The Final Installment of The Enemy Within is out!

[Urriak Uruk]

Warhammer Fantasy Battle is dead, right? It was replaced by Age of Sigmar, which now has its own RPG. I don't think there is any connection between WFRP and AoS - two separate lines, from what I can tell.

They are, but on blogs/interviews I've read, it sounds like the authors of the new Empire in Ruins want the campaign to end at the point where Warhammer Fantasy Battle 8th Edition begins; with Emperor Karl Franz on the throne, in his prime. AoS doesn't have anything to do with that (it's further in the future, as 8th Edition flows into the End Times, which becomes Age of Sigmar).

Nope. That's all laid out as a possibility in the new revision, depending on player action.

Again, I haven't run it yet and have no knowledge of the previous edition, but everything you described sounds like possibilities of how it could end.

Sorry, are you saying that the bullets I laid out are how the events are described in the new book? I'm not talking about the alternative versions in the Grognard boxes, I'm referring to the default assumptions the book is thinking the PCs take.

 

[Retreater]

They are, but on blogs/interviews I've read, it sounds like the authors of the new Empire in Ruins want the campaign to end at the point where Warhammer Fantasy Battle 8th Edition begins; with Emperor Karl Franz on the throne, in his prime. AoS doesn't have anything to do with that (it's further in the future, as 8th Edition flows into the End Times, which becomes Age of Sigmar).

Warhammer Fantasy Battle 8th edition no longer exists, so I was just responding to that.
I guess they can say that is the intent in blogs or whatever, but the adventure gives no indication of that. In fact, some of the things in the old wargame have already happened in the past of the campaign world (Von Carstein, Grom the Paunch, etc.)
I heard their next focus was going to be products outside the Empire, but we'll just have to see.

Going through point-by-point, but putting it in spoiler tags.

Sorry, are you saying that the bullets I laid out are how the events are described in the new book? I'm not talking about the alternative versions in the Grognard boxes, I'm referring to the default assumptions the book is thinking the PCs take.

The Emperor Karl Franz, and his wife to be (Princess of Middenheim) are killed in an assassination attempt.

More likely to be killed by the demon, but unlikely to survive unless the PCs are very lucky.

The Crown Prince fails to be elected the new Emperor, is revealed as a mutant, and kills Boris Todbringer (before being killed himself).

100%. The Crown Prince becomes a demon and starts killing everyone. And I doubt anyone can stop him.

• The PC are recruited to find the mythical hammer Ghal Maraz before the Empire descends into civil war.
• PCs go on a series of missions through the mountains before finding and returning the hammer, as the Empire's civil war begins.
• The PCs return the hammer on the eve of a climactic battle, and civil war is averted.

Yep. That's in it. A big part of the adventure.

When the new emperor is about to be crowned (I forget this fellow's name), Ghal Maraz attacks the Grand Theologist, revealed to be possessed by a demon.

Kind of. They are presenting Ghal Maraz at a ceremony to bring peace to the empire. The Crown Prince is sacrificed, a massive demon comes and kills most people in attendance.

PCs fight demon, save the day and the campaign concludes.

We can hope they defeat it. It's got like 300 wounds, blue and pink horrors, and cultists. I don't think they'll beat it, but I've been wrong before.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Warhammer Fantasy Battle 8th edition no longer exists, so I was just responding to that.
I guess they can say that is the intent in blogs or whatever, but the adventure gives no indication of that. In fact, some of the things in the old wargame have already happened in the past of the campaign world (Von Carstein, Grom the Paunch, etc.)
I heard their next focus was going to be products outside the Empire, but we'll just have to see.

Going through point-by-point, but putting it in spoiler tags.




More likely to be killed by the demon, but unlikely to survive unless the PCs are very lucky.

100%. The Crown Prince becomes a demon and starts killing everyone. And I doubt anyone can stop him.

Yep. That's in it. A big part of the adventure.

Kind of. They are presenting Ghal Maraz at a ceremony to bring peace to the empire. The Crown Prince is sacrificed, a massive demon comes and kills most people in attendance.

We can hope they defeat it. It's got like 300 wounds, blue and pink horrors, and cultists. I don't think they'll beat it, but I've been wrong before.

Oh wow! That's surprising, I guess they just decided to redo the OG version as close as possible.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Warhammer Fantasy Battle 8th edition no longer exists, so I was just responding to that.
I guess they can say that is the intent in blogs or whatever, but the adventure gives no indication of that. In fact, some of the things in the old wargame have already happened in the past of the campaign world (Von Carstein, Grom the Paunch, etc.)
I heard their next focus was going to be products outside the Empire, but we'll just have to see.

Going through point-by-point, but putting it in spoiler tags.




More likely to be killed by the demon, but unlikely to survive unless the PCs are very lucky.

100%. The Crown Prince becomes a demon and starts killing everyone. And I doubt anyone can stop him.

