Is Marienburg Gone?

I've been busy lately and blogging has fallen victim of this. Oh well. Now I'm back.

But what's this? It seems that in my absence Marienburg - along with the rest of the Old World - has been destroyed by Chaos. Oops.

Although some of the larger models in the range look stupidly gorgeous - others simply stupid - the End Times thing in fantasy has rather passed me by. I'll have to catch up with the story at some point. Yes, I have seen all the endless chatter on social media, and I've even clicked through to look at some of the comments by older gamers lamenting the end of everything they hold dear. I'm not sure why they're complaining as most of them don't buy new models or play current rules anyway.

3rd edition lives on chaps.

I though, am quite interested in what 9th edition holds in store. A skirmish game with round bases would suit my collecting, painting and gaming habits very well. Either way, I am waiting for the new beginning with more of a sense of possibility than many other old farts.

I'll keep the Marienburg name for now... even though I seem to be publishing in exile...

Climbing Sprue Mountain #4 - Marienburg

Ah, Marienburg, sweet Marienburg. The very inspiration for the start of this blog. It was around about a year ago that I read Marienburg: Sold Down The River for WFRP and got hooked on the idea of a human fantasy army to face up to all the grizzly and ghoulish nightmares of the Warhammer world. Since then I've played around with a whole host of ideas, bashed around a fair few minis, and found myself down numerous dead ends. Such is hobby life.

I've finally settled on a way forward though and it's really down to having a solid bash at climbing sprue mountain. As you'll see when I talk about my Genestealer Cult, I've found good uses for almost all the GW Empire figures as cult members (more on that tomorrow). I'm now set on making my Marienburg army completely from non-GW minis, specifically those that fit a more 'realistic' or 'historical' 25/28mm scale. This will make it entirely different from anything else I'm working on and thereby add some spicy variety to my time whittling.

To that end, the population of Marienburg has been stripped back to the swashbucklers and seadogs from Foundry and Black Scorpion, and a handful of LotR hobbits. From here on in I'm going to build a real/historic scale army that can be fielded in historical wargames as well as fantasy. The fantasy elements - a few halflings, elves, ogres and dwarfs scattered through the rank and file - can be added or omitted as seems fit. So, in an odd turn of events, while everyone has been going batty over Dark Vengeance I've been browsing Pike and Shotte box sets and dropping by the Perry Miniatures site.

A couple of salty fellows from the Foundry range accompanied by Pirate Long John from Freebooters Fate

These seafarers from Black Scorpion seem to be on the look out for something...

Hobbitses

Building Fantasyscapes - The (Mis)Adventure Begins...

Over the next week or so I'm going to be doing a lot of work building fantasyscapes. This is part of a wide scale shift in my gaming that will encompass both my miniature gaming and my regular RPG sessions with our gaming group.

  

In terms of the miniature gaming my problem is this: I'm just not that interested in playing any of the existing systems that are linked to certain brands of miniatures. WFB is fun and I've enjoyed getting back onto the tabletop over the last couple of years since around the time 8e came out.

But I want more.

I want to be able to build my own gaming world that allows me and my co-gamers to construct armies from the ground up, free from the commercial constraints of the mechanics bestowed by the major manufacturers. For this reason I've started to draft my own set of full rules inspired by a wide range of fantasy and historical wargaming systems. It will be mid-level as opposed to the increasingly popular 'skirmish' level games, it will use new types of game phase, provide a rather different approach to magic and melee, and will... I hope... be interesting and perhaps even inspiring to a few other people. As long as it's popular around my gaming table though, I'll be happy.

The RPG situation is necessarily more collaborative. Dr Bargle and I are working together with the Legend / OpenQuest systems (he far more than I at this stage it should be stressed) and our aim is to provide the basis for a world that will build through adventuring. It won't be plot driven, as my previous WFRP GMing turned out to be, and it won't be anchored in a branded system or world-in-a-box. Instead, the story will unfold in the shape of a game narrative pulled together as the adventuring party walks away from some encounter seeds while diving headlong into other points of intrigue... possibly with the consequence of losing their heads. Life will likely be short as combat will certainly prove deadly. The fantasyscape will emerge through gaming - everyone will have a say. I have high hopes for this as our gaming group is a creative bunch.

