ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG - a Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay retroclone

We are finally closing in on completion of our revised Gamemaster screen! This is not the same ‘beta’ digital product some of you received during our Kickstarter. This has been refactored from the ground-up, taking under consideration player feedback on what best belongs on the screen.

Although it’s not the final product, you can see the sturdiness of the screen in the comparison shots to the core Zweihänder book. A few call-outs:

* The GM screen is color-blind friendly, and the tables are color-coded for easy reference.
* The GM screen will be on 88 lbs hardback board.
* It’s in A4 portrait format (sorry, no horizontal format for now).
* The screen is accordion fold (as you can see in the images).
* The player-facing image is illustrated by our own Dejan Mandic.
* The GM-facing side and borders are illustrated & lain out by a new member of our team Ken Duquet.
* The order of the images in the GM-facing side are not accurate in our proof, but will be one, continuous image in our next proof.
* The white ‘gutter’ you’re seeing will not be present on either the inside or the outside of the final screen.
* The player-facing front image will wrap around the edges of the screen, and ‘fold’ behind the GM-facing tables. This means you’ll have zero white space around the edges.
* We’re pricing out a matte finish on the GM-facing side to reduce glare, but this may come at a cost of moving from an 88 lbs to a 60 lbs board.
* Made in the good ol’ USA, just like our Kickstarter limited edition book was. To note, we use the same printers as Larry Elmore, who is also a partner of our printing house.
* The screen will be a limited run, and we’ll be releasing a digital print-on-demand version for DriveThruRPG.
The digital version will fit perfectly in the portrait version of the World’s Greatest Screen. You can buy your own from their website, or as a package deal on DriveThruRPG whenever we have our screen ready for primetime post-Kickstarter.

We are leaning towards a Kickstarter run in December, depending on the timing of the next proof. Pricing is TBD. Stay tuned for more information, and let us know your thoughts at our home website:

https://grimandperilous.com/new-gamemaster-screen-preview-for-zweihander/

One of our favorite reviewers Prince of Nothing continues his take on the ‘brobdignagian’ proportions of ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG over at his website Age of Dusk. This is part five, titled “Barbarism & Kicking People In The Face”:

At last we come to that most fundamental of activities in a grim and perilous world. The baying of men and the pig-like squealing of the maimed. Pitted Iron piercing yielding flesh. The dry crackling of splintering bone. The pleasing crimon spray of arterial blood. Let us speak of combat.

Before I say anything else, I must compliment whoever did the art direction for the combat section. It is chockfull of desperate bands of peasants fighting hopeless last stands against hordes of hideous ratmen a.k.a the meaning of life in Warhammer fantasy. It really drives home the atmosphere and energy of combat in Zweihander and for that I applaud it, as I applaud the medical ward with mutilated patients on the Chapter on Injury.

Combat in Zweihander has changed somewhat from the parry/dodge 3 attack fest of 2e. Each participant in the dance of death has 3 Action Points (less if they suffer from debilitating injuries) but it limited to A SINGLE ATTACK ONLY. Different actions have a different AP cost. Parrying or dodging an attack costs AP, thus there is a trade-off between going all-out or saving some actions in case an enemy gets in a hit. In addition to the habitual attack/charge/disengage to avoid attack of opportunity, Zweihander gives you several options. The ability to deliver guarded or all-out attack has been done away with, but it is still possible to use a called shot at the cost of reduced accuracy (despite the lack a hit-locations system) in order to inflict additional damage and to prevent your opponent from parrying or dodging. In addition, characters have access to moves like grappling (OP as , albeit it risky since the character initiating the grapple must also expend his full turn holding the foe, almost a surefire way to disable a single more powerful opponent however), throwing sand in someone’s face to blind him, strikes meant to stun, knockout punches ah la James Bond that only work on suprised or helpless foes, Shield Breaking blows (only effective when using a two-handed weapon) and Cow-tipping them to the ground. While you can only use a single attack action per round, it is possible to combine this with a Perilous Move (aka a kick to the groin or throwing sand into someone’s face) so the combat can be pretty dynamic. The addition of an inspiring speech move and a litany of hatred move which can be attempted once per combat was something I really appreciated (I have not seen many leadership based attacks or actions in roleplaying games), and the benefits are tangible while remaining plausible (a +1 to damage and peril threshold or a -1 if you are using the Litany of Hate to bully your enemies).

https://princeofnothingblogs.wordpr...troclone-pt-v-barbarism-unrelenting-savagery/

Prince of Nothing continues his review of Zweihänder, moving onto the Combat chapter:

At last we come to that most fundamental of activities in a grim and perilous world. The baying of men and the pig-like squealing of the maimed. Pitted Iron piercing yielding flesh. The dry crackling of splintering bone. The pleasing crismon spray of arterial blood. Let us speak of combat.

