Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play portrays a grungy world being infiltrated by Chaos magic and cultists. Beneath the dirty streets of Renaissance cities are the tunnels of the Skaven, ratmen, while in the highest halls of power leaders and rulers corrupted by Chaos plot the downfall of the kingdoms of men.
Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play (WFRP) has a fourth edition coming soon. This review covers the 255-page second edition of the game. Despite the high stakes, PCs start out as common men and women, many with simple jobs like grave robber or rate catcher. An entire party of adventurers may have no casters and consist entirely of day laborers and peasants. Despite their possible humble beginnings, the PCs are the ones who will ultimately determine if mankind defeats Chaos or if bloodshed, madness, and mutation overrun the land.
While I enjoy the first edition, the second features what I consider to be a more balanced method for character creation. Character creation is a combination of choice and randomness. Players choose to play dwarfs, elves, halflings, or humans but randomly roll their starting career and characteristics. That starting career provides skills and talents and options to improve starting characteristics when spending experience points. These improvements are called advances. A PC will work on finishing the advances for all the characteristics of his starting career. While the character may have traded being a peddler for being an adventurer, he continues to build on what he learned in his starting career until all advances are taken. He can then enter a new career from those listed as exits for his current one or for double the XP take any basic career provided it makes sense.
The Old World, the provided setting for WFRP, spatters muck and blood all over the PCs who dare to explore it. Disease, madness, Chaos, and monsters all threaten adventurers while behind city walls cultists worship foul gods and tunneling Skaven plot to overthrow mankind and spread their disease ridden society across the surface world. Combat is dangerous, but a well equipped fighter has several ways to protect himself. Armor greatly reduces the damage of most blows. A second weapon or shield also always for a parry which can completely turn aside an attack. Experienced warriors may be trained in Dodge Blow which provides another option for avoiding a strike. However a hit that scores maximum damage allows a roll to hit again for even more damage. And when Wounds fall to 0 and more damage is inflicted, a point of Insanity is gained, and a roll on the critical table is required. The results range from temporary impairment to permanent maiming and even death.
Despite the rigors of the world, the adventurers are a cut above the rest of humanity. They have a handful of Fate Points, which can be spent to save themselves from otherwise certain doom. And each adventure they replenish Fortune Points, which can provide more options in combat and possibility turn a bad die roll their way. Magic beckons in second edition with arcane, divine, and dark lore being three common examples. Priests have their own basic spell list and each god has his or her own list. Wizards cast from one of ten color colleges which are full of flavor ranging from the flames of the Lore of Fire to the transforming power of the Lore of Beasts. Miscast magic can cause accidents and invoke Chaos effects with a bad roll. Magic is cast with a handful of d10 rolls and the truly horrific mishaps only take place if you roll four of the same number. Many lower level spells can be cast with only one or two dice.
Existing adventures for WFRP are top notch, with the first edition Enemy Within campaign considered a classic by many GMs. I am nearly halfway through running Ashes of Middenheim and the campaign is a smashing success. My players, all D&D veterans, have not fought an orc or standard undead yet and it has been a wonderful change of pace for them to face cultists, mutated beastmen, and even a Chaos daemon while also working as detectives in the city.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay offers the Old World, a magical place of filth and fortune, madness and fate, and bold adventurers seizing the day or dying in the attempt. The game is fueled by an amazing rules engine that allows even the simplest peasant to defend themselves but truly equips the fighter for war. First edition was a delight and second edition is the modernized version. You cannot go wrong even if you perish in the sewers under Altdorf to the filthy blades and foul magic of the Skaven.
This article was contributed by Charles Dunwoody as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. Please note that Charles is a participant in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to DriveThruRPG. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play (WFRP) has a fourth edition coming soon. This review covers the 255-page second edition of the game. Despite the high stakes, PCs start out as common men and women, many with simple jobs like grave robber or rate catcher. An entire party of adventurers may have no casters and consist entirely of day laborers and peasants. Despite their possible humble beginnings, the PCs are the ones who will ultimately determine if mankind defeats Chaos or if bloodshed, madness, and mutation overrun the land.
While I enjoy the first edition, the second features what I consider to be a more balanced method for character creation. Character creation is a combination of choice and randomness. Players choose to play dwarfs, elves, halflings, or humans but randomly roll their starting career and characteristics. That starting career provides skills and talents and options to improve starting characteristics when spending experience points. These improvements are called advances. A PC will work on finishing the advances for all the characteristics of his starting career. While the character may have traded being a peddler for being an adventurer, he continues to build on what he learned in his starting career until all advances are taken. He can then enter a new career from those listed as exits for his current one or for double the XP take any basic career provided it makes sense.
The Old World, the provided setting for WFRP, spatters muck and blood all over the PCs who dare to explore it. Disease, madness, Chaos, and monsters all threaten adventurers while behind city walls cultists worship foul gods and tunneling Skaven plot to overthrow mankind and spread their disease ridden society across the surface world. Combat is dangerous, but a well equipped fighter has several ways to protect himself. Armor greatly reduces the damage of most blows. A second weapon or shield also always for a parry which can completely turn aside an attack. Experienced warriors may be trained in Dodge Blow which provides another option for avoiding a strike. However a hit that scores maximum damage allows a roll to hit again for even more damage. And when Wounds fall to 0 and more damage is inflicted, a point of Insanity is gained, and a roll on the critical table is required. The results range from temporary impairment to permanent maiming and even death.
Despite the rigors of the world, the adventurers are a cut above the rest of humanity. They have a handful of Fate Points, which can be spent to save themselves from otherwise certain doom. And each adventure they replenish Fortune Points, which can provide more options in combat and possibility turn a bad die roll their way. Magic beckons in second edition with arcane, divine, and dark lore being three common examples. Priests have their own basic spell list and each god has his or her own list. Wizards cast from one of ten color colleges which are full of flavor ranging from the flames of the Lore of Fire to the transforming power of the Lore of Beasts. Miscast magic can cause accidents and invoke Chaos effects with a bad roll. Magic is cast with a handful of d10 rolls and the truly horrific mishaps only take place if you roll four of the same number. Many lower level spells can be cast with only one or two dice.
Existing adventures for WFRP are top notch, with the first edition Enemy Within campaign considered a classic by many GMs. I am nearly halfway through running Ashes of Middenheim and the campaign is a smashing success. My players, all D&D veterans, have not fought an orc or standard undead yet and it has been a wonderful change of pace for them to face cultists, mutated beastmen, and even a Chaos daemon while also working as detectives in the city.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay offers the Old World, a magical place of filth and fortune, madness and fate, and bold adventurers seizing the day or dying in the attempt. The game is fueled by an amazing rules engine that allows even the simplest peasant to defend themselves but truly equips the fighter for war. First edition was a delight and second edition is the modernized version. You cannot go wrong even if you perish in the sewers under Altdorf to the filthy blades and foul magic of the Skaven.
This article was contributed by Charles Dunwoody as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. Please note that Charles is a participant in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to DriveThruRPG. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
