Savage Worlds RPG: Beasts & Barbarians [Golden Edition] (S2P30002)

I started using the Savage Worlds RPG system in 2003 and being a REH fan for ages, using Savage Worlds for a kind of Conan-like campaign had always been on my mind. However, no official or fan-made setting gave me the spark needed to start the thing. It changed with Beasts & Barbarians (B&B) published in English by Polish publisher Gramel and written by Italian author Umberto Pignatelli (talk about globalization of RPGs!).I had heard about it last year but for some reason - the initial art cover which was not really to my taste I guess - I had not investigated further. Then an article in French RPG magazine Casus Belli a few months ago - and a new art cover - grabbed my attention. I bought B&B and just loved it, to the point of starting GMing again after a 3-year break.In terms of sword & sorcery mood and vibe, B&B is spot on: everything is there, with the right attitude. But there is more to B&B than a collection of clichés. Of course the clichés are there but well integrated in a world tailored for adventure. The Dread Sea Dominions are filled with strange places and great locales: a city of thieves, a desert of petrified trees, islands with pirates, cannibals or amazons, decadent cities with arenas where gladiators battle strange beasts to the death, savage invaders on the borders, jungles full of dire beasts and haunted ruins, etc. My only (minor) regret is that there is no Stygia-like country and even though Caldeia can probably stand in for it, it is surprising not to have a "Dark Egypt" land in the Dominions of the Dread Sea. The nice thing is that the gazetteer chapter is not the only one with exciting background information: read through the equipment part (e.g., Amazons' hawkship) or the relic examples in the GM section (I based the first adventure I ran on the Man-eater's Cloak) and you will find plenty of interesting tidbits.Rule wise, B&B is pretty light in adding to the core Savage Worlds rules, which fits perfectly my personal tastes. I am not interested in gazillions of new edges and setting rules and B&B proves that less is more in that regard. There are not too many edges and setting rules and their aim is really to strengthen the sword and sorcery feeling (e.g. Loincloth Hero edge or the Heroic Incapacitation rule). Besides setting rules, a section is devoted to running B&B the right way, i.e., how to make it feel like your-favorite-pulpish- hero-in-sandals adventure than the standard heroic fantasy game. A few new monsters and creatures are added but the emphasis is put on human villains, who should indeed be the main antagonists the heroes face.A point of note is the adventure generator: this is not something unseen before but this one, based on cards, works quite well and the whole chapter is filled with ideas and plot suggestions which make it worthwhile to read even though you do not intend to use the generator itself."Vengeance of the Branded Devils", the adventure included in the book, is good even though I think some of the others available in the B&B line may be better as introductory adventures (two from the Beasts of the Dominions book, "Main Attraction" and "Eyes of The Night", especially come to mind).Is there any weak point in B&B though? Well, a plot point campaign would have been a great addition but I feel like the satiated asking for more icing on the cake here. For sure, B&B's biggest weakness is its core strength: it IS a self-assumed old school sword and sorcery setting. Gamers looking for a more versatile fantasy universe should go another way. Those others who count tales of Conan and Lankhmar in their favorite gaming inspirations SHOULD give Beasts & Barbarians a go, this is a setting definitively worth of attention!

I really liked this world book of the Sword and Sorcery era, and the overblown heroes of the age. It truly captures the feel of the pre-history history of the decadent civilizations and barbaric splendor the heroes swagger through. It has all you need including how heroes blow all (or most) of the wealth gained in wild parties celebrating their new wealth as the way in which they gain new abilities and powers. The extravagant and fearful magics and monsters. No. you don’t really want to be a magician in this age.In short the perfect using of the Pre-Noah’s flood setting (though the authors of these novels never quite admit that that is the cataclysm that ends this age while insisting it ended in a cataclysm). “Where every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.”The art work is truly first rate, though all in black and white.(Though I do question whether that Amazon on page 115 really could use that at least foot and a half by three to four foot blade with a foot and a half handle she is fondling stuck in the ground behind her.)

This is a very good sword & sorcery setting for Savage Worlds. I really like how the first half of this book is the "Player's Handbook" which gives you an overview of the world and the people that live in it. It has lots of new Edges and a few new Hindrances too. There are 3 playable magic forms (Lotusmastery - creating alchemical potions / elixirs / poisons / powders; Sorcery - scary magic; Path of Enlightenment - martial artist / monk type oriental magic). The second half of the book is the "Game Master Guide" which really helps you to set the mood for your game. It also has an adventure generator, which - in spite of being simple - is the best one I have seen so far. The bestiary / villains part of the book also helps with the immersion. In the end of the book, there is also a sample adventure, which consists of some smaller adventures.

I am a fan of the REH 'Conan' stories and comics and was hoping to find a port of the Hyborian Age using the Savage Worlds rules, and then I stumbled upon some reviews of the 'Beasts & Barbarians' setting and was sold immediately. It has everything there that I could ever want for a Sword & Sorcery campaign in a relatively small book (a little over 200 pages):Evocative artworkA fairly brief, but surprisingly deep historySetting rules, monsters, NPCs, and notes that really help a GM to bring that S&S feel to their campaignAn adventure generator to help GMs on a tight time budgetA wonderful introductory adventure that imparts the feel of a Conan story where even simple jobs veer off to become epic

The DNA of RE Howard is strong in the world of Beast and Barbarians, but considering how much he got right, I"m quite OK with this!I am curious when it became tradition for Amazons to live on an island, thought I love that someone went the logical direction and had the Amazons, often, actively engage in piracy.There are plenty of ideas for characters - love the loincloth hero/bikini heroine - so appropriate!

One of the best roleplaying books I have bougth (and English isn't my primary lenguage).A fun setting full of adventure, edges, hindrances, new magics, adventure mechanics like the adventuring duo, how to run Conan-ish adventures and Pulp adventures...The company also have published a lot of modules and adventures. Here you have hundreds of hours of adventure.

Nice adventure setting if you want to have someone do your world building for you.

4 stars. i like this product. enjoy the smaller paperback edition size and clearly written and has nice examples. Also the art is nicely done.

Very pleased with this book. The writer has captured the feel and flavour of Conan and it is familiar enough without directly copying Howard's world. Some great sourcebook support too and plenty of free online scenarios to get you going (also one in the core book itself)

Really interesting sword-and-sorcery setting for Savage Worlds.

Brill!

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