Before I say anything else, I must compliment whoever did the art direction for the combat section. It is chockfull of desperate bands of peasants fighting hopeless last stands against hordes of hideous ratmen a.k.a the meaning of life in Warhammer fantasy. It really drives home the atmosphere and energy of combat in Zweihander and for that I applaud it, as I applaud the medical ward with mutilated patients on the Chapter on Injury.

Combat in Zweihander has changed somewhat from the parry/dodge 3 attack fest of 2e. Each participant in the dance of death has 3 Action Points (less if they suffer from debilitating injuries) but it limited to A SINGLE ATTACK ONLY. Different actions have a different AP cost. Parrying or dodging an attack costs AP, thus there is a trade-off between going all-out or saving some actions in case an enemy gets in a hit. In addition to the habitual attack/charge/disengage to avoid attack of opportunity, Zweihander gives you several options. The ability to deliver guarded or all-out attack has been done away with, but it is still possible to use a called shot at the cost of reduced accuracy (despite the lack a hit-locations system) in order to inflict additional damage and to prevent your opponent from parrying or dodging. In addition, characters have access to moves like grappling (OP as XXX albeit it risky since the character initiating the grapple must also expend his full turn holding the foe, almost a surefire way to disable a single more powerful opponent however), throwing sand in someone’s face to blind him, strikes meant to stun, knockout punches ah la James Bond that only work on suprised or helpless foes, Shield Breaking blows (only effective when using a two-handed weapon) and Cow-tipping them to the ground. While you can only use a single attack action per round, it is possible to combine this with a Perilous Move (aka a kick to the groin or throwing sand into someone’s face) so the combat can be pretty dynamic. The addition of an inspiring speech move and a litany of hatred move which can be attempted once per combat was something I really appreciated (I have not seen many leadership based attacks or actions in roleplaying games), and the benefits are tangible while remaining plausible.

Regardless, the number of moves in Zweihander is sufficiently extensive to make playing a non-wizard in combat fairly exciting, and the AP system serves more or less the same purpose as the Guarded Attack/All-out attack bonanza of 2e? Some may frown at the lack of hit-locations in Zweihander but I say XXXX it, back to motherXXXing basics with this one...

https://princeofnothingblogs.wordpr...troclone-pt-v-barbarism-unrelenting-savagery/

Prince of Nothing continues his review of Zweihänder, moving onto the Grimoire chapter, covering Arcane Magic:

Welcome to another exciting installment of the epoch that is the Zweihänder review. This segment shall focus on Arcane Magick in Zweihänder (originally I set out to cover both divine, arcane and miscellanious magic in one post but considering the length I have decided to split them up).

Spellcasting in Zweihänder most resembles sorcery in 2e, by which I mean spellpoints can go XXX themselves and your sorcerous reserve is limitless but there is great risk in its utilization. The threshold number and magic ranks of the olden times have been cast aside. Utilizing magic is now a matter of a single skill roll (the Invocation skill, based on WP as usual) with a difficulty modified by type of Magick (Petty, Lesser and Greater). As a requirement for Lesser Magick, you need 2 ranks in Invocation and 3 ranks for greater. So far so good. The option of adding a little extra juice to your spells is also added by way of Channeling. If you Channel you forgo the normal safety precautions and tap deep into the Abyss (that’s the Warp with the serial numbers filed off) for more power, increasing your chances of success and making your magic harder to resist at the cost of corruption and a chance to trigger a Chaos Manifestation (similar to the Curse of Tzeentch) or Divine Displeasure if you are a Cleric. You can Channel at different degrees, a greater bonus giving more corruption and increasing the risk of a Chaos manifestation accordingly. I approve of this, and consider it a step up from the rather mundane spend half an action get a bonus method of the old game.

