So... what about WFRP?

Come boxing day, I'm getting a gift card to my local gaming store (my mother and her "I'm getting you a gift card... where to?"). Now, since I don't really wanna buy 3e stuff (unless it's Eberron, but, enh...), and I've already got a backlog of minis to paint, I was thinking of buying Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.

Flipping through it, it looks like it'd be an interesting game. So, I have a few questions:

1) What's the system like? Is it really that rules-light?
2) How unbalanced is the CharGen system? My perusal looks like it'd be fairly unbalanced (since you randomly determine starting class, correct?).
3) It's fairly dark, right?

Now, I'm pretty sure I'll grab the core book (unless I get a really strong "no" vibe from you guys), and one more book. So.... what book?

The Bestiary seems like a must-have, but I dunno if I really need a monster book right away. The Brettonnia book is nice, if only because way back when I played Warhammer Minis, I played Bretonnia (plus, it has all the classes). I don't know if there's an Empire sourcebook yet, either, so that might force me into playing in the Bretonnia setting. The Magic book also seemed pretty cool, and from what I remember of Warhammer, they're fond of putting the magic rules in a book of it's own. And, of course, the religion book is always a nice one, especially in a world that seems to have it's share of zealotry.

So, what're the recommendations of your collective, esteemed minds?

I love it, personally. I wish I could get a group to play it with.

It's dark and gritty. Combats aren't a sure thing for the PCs all the time, so PCs have to actually think and/or RP their way out of situations instead of attacking first.

And "Sigmar's Heirs" is the Empire sourcebook. The Brittania one is excellent also.

I love WFRP. You start off thinking you're playing D&D, and you eventually realize that you're playing Call of Cthulhu. I've had a blast every time I've run or played.

It's awesome. The randomness goes well with the fact you're probably going to die a in random and gory fashion at a later date anyway. The world is awesome. Character creation is simple. Character advancement is a lot of damned fun... picking advances is almost painful sometimes with so many good options, and picking new careers is even better. Not many games let you say, "I've decided to become a Racketeer, then move on to Highwayman later."

Jhulae said:

I love it, personally. I wish I could get a group to play it with.

It's dark and gritty. Combats aren't a sure thing for the PCs all the time, so PCs have to actually think and/or RP their way out of situations instead of attacking first.

And "Sigmar's Heirs" is the Empire sourcebook. The Brittania one is excellent also.

Click to expand...

Oh, so there is an Empire sourcebook... my game store just doesn't have it. Cool.

Wik said:

Oh, so there is an Empire sourcebook... my game store just doesn't have it. Cool.

Click to expand...

The Kislev sourcebook just came out, but I don't have it yet. The Skaven sourcebook is *phenomenal*.

I'd say if you like it, the magic sourcebook is pretty handy to have, too.

It's a fun system.

The second edition is much more balanced than the first but it still has some unevenness to it.

It uses % dice and d10s so that's all you'll need to run it.

I'd say 'core' rules, the Bestiary is pretty useful if not downright vital. One of the complaints leveled against it from day one since the previous edition had that, maps, and more (much more setting detail in it) and BI has let the Bestiary go out of print at least once.

Read reviews of the adventurers before buying any. People's opinions on them vary tremendously. I for example, thought they were fairly overpriced and didn't bring the best aspects to the game table, often relying on skills that randomlly rolled characters may not have.

So, BEstiary is fairly important, eh?

I'm not entirely that worried about setting info - I'm sure Wikipedia probably has most of it. And I have no problem winging it.

Right now, I'm thinking Core + one of the following:

Bestiary
magic book
Chaos Book
Bretonnia

I dunno - the Chaos book feels cool, because it's just "Cthulu" enough.

Go for Core + Magic + Bestiary + Plundered vaults (6 advantures n a hardback volume).

If you are only getting 2, go for Core + Bestiary. (though do get the magic book at some point)

Also, There are two ways of char gen: Rolling or simply selecting your career manually.

Lastly, the magic system in this game is one of the best ever. No artificial limitations. It also has Rituals (like 4E will have)

I was only exposed to it once... It seemed easy to pick up and go at it.