Savage Worlds – Throwdown at the North Pole
From: Fabled Environments
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
Throwdown at the North Pole is a Savage Worlds adventure from Fabled Environments.
Written by Clint Black of Pinnacle Entertainment Group fame, Throwdown at the North Pole is a silly holiday adventure set in the North Pole on Christmas night. Leave it to Clint Black to come up with such a funny and silly concept for a Savage Worlds adventure. It’s a great concept. I could not help but chuckle a little while I read it.
From page 3: The workshops are closed, Santa off on his journey. But there’s no rest for the elves. Santa’s mortal enemies, the abominable snowmen, attack each year as soon as the big man is gone.
This adventure is designed for use with Fabled Environments’ Candy Cane Cottage map, and showcases not only the diversity and ease of Savage Worlds combat system but the detail and elegance of Fabled Environment floor plans. The mini adventure is simple and does not have a ton of story associated to it. It is meant to not only show how fun Savage Worlds combat system is but also show you how to use the Mass Combat system or the Showdown Rules, depending on your preferences.
Concept: Mrs. Claus is in charge while Santa is away doing his job on Christmas night. This is traditionally when Santa’s worst enemies try to take over his shop. The Abominable Snowman are planning attack this night. Mrs. Claus along with the elves are left to defend the shop while Santa away. The players are given a certain amount of time to prepare and several options to set up a defensive perimeter with including Christmas trees and holly bushes.
From page 3: That’s right; the leader of the elves is none other than Mrs. Claus, one of the most formidable holiday warriors on the planet.
Stats for the Snowmen, Elves and Mrs. Clause are provided. The Snowmen are armed with things like Freezing Weapons and Refrig-Generation, while Mrs. Claus has Combat Candy Cane, Snow Globe Grenades, and a Smore-11 SMG. The Elves, who scramble to defend the shop when the snowmen are discovered, are armed with things like Toy-Making Mallet, Fresh-Baked Throwing Cookies, and a K-12 Ice-Salt Rifle with Ice Scraper Bayonet. Other equipment available include Kringle-7 Light Marshmallow Pistol, Rudolph-6000 Deicer, and a Treat-Mint. These had me rolling in laughter.
The last page is the map of the workshop, which is surprisingly small – 5″ by 6″ rectangular cottage. Labeled a “Average Modern Gingerbread Cottage,” it is where Mrs. Claus and her elves make a last stand. It makes for a very claustrophobic and tactically challenging combat setting reminiscent of Night of the Living Dead or something like that.
In conclusion, this is a perfect adventure to not only illustrate how fun Savage Worlds combat can be, but also break in a younger crowd to the game. Nothing is too gory or scary, and kids would love to play elves throwing around explosive snow globes and deadly freshly baked cookies. If you are brave, you can even provide props. It can also act as a cool convention games for kids.
For more details on Fabled Environments and their new Savage Worlds Adventure “Savage Worlds Adventure” check them out at their website Fabled Environments, and at all of your local game stores.
Codex Rating: 18
Product Summary
Savage Worlds Adventure
From: Fabled Environments
Type of Game: Savage Worlds Adventure
Written by: Clint Black
Contributing Authors: Jodi Black
Number of Pages: 8
Website: Fabled Environments
Reviewed by: Ron McClung