TEXT: Savage Worlds
  Explorer’s Society
  Handbook
  v 1.9
  March 1, 2007
  
  Page 2
  Welcome Explorer!
  Welcome to the Savage Worlds Explorer’s Society (SWES)—a club for 
  Savage Worlds Game Masters.
  Your Travels
  As a member of the Savage Worlds Explorer’s Society you’ve signed 
  on to boldly go and spread the word about Savage Worlds. You’ll do 
  that by running games at conventions and your local game stores.  
  In return, we’ll do our best to support your efforts by providing you 
  with encouragement and Explorer Rewards. 
  Our goal is to help you run the best games possible and for you and 
  your players to have a Fast, Furious, Fun time.
  What you are reading now is something we put together to help you 
  in your travels.
  Setting Out on Your Journey
  Let us know when you have a game (or games) scheduled at a loca-
  tion. Try to do this as early as possible because we may be able to 
  forward you some goodies to hand out to your players. Also be sure 
  to check the download area of the SWES site. It’s filled with useful 
  items for savage game masters and their players.
  So how do you tell us about your game? By using the SWES web 
  site (http://www.savageworldsexplorerssociety.com), of course! 
  Once you are logged in, click on the Event Registration link. This will 
  take you (amazingly) to the Event Registration page.
   
  Once the event is submitted, we’ll get it posted on the SWES calen-
  dar. About two weeks before your game, we’ll send out any special 
  Explorer rewards or player handouts we might have for you.
  Customs
  As you travel to exotic locations, you must be constantly aware of 
  the customs applying to you, the explorer.
  
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  Be Reliable
  If you’ve made arrangements to run a game at a particular conven-
  tion or game store, be there on time. Arriving a little early isn’t a bad 
  idea either.
  Be Organized
  Be sure you have everything you need to run your game right at 
  your fingertips. You don’t want to slow the game down searching for 
  some important piece of information or your 10-sided dice.
  Be Enthusiastic
  If you’re excited about your game, your players will be interested to 
  see why and hopefully they’ll catch some of that excitement right 
  from the start. 
  Be Knowledgeable
  Know your game and have a good understanding of the basic Sav-
  age Worlds rules. Odds are if you’re reading this, you’ve got this 
  one covered! Oh, and having a general knowledge of other Savage 
  Worlds’ settings and products is a plus.
  Be Friendly
  Players new to you or Savage Worlds should be comfortable asking 
  questions and making mistakes during your game.
  Be Clean and Presentable
  There are a lot of jokes about gamer grooming habits. Don’t be one 
  of them. 
  Get Some Sleep.
  Yes, just like your mom always told you--you need your rest.
  Be a Good Communicator
  Ok, so you’re not Abraham Lincoln or FDR and that’s ok. Try to ex-
  plain any rules and other information in a clear manner. And always 
  be willing to restate or rephrase something. 
  
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  Be Patient
  You may know Savage Worlds like the back of your hand, but most 
  players don’t and certainly new players won’t. Be patient and gra-
  cious.
  Have FUN!
  The entire point of gaming is to have fun. Be sure you and your play-
  ers have a great time.
  Tips for a Good Game
  Everyone has their own GMing style. Do you use a GM screen or 
  don’t you? Are your dice rolls secret or do you lay it all on the line 
  right in front of the players? Do you use the Savage Wolds Adventure 
  Deck? And what about miniatures, terrain, and props? All of these 
  things are up to you as the GM, but here are a few tips we’ve found 
  useful.
  Player’s Like Cool Visuals
  Whether this is killer art on your GM screen, a setting specific char-
  acter sheet, or an antique-looking map/letter for your Rippers game 
  these things excite the players’ imagination. Keep that in mind and 
  use it to your advantage.
  Miniatures and Terrain
  Speaking of cool visuals, we honestly would never run a game with-
  out using miniatures. Many folks do though, and that’s fine, but we 
  think minis provide a groundwork for players to become involved in 
  the story. Not to mention they clear up problems like who’s stand-
  ing near the wall when the T-80 tank comes bursting through it. The 
  right terrain can really wow your players. That’s not to say you need 
  to run out and buy an entire town of buildings for your Deadlands 
  game, but any little bit helps. Terrain also provides your characters 
  with maneuver options during the game they otherwise might not 
  have thought of. 
  Keep the Players Involved
  Sure there are times when you need to narrate to the players, but try 
  to keep it short and sweet. By keeping everyone involved and busy 
  