Of course, both endeavours may be accidents waiting to happen. Let's just hope that fortune favours the brave... If it doesn't, well, readers of the Gazette can enjoy watching two simultaneous slow motion car crashes and we'll all come out of this older and wiser!

The Mysterious Beast of Ibsengarth - WFRP Episode Three

Episode Three

Our hardy adventurers began this episode by deciding to stay on Ulrike's boat for the night as they continued to make their way upriver on the Reik. A safe move perhaps? Not on waters as unpredictable as these. During Albert's watch a swell in the river sent the boat sideways onto some rocks that were hidden just below the waterline, opening a sizeable gash in the hull. All the PCs worked together as quickly as they could to bring the boat around to the shore and through brute strength Mordrin and Gustav managed to wedge the forward into the muddy bank. During their escape to dry land everyone failed to make a clear jump, falling into the cold, turbid shallows. Mordin and Ulrike managed to swim back to the stricken vessel to rescue a handful of food and mead before she broke free and drifted, listing, then capsized, into the darkness.

Artist's impression of the PCs den

After building a rudimentary shelter and a modest fire, the PCs sat drying off and sharing stories about their lives [GM's note: I asked the players to come up with two stories about their character's lives that would influence the course of the narrative/adventure at some point in the future]. This is what the PCs told the rest of the group:

Mordrin - the rune bearer explained how he had never come to terms with being a dwarf born in a human town; he was enthusiastic about going to a major dwarf hold. He also confessed that he was able to speak with the spirits of ancestors, who often visited during his sleep in order to offer advice.

Gustav - the ex-soilder told tales of his troubled childhood. He explained that when he was very young his uncle Andre would come into his room at night dressed as a 'cotton fairy'; Gustav was scared he might touch him inappropriately, but he never did. In a later episode, his next door neighbors had a cat that fouled around their house and scratched his mothers wrist. She was a seamstress and the wound made her work very difficult, so he found the animal and wrung it’s neck.

Ulrike - the young smuggler explained that she gained her broken nose when she was betrayed over a deal by her father. They had a fight in a bar; it was the last time she saw him. Also, while she was bothered by being boatless she was also pleased as it was the last thing she won gambling - an addiction that’s now all behind her.

Albert - the halfling recalled how he had decided not to go to university, preferring to run off and steal precious objects, an obsession gained from helping his father in his antique business. Candidly, he also admitted that he had been afflicted by visions of gods since he was a child; he felt that tomb raiding would lead to finding ancient truths that might explain these images.

    

Grint Flambare of the Grissenwald Players

The next morning was crisp and bright. The adventurers found a nearby road and followed a rustic signpost that directed them towards Grissenwald and Nuln. They travelled well for a hour before they heard the sound of chanting coming from up ahead, shortly followed by the sound of stomping feet. Marching into view is a line of blindfolded flagellants - bizarre and potentially hostile religious zealots - led by a small diseased boy. The PCs moved quietly and respectfully aside, as the group passed, wailing, moaning and lashing each other's bloody backs. One of the crazed men pointed vaguely at the adventurers as they stumbled by, shouting something incoherent about the taint of chaos. Regardless of this disquieting encounter, the adventurers continued on their way, sending Albert's dog - now named Pao - on hunting sorties into the surrounding woods.

Further down the road our travellers came across a man dressed as a Witch Hunter who was leading several manacled captives. Although these prisoners looked like mutants and beastmen, the PCs could clearly see that these were normal men wearing make-up and costumes. When the Witch Hunter shouted something at them about the mark of chaos, Mordrin wasted no time in filling the man's face with a crossbow quarrel, his brains blossoming onto the ground at his lifeless feet. The chained group reveal themselves to be the Grissenwald Players - a troop of wandering actors now saved from a flaming death - and their leader Grint Flambare showered the PCs with thanks and eagerly gave them directions to the nearest safe village - Ibsengarth.

