Full disclosure – I am a pug owner. So when I stumbled across Pugmire, a post-apocalyptic RPG in which you play various breeds of dog, I had to check it out.
Full disclosure again – Pugmire is not a Savage Worlds setting. The ruleset is basically a simplified version of 5th edition D&D, with some fun twists to reflect the setting. Feats are now “Tricks”, such as “Puppy Dog Eyes”, which gives you advantage on Charisma checks to persuade; spells have been adjusted appropriately – “Smell Magic” and “Magic Paw” in place of Detect Magic and Mage Hand. If you like the 5e ruleset, and most people seem to, you’ll like the Pugmire rules.
The setting itself is fairly rich; the core book covers character creation of different breeds, the social structure of Pugmire and the surrounding world, and the prevalent religion of venerating the lost Old Ones, a.k.a. Man. This leads to some fun swearing, like “Man damn it” or “For Man’s Sake.” There’s plenty of opportunity for intrigue both within and around the Kingdom of Pugmire, and plenty of ancient ruins for exploring.
So, if you like the idea of playing an RPG where you are a Chihuahua rogue (Ratter) and your buddy is a Labrador Retriever cleric (Shepherd), Pugmire is a great way to give that a try. The art in the book is entertaining, and the book itself is clearly oriented towards less experienced players, with sidebars on how to do just about everything.
But is it Savage-able?
Of course it is! A Savage Worlds conversion of Pugmire would be almost trivial. A little race generation work for the various breeds and you’d pretty much be there. The Artisan class, which replaces Wizards, is tailor made for using Weird Science rules, and the Shepherds drop right into Miracles. The only other work is Savaging the various monsters, and you’re there.
While I enjoyed the book, I’m not seeing this as a setting I’m likely to convert for my own group’s use anytime soon. But, with the right group, I think it could be really fun.
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