Some Dude
Explorer
CHAPTER 11: GAME MASTERY
The next 104 pages are a guide for Zweihander GMs. These pages cover, from a different perspective, much of the material that has already been discussed. And a bunch that hasn't.
First, it is explained that Zweihander "doesn't have an implied setting". I have heard others debate this, and I understand it. While this book gives us a pantheon of deities, a bestiary, and a pretty clear idea of the technology level our characters will be dealing with, there are no maps nor any named lands. However, there is certainly enough here to form a solid foundation upon which to build. It is perhaps a bit of an identity crisis born of the necessity to present a complete game, while at the same time keeping its distance from Games Workshop's IP. I've seen gamers adapt to this in one of three ways: run their own settings, run WFRP adventures, and just play the game as is without delving too much into the greater world. My own approach has been a combination of the latter two.
The game uses "Grim & Perilous Themes" to set a mood for whatever adventures the GM and their players wish to have. The beginning of this Chapter encourages those playing Zweihander to strike a balance between the Grim & Perilous world and playability. Keep it Grim & Perilous, but allow for hope , and maybe even the occasional positive outcome.
Zweihander is meant to be, well, almost like a dark fairytale. A game of low Magick and low fantasy. As stated in the previous Chapter, mages are neither plentiful nor particularly trusted. There is a bit about what is meant by "low fantasy" and any reader who doesn't yet understand why this game is different than, say, D&D, will understand once they have read it. There is also a bit about the creeping influence of Chaos, and the Corruption that infects so much of the game world.
Chapter 11 then proceeds to give instruction, clarification and additional information that can be used by GMs to manage and enhance their games. It goes over all of the pertinent rules from the previous Chapter, offering a deeper examination of how these rules work, and why they work the way they do. This is also the place where you will fond the "GMs only" information found in most RPGs.
There are helpful tips and tricks , such as "Determine Initiative Ladder" at the start of the game session, which I have adopted into my own games. Another helpful hint is to have the players use index cards to keep track of in-game info picked up by their characters.
Skill Tests and Combat Rules are explained in greater detail, and there are three tables (Moderate, Serious, and Grievous) for determining which Injuries Character suffer if they roll a "6" on the Chaos die after suffering Damage. There are also tables for determining what exactly happens if a foe is Slain!, separated by weapon type. These will give you something to say besides, "Welp, ya killed 'em!" at the conclusion of a fight.
Speaking of fighting, there is a page on how to fight Flying Creatures, and a list of creature Size classifications.
There are instructions for creating encounters, encompassing such elements as Risk Factor, a way of determining how big a threat is posed by a given creature so you can match them to your players' skill level.
There are some neat ideas for using weather, terrain and environmental effects to enhance the drama and Peril of your game.
Several pages of Alternative Combat Rules add optional systems for Weapon Damage, number of Attacks, Encumbrance, hit location and Armor. What I like about these is that they don't add a lot of bulk to the system. They act off of the same mechanics we have already learned at this point. I'm not using these in my current game, as we are still beginners. But, they seem like they could be grafted on seamlessly.
There is a system for Chase Scenes, which is a really nice touch. I really dug systems like this in the old James Bond 007 and Justice, Inc. games. What we have here is a system based off of the game's core mechanic, that gives you an option for chase scenes beyond "this is just a different kind of dungeon". or "Press X for fast travel". Similarly, there are over 10 pages of rules for Overland Travel, and the encounters on might have, in both mundane places, and locales that may have a strong presence of Magick.
Reward points, thier distribution and use get a bit of magnification here. As well as Reputation Points, a Fate point-like finite resource that enables a Character to trade on the glory of past deeds.
Other subjects covered include:
-determining the material strength (Hardness) of objects and/or breaking them
-Different types of Traps, their use and construction
-Chaos Manifestations (often the result of Arcane Magick use and very unpleasant)
-Divine Punishments that can be meted out to priests, shamans or cultists who fly too close to the sun or wield Divine power with carelesness. These are listed by diety, each being appropriate to the Divine being followed by the unfortunate player. Atonement is also discussed.
