"Savage Company" is Out (And You Should Get Your Copy Immediately!)

It's been a while since I've reviewed something new in my Monday slot, and if you are a Pathfinder Classic player then have I got a treat for you! Because I managed to snag a review copy of Savage Company, and if you haven't seen it yet then you should go get yours right now.

If all you wanted was my opinion, it is rip-roaring nonsense that is exactly the kind of insane, high-octane fun that I feel Pathfinder was made for. Keep reading if you want more information, but if that's all you needed to go download the free Recruit Orientation Guide, then go do that.

Seriously, I haven't been this pleased with a campaign setting in a while.

If you'd like to know more, however, keep on reading.

What Is "Savage Company" Exactly?

The short version is that Savage Company is a campaign setting meant to be used in conjunction with Pathfinder Classic (or Pathfinder 1st Edition, if you choose to use that label). It can be used with the game as it stands (since Pathfinder already has rules for both primitive and advanced firearms in it), or it can be used in a more modern or modern-esque technological level (anywhere from just after the Renaissance to the tech level of today).

Oh yeah... the safety's coming off!

The backstory for this setting is that it takes place in the town of Tombstone. This place was an abandoned fort in the middle of an area blasted by magical war, and devoid of non-hostile forms of life. The place was claimed by the orcs and half-orcs of the mercenary band known as Savage Company, and they held onto it. As their reputation grew, and their numbers swelled, they started to recruit more and more adventurers to their cause... particularly individuals from "monstrous" races who had a hard time finding reliable work, and trusting companions anywhere else.

As time went by, Savage Company managed to bribe, strongarm, and make diplomatic entreaties to its neighbors, eventually declaring its holding as legitimate. Now the town of Tombstone, as well as the underground network of tunnels that holds everything from the gangs of Trox laborers, to goblin tinkerers, to billets of orcs, hobgoblins, and other well-trained mercenaries who can respond at a moment's notice, is a company town where anyone who needs the best in the business can come to hire mercenaries of any stripe.

The tone of the setting is kept purposefully vague so that you can fit it into Pathfinder's usual blend of fantasy/sci-fi (where armored paladins and gunslinging vigilantes may fight side-by-side), or you can expand the more modern military feeling to the rest of the setting as well. It's entirely up to you!

Flavor, Crunch, and a Whole Lot of Cheese

The first thing that I adore about this setting is that it purposefully takes aim at the ingrained attitude of, "monstrous races are inherently evil." Players and DMs alike have clung to this attitude even as Pathfinder made more and more traditionally "bad" races playable (orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, drow, duergar, etc.) without any form of alignment restriction.

What Savage Company does is acknowledge the history of adversity that these races have had, but turned it around by showing those in the company as people looking to make a better life for themselves through teamwork, cooperation, and using the advantages they were born with to find a calling in life. In fact, the outfit reminds me very strongly of The Devil's Own out of my collection 100 Random Mercenary Companies. This group recruited primarily monstrous humanoids, and most of them created personas for themselves because showing the world that face was often an advantage that left their enemy unsure of their true capabilities and weaknesses.

I'm sorry, I was told there would be cheese?

There is, of course, more to Savage Company than just a fancy setting, some solid fiction, and a bunch of pre-generated characters to get you started. It also gives you new classes (from the medic to the infantryman), as well as archetypes of existing classes from Pathfinder. It's got a slew of new feats (nothing game breaking, but there's more than a little spicy cheddar on the list), and perhaps my favorite section, new gear.

And as someone who's spent the past year tooling around in Warhammer 40k's orbit, I am very pleased to see chain blades, mini mechs, Mad Max-style war bikes, and the iconic orc chin piece, along with sensible bayonets, downright brutal custom machine guns, and dozens of other delicious upgrades for your armory.

Bringing Out The Big Guns

If you are one of those DMs who firmly believe that guns don't belong in fantasy games, or that traditionally evil races are always bad and they should never rise to the status of genuine heroes, this is not the setting for you. If you're one of those players who always reaches for the scarred tiefling soldier who would die for their comrades, the hulking half-orc tank who's the heart of the squad, or the goblin bombardier who is the deadliest mascot the party could ask for, then this book is going to find a place of honor on your shelf faster than you can say, "Roll initiative."

So if you like your characters weird, your guns blazing, and your adventures absolutely crazy, go get your copy of Savage Company today!

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That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you found this term useful!

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