Arriving at the settlement they were surprised to be met at the gate by one of Gustav's ex-militia comrades, a man called Moritz Hausier. Moritz explained that he was the mayor of village and that it was organised as a commune. There were around 20 buildings, including a small farmstead, surrounded by a high wooden fence with a number of watchtowers. Moritz offered them supplies if they stayed and worked on the farms for a couple of days, bringing the last of the potato harvest in the spirit of the commune.

Downtown Ibsengarth

The PCs took up lodgings in the Inn - The Sticky Thicket - and had the opportunity that evening to take part in a singing contest to celebrate the feast of Less Growth (Gustav narrowly winning ahead of a duetting Mordrin and Albert). During the festivities a young man called Fallan who had quaffed too much mead revealed to Ulrike that the village was besieged at night by an unidentified evil creature - reportedly, this beast had killed livestock and almost killed a number of the villagers. Although it seemed like a peaceful place, the villagers actually lived in fear. Fallan added that Moritz rules over them very strictly: most of the young men are sent away to Nuln and seldom seen again (including his twin brother), while all the young women are rumoured to be involved in some kind of folk ritual that means (under some ancient god he thinks) they are the 'hedge wives' of Moritz. Fallan has only escaped this fate because he has 'the wasting' - some kind of disease that means his legs are bent, his joints seised, and he will likely die once the deep frost sets in. He asks that the PCs stay for a couple of days, join the guard against the monster during the nights, and help him investigate Moritz. He only wants to see his brother once again before he dies. They agree.  

The first day in Ibsengarth is spent picking potatoes… little else. Albert tries to avoid farming duties, only to end up peeling potatoes instead (he also attempted to make his stay in the village more entertaining by chasing after several of the young women...). That night Gustav tried to find out why Moritz is letting the cripple Fallen walk the walls on watch duty, only for a coy Mortiz to explain that the boy is like a son to him and he bravely does his part while seeing out his final days - Mortiz asks Gustav to accompany him on his watch in the early morning.

How the children of the village imagine
the monster

Accompanying Fallan on the walls, Gustav and Ulrike see the monster emerge from nearby woods. It is over 15 feet tall with gnarled horns and emits a a bestial screech. Fallan waves his torch (fire-blinding our PCs) and the village bells ring to call all to the safely of the inn. When all the PCs are reunited back at their lodgings the absence of Mortiz is noted, so they go to his house to find him. The door remains shut but a young woman answers their calls and says she doesn't know where he is. The stern questioning of a couple of the elder men still in the inn reveals that Moritz is praying in the village temple. When the PCs find him there - shrouded in a dark brown cloak - he explains that since his time in the woods he has developed a connection with the gods and spirits, and prays when the monster appears as a form of spiritual defence. The PCs are unconvinced and growing highly suspicious of Moritz - they leave him to return to the Sticky Thicket, planning to leave Ibsengarth the following morning. Taking a horse and cart by force if needs be.

The GM's Perspective

I put a good deal of work into plotting this part of the adventure and it's worked well... so far... I don't think I could ask for a better group of players. Each of them has really made an effort to develop their character with commitment and humour. I can't say too much more at this point, as we finished the session before this part of their story had fully unfolded... More before too long hopefully!

Fabulous Warhammer Maps

I've just found a great website that has fantastic copies of all the maps of the Warhammer world a GM, WFRP player, WFB campaign organiser, or just a plain old fan could desire. Some people will doubtless be familiar with it, but it's simply an amazing resource - check out Gitzman's Gallery.

The City of Nuln - soon to feature in my current WFRP adventure (as long as the PCs don't get horribly murdered on the way there...)

