Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 5th Edition Is Coming in 2026

2026 will the 40th anniversary of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, the classic British fantasy TTRPG launched in 1986 by Games Workshop. It's also the year of a brand new edition of the game, with WFRP 5E hitting shelves, courtesy of Cubicle 7.

Cubicle 7's CEO Dominic McDowall, in an interview with Wargamer, indicated that the new edition will be backwards compatible with 4th edition, retaining the classic d100 system, and set in a similar time period. There will be a conversion document of sorts, but most older material will be usable with ease.

McDowall said that the goal is to 'standardize' things more, and remove subsystems which don't add enough player satisfaction in relation to their complexity. Existing 4th Edition books will not be re-released, and a new 'mega campaign' is being worked on.

WFRP has been published by various publishers over the decades--Games Workshop, Hogshead Publishing, Green Ronin/Black Industries, Fantasy Flight Games, and--since 2018--Cubicle 7. The game is set in a 'grimdark' fantasy setting called the 'Old World', with various regions very loosely based on countries in the Middle Ages. One of the game's predominant themes is the battle against Chaos, as represented by beastmen, mutated ratmen (Skaven), and dark cults.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Why? Why is the option for progression bad?

You can still bounce from one career to Judicial Champion if that’s what you want provided it makes sense in the game. No one is stopping you playing that way if you want. It’s explicitly set out in the rules.

I much prefer it to the very arbitrary career paths from 1st and 2nd.

It's not "an option" for progression. It is the default for progression that changed. Pre-4e WFRP used a careers based system in which every character makes routine and regular choices as they level up, deciding how they will grow. Meanwhile WFRP 4e is a class based system in which your classes are just called things like Townsman or Noble rather than Fighter or Rogue. And unless you multiclass progression is laid in front of you on a straight track.

It also ripped away the worldbuilding in the form of which job could lead on to which job. Every career in WFRP 2e had about half a dozen career exits and some career entries. Meanwhile if we take the Beggar as an example the only entry is Pauper (meaning being a pauper in almost all cases leads to being a beggar) and the only suggested exit is Master Beggar.

The simple version is that the 4e version is less realistic, leads to less interesting, detailed, or unique characters, and leads to much more cookie cutter growth with poorer worldbuilding. The careers system worked and provided something unique that was better than most comparable games. And if you wanted a default career path for people who didn't want to think how their character grew and wanted to have nice regular career paths (despite adventuring being an inherently unsettled lifestyle) you could have put in a default option or just go with the first option.

But I suppose if you want to play gritty D&D the WFRP 4e version works.

 

[Piperken]

I'm behind with some of these announcements so I apologize if this was clear.

Wasn't there supposed to be a recent Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay game due out soon that used Cubical's C7 d6 system?

Is this WHFP, but a different time period? I'm rather confused.

 

[TheSword]

It's not "an option" for progression. It is the default for progression that changed. Pre-4e WFRP used a careers based system in which every character makes routine and regular choices as they level up, deciding how they will grow. Meanwhile WFRP 4e is a class based system in which your classes are just called things like Townsman or Noble rather than Fighter or Rogue. And unless you multiclass progression is laid in front of you on a straight track.

It also ripped away the worldbuilding in the form of which job could lead on to which job. Every career in WFRP 2e had about half a dozen career exits and some career entries. Meanwhile if we take the Beggar as an example the only entry is Pauper (meaning being a pauper in almost all cases leads to being a beggar) and the only suggested exit is Master Beggar.

The simple version is that the 4e version is less realistic, leads to less interesting, detailed, or unique characters, and leads to much more cookie cutter growth with poorer worldbuilding. The careers system worked and provided something unique that was better than most comparable games. And if you wanted a default career path for people who didn't want to think how their character grew and wanted to have nice regular career paths (despite adventuring being an inherently unsettled lifestyle) you could have put in a default option or just go with the first option.

But I suppose if you want to play gritty D&D the WFRP 4e version works.

Dude. I’ve been playing WFRP for 30 years, and have four campaigns running for 4e. You don’t need to D&D-splain me.

In one of those campaigns, I have a spy-ex artist, a witch hunter-ex nun, a watchmen-ex sentry. My three year enemy within campaign has Noble, ex knight of the white wolf, ex duelist and a Ratcatcher, ex scryer, ex Riverwarden.

There are more career options in 4e than there are in 2nd edition. Somehow you have missed that.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Dude. I’ve been playing WFRP for 30 years, and have four campaigns running for 4e. You don’t need to D&D-splain me.