Yep. That's in it. A big part of the adventure.

Kind of. They are presenting Ghal Maraz at a ceremony to bring peace to the empire. The Crown Prince is sacrificed, a massive demon comes and kills most people in attendance.

We can hope they defeat it. It's got like 300 wounds, blue and pink horrors, and cultists. I don't think they'll beat it, but I've been wrong before.

Empire in Ruins - Na skraju przepaści - RPGowa Alchemia

Recenzja "Empire in Ruins" - piątej i ostatniej częsci kampanii "Wewnętrzny wróg" do czwartej edycji "Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay"

rpgalchemia.pl

So I did FINALLY dig up an actual review of Empire in Ruins, albeit in Polish, and if you look at the spoiler tag, it does seem to go against some of the points you've said. The Polish review lines up more with what I was expecting.

 

[Retreater]

Empire in Ruins - Na skraju przepaści - RPGowa Alchemia

Recenzja "Empire in Ruins" - piątej i ostatniej częsci kampanii "Wewnętrzny wróg" do czwartej edycji "Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay"

rpgalchemia.pl

So I did FINALLY dig up an actual review of Empire in Ruins, albeit in Polish, and if you look at the spoiler tag, it does seem to go against some of the points you've said. The Polish review lines up more with what I was expecting.

Weird. I was referring to my PDF while writing my response. Maybe my quick scan for answers (since I've only skimmed the book on my own) led to some misinterpreting what was going on.
I'll need to read that article for some clarification.

 

[Retreater]

Empire in Ruins - Na skraju przepaści - RPGowa Alchemia

Recenzja "Empire in Ruins" - piątej i ostatniej częsci kampanii "Wewnętrzny wróg" do czwartej edycji "Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay"

rpgalchemia.pl

So I did FINALLY dig up an actual review of Empire in Ruins, albeit in Polish, and if you look at the spoiler tag, it does seem to go against some of the points you've said. The Polish review lines up more with what I was expecting.

Ok. So I just read the review and nothing in it counters any of the points I made. Is there something you interpret differently that I can clarify?

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Ok. So I just read the review and nothing in it counters any of the points I made. Is there something you interpret differently that I can clarify?

Yeah, it sounds like some events from the original are now moved around in order, so instead of this;

• The Emperor Karl Franz, and his wife to be (Princess of Middenheim) are killed in an assassination attempt.
• The Crown Prince fails to be elected the new Emperor, is revealed as a mutant, and kills Boris Todbringer (before being killed himself).
• The PC are recruited to find the mythical hammer Ghal Maraz before the Empire descends into civil war.
• PCs go on a series of missions through the mountains before finding and returning the hammer, as the Empire's civil war begins.
• The PCs return the hammer on the eve of a climactic battle, and civil war is averted.
• When the new emperor is about to be crowned (I forget this fellow's name), Ghal Maraz attacks the Grand Theologist, revealed to be possessed by a demon.
• PCs fight demon, save the day and the campaign concludes.

It's more like this;
There is an attempted assassination of the Emperor and his wife to be (Princess of Middenheim), but the Emperor is revealed as a double as the real Karl Franz is seriously ill.
The PC are recruited to find the real hammer of Ghal Maraz before the Empire descends into civil war.
PCs go on a series of missions through the mountains before finding and returning the hammer, as the Empire's civil war begins.
The PCs return the hammer on the eve of a climactic battle, and civil war is averted.
The crown prince is possessed by a demon, and tries to seize control of the Empire.
PCs fight demon, save the day and the campaign concludes.
This changes things somewhat, as it looks like what's meant to happen is that the real Karl Franz is supposed to survive the campaign. Or maybe his double takes control of the Empire, that's not exactly clear to me, but it sounds like either way Karl Franz is still the leader.

 

[Retreater]

Yeah, it sounds like some events from the original are now moved around in order, so instead of this;

Ok. I think the miscommunication was that I wasn't aware you were doing an chronological list. I was going through each point and saying "yeah, that's in there - maybe a little modified - but it's in there."

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Ok. I think the miscommunication was that I wasn't aware you were doing an chronological list. I was going through each point and saying "yeah, that's in there - maybe a little modified - but it's in there."

No worries, how would you know? It's very funny that the same events essentially happen, but in a different order!

 

[TheSword]

There are a couple of really nice twists.

Spoiler: Enemy in Ruins

The Karl Franz double is a smart idea. Particularly if you play it up. A good DM could have a lot of fun playing the emperors double as a bit dumb… a disappointment if the Emperor is built up to be a cunning diplomat. Doubles and the risk of doubles are foreshadowed in earlier books and the PCs may think they’re dealing with a doppelgänger.

Secondly the Crown Prince goes from being a mutant to being a protege of a set of tzeentchian tutors. Who are educating him to be liberal, progressive and a threat to the established order. By saving him the PCs are putting the empire in great peril… a really clever twist.