Any thoughts on the Warhammer Role Playing Game?
- Thread starter Ermanaric
- Start date
A must buy if not a must play (but you should play it!)
A quick reply doesn't do my response justice, but quick it must be:
Great atmosphere. Dark, relentlessly fascinating in scope. One of the first roleplaying games to have armor reduce damage instead of making it harder for weapons to strike successfully. Nice fluff.
Okay mechanics. Nothing great. Easily learned. The magic system is hands down the weakest part of the game.
It's obviously based on Earth and its history, but it's well done. The first roleplaying game to introduce ratfolk [Skaven] as perfectly legitimate fantasy race. It's skill-based and class-based (career-based, as it's called). It was the first game with "prestige classes"--basically you begin with one class, work through its progression, then have the opportunity to switch to another class. Great idea!
My experience is that many people know of it but don't play it. Those who have heard of it tend to play the Warhammer miniature game--which is fabulous. Which reminds me, pick up Mordheim, it's a great game.
A quick reply doesn't do my response justice, but quick it must be:
Great atmosphere. Dark, relentlessly fascinating in scope. One of the first roleplaying games to have armor reduce damage instead of making it harder for weapons to strike successfully. Nice fluff.
Okay mechanics. Nothing great. Easily learned. The magic system is hands down the weakest part of the game.
It's obviously based on Earth and its history, but it's well done. The first roleplaying game to introduce ratfolk [Skaven] as perfectly legitimate fantasy race. It's skill-based and class-based (career-based, as it's called). It was the first game with "prestige classes"--basically you begin with one class, work through its progression, then have the opportunity to switch to another class. Great idea!
My experience is that many people know of it but don't play it. Those who have heard of it tend to play the Warhammer miniature game--which is fabulous. Which reminds me, pick up Mordheim, it's a great game.
EarthsShadow
First Post
Looked at it, never played it, never could find a group to play something other than DnD...Skaven rock!!
BronzeDragon
Explorer
I still have not convinced my group to play WFRP, even though I love the system.
It's a very lethal, "realistic" (whatever that means), system, something of a mixture between D&D and Call of Cthulhu.
The world is kind of a "fantasy Europe", much like Ars Magica, but less connected with the real Europe.
It's a world that opposes Chaos to Law much more strongly than it opposes Evil and Good. In this, it can be compared a bit to the Planescape setting. But that's as far as it goes in relation to PS...
The system is fast and easy to learn, the advancement system (through "Careers") is much like the idea of Prestige Classes in 3E. Characters' power level can be roughly estimated by the number of careers the character has been through.
Wizards are very powerful, but take a longer time to get to that power level, due to the system of experience.
Some monsters are basically indestructible, but this can be easily understood if you grasp the concept behind the world.
In a nutshell, your D&D players may get the jitters with this one, but your Cthulhu players will have a LOT of fun.
It's a very lethal, "realistic" (whatever that means), system, something of a mixture between D&D and Call of Cthulhu.
The world is kind of a "fantasy Europe", much like Ars Magica, but less connected with the real Europe.
It's a world that opposes Chaos to Law much more strongly than it opposes Evil and Good. In this, it can be compared a bit to the Planescape setting. But that's as far as it goes in relation to PS...
The system is fast and easy to learn, the advancement system (through "Careers") is much like the idea of Prestige Classes in 3E. Characters' power level can be roughly estimated by the number of careers the character has been through.
Wizards are very powerful, but take a longer time to get to that power level, due to the system of experience.
Some monsters are basically indestructible, but this can be easily understood if you grasp the concept behind the world.
In a nutshell, your D&D players may get the jitters with this one, but your Cthulhu players will have a LOT of fun.
Archibald Theocliste
First Post
Ok, basically Warhammer is the only RPG using d100 that I really play (I usually hate systems revolving around a d100).
The world is great, if you want a lot of info then Internet is the place to look, this game has a good support (and a lot of info can be grabbed from Warhammer Battle and WHK 40 000). The gameworld is dark, dangerous, a little steampunk (well at least, unless you put your hands on an old "Realms of Chaos", you won't see lasers, plasma guns and other heavy warmachines ) and looks a lot like our ancient Europe. Your elves are psychopaths, dark elves are psychopaths, chaos dwarves are psychopaths, dwarves are stubborn (sp?) psychopaths, humans are on the verge of becoming psychopaths, orcs and goblins are fine (they'll save the world, hear my words!), halfings die and the most powerful God of Chaos is one of the most Lawful entities existing... Nice setting I say 
The system can be deadly and is easy to learn. The evolution using careers as said J Lloyd is very close to the actual PrC used in D&D. But I greatly suggest that you try to fight an encounter : combats can be very long with a lot of fumbles and this can quickly become really annoying. Last time we played our 4 characters made two fights in a row vs a guard then 5 cultist. Results : 30 mn fight and 33 fumbles (and two glasses of coca repainting our table and character sheets but that's another story ). Hell, my three friends grasped chairs in order to beat down the guard and on the first attack two chairs were lying down in their feet and the other on my head!
