I Might Have to Run a Bad RPG System Next Week!

[Hand of Evil]

Use Zweihander.

 

[Neonchameleon]

First, as mentioned D&D is absolutely the wrong system to run WFRP in. The tone of WFRP is much closer to Call of Cthulhu, with the PCs being incredibly overmatched and with combat having lasting consequences and long term injuries being a thing rather than a combat you survive is something that can be cured by a little rest or an easily accessible and perfectly safe spell.

If you already know how to use percentile dice and D&D 3.X, WFRP 2e should be pretty easy. (There's a notorious Ryan Dancey review where he calls D&D 2e "a clever derivative of 3rd edition" despite every single reason he calls it that being a system that had been carried through from WFRP 1e in the mid 80s). I think it's one of those systems where the default action is "challenging" and you should frequently give the PCs bonuses when they try to do things.

Which version of WFRP would you be running (there are 4)? 1E (which TEW was originally written for) is a bit clunky but works.

2E takes 1E and systemizes it a bit. Works a bit better, but I think loses some of the original charm. You can run 1E adventures with 2E with virtually no changes.

The one place 2e is vastly superior to 1e is the magic system. 1e uses a generic spell point system where wizards can just do stuff, 2e uses a system where every spell cast is a risk that might end up summoning a demon.

 

[Retreater]

I ran our Session 0 last week, which included random character generation and a playthrough of the first chapter of the adventure module. No combat erupted, so it eased the players into the mechanics of the system with simple skill checks and a few opposed checks that didn't have disastrous consequences even if we messed it up. So all of that went okay. In a couple weeks we will try out the combat system and see how that holds up.

 

[Jaeger]

My group is on board to play one of the most celebrated published campaigns of all time "The Enemy Within" for Warhammer Fantasy RPG...
With all the talk of Bait and Switch, how terrible would it be to run the campaign in a more familiar system (D&D)?

Hmmm...

...WHFRP uses percentiles, right? So if you know it, you could use BRP or a BRP based system like Runequest, Stormbringer or Call of Cthulu. Ideal for horror gaming!...

A version of BRP; Stormbringer or Magic World, is actually a rather good suggestion.

And IMHO are much smoother systems than every official version of WFRP.

The trick would be converting the Magic system for sorcery, Virtually all of the creatures/human enemies can be eyeballed by comparing the BRP to the WHFRP equivalent, and just going with the BRP version.

For Sorcery, is should be a matter of reskinning most of the avaliable system in Sormbringer or magic world, but it will require more extra work after the spells have been translated over to give it the Warhammer "risky" magic feel.

 

[Don Durito]

If you want something like D&D to run Warhammer use Shadow of a Demon Lord.

 

[Jaeger]

If you want something like D&D to run Warhammer use Shadow of a Demon Lord.

I disagree.

Far easier to do WHFRP to a BRP system: Stormbringer - Magic World. Because all the mundane stuff like characters, NPC's, combat, and even most creatures is just a re-naming job to play in the WHFRP setting. i.e. you will largely be using the BRP system as is.

A little more work would be needed for magic to work out a "risk" mechanic after re-naming most spells. But that's about it.

For Shadow of the demon lord - you are looking at very extensive house rules. All the classes would need adjustment, same with all the magic, and level advancements, and careers. You would have to touch almost everything aside from combat.

 

[Don Durito]

You don’t convert you just run it.

 

[Jaeger]

You don’t convert you just run it.

Then you are playing shadow of the demon lord.

Not using Shadow of the demon lord rules in the War hammer setting.

 

[Don Durito]

Nah. It’s just not being precious about setting.

 

[aramis erak]

Nah. It’s just not being precious about setting.

The Enemy Within Campaign, Which the OP has indicated is desired, isn't just set in the WFRP world, but it's the definitive product on the setting. If you don't do the WFRP setting tropes, the adventure simply does not work, because the adventure is written for and to highlight and exemplify those tropes, and the places and peoples of the Empire..

So, your "not being precious to the setting" amounts to "ignore the whole adventure save for combats" in this case.