Warhammer FRPG

[Byronic]

Does anybody know if there's a Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying game demo somewhere? I would like to run it but I can't seem to find any.

Also, what is a WHFRPG about? In DnD it's by default (your campaign may vary) go in, kill things, steal their treasure and maybe save some people. Or maybe save a town.

This seems a bit difficult in WHFRPG where you might play a rat catcher instead of a paladin, an outlaw instead of a ranger. Swords seem to actually main you and magic... well.. magic seems to be a triple edged sword.

Whats the playstyle like? What do you do?

And what do you do in Warhammer 40k?

 

[Leatherhead]

I don't think they have anything for the new edition out yet.

From what I understand of the older editions, WHFRP is about trying to survive as a peasant in a world trying to kill you.

 

[ArghMark]

I don't know about any game demo.

Some people dislike the playing peasants thing.

Instead of that, think of 'unlikely heroes triumphing' or 'unlikely heroes dying to horrible chaos minions.' So you play Ratcatchers and charcoal burners to begin with; as time goes by they turn into great heroes, if they live and don't go horribly insane.

Warhammer is also a horror game; Unlike D+D when a giant tentacled monstrocity attacks you you say 'I hit it with my most powerful attack!' in Warhammer you say 'Arrrgh! Run!' WH isn't necessarily about combat - because combat is deadly. Avoiding unnecessary combat is a good thing.

Warhammer 40K is basically Warhammer turned up to a million. It has many of the same ideas - A powerful god-emperor, mutation, heretical cults, and the like. You play Inquisitors, people who hunt out heresy, corruption, or alien influences, kill what you can, and then say to the local ship 'EXTERMINATUS' where they destroy the entire planet, villages of innocents and all to root out the corruption.

Also 40K is very medieval in its belief system. People don't believe in machines, they thank the 'machine-spirit' for helping them, and have to pray and do various rituals to make them work. Think the dark brutality of medieval life and put it in the far future.

 

[NiTessine]

Slightly veering off-topic, but unlike for WFRP, there is a demo for the WH40K roleplaying game. In fact, there are two.

"Shattered Hope", the demo for Dark Heresy, where you play the inquisitor's assistants, is available here.

"Forsaken Bounty", for Rogue Trader, where you play a starfaring free merchant and their retinue, is available here.

I think you need to register to download them.

Rogue Trader doesn't seem to be available yet, though I was under the impression it would be released now at Gen Con.

 

[Rel]

The tongue-in-cheek answer to "What is WFRP about?" has always been, "It's the game where you think you're playing D&D but gradually realize you're playing Call of Cthulhu."

 

[Aus_Snow]

The tongue-in-cheek answer to "What is WFRP about?" has always been, "It's the game where you think you're playing D&D but gradually realize you're playing Call of Cthulhu."

Yep, that's WFRP (for the uninitiated).

You don't necessarily start as a rat catcher or whatever, incidentally. Strictly speaking, by the book, it's a random roll, so you could equally start as an Apprentice Wizard, or one of a large number of other things. Also, it's either spelled ouit that choosing (i.e., not rolling) for starting career is an option too, or some GMs might allow it anyway.

Besides which, you can skip from career to career, and work your way up and/or sideways as far as you your poor PC can manage. There are preset entry and exit points for each, so you've just got to meet those prereqs (maybe spending some XP on stat increases if necessary) and there you go!

My experiences with the game have suggested that, yes, it is a fairly deadly system, but not the most, of all of the ones I've tried.

Anyway, more importantly than all that, it's *fun*! Best way to find out is to try it. Recommended!

 

[Byronic]

The tongue-in-cheek answer to "What is WFRP about?" has always been, "It's the game where you think you're playing D&D but gradually realize you're playing Call of Cthulhu."

Ahh Call of Cthulhu I know. So WFRP is about investigating mysteries and trying to make sure that whatever is after you doesn't kill you by either not being within its reach or making sure that you have the advantage in the conflict.

But how DO you get the advantage? Ambushes? Calling the guard on them? Select kinds of magic?

How does WFRP support this mechanically? Does the book suggest tactics?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Ahh Call of Cthulhu I know. So WFRP is about investigating mysteries and trying to make sure that whatever is after you doesn't kill you by either not being within its reach or making sure that you have the advantage in the conflict.

But how DO you get the advantage? Ambushes? Calling the guard on them? Select kinds of magic?

How does WFRP support this mechanically? Does the book suggest tactics?

Mechanacilly it is not supported, I'd say. It just comes down to avoid combats you can't win and find allies (by the usual roleplaying and maybe a diplomacy equivalent skill check, depending on your DM or groups style) that can help you out.

There are no "narrative" rules to the game, except maybe that you can get some insanity.

 

[pawsplay]

Skills like Blather and Resist Disease are at least as important as combat abilities. Some people hear the "rat catcher" thing and imagine you will end up being a 20th level rat catcher or whatever, but the game isn't like that at all; if you survive and thrive, you gradually move on to other careers. Plus, Rat Catcher is one of the best starting careers, since it grants you Resist Disease. I'm just sayin'.

So the Rat Catcher might become a Cat Burglar and then a Master Thief, or he might become a Shieldbreaker and then a Sergeant. Or he could spend some extra experience and become a Bounty Hunter or Apprentice Wizard instead, or even a Squire.

 

[Rel]

I think that what is meant by the Call of Cthulhu reference is that the PC's in WFRP are not epic heroes (at least not at first) and that the monsters out there are horrible, nasty, dangerous and hungry. It is not a matter of you killing them and taking their stuff. It may be just enough for you to survive until you get to the next town.

True, not everybody is a Rat Catcher to start. But they are in my games.
I made a starting career chart that gets rid of all the "good" professions like Noble or Soldier or Apprentice Wizard. Everybody is a nobody at the start of my games.

I will say that the charge that WFRP is deadly is a bit of a misnomer in my opinion. Thanks to Fate Points, it is nearly impossible to die in the early adventures. Bad things can still happen to you but it's not like you're going to get killed by a stray crit from some Goblin so long as you have a Fate Point to spend (and everybody starts with at least one). I think it is less deadly than D&D at low levels.