The world is great, if you want a lot of info then Internet is the place to look, this game has a good support (and a lot of info can be grabbed from Warhammer Battle and WHK 40 000). The gameworld is dark, dangerous, a little steampunk (well at least, unless you put your hands on an old "Realms of Chaos", you won't see lasers, plasma guns and other heavy warmachines
) and looks a lot like our ancient Europe. Your elves are psychopaths, dark elves are psychopaths, chaos dwarves are psychopaths, dwarves are stubborn (sp?) psychopaths, humans are on the verge of becoming psychopaths, orcs and goblins are fine (they'll save the world, hear my words!), halfings die and the most powerful God of Chaos is one of the most Lawful entities existing... Nice setting I say The system can be deadly and is easy to learn. The evolution using careers as said J Lloyd is very close to the actual PrC used in D&D. But I greatly suggest that you try to fight an encounter : combats can be very long with a lot of fumbles and this can quickly become really annoying. Last time we played our 4 characters made two fights in a row vs a guard then 5 cultist. Results : 30 mn fight and 33 fumbles (and two glasses of coca repainting our table and character sheets but that's another story
). Hell, my three friends grasped chairs in order to beat down the guard and on the first attack two chairs were lying down in their feet and the other on my head!
Zappo
Explorer
It is somewhat between D&D and CoC, though a bit closer to D&D. Magic is IMO underpowered because of the horrible amount of XP it takes to learn the spells. You can die easily if you aren't careful, but you can also survive well enough if you play smart. If you die, you are going to die messily.
Numion
First Post
As others have said, the game has great athmosphere that encourages roleplaying. The system is pretty old (the game is still in it's first edition - that's pretty long!), and it shows. In the long run the system breaks down badly. (We had a campaign that lasted 4-5 RL years, and with 6000-7000 xp points / character things got ugly). Generally speaking klunky and inconsistent mechanics may the ruin the game for some, but we enjoyed it.
I think that the term "game balance" was invented after WHFRP. Wizards require gazillion xp to amount to anything.
With all it's shortcomings it's still our second favorite game after D&D 3e. Not that we could really go back to the game.. we're too D&Dfied, I guess
edit: tags properly..
I think that the term "game balance" was invented after WHFRP. Wizards require gazillion xp to amount to anything.
With all it's shortcomings it's still our second favorite game after D&D 3e. Not that we could really go back to the game.. we're too D&Dfied, I guess
edit: tags properly..
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Femerus the Gnecro
First Post
I played a lot of WFRP when I was in the UK... it seems to be much more prevalent there than in the states.
We ditched the magic system though and integrated the Ars Magica system instead... quite possibly the neatest magic system EVER in an rpg.
The world is neat, and has a very medieval earth quality, so it automatically seems very familiar when you play it.
The class system is neat as well... it's very fun to be able to progress through jobs and careers instead of class levels.
-F
We ditched the magic system though and integrated the Ars Magica system instead... quite possibly the neatest magic system EVER in an rpg.
The world is neat, and has a very medieval earth quality, so it automatically seems very familiar when you play it.
The class system is neat as well... it's very fun to be able to progress through jobs and careers instead of class levels.
-F
Mathew_Freeman
Adventurer
It has some noticable strengths and weaknesses.
The combat system, as noted, could lead to too many fumbles. And your wizards really suffered compared to everyone else at low levels.
I'd agree its more CoC than D&D. Lots of investigating rumours of chaotic infiltration, rather than, "lets go down a dungeon and bash things and steal their stuff".
And don't get me started on the careers. Never liked that.
But the setting is great (yay Skaven!), the history of the world is fun, the religion/magic thing really works and obviously, getting hold of miniatures isn't going to be difficult...!
I think it's more prevalent in the UK because its a UK written game. Plus, a lot of people (used) to start playing Warhammer Battles (or even HeroQuest and Advanced HeroQuest) and then work their way onto WFRP.
On a tangent, did anyone else have the original Warhammer 40K book? Now there was a setting crying out for a roleplaying game! Should have gone in that direction, rather than a table top game.
The combat system, as noted, could lead to too many fumbles. And your wizards really suffered compared to everyone else at low levels.
I'd agree its more CoC than D&D. Lots of investigating rumours of chaotic infiltration, rather than, "lets go down a dungeon and bash things and steal their stuff".
And don't get me started on the careers. Never liked that.
But the setting is great (yay Skaven!), the history of the world is fun, the religion/magic thing really works and obviously, getting hold of miniatures isn't going to be difficult...!
I think it's more prevalent in the UK because its a UK written game. Plus, a lot of people (used) to start playing Warhammer Battles (or even HeroQuest and Advanced HeroQuest) and then work their way onto WFRP.
On a tangent, did anyone else have the original Warhammer 40K book? Now there was a setting crying out for a roleplaying game! Should have gone in that direction, rather than a table top game.
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