WFRP3e: Dice mechanics

[Hand of Evil]

While interesting, I don't see where a pool of dice (x Ability + x Skill + x Challange, + x Misfortune + x Fortune + x Stance dice) is better than making a Hard Ability test.

Strange dice mechanics just don't go over well, just look to other games like Earthdawn. People liked it but no one played it long enough to get use to the system, simple is better upfront.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

I'm with the "in favour of it" crowd for now. Truthfully, I don't know whether I'll like it or not--but I can't wait to try it and find out!

The world has plenty of 320-page hardcover rulebooks. It's possible there are other formats/interfaces/methods of play that would work as well or better for RPGs. I'm excited that someone's actually exploring that possibility. Will it be awesome? Who knows? But it's awesome that it's being tried!

Hear, hear! I applaud FFG for having the chutzpah to go a new way. And this is, as you said, independent of whether it'll be successful and whether I'll personally like the result.

If we look at WFRP3e as gateway to our hobby, I only hope that FFG is successful in defining, describing, and selling the GM hat. While it's easy to have one person reading texts, rolling dice, and moving pawns across a game board, it's much harder to inspire the step to the real.

Oh man, if WFRP3e would not be so darn expensive! Or if Heidelberger Spiele would only publish a German version.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

While interesting, I don't see where a pool of dice (x Ability + x Skill + x Challange, + x Misfortune + x Fortune + x Stance dice) is better than making a Hard Ability test.

The ability to decide "I need to do this in a hurry" or "I want to take this slow and carefully" without having to calculate additional modifiers.

Strange dice mechanics just don't go over well, just look to other games like Earthdawn. People liked it but no one played it long enough to get use to the system, simple is better upfront.

I never had any problems with the Earthdawn Dice Mechanics - I thought they were pretty cool, actually.

 

[nerfherder]

I'm with the "in favour of it" crowd for now. Truthfully, I don't know whether I'll like it or not--but I can't wait to try it and find out!

The world has plenty of 320-page hardcover rulebooks. It's possible there are other formats/interfaces/methods of play that would work as well or better for RPGs. I'm excited that someone's actually exploring that possibility. Will it be awesome? Who knows? But it's awesome that it's being tried!

Yeah, I don't currently play WHFRP, but I'm curious to hear people's experiences of 3e, and it will be interesting to see how this approach to packaging an RPG influences other companies (if at all).

I found the comments in the article about "stance" interesting - my understanding from reading it is that a character can declare themselves to be acting cautiously, or recklessly, and by how much.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I never had any problems with the Earthdawn Dice Mechanics - I thought they were pretty cool, actually.

Me too but players did not like.

Great World - check
Great Support - check
Inventive Dice Mechanics - check - oops

I guess I never understood why Earthdawn did not take off.

 

[coyote6]

Did I miss the part where they talked about rerolls? I thought they said explicitely: If one of the dice shows a success symbol, it's a success. Seems to me there is no cancelling or rerolling.

One of the symbols on one type of dice allows you to add another die & roll it. Also, the failure symbols cancel out successes (and vice versa), and the good & bad fortune symbols also cancel each other.

I forget which does what now, but the PDF that explains the symbols mentions all that stuff.

 

[jgerman]

One of the symbols on one type of dice allows you to add another die & roll it. Also, the failure symbols cancel out successes (and vice versa), and the good & bad fortune symbols also cancel each other.

I forget which does what now, but the PDF that explains the symbols mentions all that stuff.

Yep, that info is in the PDF. I'm sure that memorizing the symbols is no problem. My issue is in regards to all of the die pool manipulation that needs to occur for every roll. It's not Shadowrun 1e but it's heavy. (In some cases I'd argue that the custom dice make it worse tbh).

 

[Wombat]

My problems with this new edition of WFRP (having not played, obviously, and only dealing with the material that they have released) is the "fiddly bit" factor. There seem to be a lot of little bits going on -- cards and dice and mats and tracks.

The part of the dice mechanics that puts me off is the need for very specific dice. These are not standard dice that I can pick up any any game store, but dice specifically manufactured for WFRP, in specific colours with specific faces. (Along with specific cards, mats, etc.) This is probably very good for the parent company, but as a player/GM I find this rather annoying.

 

[jdrakeh]

My problems with this new edition of WFRP (having not played, obviously, and only dealing with the material that they have released) is the "fiddly bit" factor. There seem to be a lot of little bits going on -- cards and dice and mats and tracks.

It has more components for sure but I feel that this is somewhat mitigated by the fact that these components are supposed to excise the oftentimes frustrating amount of bookkeeping involved in WHFRP and WHFRP2e.

 

[delericho]

It has more components for sure but I feel that this is somewhat mitigated by the fact that these components are supposed to excise the oftentimes frustrating amount of bookkeeping involved in WHFRP and WHFRP2e.

Perhaps, but the bookkeeping in WFRP is surely in the weapon properties and creature talents (essentially, the same problem as with D&D 3e spell-like ability lists - you get a one-word descriptor, and then have to look up what that means). The dice mechanic and skill system is actually remarkably straightforward - roll d% and get less than your characteristic (skill mastery gives a +10, 20 or 30% bonus).

This dice mechanic makes such rolls massively more complex, where before there was simplicity.

The introduction of item, spell and monster cards may help to mitigate this, but the same could just as well be achieved by using the 4e model of reprinting all the relevant information with the monster in full (taking more room if necessary). And adding item or spell cards is a nice idea, but could just as easily (perhaps better) be done as an optional supplemental product for the game.

However, it is possible that doing all of this will actually result in a very good game; I clearly cannot say until I see the finished product. It may well prove to be a very elegant design. I just fear that in all the excitement of the "shiny bits", they're losing sight of the things that actually made WFRP one of the great games.