-Madick Items: though rare and dangerous, they exist
-NPCs: how to run them, how to interact with your players as them, and how to give them personality, including the use of their Alignments., as well as a table for determining NPC Motivations on the fly.
One of Zweihander's cooler features is next: a section on Social Intrigue. Bits like this, and the aforementioned Chase, Travel and Exploration rules, really offer a great variety of roleplaying opportunities. Want to fight Gladiator in the pit? Zweihander does that. Want to take your party on a Fellowship of the Ring style trek across a vast stretch of unfogiving terrain? Zweihander does that. Want to charm the gullible and blackmail the guilty? Zweihander does that.
The various types of Madness are covered (Stress, Fear and Terror). Each of these has different triggers (listed). These require a Resolve Test which, if failed will bring Peril and Corruption. Speaking of which, there is also a handy reference guide for how much Corruption a Character may earn for different offenses, ranging from morally dubious to downright evil.
If a Character does succumb to his or her baser nature, they are likely to be assigned a Disorder by the GM, of which there is an uncomfortably complete listing here. Anything from becoming a hopeless drunkard to an arsonist is possible. But there are also Mutations to fear. Zweihander's GM section has made an exhaustive study of the ways in which your Characters can suffer.
Character Advancement is discussed, as well as some Optional directions it can take, at the GMs discretion.
There are optional rules for playing some of the "bad guys", or monster races which would not normally be allowed. Aztlan (Lizard Men), Grendel (Beastmen), Orx, and Skrzzak (Zweihander's analog to WFRP's iconic Skaven). This reminds me of a less humorous version of the Monsters! Monsters! supplement for Tunnels & Trolls. These races are given Attribute Bonuses and Traits. Each has the option of starting the game with a Mutation (a large table of which is located in the Appendices at the rear of this book).
Since Zweihander doesn't have an implied setting, there is a bit on world building. This addresses such subjects as Humanocentrism (remember, humans are the default race, barring GM fiat).
Different types of Rulership are detailed, for those wishing to flesh out their Fantasy sandbox with governments and kingdoms.
The faiths of Demihumans are briefly discussed, for those wishing to use and expand upon fantasy races in their game, as well as 11 alternative faiths which you can use.
The last part of Chapter 11 presents four "Campaign Seeds', which you can use as a springboard for your own world building. Each has a brief description, followed by three possible catalysts for drama..
The Enemy Within: possibilities for a campaign driven by internal strife
The Enemy Without: possibilities for a campaign beset by outside enemies
The Enemy Beyond: possibilities for a campaign faced with a supernatural enemy or enemies
Each Campaign seed also lists three possible Adventure Ideas.
The four Campaign seeds are:
-The Thirty Years' War: Europe, 1630. Embroiled in conflict and treachery
-Goth Moran Divided: This seems to be a quasi-medieval setting with lost of iintrigue, a la Game of Thrones.
-Gangs of Kahabro: Also set on the continent of Goth Moran, this appears to be a Grim & Perilous mash-up of The Warriors and Gangs of New York.
-The Lost Colony of Roanoke: Jamestown, 1691.
That finishes Chapter 11. My final thoughts are that Chapter 11 is a lengthy, well-written wellspring of solid practical information for the GM. This has covered almost all of the bases you are likely to ever need covered. The only omission I can see is maybe no rules for waterborne travel/encounters, or vehicular combat. Not that I'm complaining, and to be honest, I wouldn't be likely to use either one. But in a game that seems to include absolutely everything, some things are conspicuous by their absence.
Despite that, no one could ever accuse the author of attempting anything less than crafting one of the most inclusive core rulebooks I have ever seen.
I hope this has given y'all a decent overview of Chapter 11. Only two more to go. Next up is CHAPTER 12: BESTIARY. After that, the sample adventure CHAPTER 13: A BITTER HARVEST. Then a few words about the various Appendices, and we should be done with the Core Rulebook. Thanks for hanging in there!