Fear On The Delb, Fire On The Reik - WFRP Episode Two

Episode Two

Daemonic Imp

The PCs began at the point episode one ended, rowing Ulrike's small smuggling boat down the river Delb away from Suderburg. As the early morning mist cleared there were no signs of life on the banks of the river - they were alone on the water. After discussing the necessity of finding food as quickly as possible, they sighted a lock keeper's cottage ahead of them. The weir could not be passed (the boat was too large to take safely out of the waters) so the lock needed to be opened. Ulrike and Mordrin set about this task while Gustav and Albert scouted around the building and its walled yard - all the doors and windows were secured with iron grills and the wooden shutters inside were tightly closed.

Once the boat was safely on the other side of the lock, Ulrike and Mordrin joined the others in surveying the dwelling for possible dangers and opportunities. Looking over the wall into the yard Ulrike spotted a smugglers' entrance concealed behind a barrel and some shrubs. Albert scaled the wall with Gustav's help, unbolted the gate, and all the PCs worked to clear the entrance.

Following plenty of cautious assessment the wooden hatch was opened, Albert undertook a quick safety check of the dark cellar beyond the partially collapsed shaft, before he and Mordrin entered to search for supplies. Unfortunately, a mishap during the recovery of some barrels resulted in the full collapse of the shaft, leaving Mordrin trapped alone in the cellar. Stumbling through the dark he found some stone steps and made his way with great care through a wooden hatch in the celling and into the building above. Once he had found the kitchen, Mordrin managed to force open a small window, and began helping the rest of the party through. This task became all the more urgent as an unnatural screeching and beating of leathery wings could be heard approaching from the tree line across the river. Ulrike and Albert made it through, but Gustav was forced to turn and face a Daemon Imp - he vanquished it cooly and with barely breaking a sweat. 

Lovely property with river views (including ottars)

Meanwhile, the adventurers inside the house were confronted by a large, growling hound. Mordrin readied to attack, but Albert managed to calm the beast and befriend it - the two quickly becoming inseparable. A cautious search of all the rooms meant the PCs garnered a number of useful items in addition to several weeks worth of food supplies. The group decided it was wise to be on their way before dusk in case other Imps - or worse - found them.

As yet unnamed hound - about the right
size for Albert to ride though, if he
likes the idea of being
halfling cavalry...

Following a few days of steady progress, down the river where the Delb joined the Reik they were faced with a blockade of military barges from the garrison at Altdorf. The massed army halted their progress and they were turned away curtly by a heavily armed captain, who informed them that  passage to the city was closed to all: their only option was to head upriver. So reluctantly they headed southward toward the Upper Reik, passing numerous refugees along the way.

Eventually, as dusk began to fall and they found themselves alone on the water, they turned a bend in the river and were confronted by a number of burning boats and ships. Ulrike slowly streared a path through the stricken vessels as Mordrin and Gustav used oars to push away any of the floating wreaks that drifted too close. The body of a dwarf was signed in the water and dragged aboard - Mordrin immediately saw that this was a fellow rune bearer, and with his final words this kinsman passed on a warning of a rampaging hoard of forest goblins - along with the parchment bound message that fate (and several arrows) had decided he would not carry to its destination. Mordrin swore to deliver it in his stead... making their next destination... the dwarf hold of Karak Azgal...

An insurance job?

The GM's Perspective

A hugely enjoyable session with plenty of tension, cooperation and conflict within the adventuring party. A good deal of well thought through role playing from all the PCs enhanced the sketched storyline that I had mapped out, and we progressed at a good pace through to the 'narrative device' of the stabbed/drowned/dying rune bearer. The wheels are now set in motion for the progressively grander adventuring to commence!

Escape from Suderberg - WFRP Episode One

Our plucky band of PCs have begun their adventure. Here's how they got on in the first episode...