An additional risk/reward factor is added, unique for each spell, which I appreciate actually. If you critically succeed at a spell, its effect is magnified, in case of a critical failure the effects are usually reversed or turned upon the user. The price for critical failure can be, and often is, harsh, with damage being directed towards the caster, healing magic inflicting injury or disease and in case of extremely powerful sorcery, downright devastating (In case of high level Pyromancy, expect casualties in the dozens if not hundreds), driving home the point that Magick, while not inherently corrupt, is never to be used lightly.

Both Priests and Wizards must learn their spells from various sources (pilfered scrolls, accursed grimoires, tricked or blackmailed from unwilling tutors etc. etc.), at cost and with a risk of failure, certainly. While the number of Petty, Lesser and Greater Magicks a magick wielder can know is limited by their intelligence bonus, the number of available advances and the fact that magick users must specialize in either a single type of magick (or Wind if you want to be anally retentive) or worship a single deity ensures that this will have any affect on Petty Magick only. Learning spells costs XP (I mean reward points ahem), so Spellcasters do advance slower then normal characters, though they require nowhere near the massive amounts of xp from the old games.

https://princeofnothingblogs.wordpr...sr-pt-vi-to-fight-the-abyss-one-must-know-it/

Coming Soon To Zweihänder Grim & Perilous RPG… Magick Cards!

In December 2017, Grim & Perilous Studios will be releasing two sets of tarot-sized cards for Arcane & Divine Magicks for use with Zweihänder Grim & Perilous RPG!

Specially designed by Ken Duquet, they’ll help keep everything you need as a grim & perilous spellcaster at your fingertips. Each set will include Generalist Petty Magick, so you won’t have to worry about sharing your cards.

Here's a snapshot of a few cards, but get a more comprehensive look at the cards over at our home website at: https://grimandperilous.com/coming-soon-to-zweihander-magick-cards/

Someone asked me the other day “what are you guys cooking up for your next book?” I sent her a picture of this beefcake in return and said “badwrongfun.”

#zweihander #rhymeswithluminousflowers

It's finally here - our Zweihänder GM Screen, available in POD & PDF format, exclusively at DriveThruRPG!

Gamemasters! Are you running grim & perilous adventures, but tired of dog-earing the pages in your copy of ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG? Then prepare yourself with our color blind-friendly ZWEIHÄNDER GM Screen, available exclusively at DriveThruRPG!

Designed to fit into both the portrait-styled custom DriveThruRPG GM Screen (which you can add at check-out) or The World's Greatest Screen, this eight page PDF features a player-facing painting of grim & perilous adventurers by Dejan Mandic. On the inside, our traditional approach of "order vs. chaos borders" surround the tables, hand drawn by Ken Duquet. Commonly-referenced tables are lain out by topic (trappings, combat, social and miscellaneous), with every table color-coded for easy memory using a legible font (visible even when you're five pints deep in the evening). On the edges of the screen, there are trackers for both Damage and Peril, where you can use paperclips or Sticky Notes to mark foe's thresholds). Best of all, the GM-facing tables are color blind friendly!

Our GM Screen includes:

* Weapons, Armor & Shields
* Cone, Burst & Explosion Templates
* Fire & Flame Effects
* Conditional Effects & Injuries
* Actions In Combat & Movement Subtypes
* Steps For Casting Magick & Making Attacks
* Alternative Hit Locations & Morale Checks
* Light Sources
* Currency, Haggling & Selling Cheatsheets
* Fate Point & Fortune Point Uses
* Quick Table of Content w/page numbers in the core book
* Skills & Difficulty Ratings
* A Host of Social Intrigue Options (Social Class, Motivations & Alignment)
* Corruptive Offensives and More!

Grab your official ZWEIHÄNDER GM Screen today, and prepare yourself for a world of grim & perilous adventure!

http://drivethrurpg.com/product/227...t&coverSizeTestPhase2=true&word-variants=true

One of our favorite reviewers Prince of Nothing continues his take on the ‘brobdignagian’ proportions of ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG over at his website Age of Dusk. This is part seven, titled “Other magical schtuff”:

Besides wizards, the other major spellcasting profession in Zweihänder, as in the Old Game, is the Priestly class. All major human deities from the Warhammer Fantasy universe are covered in Zweihander aswell, with each being given an alternative name and occasionally gender, with Game of Thrones-esque titles like the Steward and the Winter King replacing the (probably copyrighted) Gods of the Old World. Each clergy has its own profession with their own special ability (say: The Grey Guilder may roll 1d6 whenever he spends a fortune point and regains it on the 6), spell list and Commandments. As previously stated, all human deities that were covered in the core book of 2e are represented here, with one delicious new addition.