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  with the game, you keep the energy high and the player’s interested 
  in what’s going to happen next. 
  Reporting Back
  We want to hear all about your journeys. First, this allows us to up-
  date your SWES Passport and second, we just like hearing about 
  your games. Feel free to pass along pictures too. We just may post 
  them on the SWES web site!
  Once again, after logging in you’ll see a link to the Event Confirma-
  tion page. This is the most important page you’ll be filling out on the 
  SWES web site. Why? Because it’s with this page that you earn your 
  credits to rise up through the Explorer ranks!
  IMPORTANT: After your game is over, ask your players if they mind 
  giving you their names and email address. Submit these on the 
  Event Confirmation page. Don’t worry; we’re not going to barrage 
  them with SWES spam. Instead, from time to time we’ll contact a 
  player or two and ask them how they liked the game.
  Explorer Rewards
  As Explorers journey through the vast Savage Worlds, they gain 
  ranks within the Society. The ranks are designed to encourage Ex-
  plorers to run games in a variety of settings…after all; you can’t really 
  call yourself an Explorer if you’ve only been to one place! It should 
  be pointed out that progressing through the SWES ranks in not a ne-
  cessity. Explorers will get the same support for their games whether 
  they are Veteran or Novice. What the ranks do allow us to do is to 
  grant greater Explorer rewards to those GM’s who go above and 
  beyond.
  At every explorer rank you reach we will send you an Explorer Re-
  wards Pack filled with stuff especially for you as a way of saying 
  thank you for your hard work. Also, at the discretion of the society 
  we may send out Explorer Rewards at any time during the year. 
  Also, all Savage Worlds Explorers get special treatment at the big 
  conventions where Pinnacle comes out in full force.
  Below is a chart that shows the minimums to reach each rank. The 
  first row is the Rank name. The second row is the number of game 
  credits you need to run in the settings required for that rank. The 
  last row is the number of settings that you need to run the minimum 
  
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  number of games in. So, for example, to reach the Veteran Explorer 
  rank you must earn at least 5 game credits in each of 3 settings.  1 
  hour equals .25 game credits.
  When you first join the Explorers you are a Junior Explorer until you 
  run your first official game. After that, you are a Novice Explorer and 
  you will receive your first official reward from the Explorers Society!
  Game 
  Credits
  Number of 
  Settings
  Reward
  Junior Explorer
  0
  0
  Access to dowloads, special offers, insider 
  information
  Novice Explorer
  1
  1
  Stickers; GM Screen
  Seasoned Explorer
  4
  2
  T-Shirt
  Veteran Explorer
  5
  3
  TBD
  Heroic Explorer
  6
  4
  TBD
  Legendary Explorer
  7
  5
  TBD
  In order to maintain your rank, an Explorer needs to run at least 2 
  games every year.  If you are not able to run 2 games, you won’t 
  lose your rank but your status will change to “Inactive” and you 
  won’t be eligible for rewards until you are “Active” again.  In order to 
  re-activate (at your previous rank) you need to run 2 games for no 
  credit towards rank.  
  Regrettably for our overseas members we are not able to ship re-
  wards due to the cost.  However, if you are willing to pay for the 
  shipping via paypal, we will be happy to send you your rewards.
  Our Thanks
  Pinnacle would like to thank you for joining the Savage Worlds Ex-
  plorer’s Society. It’s you, the Savage Worlds game master, that we 
  owe a debt of gratitude to for running our games. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/_Core/Explorers Society/Savage Worlds - Explorers Society - Handbook v1.9.pdf