for large groups and mass combat. | Groups who want a d20-based Star Wars campaign with deep character customization through talent trees and a tactical combat core built for miniatures. |
| Highlights | Fast resolution, genre-flexible, handles large groups well | Talent trees let two characters of the same class develop along different branches, so a Jedi built as a Guardian and one built as a Consular play differently from first level. The condition track turns a single heavy hit into a persistent penalty, making damage threshold matter alongside hit points. The Force subsystem runs on one Use the Force skill, so telekinesis, mind tricks, and combat enhancement all resolve through the same check. |
| Considerations | Exploding dice can produce extreme variance in outcomes, setting books vary in depth: some provide minimal mechanical content beyond a genre frame | The game is out of print with no legal PDF, so acquiring the core book means the used market. The d20 chassis carries heavy per-character bookkeeping: talent and feat selections, a Force power suite, and a condition track that changes during combat. Vehicle and starship encounters switch to a second combat scale with its own actions and statistics, which is a lot to learn for a campaign that stays on foot. |