*Check here for the background to the PCs and the setting*

Episode One

Ulrike, Albert and Mordrin were arguing in the cell they were sharing in Suderberg watch house. With all of their possessions confiscated at the time of their arrest for smuggling Kislevian furs, they were feeling quite vulnerable and annoyed - particularly Mordrin, who had been wrongly taken into custody. 

While Ulrike and Albert tried to convince the watchman Gustav to let them out (Albert even offered to cook them all breakfast), Mordrin struck up a conversation with the dishevelled old man in the adjoining cell. This scruffy character introduced himself as Otto and explained that he had once been a farmer in Kislev. Otto told of his homeland having been ravaged by something he kept referring to as the winds of chaos - he'd seen his people meet some kind of awful fate and was clearly driven half mad by the experience.  

As the conversations continued, Gustav noticed that the town bell hadn't rung to announce the morning market and that his colleagues in the watch hadn't arrived for the next shift. The other PCs also noticed the growing sense of unease; something made all the worse by Otto's resigned laughter. Gustav looked out through the iron grill on the watch house door and saw shambling figures through the early morning mist - he recognised some of them as townspeople, but they were somehow physically distorted and twisted... and they were heading for the watch house.

Gustav made the decision to release the other PCs, reasoning that the extra manpower was his most pressing requirement in the face of what he judged to be an impending 'situation'. As he was releasing them from the cell, an ethereal fog seeped through the high bar windows of the watch house - it was diffused somewhat by the sturdy solid stone foundations of the building, yet it still managed to touch each of them - Albert sensed a cup of milk on the table in front of his curdle, while Gustav passed out as the fog lanced up his nostrils. Only Otto, though, felt the full effect of the chaos magic, rapidly undergoing a succession of horrific mutations until his eyes grew six inch fangs that spat acid and began to corrode the bars [all PCs gained an insanity point]. 

As the PCs gathered all their belongings and the few weapons that the watch kept in its simple armoury, Ulrike revealed that she had a boat moored at nearby Blacksmith's Quay. The group decided to take the horses from the watch stables and make their way to the boat as swiftly as possible. A quick dash down the stone steps and a few strides across a courtyard later they found the horses being devoured by a group of horribly disfigured mutants.

Mordrin took off at a run down the road only to find he could not judge the erratic lurching movements of the monstrous creatures that were emerging from every building and side street. Ulrike and Gustav cut away in the opposite direction, into the woods and downhill towards the quay. Albert ducked into the shadows and had to dodge the attacks of four mutants before following Ulrike and Gustav. Mordrin doubled back and down through the woods. All the PCs emerged unscathed on a dirt track running along side the river - about 50 yards from where Ulrike's boat was moored. 

Their way, however, was blocked by three extremely ugly (and certainly malevolent) mutated townspeople. As they moved a safe distance from the tree line, Mordrin loosed a succession of quarrels from his crossbow - but they all missed their targets. The mutants lurched towards the PCs, who decided to take the initiative and charge (all except Albert, who snuck away to ready to boat). Through three rounds of combat their three advisories were neatly dispatched - Gustav even managed to slice one clean in half - although Ulrike suffered a handful of wounds. They soon made it to the boat and out onto the waters of the river, through the clearing mist...

The GM's perspective 

Overall a very pleasing introductory session. The PCs had some time to explore their characters and negotiate the beginnings of their adventuring relationships with each other, while also gaining a real sense of impending mortal danger. There was a mixture of narrative and combat time, and we were able to get to grips with the 2nd edition system for melees. Hopefully this has established the 'end of days' atmosphere that I'm aiming for, which will help us all construct this adventure as being quite different to our other ongoing campaign (the classic Enemy Within in 1st edition, where I'm a PC). 

From Suderberg to Eternity - Prelude to a WFRP Adventure

As my wife shows no signs of going into labour just yet I've decided to plan the beginnings of my epic-to-be WFRP 2nd edition adventure. I'll be running this on regular Thursday evenings with the rest of my enthusiastic gaming group as the PCs. I'll use posts here to record session episodes and chart a few out-of-session goings on so that the PCs have plenty of opportunity to develop along interesting career paths at a reasonable rate. 

