Warhammer RPG campaign starting--what to buy?

[MummyKitty]

The Warhammer world can bing you down. There are Lovecraftian undertones (magic is inherently bad and there can be serious repurcussions), there are gods and monsters of madness (but generally more intelligence and purpose, at least higher up) that want to destroy everything and make the world a realm of Chaos.

Sounds great to me! I almost picked up the book just for some background material for my Thieves' World campaign... may still do so. Would still probably use the d20 mechanics though.

 

[Eccles]

I'm going to be controversial here...

None of the books! (The basic rulebook if you absolutely must, and if you buy that, don't read it...)

It's Warhammer. None of the players should have the faintest idea what's going on in a wider sense. They shouldn't be able to to check what percentage chance the monster has to hit them. They shouldn't be in a position to afford a perfect shopping list of arms and armour. They should be ignorant, downtrodden, mostly unable to read, and smell faintly of the sewage as they've not had a bath since that ugly sewer adventure 6 weeks ago...

 

[Akrasia]

....
For a couple of sessions WFRP is ok, but it gets old real quick as the Elves just seem to laugh off what ever you throw at them. Not as many options or leaway as far as fighting and manuevers. The depressing atmasphere of the old world can also wear on you real fast.....

Nice threadcrap. I disagree with the opinion, but then I like the Warhammer setting and actively dislike 'bright and shiny' settings. The similarity to 14th/15th C Europe is a great plus.

I'm going to be controversial here...

None of the books! (The basic rulebook if you absolutely must, and if you buy that, don't read it...)

It's Warhammer. None of the players should have the faintest idea what's going on in a wider sense. ...

I somewhat disagree. It makes sense for players to have some idea of what is going on in the world (e.g. what 'The Empire' is, who the main gods are, what the basic careers involve, how the combat system works, etc.).

So for players, I would recommend buying the main rulebook. The Paths of Sorcery book would be useful for would-be wizards.

For the GM, I'd recommend the main book (of course), Sigmar's Heirs (EXCELLENT sourcebook, except for the lack of adequate maps for the provinces); and Old World Bestiary.

The Warhammer world is one of the greatest settings ever created, IMO, and the RPG is custom-built for it.

 

[Jody Macgregor]

For a couple of sessions WFRP is ok, but it gets old real quick as the Elves just seem to laugh off what ever you throw at them. Not as many options or leaway as far as fighting and manuevers. The depressing atmasphere of the old world can also wear on you real fast.

Sounds like you played first edition. Second edition has made Elves much more balanced and added maneuvers and other options to combat. It can be a depressing setting, but it's balanced by black humour and spots of utter silliness--one of the strengths of WFRP is that it handles more than one tone.

To the original poster, I would suggest buying The Old World Bestiary, which is one of the best monster books I've ever read. If you've still got cash left over, Sigmar's Heirs gives a lot of good background on the Empire.

 

[hellbender]

I'm going to be controversial here...

None of the books! (The basic rulebook if you absolutely must, and if you buy that, don't read it...)

It's Warhammer. None of the players should have the faintest idea what's going on in a wider sense. They shouldn't be able to to check what percentage chance the monster has to hit them. They shouldn't be in a position to afford a perfect shopping list of arms and armour. They should be ignorant, downtrodden, mostly unable to read, and smell faintly of the sewage as they've not had a bath since that ugly sewer adventure 6 weeks ago...

I was taking the question to be asking what the group needs as a whole. There is a section of the Bestiary for anyone to read, and the Realms of Sorcery and Armoury are handy for players and GMs. I wouldn't discourage them reading the flavor text at all, this way they get a feel of the grimness of the world, although I do agree that they do not need to see the stats for various critters and monsters.

 

[Piratecat]

I have a deep and abiding love for Warhammer 2nd ed. It's creepy, deadly compared to D&D, simple enough to be easily playable but complex enough to be interesting. I ran a game at the last Boston EN World game day, and had a lot of fun.

I agree about the advice upthread on what to buy. The pack with the character sheets isn't really worth it, and while I love the GM screen there's one important table that seems to be missing.

 

[Ron]

Quite frankly, the main book is complete enough to run any kind of adventure, specially a published one. Regarding the supplements, I've seem the Old World Bestiary and it's really a great book. About half of it describe the critters in terms of folklore and academic knowledge, the stats and other goodies are in the later part of the book to the GM eyes only. In the other hand, I was not very impressed by the Armoury, which I found both dull and unnecessary.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I would have suggested something along these lines if it wasn't so difficult to find good original warhammer adventures without spending a lot of money. If you have the money and can find them, go for it, you will not be disappointed.

Never will The Enemy Within series be topped, these are the best adventures for Warhammer and although in some parts a bit crazy, as a whole this is the superadventure of all time. If you can find the original Realm of Chaos books and don't mind temporary insanity, I suggest getting them as well.

One thing - sometimes you can get WHFRP 1st ed. stuff from EBay UK for a lot cheaper (even after postage) than in the States.

And The Enemy Within is indeed a great adventure series, bet the soft cover compilations if you can.

The Auld Grump

 

[Frostmarrow]

I was pretty disappointed that there are no petty magic or lesser spells in the Realms of Sorcery. Most of the stuff in RoS won't be available to my hedge wizard for months. On the other hand RoS makes for a terrific read. Chris Pramas really is a talented chap.

I think the rule book covers most of the game but I wouldn't GM it without the Bestiary. I'm a player, though. As a player you really want a copy of the rule book. There is much career planning amongst the players and if you lack a rule book of your own you'll feel pretty left out. Once someone is ready to lend you his, the interesting and highly amusing debate over career choices will be over.

 

[hellbender]

I was pretty disappointed that there are no petty magic or lesser spells in the Realms of Sorcery. Most of the stuff in RoS won't be available to my hedge wizard for months. On the other hand RoS makes for a terrific read. Chris Pramas really is a talented chap.

For hedge magic, other Lores and expansion on existing Lores, check out the Black Industries forums, specifically here. Quite a few fans have really gone overboard in providing a ton of spells. I almost want to let the wizards have more spells and make them safer to cast just to mix things up a bit and maybe *gasp* play a little more lighthearted version of the game (yeah, well, it will be a dream sequence).