While titans battled for the blitzbowl championship, I spoke to Daniel D. Fox, emperor of Grim and Perilous Studios’ Zweihänder RPG dynasty. He talked playtesting, balanced math, and upcoming projects like the Tetsubō RPG.
Around Thanksgiving about six years ago, Daniel decided to write an RPG with an old school feel but built to new standards, especially the bounded accuracy that D&D 5E introduced. Warhammer FRPG was out of print, so he hacked its rules while pulling out the setting.
Three years of playtesting warped that work into 688 pages and led to a kickstarter that raised over $61,000, doubling that with late pledges. While starting from a Warhammer hack, Zweihänder (review) mutated into something unique. Daniel made sure the math worked, with percentile rolls ranging from 45 to 85%. Another change from Warhammer is that each profession possesses a unique ability to make each one both highly useful as well as interesting.
I asked Daniel why D&D players should consider trying out Zweihänder. He said in D&D your PCs change the world while in Zweihänder the world changes your PC. How does your PC, your everyman, deal with what fate throws at them? Character creation is nearly limitless, but you also have to work with what random rolls create. In addition, the rules are world agnostic. GMs can develop fractured fairytales, worlds on the edge of collapse, or other dark magical settings. These decisions, along with the gritty roleplaying, define Zweihänder.
While the RPG is massive, hundreds of pages are player options. Random results lead players to creating unique and unlooked for characters like a half-gnome pit fighter missing part of a foot. No character is meant to be weak or unplayable however, with each of 72 starting professions providing a unique ability and a variety of advances, skills, and talents. The grit and grime enhance the roleplaying without dragging the player completely down into the muck. Hundreds of mechanical options await players.
The GM too is given a toolkit of world and adventure ideas, monsters, and robust rules for wilderness treks, chases, combat, and magic. A GM seeking out a lower magic setting with hundreds of potential options for players can craft a world to fit their groups’ tastes exactly. Zweihänder is similar to D&D in that neither comes with a defined world; the GM is given tools to build their own.
Support from Grim & Perilous Studios for the next three years includes Main Gauche (rules expansion), two upcoming large adventures, and new rules for new worlds including Tetsubō (Asian), Dark Astral (space), and Peacemaker (western). Although small in size, G&P believes in playtesting, math that works, and professional polish.
Grim & Perilous Studios is open to pitches from freelancers for layout, art, and writing work. With all the planned books, they need additional support and Daniel believes in paying fair wages for good work. Contact Daniel at daniel@grimandperilous.com.
Grim & Perilous Studios in now being distributed by Andrews McMeel Universal (current authors include Exploding Kittens, Roger Ebert, Calvin and Hobbes, and Garfield). Zweihänder and future books will be for sale in Barnes & Noble, Target, and other large retailers.
Check out Zweihänder if you like world creation, character options, ongoing support, and/or freelancer opportunities. Daniel wants everyone to have a chance to try Zweihänder so his final words were if anyone could not financially afford the RPG to contact him directly at daniel@grimandperilous.com and he will provide you with a PDF copy.
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. If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!
Zweihander manages by the grim machinations of its creator, Daniel D. Fox, to forge itself into something both eerily familiar and utterly belonging to the current moment in games. – Adam Koebel, co-creator of Dungeon World
Around Thanksgiving about six years ago, Daniel decided to write an RPG with an old school feel but built to new standards, especially the bounded accuracy that D&D 5E introduced. Warhammer FRPG was out of print, so he hacked its rules while pulling out the setting.
Three years of playtesting warped that work into 688 pages and led to a kickstarter that raised over $61,000, doubling that with late pledges. While starting from a Warhammer hack, Zweihänder (review) mutated into something unique. Daniel made sure the math worked, with percentile rolls ranging from 45 to 85%. Another change from Warhammer is that each profession possesses a unique ability to make each one both highly useful as well as interesting.
I asked Daniel why D&D players should consider trying out Zweihänder. He said in D&D your PCs change the world while in Zweihänder the world changes your PC. How does your PC, your everyman, deal with what fate throws at them? Character creation is nearly limitless, but you also have to work with what random rolls create. In addition, the rules are world agnostic. GMs can develop fractured fairytales, worlds on the edge of collapse, or other dark magical settings. These decisions, along with the gritty roleplaying, define Zweihänder.
While the RPG is massive, hundreds of pages are player options. Random results lead players to creating unique and unlooked for characters like a half-gnome pit fighter missing part of a foot. No character is meant to be weak or unplayable however, with each of 72 starting professions providing a unique ability and a variety of advances, skills, and talents. The grit and grime enhance the roleplaying without dragging the player completely down into the muck. Hundreds of mechanical options await players.
The GM too is given a toolkit of world and adventure ideas, monsters, and robust rules for wilderness treks, chases, combat, and magic. A GM seeking out a lower magic setting with hundreds of potential options for players can craft a world to fit their groups’ tastes exactly. Zweihänder is similar to D&D in that neither comes with a defined world; the GM is given tools to build their own.
Support from Grim & Perilous Studios for the next three years includes Main Gauche (rules expansion), two upcoming large adventures, and new rules for new worlds including Tetsubō (Asian), Dark Astral (space), and Peacemaker (western). Although small in size, G&P believes in playtesting, math that works, and professional polish.
Grim & Perilous Studios is open to pitches from freelancers for layout, art, and writing work. With all the planned books, they need additional support and Daniel believes in paying fair wages for good work. Contact Daniel at daniel@grimandperilous.com.
Grim & Perilous Studios in now being distributed by Andrews McMeel Universal (current authors include Exploding Kittens, Roger Ebert, Calvin and Hobbes, and Garfield). Zweihänder and future books will be for sale in Barnes & Noble, Target, and other large retailers.
Check out Zweihänder if you like world creation, character options, ongoing support, and/or freelancer opportunities. Daniel wants everyone to have a chance to try Zweihänder so his final words were if anyone could not financially afford the RPG to contact him directly at daniel@grimandperilous.com and he will provide you with a PDF copy.
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. If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!
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I personally found the art and tone of Zweihander to give it a stronger 1e vibe than 4e, though admittedly the mechanics were closer to 2e than 1e.