Rather than run an 'adventure in a box' I'm going to be designing everything as we go along. I have a general narrative in my mind, including where I'd like the PCs to end up once all the adventuring is done (assuming they're not dead), but I want the structure to be reasonably loose. This began with my percolating the beginnings of the adventure from the narrative morsels that could be picked from the bones of the freshly rolled-up characters. 

In this prelude-to-the-adventure post I'll introduce these characters, explain where they can be found, and situate the whole business within the history of the Old World. My PCs will be free to read and use the information here 'in game' with their own discretion - this will form part of their 'common knowledge'.

The Empire

The PCs

Albert Wick

A halfling originally from the Moot, Albert hasn't had the easiest life. At the age of 34 he finds himself with the inauspicious career of Tomb Robber. His diminutive size make him perfect for this role though, and he has the tunnel rat skills you might expect of someone in this line of 'work'. He's also an accomplished cook - not unusual for a halfling! - and with the additional language of Khazalid it's clear that he's spent plenty of time either catering for or detained by the lawbringers of the dwarves. Albert yearns for adventure  - especially in search of the hidden knowledge and lore buried within the Old World's many tombs - and even though he is consistently lucky when dodging traps during sorties around barrows and the like, he's never been fortunate enough to find a group of adventurers as keen on his talent at theft as they are for his pies. 

Ulrike Esk

Like Albert, Ulrike has found herself making a living on the wrong side of the law. A 23 year old hailing from Ostland she navigates the waterways of the Empire as a Smuggler. Despite her youth and slight build she really knows how to take care of herself in a fight and she's got the pronounced broken nose to prove it. She has adopted the styling and manner of the river folk, usually opting to wear a mixture of silks and hard worn leather, alongside a penchant for showy golden hooped earrings. An only child, Ulrike is fond of looking out for 'number one' and is very likely to be a 'friend' to anyone if she feels she might lighten their purse significantly by the time the night is through. Fond of the oft-repeated maxim that smugglers are the 'champions of the oppressed', she is also keenly aware that a careless smuggler can expect to either spend a long time in gaol, or a short time alive.

Mordrin Tok

Mordrin is a 35 year old dwarf - a mere beardling by dwarf standards - who was born in Fortenhaf in Ostermark on the North-eastern tip of the Empire. Unlike the majority of his mountain dwelling cousins, Mordrin is fast: really fast. Consequently he's made a good living as a Runebearer and dreams of setting the new record for the Kislev to Estalia run. His favourite weapon is the crossbow and his rapid reloading skills make him a deadly adversary, although he will seldom stop for a fight when he has a message to deliver. He is currently returning from Marienburg where delivered a message to an important merchant guild regarding the payment for a shipment of rare ores from the Worlds Edge Mountains.  

Gustav Dietershafen

A tough no-nonsense Nordlander, Gustav is a hard-as-old-boots Watchman currently in the employ of the small Suderberg town watch. A copper with (fittingly) copper coloured hair, he's not entirely pleased to be working in such a sleepy backwater but he needs to send a regular wage home to his four younger siblings who are scratching out a hard living on a farm on the coast of the Sea of Claws. He plans to find better work in Middenheim once the harshest of the winter has passed and eventually make his way back to his family. Gustav's physical training under the tutelage of the priests of Sigmar has been extensive; he's an experienced and coolheaded fighter who, at 30, is the veteran of several campaigns. Although he can dispense justice as he sees fit - he's highly knowledgable in the laws of the land - he will leave the judgment of more serious crimes to the travelling judges or those from the Cult of Verena.

