Tell me about Warhammer Fantasy, please

[Aaron L]

I got invited to a game of WHFR (havent played anything in over a year!) and I wanted to know something about the setting. Ive read everything I can easily find online, all the Chaos stuff and a few things about the Empire. Me and the GM worked out the basics of my chracter: a Sigmarite warrior priest, a smiter of Chaos. Does anyone have any helpful advice or info for a first time Warhammer player?

 

[Ibram]

Chaos is everywhere, all magic users are evil, non-humans cannot be trusted (except dwarves)

 

[Karl Green]

Warhammer is one of my favorite worlds AND one of my favorite RPG (well 2nd ed is anyway). If you are starting out as a beginning character - accept that you "suck" and roll with it. We have had great times with battles where everyone including the bad guys all miss in a round. You’re like a 1st level peasant when you start out, so just accept it If you start with some XP you will not be as bad, but even mid-level of experience heroes are not overly powerful. Fate and Fortune Points can help though.

Now then some notes about WHFRP 2nd ed - All of you skills are based off your Attributes… so if you have an Agility Score of 31, and you have the Silent Move skill, then you have a 31% chance of Moving Silently. Most hand-weapons have the same affect, so instead of listing out longswords, warhammer, mace, or an axe, they simply list it as ‘Hand Weapons’ which is cool in my mind. When you run out of Hit Points (Wounds in WH) you don’t automatically fall to the ground nor do you ever go into the negatives. Instead you take “critical hits” that do various horrible things to you (like get cut off, etc) AND then you fall to the ground dying.

In the last game I ran we had a Human Noble who became a Duelist, a Human Peasant who became a Militiamen and then a Veteran (he also thought that one of his dead friends was haunting him as a spirit and would talk with said friend at the ‘worst’ times), a Human Zealot who became a Flatulent (and an irrational desire to burn everything to the ground) and a Dwarf Mercenary who became a bounty hunter (and thought that the Empress of the Empire was secretly in love with him and that she was sending him messages in the clouds… so he was always looking for them).

I can not say enough good things about Warhammer and I generally HATE role-under % systems... but for some reason with WH I totally love it

 

[Hammerhead]

a Human Zealot who became a Flatulent (and an irrational desire to burn everything to the ground)

That's flagellant. Not flatulent. Big difference.

 

[Hand of Evil]

These are the times before darkeness, the empire is weak and chaos flows across the land and cults run deep in the noble houses. Faith also runs weak and the people pray for salvation but only find greed, corruption and pettiness from the church. The people whisper that soon Sigmar will return, some say it is already so but he is being kept from them. The purge is coming and before it will be burned clean.

 

[Karl Green]

That's flagellant. Not flatulent. Big difference.

heheh sorry SPELL CHECK --- shaking my fist in anger

 

[Karl Green]

Hmmm one can best say that the Empire has a LOT of enemies… in the South there are the Vampire Counts, in the East there are the Ork hoards, in the north there are the endless Chaos hoards, and in the west… there are more Orks and Goblins. Living under most cities are the Underempires of the Skaven, seeking to spread disease and death to the lands above. In the new world there are lizard-men that seem to follow a Aztec idea of worship and the Dark Elf slavers sail the seas looking to kill and drag the survivors back to their cold wastes as slaves.

Those are only the most common ones I can think of off hand

 

[Breakdaddy]

WFRP rocks pretty hard. I wouldnt say all spellcasters are evil, but many suspect that they are all tainted with chaos. Unlicensed spellcasters are subject to being summarily executed and even licensed practitioners should watch their backs when not in the larger more urbane cities.

 

[Nomad4life]

WHFRP is a great game. Just remember not to get frustrated if your fledgling character tends to “suck” a little. That’s just the way it works... So better save those Fate Points for when you really need them!

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I forget who said it first. But my favorite quote on WFRP is:

People who play WFRP start out by thinking they're playing D&D, but end up realizing they're playing Call of Cuthulu

This game rocks. Just don't get too attached to your character.