The next 104 pages are a guide for Zweihander GMs. These pages cover, from a different perspective, much of the material that has already been discussed. And a bunch that hasn't.
First, it is explained that Zweihander "doesn't have an implied setting". I have heard others debate this, and I understand it. While this book gives us a pantheon of deities, a bestiary, and a pretty clear idea of the technology level our characters will be dealing with, there are no maps nor any named lands. However, there is certainly enough here to form a solid foundation upon which to build. It is perhaps a bit of an identity crisis born of the necessity to present a complete game, while at the same time keeping its distance from Games Workshop's IP. I've seen gamers adapt to this in one of three ways: run their own settings, run WFRP adventures, and just play the game as is without delving too much into the greater world. My own approach has been a combination of the latter two.
The game uses "Grim & Perilous Themes" to set a mood for whatever adventures the GM and their players wish to have. The beginning of this Chapter encourages those playing Zweihander to strike a balance between the Grim & Perilous world and playability. Keep it Grim & Perilous, but allow for hope , and maybe even the occasional positive outcome.
Zweihander is meant to be, well, almost like a dark fairytale. A game of low Magick and low fantasy. As stated in the previous Chapter, mages are neither plentiful nor particularly trusted. There is a bit about what is meant by "low fantasy" and any reader who doesn't yet understand why this game is different than, say, D&D, will understand once they have read it. There is also a bit about the creeping influence of Chaos, and the Corruption that infects so much of the game world.
Chapter 11 then proceeds to give instruction, clarification and additional information that can be used by GMs to manage and enhance their games. It goes over all of the pertinent rules from the previous Chapter, offering a deeper examination of how these rules work, and why they work the way they do. This is also the place where you will fond the "GMs only" information found in most RPGs.
There are helpful tips and tricks , such as "Determine Initiative Ladder" at the start of the game session, which I have adopted into my own games. Another helpful hint is to have the players use index cards to keep track of in-game info picked up by their characters.
Skill Tests and Combat Rules are explained in greater detail, and there are three tables (Moderate, Serious, and Grievous) for determining which Injuries Character suffer if they roll a "6" on the Chaos die after suffering Damage. There are also tables for determining what exactly happens if a foe is Slain!, separated by weapon type. These will give you something to say besides, "Welp, ya killed 'em!" at the conclusion of a fight.
Speaking of fighting, there is a page on how to fight Flying Creatures, and a list of creature Size classifications.
There are instructions for creating encounters, encompassing such elements as Risk Factor, a way of determining how big a threat is posed by a given creature so you can match them to your players' skill level.
There are some neat ideas for using weather, terrain and environmental effects to enhance the drama and Peril of your game.
Several pages of Alternative Combat Rules add optional systems for Weapon Damage, number of Attacks, Encumbrance, hit location and Armor. What I like about these is that they don't add a lot of bulk to the system. They act off of the same mechanics we have already learned at this point. I'm not using these in my current game, as we are still beginners. But, they seem like they could be grafted on seamlessly.
There is a system for Chase Scenes, which is a really nice touch. I really dug systems like this in the old James Bond 007 and Justice, Inc. games. What we have here is a system based off of the game's core mechanic, that gives you an option for chase scenes beyond "this is just a different kind of dungeon". or "Press X for fast travel". Similarly, there are over 10 pages of rules for Overland Travel, and the encounters on might have, in both mundane places, and locales that may have a strong presence of Magick.
Reward points, thier distribution and use get a bit of magnification here. As well as Reputation Points, a Fate point-like finite resource that enables a Character to trade on the glory of past deeds.
Other subjects covered include:
-determining the material strength (Hardness) of objects and/or breaking them
-Different types of Traps, their use and construction
-Chaos Manifestations (often the result of Arcane Magick use and very unpleasant)
-Divine Punishments that can be meted out to priests, shamans or cultists who fly too close to the sun or wield Divine power with carelesness. These are listed by diety, each being appropriate to the Divine being followed by the unfortunate player. Atonement is also discussed.
