Did Anyone play the new WHFRPG?

[JediSoth]

I would have preferred they simply make this game like Dark Heresy, but 40,000 years in the past. I suppose all companies are entitled to experiment at some point.

 

[frankthedm]

This was definitely demo'ed at GenCon; I walked past people playng it. I'm going to give it a fair shot by pretending it isn't WHFRPG when I first play it; if it's fun, I'll be psyched and get used to its Warhammery nature.

i think it looks fine for a Talisman rpg.

 

[Henry]

I swear that Trollslayer has the worst-drawn legs and feet of any dwarf I've ever seen! From the knees down he's drawn as if he were morbidly obese with varicose veins, or something! Maybe it's the perspective, but the knees down look terrible to me.

I am curious about the game, but right now all the previews are striking all my "not for me" buttons.

 

[TrainedMunkee]

I swear that Trollslayer has the worst-drawn legs and feet of any dwarf I've ever seen! From the knees down he's drawn as if he were morbidly obese with varicose veins, or something! Maybe it's the perspective, but the knees down look terrible to me.

I am curious about the game, but right now all the previews are striking all my "not for me" buttons.

The bottom half of the Trollslayer does look terrible.

At first glance I would say Talisman also, but until I have rolled the dice, I won't make any final judgments. BTW Talisman was awesome. One of the guys in my group still has it and keeps wanting to play it.

Maybe this is the basic set, to get the kids in and then we will see the real 3rd edition?

 

[CharlesRyan]

I haven't played it (and I don't think there were any demos), but I was given a detailed walkthrough of the game in a meeting with Christian Petersen and senior FF staff. If you're worried it's a board game, don't--it's considerably less "boardgamey" than 4E, and even than 3.5. (I don't consider D&D very boardgamey at all--my point is that WFRP 3E is even less so.)

What might be giving people the wrong impression is the way in which FF have migrated a lot of the math and recordkeeping into physical components such as special dice, status tracking boards, and so on. Your character is represented more by a collection of game components than by numbers on paper. The object is to create a more user-friendly, faster-playing "interface" between the players and the game mechanics.

There are stand-up counters for characters (I'm guessing FF would have preferred to include minis, but there are limits to their license). These are used in more or less the same way you use minis in most RPGs.

Like I said, I haven't played it yet--but I can't wait to give it a try! There are a lot of cool ideas in that box.

It's supposed to be out in October.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I haven't played it (and I don't think there were any demos), but I was given a detailed walkthrough of the game in a meeting with Christian Petersen and senior FF staff. If you're worried it's a board game, don't--it's considerably less "boardgamey" than 4E, and even than 3.5. (I don't consider D&D very boardgamey at all--my point is that WFRP 3E is even less so.)

What might be giving people the wrong impression is the way in which FF have migrated a lot of the math and recordkeeping into physical components such as special dice, status tracking boards, and so on. Your character is represented more by a collection of game components than by numbers on paper. The object is to create a more user-friendly, faster-playing "interface" between the players and the game mechanics.

There are stand-up counters for characters (I'm guessing FF would have preferred to include minis, but there are limits to their license). These are used in more or less the same way you use minis in most RPGs.

Like I said, I haven't played it yet--but I can't wait to give it a try! There are a lot of cool ideas in that box.

It's supposed to be out in October.

That's the impression I got, too - just from the little information available online.

I find this interesting. I think 4E might have started a trend (or be part of a trend - Warhammer 3E was apparantly already in development before 4E was really out, so I don't know how much they were inspired by it and how much it was just an inherent concept that just needed given form) to present rules and character abilities differently, to make it easier to understand and remember them.

A friend of mine "prophesized" that in the future, more games would start using the concepts of powers (uniformed across characters/classes, exception based design). I am not sure if we already see that, but he might have still pointed in an interesting direction - present the rules differently, create small packages that you can represent with physical components - like power cards, but also special dice mechanics, condition markers. In way, it is an improvement (or at least change) to the User Interface of RPGs.

Well, we'll see how it goes. Might just turn out to be a fluke, or that there is actually no common element.

 

[CapnZapp]

Well, WFRP v2 was definitely modelled after the basic combat framework used by D&D 3E...

But no. I feel WFRP3 to be much more of a trend like Dragon Age. That is, beating 4E in the area of being friendly to newbies. Simple rules AND a dazzling presentation.

(4E is a hugely complex game, make no mistake. The PHB is also a monumentally boring read).

 

[Henry]

...If you're worried it's a board game, don't--it's considerably less "boardgamey" than 4E, and even than 3.5. (I don't consider D&D very boardgamey at all--my point is that WFRP 3E is even less so.)

What might be giving people the wrong impression is the way in which FF have migrated a lot of the math and recordkeeping into physical components such as special dice, status tracking boards, and so on. Your character is represented more by a collection of game components than by numbers on paper. The object is to create a more user-friendly, faster-playing "interface" between the players and the game mechanics.

Charles, you've given me something to consider. Thank you for the info! I still don't know if I'll get the chance to try it (75 to 99 bucks is a lot to bite off for an untested game, and I go in not really liking the difference in mechanics of Dark Heresy from WFRP2 to begin with), but I'm a little more open to it.

Now, if they could use a different model than Fat Bastard from Austin Powers 2 for the Trollslayer....

"C'mere, ya wee beastie-man! GIT IN MAH BELLY!"

 

[lutecius]

I am not sure if we already see that, but he might have still pointed in an interesting direction - present the rules differently, create small packages that you can represent with physical components - like power cards, but also special dice mechanics, condition markers. In way, it is an improvement (or at least change) to the User Interface of RPGs.

I don't think this is an improvement or even innovative.
I find the minis + custom dice + tokens in different pools + action cards combination awfully fiddly. And board games have had them forever, this isn't exactly a new "interface".
I see how minis or even power cards can come in handy, but a game doesn't have to be designed so that all of these are necessary. This is definitely not what I'm looking for in an rpg. If it's a trend I hope it dies really soon.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I don't think this is an improvement or even innovative.
I find the minis + custom dice + tokens in different pools + action cards combination awfully fiddly. And board games have had them forever, this isn't exactly a new "interface".
I see how minis or even power cards can come in handy, but a game doesn't have to be designed so that all of these are necessary. This is definitely not what I'm looking for in an rpg. If it's a trend I hope it dies really soon.

I don't know where you are on the "rules complexity" spectrum, but if I have the choice between spreadsheets, tables and attack matrixes vs power cards, tokens and special dice, I think I am going for the latter.