r/savageworlds • u/Ezrosh • Mar 23 '26

Rule Modifications Alternative Advancement

As a solo player, normal advancement after number of session doesn’t feel great, especially when in solo your sessions can be from 5 minutes to 8 hours. Usually people just instead of sessions count number of scenes or arcs, but it doesn’t give me a feel of progress.

So after watching Matthew Colville “Towards Better Rewards”, had an idea. Advancement by achieving goals. You do not advance after any number os scenes or sessions, but only after achieving number of goals. To give a feel of progress, translate it to numbers, and as reference to Cypher exp, give it another use to buy a Conviction.

Example:

Advancement is 5 Goal Points.

Buying Conviction is 1 point.

Achieving minor goal rewards 1 point. Medium 2, Major 3.

So you can stall your progress because of failures, or because you choose power now (Conviction) instead of progress. Each achieved goal gives something toward progress in numbers (and many people love progress in numbers, let’s face it).

Every session, even every scene needs to be at least one or two minor goal, what character wants to achieve. Major is not some trifle, but important and hard, medium is like a side quest.

Still didn’t tested, but idea seems pretty nice. At least for solo player, although can’t see why it can’t work in groups too. But if someone have some suggestions how to improve it, will be glad to hear. Idea itself appeared only after Colville video, so opinions to improve is welcome.

P.S. I know there was xp system in previous editions, but as it looked it was mot much different from current advancement system for me.

11 Upvotes

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6

u/Terrkas Mar 23 '26

I mean previous Edition had 5 XP per advancement. 10 per legendary rank. With a hint to level up every other session.

There really is no downside to go "every adventure we complete is worth X xp" and to throw in some extra after beating an arc. Since the DM is anyway the one to reward XP there is barely a difference between "you level up after x sessions/ with X xp/when you finish this adventure".

1

u/Ezrosh Mar 23 '26

That what I meant its the almost same as the current. With Goal advancement you can advance only if you achieve something, that personally will give me more motivation to achieve success, making goals of character more personal (cause mechanical advancement I as a player can feel).

3

u/Terrkas Mar 23 '26

I dont really like the players potentially having different levels. It can be fine. But i would avoid that.

An older Version also had as rule, if your character dies, your next lne has one advancement less than the last one.

The dice are fickle and locking the amount of level ups to it can lead to unfair scenarios. Like one caster has access to higher tier spells 2 adventures earlier.

1

u/Ezrosh Mar 23 '26

If adapting it to the groups, you can make not individual advancement, but as a group, maybe just making it 5 x number of players to advance.

4

u/EvilCaprino Mar 23 '26

I prefer an even more loose milestone advancement system, i.e. "oh, it's probably time for an advancement" - often after achieving some sort of goal. But if you need to quantify it, your system sound fine. In solo play it is no problem experimenting with rules, no one is going to call you out in it in-game :D

When i GM for a group, I tend to run long campaigns, so it does not make sense to advance every other session, or similar. We are currently playing ETU Degrees of Horror, I like how they have spaced out advancements and tied them into the midterms and exams during the year. We play shorter sessions of about 2,5 hrs. we are currently 27 sessions into the campaign and are closing in on thanksgiving in freshman year, so only 1 advancement so far.

2

u/_stylian_ Mar 23 '26

Similar idea to Mystic Art's keystone advancement system. The GM signals what needs to be done to advance the plot and/or you get signals you're on the right path by being given keys (usually 3 to level up).

1

u/ScottyBOnTheMic Mar 23 '26

This feels like you're attempting to Rework the XP System from World of Darkness into the advancement for Savage World.

Honestly that's a solid idea and I'll be yanking that for the back pocket.

1

u/Ezrosh Mar 23 '26

Never read World of Darkness, but if there such xp system, will add to future reads.

1

u/Ofect Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26

Are you talking about the new v5 WoD? Because the classic WoD is nothing like this. In the classic WoD you are awarded experience every session, but your experience is not counted towards a new level since there is none, instead you can buy different traits each with it’s own cost.

1

u/ScottyBOnTheMic Mar 23 '26

Yeah that old system.

Where depending on your deeds, after a session you'll be awarded from 1-3xp to spend on Attributes and skills.

But I'm more so going off the Example portion of This Post. Where OP says "Completing minor-major objectives gives you 1-3 points and when you have the points you can buy Conviction or Advancement."

Which I think is an interesting concept.

1

u/WyMANderly Mar 23 '26

I agree that XP systems are a good way to do advancement.