Seriously considering Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (2nd edition)

[Ourph]

Ok. I'll try some questions about WHFRP.

Does it require (or recommend) that you purchase the WH Battle Game miniatures?

Using miniatures makes keeping track of combat a lot easier (just like in D&D) but it's definitely possible to do without. I can't recall any encouragement toward buying miniatures in the book (Games Workshop or otherwise).

Are there rules (in the core book or in supplements) about the warmachines - like the Screaming Bell of the Skaven, Snotling Pump Wagons, Earthshaker Cannons, etc.?

War machines aren't covered in the core book. There are a few passages about them in the Tome of Corruption and Children of the Horned Rat (Skaven sourcebook). The rules assume skirmish-level combat, not mass warfare (hence, few rules for warmachines). The Skaven book does go into some detail on smaller scale "magi-tech" in the Skaven book (Warp Pistols, etc.).

How many copies of the core book are necessary at the gaming table? Do you think 5-6 players could realistically share a book?

For actual play, players don't really need access to a book. Spellcasters can download spellcards from the BI website (fan created and hosted there) that give abbreviated spell descriptions and once the players are familiar with combat actions there's really no need to reference the rules. My group of 5 (plus me, the GM, making 6) share two books for character creation. I've made a chargen summary sheet that reproduces a few of the tables, which helps. Sharing books makes the process take a bit longer, but it is definitely workable.

Generally speaking, how long in real time does a standard combat take (assuming you know the rules pretty well)?

In my experience, most combats take between 10-15 minutes when the number of "monsters" is about equal to the number of PCs (i.e. 4-5 combatants on each side). I use a modified critical table for mooks that breaks critical hits down into "WP test vs. Fear", "Automatic Fear" and "Instant Death" that helps to speed combat along (frightened combatants run away from battle). The nice thing about WFRP is that this number stays pretty constant throughout the progression of the PCs. IMC, the PCs are into their 3rd and 4th careers at this point (equivalent of 12th-15th level in D&D) and the fights are taking about the same amount of time as they took when the PCs were first created. The only time a combat really stretches beyond 15 minutes is when the PCs are fighting lots and lots of weaker creatures (15-20 goblins for example). Even with the really large and complex combats most are finished in under half an hour.

 

[iron-spyder]

Your questions were answered quite well. I would agree that miniatures are not necessary. I sometimes use a few, but usually Rackham pieces anyway because I like them better.

I would also add that a character pack/folio for each player is more appropriate than several core books. What is handy to start/covers the basics, eases play:

Core book, Sigmar's Heirs, GM Screen and Character Folios. The Bestiary and Realms of Sorcery would be next, especially considering the amount of spells available for free on the official Black Library forum (look in the GM section at the top for the Sticky threads, they are all of help). Also grab a .pdf called Denizens of the Empire (free) for a huge load of NPCs.

 

[Frostmarrow]

Your questions were answered quite well. I would agree that miniatures are not necessary. I sometimes use a few, but usually Rackham pieces anyway because I like them better.

We found that the need for minis is smaller than for D&D actually. I agree with your sentiment about Rackham's models.

 

[shilsen]

This is a really interesting thread. I'm flying back to India for the summer and am now really considering picking up the Warhammer FRP book for some in-flight reading (a little known fact - long international flights lead to significant rules-mastery).

 

[iron-spyder]

One of the main differences you will find in Warhammer is the emphasis on adventure/intrigue over the traditional DnD dungeoncrawl. I am not saying that DnD is all about dungeoncrawling, but does happen often enough.

In Warhammer, on the other hand, you can have exciting game sessions without any physical combat and without ever going into a dungeon (although slogging through sewers happens).

You are also often running from the law in Warhammer, not playing the spotless adventurer admired by the crowd, the more you find out about the secrets of the Warhammer world the more deranged and horrified the characters often become. Often the crowds you encounter have torches and pitchforks, sometimes urged on by a witch hunter.

 

[shilsen]

One of the main differences you will find in Warhammer is the emphasis on adventure/intrigue over the traditional DnD dungeoncrawl. I am not saying that DnD is all about dungeoncrawling, but does happen often enough.

In Warhammer, on the other hand, you can have exciting game sessions without any physical combat and without ever going into a dungeon (although slogging through sewers happens).

This fits my preferences perfectly. I've been running an Eberron game (see sig) for 2+ years, and ran another for 2 years before that, both of which essentially eliminated dungeon-crawling as a part of the game. We usually do have combat every session, but that's mainly because my players like it.

You are also often running from the law in Warhammer, not playing the spotless adventurer admired by the crowd, the more you find out about the secrets of the Warhammer world the more deranged and horrified the characters often become. Often the crowds you encounter have torches and pitchforks, sometimes urged on by a witch hunter.

Speaking of DMing preferences, all I have to say to that is:

 

[iron-spyder]

Shilsen:
Hopefully you will pick up the rules and get into the game. It runs smoothly, has a few d20-isms and is easy to pick up initially by players of 3.x games.

The downside for combat heavy players is the fact that a goblin that gets in a lucky shot can drag down a knight. This is excellent for GMs and shocks players into reality fairly quickly. There are Fate Points to save them from death, but sometimes death is preferable to some of the things a devious GM can throw at players.

Check out their forums for handy GM tools (in the GM section)

The main site for WFRP has a plethora of goodies including many excellent, ready to play adventures.

 

[shilsen]

Shilsen:
Hopefully you will pick up the rules and get into the game. It runs smoothly, has a few d20-isms and is easy to pick up initially by players of 3.x games.

The downside for combat heavy players is the fact that a goblin that gets in a lucky shot can drag down a knight. This is excellent for GMs and shocks players into reality fairly quickly. There are Fate Points to save them from death, but sometimes death is preferable to some of the things a devious GM can throw at players.

Check out their forums for handy GM tools (in the GM section)

The main site for WFRP has a plethora of goodies including many excellent, ready to play adventures.

Thanks a lot for all the info.

The order has been placed

 

[Mallus]

Oddly enough, Shil, I was just checking Amazon for the new Star Wars Saga Edition's release date... and ended up reading all I could about WFRP ed2. I think I pretty much sold.

Now my big question is: can I use it to run CITY? Because I'll try... oh I'll try.

 

[iron-spyder]

You are most welcome, Shilsen. The downside to the new Warhammer rpg is that the adventure series, Paths of the Damned, comprised of Ashes of Middenheim, Spires of Altdorf and Forges of Nuln do leave a lot to be desired and are full of inconsistencies. However, they also consider good background information and new careers, making these definite 'maybies'.

Plundered Vaults is a decent collection of short adventures that are easy to work with and they do have a semi-dungeoncrawl called Karak Azgal. However, to begin with, I still suggest the adventures made by the fans on the official site and the Denizens of the Empire .pdf.

You will hear quite a bit about the mega-adventure, The Enemy Within (TEW), which is a campaign from the first edition of the game and as others have said, quite possibly the best rpg adventure series to date made for any rpg. There are updates and conversions aplenty and it is a constant topic of discussion on the official forums and crops up a bit on the best unofficial forum, Strike-to-Stun.