Warhammer 3e Demo Experiences -OR- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bits

[OchreJelly]

Are there some more informative reviews out there? Or are those reviewers still too busy playing the game?

Here's another one (apologies if this was linked earlier in the thread):
WFRP Demo Event - A Demo Success Story | Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Core Set | RPG Geekdō

Not a true review but another comprehensive demo review.

 

[Jhaelen]

Yeah, that review was completely worthless.

I have to agree. After reading it, my first thought was: can you really call that a review?
It doesn't provide any information I couldn't get by spending five minutes on the FFG site.

I guess either the author had an agenda and/or didn't have any time to prepare or write a proper review.

 

[delericho]

Here's another one (apologies if this was linked earlier in the thread):
WFRP Demo Event - A Demo Success Story | Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Core Set | RPG GeekdÅ

Not a true review but another comprehensive demo review.

That's a much better review, and actually is almost enough to persuade me to check out the game. (The barrier remains cost - with no demos running in the area the only way I can test the waters is by putting down £80, and I won't do that unless I'm sure I'll like the game.)

I particularly liked that the author of the review here was not totally one-sided - he included both things he liked and things he didn't in his review. Though one thing I didn't like quite so much was that it was very difficult to tell how much of the group's enjoyment was because the system was good, versus how much was down to a GM who really made it sing. I guess that's very difficult to pin down, though.

 

[OchreJelly]

Another review posted:
In the box | Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Core Set | RPG Geekdō

This one is not a demo review, but a review of the rules / components. It seems to provide a pretty good assessment of the more fiddly bits.

 

[BryonD]

I've changed my mind.

Several of the early promos strongly created the image in my mind that the game was fully "in the box". I got the idea that you could pull out the character cards and there is your character all pre-built for you, ready to go. And when you get done playing you put everything back in the box. Next time you play the same stuff is there again, waiting to start at the beginning. Just like any other board game.

Clearly that was not a good representation of the materials.
So I no longer see it as a board game. I stand corrected.

Ironically, it has gone from being a board game that looks really interesting to me to be an RPG that doesn't.

 

[Gort]

That's what expansion packs are for.

 

[Blustar]

I don't have a review for you guys, not yet anyways, and I've not played it yet ( still reading) but some initial thoughts...

!. The rule book is definitely not the best and very vague and I was beginning to get that " oh crap, this is Megatraveller!!!! 1000 pages of errata" feeling. But I crashed the FFG boards and tried to figure out what the hell was going on and I'm glad I did.

The game is really innovative and interesting and the really ironic bit...besides the interface, ( stances, dice pool, party sheet, fatigue, stress, etc) the game feels and plays very "old school". FFG really put a lot of faith in the GM with this game and gave him/her great tools to placate his players. (fortune dice) Ways to adjudicate seemingly complex actions with ease and with interaction from your players to boot!


This game really harkens back to Basic D&D in it's simplicity...There are no rules for swinging from a chandelier, swimming in plate armour, fast-marching through deep snow, or whatever. There are guidelines but the rules pretty much put it in the hands of the GM. It actually encourages the GM to say "yes" to their player's hair-brained ideas. Mostly because the rules allow the GM to fairly decide these things on his own. It doesn't even have modifiers for Ranged Weapons, like close, medium, or long range.

No magic items!!!! ( OK there was one in the included adventure!!!) No phat loot!!!! WTF!!! lol

4ed told it's players to slip your DM a note on what phat loot you would like to see in the next dungeon.

The interface is complex though with having to track stress and fatigue, stances, but I think it will be worth it once learned. I know it will be a chore because the rulebook is unfortunately very vague on certain points. A FAQ from FFG is on the way or so I hear.

I think this game might not make it because of the hurdles ( price, vague rules, It's a Boardgame!!!, etc..)but I do know it will have a strong cult like following. It's an exciting and innovative RPG that captures the Warhammer Universe perfectly and it will gain it's adherents. If you're into old-school gaming with a modern interface then this is it...the GM light shines bright in this game.

 

[Thanee]

I've changed my mind.

Several of the early promos strongly created the image in my mind that the game was fully "in the box". I got the idea that you could pull out the character cards and there is your character all pre-built for you, ready to go. And when you get done playing you put everything back in the box. Next time you play the same stuff is there again, waiting to start at the beginning. Just like any other board game.

Clearly that was not a good representation of the materials.
So I no longer see it as a board game.

Yeah, the first impressions definitely make it look like a boardgame, but it isn't.

Havn't played it yet, but got the box and read some of the rulebooks so far.

It definitely has some very interesting and as far as I can tell also new approaches (the dice mechanics look nice, also the stance system and the abstract distance measurement).

The biggest problem I can see is that the game materials might prove to be a bit of a restraint, because you basically need cards for all the maneuvers (sorry manoeuvres; is it just me or is the british spelling of that word just plain weird; probably not for the brits out there, I suppose ) and talents, items (especially items) and whatnot, which makes making up your own stuff more difficult.

Havn't played it yet, though, as I said, so this is purely theoretical as of now.

Overall my impressions from looking at the box are definitely positive.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Asmor]

With respect to the character's action cards, at least, the cards are absolutely not required. You could do just as well printing them out. The cards are never shuffled. In fact, the only way they take advantage of being a card is the fact that they're double sided, so one side's conservative and the other's reckless. And you could even replicate that by printing out your stuff double sided, since all your actions will always be in the same stance.

Really, you just need a place to stick some counters to mark how long until the power recharges.

All the other character-centric things would work just as well printed out. The only things that really need to be cards are the wound deck, the miscast deck, etc, and you don't really need to get any more of those.

 

[Asmor]

Finally got a chance to sit down and read the Tome of Adventures (analagous to DMG)... and I think this one page should be sufficient to make any roleplayer salivate for WHFRP 3e.

http://asmor.com/images/post/09-12-25/whfrp3edicepoolinterpretation.jpg

btw, the pic is rather large, so if your browser resizes it to fit screen it may be illegible. Just zoom it in to actual size.