Savage Worlds vs Storypath Ultra
Compare Savage Worlds and Storypath Ultra side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Savage Worlds | Storypath Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Play Style | Cinematic, Fast-Paced, Tactical, Pulp Action, Combat-Heavy, Heroic, Miniatures | Toolkit, Modular, Hackable, Cinematic, Heroic, Narrative, Character-Driven, Investigation, Social Intrigue, Skill-Based, Classless, GM-Friendly |
| Core Mechanic | Roll trait die + wild die (d6), keep the highest. Target number 4. Raises every +4. | Roll a pool of d10s equal to Skill + Attribute. Each die showing 8+ is a hit; 10s count as two hits. Add Enhancement (bonus hits from gear, abilities, or circumstances). Spend hits to meet the difficulty, buy off Complications (side effects attached to the roll), or purchase Tricks (extra effects like knockdown or critical hits). Failed rolls generate Momentum, a shared pool players spend for bonus hits, to turn failures into successes, or to introduce story facts. |
| Dice | d4–d12 | d10 dice pool |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Community | Medium | Low |
| License | Savage Worlds Adventurer's Guild | Proprietary (third-party license pending) |
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Pinnacle Entertainment | Onyx Path Publishing |
| Year | 2018 | 2026 |
| Best For | Fast-paced pulp action across any genre. Great for large groups and mass combat. | Groups who want a genre-agnostic d10 dice pool engine with dedicated subsystems for action, investigation, and social intrigue — especially those building their own setting or adapting existing Storypath games. |
| Highlights | Fast resolution, genre-flexible, handles large groups well | Three distinct play modes — action-adventure, investigation, and influence — each with dedicated mechanics. Complications and Tricks give every successful roll narrative texture beyond pass/fail. Momentum turns failed rolls into a shared resource that keeps the story moving. Modular building-block systems (powers, heists, vehicles, crafting, large-scale combat) plug into any game. |
| Considerations | Exploding dice can produce extreme variance in outcomes, setting books vary in depth — some provide minimal mechanical content beyond a genre frame | No included setting beyond three short examples — groups must build or adapt their own world. No free quickstart or SRD available. The promised third-party publishing license is not yet live. Multiple interacting subsystems (Enhancement, Advantage, bonds, Complications) take several sessions to internalize. |