What did you like about Warhammer Fantasy?

[mmadsen]

I've noticed that the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying Game gets "mad props" around here (e.g. One FRPG besides D&D), and I was wondering what made it great -- and what didn't hold up over time. If they ever come out with a revised edition, what should they keep, and what could be tweaked? What did you (or do you) like about Warhammer Fantasy?

 

[hong]

Orks that sprout like mushrooms.

 

[Sejs]

their elves don't prance about like sissies.

 

[Desdichado]

Great background and atmosphere, really. The game itself is quite primitive, IMO. I'd rather play a d20 game that has the same atmosphere, and if worse comes to worse, you could even steal most of the background easily enough.

Especially using the Book of VD as an integral supplement.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi there!

What did you (or do you) like about Warhammer Fantasy?

The setting.

They were never afraid to let the bad guys win. Evil is evil (none of this watered down evil).

 

[Mr Fidgit]

IIRC, i liked the idea of character pathing (careers?) to expand your skills and abilities (although this would be exactly like PrCs are now...)

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

Combat was to be avoided at all costs. Very, very deadly system. Even a character with 5 "careers" could be felled by a lucky tyro.

 

[Seule]

I liked the..... um, there was the... um, I dunno. I guess there was nothing I liked about it.
To be fair, i had one of the worst GMs I've ever encountered. I can list the things I particularly hated though.
The randomness in character creation.
I played a halfling, wanting to be a rogue. Randomly, I was a beggar. I had not one skill that was useful to an adventurer, and I had a very har time justifying my presence. Then we got into combat, I rolled the best possible result on an attack roll, I guess it was a critical, and completely failed to affect my opponent. This was a random thug attack. My character, because of random rolls, was completely useless in every way, I couldn't even carry anything because I was so weak.

My wife also played a character. She had a Dwarf, wanting to be a healer. She rolled a healer type profession, and had a 50% chance of getting each of three healing skills or spells, or something. She got none. Her only 'ability' of any note as a healer was that she owned three leeches. The campaign may even have survived 2 sessions, with the GM torturing us with the system and how pathetic our characters were, before we quit. I'm traumatized to this day. There may have been a cool setting, but without a character able to interact as an adventurer in any meaningful way, it all seemed to pale.

--Seule

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I think the setting is exceptional, and i find the carreer path system to be interesting too. Unfortunatly i can't find anyone interested in playing it.

BTW, for all of you that like bleak, dark, hard core settings I think Midnight is gioing to kick butt.

 

[kengar]

No two ways about it, the setting was the best thing.

I think the system/mechanics worked all right. It definitely showed its wargaming roots, though. The randomness of the characters was a bit harsh, but sometimes that led to great roleplaying fodder.

There's nothing "unplayable" (imho) about the way the game is now. The biggest problem with the game is the sporadic support it's had from GW over the years.