-Madick Items: though rare and dangerous, they exist
-NPCs: how to run them, how to interact with your players as them, and how to give them personality, including the use of their Alignments., as well as a table for determining NPC Motivations on the fly.
One of Zweihander's cooler features is next: a section on Social Intrigue. Bits like this, and the aforementioned Chase, Travel and Exploration rules, really offer a great variety of roleplaying opportunities. Want to fight Gladiator in the pit? Zweihander does that. Want to take your party on a Fellowship of the Ring style trek across a vast stretch of unfogiving terrain? Zweihander does that. Want to charm the gullible and blackmail the guilty? Zweihander does that.
The various types of Madness are covered (Stress, Fear and Terror). Each of these has different triggers (listed). These require a Resolve Test which, if failed will bring Peril and Corruption. Speaking of which, there is also a handy reference guide for how much Corruption a Character may earn for different offenses, ranging from morally dubious to downright evil.
If a Character does succumb to his or her baser nature, they are likely to be assigned a Disorder by the GM, of which there is an uncomfortably complete listing here. Anything from becoming a hopeless drunkard to an arsonist is possible. But there are also Mutations to fear. Zweihander's GM section has made an exhaustive study of the ways in which your Characters can suffer.
Character Advancement is discussed, as well as some Optional directions it can take, at the GMs discretion.
There are optional rules for playing some of the "bad guys", or monster races which would not normally be allowed. Aztlan (Lizard Men), Grendel (Beastmen), Orx, and Skrzzak (Zweihander's analog to WFRP's iconic Skaven). This reminds me of a less humorous version of the Monsters! Monsters! supplement for Tunnels & Trolls. These races are given Attribute Bonuses and Traits. Each has the option of starting the game with a Mutation (a large table of which is located in the Appendices at the rear of this book).
Since Zweihander doesn't have an implied setting, there is a bit on world building. This addresses such subjects as Humanocentrism (remember, humans are the default race, barring GM fiat).
Different types of Rulership are detailed, for those wishing to flesh out their Fantasy sandbox with governments and kingdoms.
The faiths of Demihumans are briefly discussed, for those wishing to use and expand upon fantasy races in their game, as well as 11 alternative faiths which you can use.
The last part of Chapter 11 presents four "Campaign Seeds', which you can use as a springboard for your own world building. Each has a brief description, followed by three possible catalysts for drama..
The Enemy Within: possibilities for a campaign driven by internal strife
The Enemy Without: possibilities for a campaign beset by outside enemies
The Enemy Beyond: possibilities for a campaign faced with a supernatural enemy or enemies
Each Campaign seed also lists three possible Adventure Ideas.
The four Campaign seeds are:
-The Thirty Years' War: Europe, 1630. Embroiled in conflict and treachery
-Goth Moran Divided: This seems to be a quasi-medieval setting with lost of iintrigue, a la Game of Thrones.
-Gangs of Kahabro: Also set on the continent of Goth Moran, this appears to be a Grim & Perilous mash-up of The Warriors and Gangs of New York.
-The Lost Colony of Roanoke: Jamestown, 1691.
That finishes Chapter 11. My final thoughts are that Chapter 11 is a lengthy, well-written wellspring of solid practical information for the GM. This has covered almost all of the bases you are likely to ever need covered. The only omission I can see is maybe no rules for waterborne travel/encounters, or vehicular combat. Not that I'm complaining, and to be honest, I wouldn't be likely to use either one. But in a game that seems to include absolutely everything, some things are conspicuous by their absence.
Despite that, no one could ever accuse the author of attempting anything less than crafting one of the most inclusive core rulebooks I have ever seen.
I hope this has given y'all a decent overview of Chapter 11. Only two more to go. Next up is CHAPTER 12: BESTIARY. After that, the sample adventure CHAPTER 13: A BITTER HARVEST. Then a few words about the various Appendices, and we should be done with the Core Rulebook. Thanks for hanging in there!