Each deity is given a short write-up, less then the almost page-long write-ups of 2e (understandable since setting information is far less specific), with a short description on who they are and what they are about, a paragraph on their Priesthood (and the fate that befalls them should they become corrupted) and another paragraph on Commandments. At first I was pissed off that commandments were rather general since it leaves so much interpretation in the hands of the GM but the more I read them the more I like it. The commandments are enough to get a general idea of what the deity wants you to do, with the occasional weapon restriction thrown in (e.g the Wolf King thinks ranged weaponry is for cowards, little girls and furries).

A welcome new addition is the Crouching One, based off a a certain Blood-handed God of murder we all know and love. His priests, with the ridiculous yet very Warhammer Fantasy-esque title of Bloodmongers, seem to be based (loosely) on the Brides of Khaine, gain health by the sacred act of murder, and the majority of their spells are based around physical attacks (various spells allow you to poison, drain, increase agony or outright slay your enemies with a strike or touch), with material components like the shrunken head of a priest worn around your neck or a spider’s head in your pocket or something. Khaine is an excellent choice for edgelords who find playing villains appealing while the use of Servants of the real Dark Gods remains the purview of the benevolent and omniscient GM.

Fallen priests and worshippers of the Dark Gods are covered by the Dark Disciple advanced class, which represents anything from Apostates who reject the divine entirely and draw power from the Warp itself to fallen clerics who now pay homage to the Dark Gods…

https://grimandperilous.com/review-prince-of-nothings-review-of-zweihander-part-7/

One of our favorite reviewers Prince of Nothing continues his take on the ‘brobdignagian’ proportions of ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG over at his website Age of Dusk. This is part eight, titled “Matters of Governance”:

The GM section, lays out, with admirable brevity, the themes driving Zweihander; the nature of its protagonists (scared everyday dudes), the reasons for its rather serious take on injuries, what everyone knows, a thematic nod to old fairy tales to keep monsters mysterious and wreathed in legend, a primer on how to keep it all low fantasy and low magick like a boss (along with notes on how the general populace views wizardry and priests) and a final section how to handle the all-pervasive influence of chaos. I like this section because it manages to capture what WFRP is about without ever mentioning characters, locations or events from WFRP. Added to this are three golden rules of GMing: Focus on characters, when in doubt say Yes! and change rules if they do not work for you. I would agree with the first two but experience teaches me that most GM’s put considerably less time into figuring out why rules exist and how best to change them then game designers put into making them and fitting them into an existing framework in the first place and Zweihander does gently dissuade you from changing either the corruption rules and the injury/disease rules so I suspect the last one is there solely so the GM doesn’t throw a fit, barricade himself inside the toilet and refuse to come out until everyone admits he could make a far better setting then Daniel Fox ever could. What is up with games feeling the need to reassure the emotionally fragile and easily triggered GM that it’s okay if he changes the encumbrance rule so you can wear dual katana’s on your back or whatever.

https://princeofnothingblogs.wordpr...hander-wfr-osr-pt-viii-matters-of-governance/

One of our favorite reviewers Prince of Nothing continues his take on the ‘brobdignagian’ proportions of ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG over at his website Age of Dusk. This is part nine, titled “Bestiary”:

The time has arrived to cover 163 pages worth of bestiary in a post fit for easy consumption in between lunchbreaks or huffing paint or when the GM is telling you about this NPC that the PCs are going to help save the world or whatever it is that gamers do in their pasttimes. Throughout this review I will offer minor gripes and objections to distract you from the fact that overall it pretty much accompanies what it sets out to do: give you a bestiary that is extensive enough to emulate just about any Warhammer Fantasy scenario your drug-addled mind can come up with.

It has it all folks! Skaven, Lizardmen, Daemons, the Restless Dead, Zoats, Formorians, Dragon Ogres and Hobgoblins galore. The entire population of the Warhammer Fantasy universe has been trotted out across the pages, sometimes in a thin coating of varnish and drag to avoid the Lords of Law, of this massive and very long bestiary. Despite it kicking ass and being overall everything we hoped and dreamed it would be, it nevertheless has some problems, problems that I shall gladly dig into before we (somehow) cover 163 pages worth of updated creatures, with some interesting new additions or the odd twist as well!

https://princeofnothingblogs.wordpr...w-zweihander-wfrp-osr-pt-ix-bestiary-section/