Fantasy Grounds - The Secret World - North America (SWADE) delivers a detailed sourcebook for the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition ruleset, expanding the modern horror and conspiracy setting of The Secret World roleplaying game on the Fantasy Grounds virtual tabletop platform. This supplement focuses on the North American continent and the Illuminati faction, providing new character options, regional lore, creatures, and campaign ideas for groups already using the core Secret World setting book alongside Savage Worlds.
Gameplay
The core experience revolves around Savage Worlds mechanics adapted to a contemporary world where ancient myths and secret societies shape events. Players create characters who navigate conspiracies, investigate arcane threats, and interact with powerful factions including the Illuminati. The North America sourcebook adds three new archetypes that integrate directly into existing campaigns: the Mystic, who bargains with spirits for physical-world influence; the Boston Witch, who relies on coven rituals for spells and enchanted items; and the Illuminati Operative, who manipulates favors and networks to undermine enemies. These options come with associated edges and gear suited to Illuminati-aligned play.
Game masters gain expanded tools for building adventures around real-world inspired locations turned into hotspots of horror and intrigue. The supplement details ten key sites across North America, complete with points of interest, notable non-player characters, and unique secrets tied to the setting. New creatures such as the Sasquatch, the Jersey Devil, and Ancient Lemurians join the bestiary, offering fresh combat and investigation encounters that fit the urban fantasy and horror tone.
Game Modes
Campaigns built with this material emphasize flexible storytelling within the Savage Worlds framework. Groups can pursue Illuminati-centric stories that explore the faction's history from ancient Egypt through its modern corporate strongholds, allowing players to either oppose or align with its schemes. Road-trip style adventures suit the North American focus, linking multiple locations into a connected narrative of discovery and escalating threats.
Adventure seeds tied to each major location support shorter sessions or longer arcs, while guidance on running the Illuminati helps maintain consistent faction dynamics. The material works equally well for player-driven investigations or game master-led plots involving cryptids and conspiracies, with no fixed structure beyond the ruleset's standard encounter and advancement systems.
Setting and Factions
North America serves as the Illuminati's primary base of operations in this expansion. The sourcebook traces the society's evolution and current structure, revealing how it influences governments and corporations while contending with emerging horrors. Players and game masters receive tools to incorporate these elements into ongoing stories, whether through direct confrontation or subtle alliances.
Additional lore covers the continent's hidden underworld, blending familiar cities with supernatural layers. This builds on the core setting's secret societies without altering base faction rules, instead layering region-specific details that enrich existing campaigns focused on bees, the chosen defenders of the world.
Is It Worth Playing?
This sourcebook suits players and game masters already invested in the Secret World Savage Worlds line who want deeper North American content and Illuminati options. Early feedback on the core book highlights strong production values, useful game master advice, and faithful adaptation of the original MMORPG lore, with the North America expansion extending those strengths through new archetypes and threats. The Fantasy Grounds version integrates these elements into the virtual tabletop for online play, requiring the base Fantasy Grounds VTT and the core Secret World setting. Groups seeking modern conspiracy horror with Savage Worlds combat and narrative flexibility will find the added material expands campaign possibilities without requiring a full restart.