In one of those campaigns, I have a spy-ex artist, a witch hunter-ex nun, a watchmen-ex sentry. My three year enemy within campaign has Noble, ex knight of the white wolf, ex duelist and a Ratcatcher, ex scryer, ex Riverwarden.

There are more career options in 4e than there are in 2nd edition. Somehow you have missed that.

And D&D 3.0 worked if you played it as if it was 2e. You are continuing to play 4e as if it was 2e which works better - but the scaffolding and signposts have been removed. So if you have a guide who's been playing since the 2e era you'll find that path but new players very rarely will. Because now it looks like mixing careers is like D&D multiclassing.

Number doesn't matter half as much as pathways. And in D&D when you level up you technically have about a dozen options (one for each class) - how many do people take?

 

[schneeland]

Wasn't there supposed to be a recent Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay game due out soon that used Cubical's C7 d6 system?

Is this WHFP, but a different time period? I'm rather confused.

You are probably thinking of The Old World RPG, which uses a d10 pool system. This is a relatively fresh product line - so fresh in fact, that no physical products are out yet - that is distinct from WFRP and does indeed go a bit back in time setting-wise (300 years, if I remember correctly).

 

[TheSword]

And D&D 3.0 worked if you played it as if it was 2e. You are continuing to play 4e as if it was 2e which works better - but the scaffolding and signposts have been removed. So if you have a guide who's been playing since the 2e era you'll find that path but new players very rarely will. Because now it looks like mixing careers is like D&D multiclassing.

Number doesn't matter half as much as pathways. And in D&D when you level up you technically have about a dozen options (one for each class) - how many do people take?

I think you’ve been cruelly misinformed if you think these are my adjustments and not 4e. All these quotes are from the CRB. 4e is the most flexible career system to date. Far more sensible than making me take a set convoluted path to play the character I want. Flexibility for those that want it and a simpler path for folks that prefer a simple life.

You read in my many posts here that there are definitely reasons folks might not like 4e but the careers system shouldn’t be one of them. You should really consider giving it a go.

You can change to any career within the same broad category - academics, rogues, townsfolk etc

You can switch to the same level in a different career…

You can change to any career using an Endeavour

 

[Neonchameleon]

I think you’ve been cruelly misinformed if you think these are my adjustments and not 4e.

No. You are just missing the point. Yes WRFP 4e has multiclassing rules. So does D&D 5e.

By changing to "All careers have four levels and the only active suggestion is to progress in your career" WFRP has put careers on a level with 5e classes - and players who have been playing since 2e will play the way they used to but players coming in from 5e will treat it the way they do 5e multiclassing.

The paths may still exist but by turning all careers into classes WFRP 4e has torn down the signposts.

 

[TheSword]

No. You are just missing the point. Yes WRFP 4e has multiclassing rules. So does D&D 5e.

By changing to "All careers have four levels and the only active suggestion is to progress in your career" WFRP has put careers on a level with 5e classes - and players who have been playing since 2e will play the way they used to but players coming in from 5e will treat it the way they do 5e multiclassing.

The paths may still exist but by turning all careers into classes WFRP 4e has torn down the signposts.

I’m sorry that’s just not true. The player of the Rat Catcher-Scryer-River Warden was new to WFRP.

The sign posts are decided by what happens in the story not some arbitrary path that the rules tell you have to take. They switched to scryer because they developed an affinity for the magic items they were carrying around and became a rat catcher after chasing Skaven through the Fauschlag in Power Behind the Throne and The Horned Rat.

I think you’re wildly underestimating players - even new ones - capability of making decisions for themselves without being told what to do.

I think you’re also missing the point of changing career. It isn’t like D&D multi-classing at all where you take abilities for discreet classes. Neither is a career for a fixed period of time. For instance I could start as an artist and switch to spy. Several of the artist skills will overlap with a spy’s skills and the elements that an artist brings fills some gaps that the spy doesn’t get. I might spend 700 XP in Artist though or I might spend 5000 XP there. It’s all about choice and flexibility.

To say that destroys worldbuilding is bizarre to me. Making a judicial champion have to enter that career from sergeant or veteran is far more jarring imho.

 

[Aldarc]

FWIW, @TheSword and I may not see eye to eye on a number of matters of RP on this forum, but when they talk about WFRP, I listen.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

So I have a pretty basic question about careers.

When one starts their first career, let's say Rat Catcher, does the PC get all those bonuses listed in the character description, or do you have to buy them as you go along?

If you buy them as you go along does that mean the numbers listed represent the upper limit one can buy the skills, et.al. up to? (I assume they do but clarification don't hurt.)