Games Workshop And Cubicle 7 Announce Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play 4th Edition

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While details are still forthcoming, Cubicle 7 and Games Workshop announced today that Cubicle 7 will be publishing a fourth edition of the classic British role-playing game, Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play. The new edition will launch "later this year." The new edition will take direction from the first and second editions of the game rather than the third edition recently published by Fantasy Flight Games.

According to Cubicle 7 CEO Dominic McDowall, "Like so many gamers I grew up on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. It's an iconic setting and I'm thrilled to be working on this new edition of the game. Our team have a huge breadth of experience with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and I’m excited to be able to bring the Cubicle 7 approach to the Old World. We’ll be revealing more of our plans in the coming months, so subscribe to our newsletter and keep an eye on our website!"

More details will come as we learn them.

 

[Will Doyle]

I love WFRP. One of the best descriptions of it I've heard is: "The bastard love child of D&D and Call of Cthulhu".

It's classic high fantasy in a gritty medieval world threatened by the encroachment of chaos gods. Magic is powerful, but exposes the caster to chaos corruption and is quite rare outside cities. The medieval setting is more realistic than most; rich with poverty, disease and class politics. Published adventures often pushed roleplaying to the forefront, inviting players to expose cultists, solve murder-mysteries, or carry out heists. Perhaps as a consequence, combat was brutal and could result in lingering wounds (although it was also one of the first systems to feature Fate Points to modify events). Players also rolled for careers, starting as lowly boatmen, ratcatchers and scribes rather than wizards or paladins.

I'd recommend it to anyone. Cubicle 7 have confirmed today on Facebook that this edition will be set in the Old World, not Age of Sigmar, and that the rules will be modelled on 1st and 2nd edition rather than a wholly new system. I'm really excited for it!

 

[mach1.9pants]

Cubicle 7 have hit a home run with The One Ring, perfectly capturing the feel of Lotr and middle earth. Even with the 5e version, it still works. The art is amazing too. So I have very high hopes for them nailing the first two editions feel with some great mechanics as well.

Mentioned above was the description 'love child of DnD and CoC' but don't forget the crazy British humour, it needs that as well!

Also mentioned was the divergence of DnD 4 and warhammer 3, I think they are both great games but lost the feel (to me) of the originals. I played a couple of years of DnD 4 and the enemy within campaign of warhammer 3. Excellent in their own right but not getting the (very hard to explain in writing) feeling of their predecessors. I have high hopes for cubicle 7 though, can't wait.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Also the fan frenzy had crashed their server, cubicle 7 website is down. Either that or the forces of chaos have already struck the first blow!

 

[Samurai]

Not sure how they'll improve upon 2nd ed, it was an excellent game, but I'd say add more ways for the mental/social abilities to influence the game so that increasing WS, S, and T are not always the best options.

 

[Henry]

Ditto here for love of the first and 2ns editions of WFRP. I have had a hard time gelling with the "pictogram dice" style of FFG's WFRP3 and Star Wars games, and the limited play experience of WFRP3 that I had just didn't sell me on it, despite having a really good GM for it.

That said, I also agree that WFRP2 had enough releases to stand on its own, and I hope it's truly a new edition. Just stick to the percentile dice and the option for random careers, and you've sold me on at least the core book.

 

[darjr]

I'm not familiar with WFRP. What is wrong with the age of sigmar?

 

[Winghorn]

Not familiar with this . . .what's 30 second elevator pitch on why / how it's different than 5E, Pathfinder, etc?

Warhammer is/was (probably?) the most popular fantasy wargame out there. Like it's sci-fi sister, Warhammer 40k, it differs from other fantasy settings by having a focus on over-the-top, semi-ironic grimness. In the RPGs, this usually manifests in the form of sky-high lethality and stupid accents.

 

[Ultramegolas]

I loved both editions of WFRP (there was no 3rd edition). I wouldn't categorize it as a low or high fantasy setting but low fantasy vs high fantasy. Player Characters often find themselves in a grim mundane world resembling renaissance Europe complete with disease, poverty and religious repression. This is reflected in character creation where characters start off in mundane jobs (for the most part) mirroring Call of Cthuhlu investigators rather than pulp heroes of D&D. But the fantasy is there, driven out to far away uncivilized lands or locked in dark basements for our own good and its about to burst free and turn your characters' lives upside-down.

Anyway, I can't think of any other company who can take the 'Feel' of a setting so loved by fans and fashion game mechanics to suit (look at DR Who and The One Ring). One good thing about the previous edition-that-shall-not-be-named is that the d100 system need not be a sacred cow; I have full confidence in their design decisions as I feel they have their priorities straight.

The only thing I am wary of is Games Workshop given the appalling way they treated Green Ronin/Black Industries during the abrupt end of 2nd Edition. Cubicle 7 probably has a time limited license for the setting and the clock is ticking for them to release a complete line of products before the rug is pulled from under them and if they are successful they could find their hard work and game system published by another company. If I was Cubicle 7 I'd just do some 'Adventures in the Old World' supplements and convert The Enemy Within campaign to 5th Edition D&D, take the money and run. Given that, I truly appreciate Cubicle 7's devotion to the project.

 

[Jer]

Can someone give a short summary of what "Age of Simgar" is and why it's supposedly terrible in a few sentences? Researching it online it seems like it's a War in Heaven kind of scenario and the Old World has been destroyed? Is that actually right? Did Warhammer stop selling as a product and GW felt the need to shake things up substantially or something?

My experience with Warhammer is almost entirely through the various incarnations of the RPG rather than the wargame - mostly actually 1e/2e to be honest. I always loved the setting and the unique career system of the RPG. I'm digging Shadow of the Demon Lord right now for similar reasons (though I haven't had a chance to play yet), but I'm not sure I'd be interested in a Warhammer game that didn't include the Old World setting.

 

[jaycrockett]

I'm one of the few people who really liked 3rd edition. But it may be because it was my first exposure to Warhammer Fantasy.

Now I'm off to my Amazon wishlist to see if I want to pick up anything before 3e goes from 'dead' to 'collectible'.