Warhammer RPG. Which Books?

[Ulric]

I have no Warhammer rpg books and know little about it. If someone were to get into the Warhammer rpg, which books are must buy? Which books do you like? Which books are a waste of time?

ADD: Are there any campaign books? I know there is a lot of Warhammer fiction. If I wanted to learn as much as a could about the Warhammer world as quickly as I could, which books should I read? Should I read any of the novels?

 

[Maggan]

I have no Warhammer rpg books and know little about it. If someone were to get into the Warhammer rpg, which books are must buy? Which books do you like? Which books are a waste of time?

ADD: Are there any campaign books? I know there is a lot of Warhammer fiction. If I wanted to learn as much as a could about the Warhammer world as quickly as I could, which books should I read? Should I read any of the novels?

In my opinion the only book you need is Core Rulebook. That should give you enough info to play the game and get a taste of the world.

In addition to this book, get Sigmar's Heirs, Old World Bestiary and The WFRP Companion, to round out the setting info.

Also, check out my blog, it's in my sig.

/Magnus

 

[mhensley]

Read the first couple of TrollSlayer novels. They'll give you a good idea of what adventures in WH are like.

 

[Ourph]

I agree with what Maggan said except that I don't think much of the Warhammer Companion and would recommend Children of the Horned Rat in its stead (if you are interested in setting info about the Skaven).

 

[frankthedm]

WFRP Compainion is kinda cool and has a some useful things, but not "needed". If you can get it at 30% off, go for it. The rules for trade are usefull "sure you can sell swag for full, thouigh the Trade Unions made sure selling more thasn 20 golds worth per weak is illegal.", expanded exampples of social skills are nice too.

Old world armory tend to be a popular book around my table.

Sigma's Heirs is ~o.k.~, though it feels like it needed more to it, plus the maps leave a LOT to be desired.

Warning:Realms of chaos has some printing errors and some insanely potent things.

 

[Gothmog]

Obviously, you'll need the WHFRP2 core book, but beyond that, I'd get the following books:

#1 Sigmar's Heirs- assuming you're wanting to run your game in the Empire, this book is essential for doing so. While the maps aren't great, the background material is invaluable.

#2 WHFRP Bestiary- the best creature book out there for production values and flavor text, bar none.

#3 Tome of Salvation- this book just came out, but it details all the faiths of the Old World, and has a TON of background info that lets you understand religious practices, festivals, holidays, heresies, and religious orders.

#4 Shadow of the Horned Rat- lets face it, we all love Skaven.

Past that, the other books I've gotten a lot of use out of are Tome of Corruption, Realms of Sorcery, and the WHFRP Companion. The adventures are nice to have, but I use them more for inspiration than to run as-is. The Bretonnia book and the Border Princes are well done, and if you intend to campaign in those areas, they are also great books.

As far as the novels go, I've enjoyed the Witch Hunter novels, the first three of the Gotrek and Felix books, and the recent short story compilation Tales of the Old World. Dan Abnett's Darkblade novels are decent reads too, although they concern the dark elves and don't directly deal with the old world, but give decent insight into the workings of Chaos.

 

[frankthedm]

http://www.davesgames.net/wfrp2/index.htm

http://www.andreas.blicher.info/

http://www.davesgames.net/wfrp2/index.htm

http://www.blackindustries.com/?template=WH&content=scenarios

 

[Technomancer]

Aside from the core book, you need the Bestiary, and if you want to play a serious magic user you should get Realms of Sorcery. Sigmar's Heirs is good if you intend to play in the Empire.

 

[Breakdaddy]

As a beginner I wouldnt burden myself too much with excess rulebooks. I would probably get the core book and the bestiary. If you want setting info, get sigmars heirs as well. Having said that, Realms of Sorcery is an awesome book IMO as is the Skaven book. I've got all of the WFRP2 books but these are the ones I go to the most, as well as the decent but not entirely necessary Old World Armoury book.

 

[HellHound]

While I agree that the Bestiary is one of the best monster books out there, I place it near the bottom of my "must have list". It just isn't needed for the game. Honestly, I've been running my game using the core rule book just fine... although I happen to have just about every supplement out there.

My recommendation is the core rules first, and if you like the setting get Sigmar's Heirs right away.

However, if you aren't sold on the setting and want a little more knightly of a setting, pick up "Knights of the Grail".

Realms of Sorcery is sold out now, so if you see it, you might consider grabbing a copy.