The State of Middenland

The Setting

We begin in the sleepy riverside town of Suderberg at the edge of the Howling Hills in South East Middenland. In terms of the history of the Empire and the Old World more generally, this is just at the beginning of the Storm of Chaos. The major events of the Storm will be the backdrop for our adventurers. However, as they are obviously far too weak to stand up to anything truly Chaotic they'll be spending most of their time (if they have any sense!) running away from the heart of the action as fast and as far as possible. That's not to say, of course, that they won't have the opportunity to rise to fame or infamy - it's just that theirs will be a life of adventuring on the margins of 'big events'. And I like to think that it's in these margins that the truly bizarre and challenging opportunities await our plucky PCs... Although we begin in the back end of beyond, this rag-tag group will have the opportunity to live on through songs of their deeds. Or they might just get horribly murdered, we'll have to wait and see.

The Set Up

Autumn is turning to winter and the harsh winds are rattling the small town of Suderberg. Three unlikely cell mates are huddled together on a flea infested straw mattress. Ulrike and Albert have just worked together bringing in a large haul of furs from Kislev; a fact they failed to declare to the local tax authorities. Ulrike had planned to get Albert drunk and slip away with his share of the rewards, but the halfling proved to be just too hard to drink under the table. They had been joined in the tavern by Mordrin, who, over a few jars of ale, had unwittingly shared some useful information about the mercantile guilds of Marienburg with the ambitious smuggler.

It could have turned into a profitable night for Ulrike if the watch hadn't been tipped off. Suderberg was in the middle of nowhere, but enough of the black uniformed bastards had turned up to catch them unready and outnumbered. They'd dragged Mordrin to the gaol too, despite his protests. Now only a single watchman called Gustav remains on guard as the cold morning stretches through the cracks in the watch house door. He's dozing quietly in his chair, seemingly oblivious to the loud snoring of the ragged old man sprawled out alone in the adjacent cell. Ulrike curses her luck. But a bad night was about to turn a great deal worse...  

The Improbable Business Model (The Quiet Rules Revolution: Part 3)

How do you know what to expect when you face a new army on the table top? Very few of us will own all the current army books for WFB or 40k codexes. The basic stat lines for each troop type are included at the back of the main rulebook for WFB, but these do not include one vital piece of information: the points value. One reason this is important is because understanding relative points values is key to comprehending how different armies can be fielded. Points values, as we all know, are a closely guarded piece of company 'property' and if I was to provide even a partial list of them on this blog I would probably receive a cease and desist letter from GW's solicitors within days or weeks.

To have a comprehensive understanding of all the rules for WFB would cost you a whopping £360 at the current price of the books as listed on the GW website. This really annoys me. WFB is the main table top war game that I play and I'm denied a good working knowledge of the full range of rules. There are other ways to find out about how different armies play, through joining a large gaming group or by reading about them on the internet, but that's hardly a sufficient substitute. *Let me apply a quick undercoat to the elephant in the room... I know people can get copies of these books for free from the web... I couldn't possibly endorse that kind of behaviour here*

The alternative approach that I suggest below will never happen in reality because it is highly unlikely that GW will ever change their current business model in favour of one that would actually benefit gamers - I'll briefly outline it anyway and even put forward a business case.

The Improbable Business Model

Aspect 1: GW release a comprehensive rulebook containing all game rules plus the full lists for all armies in the game, points values etc. included. This provides the basis for all kinds of play from competitive tournaments to 'oldhammer' campaigns. The best games have, at their core, simple design concepts. Fluff is at a minimum and can be found elsewhere.

Aspect 2: A range of source books is released. These contain a wealth of background information, campaign rules and scenarios, optional rules, tables for generating unique characters and units, and so on. These would help reinstate the roleplay aspect that I think is so lacking in the structure of the GW profit-orientated approach today. Some of this could even be released for free (shock horror) on the web. 

The Bottom line argument: With access to the full range of basic rules, players will get a flavour for all the different forces in the game and many will start collecting a wider range of armies. A good range of source books allows those who are so inclined to opt-in to playing in a 'deeper style', while maintaining a steady feed of new products into the range.

Given that this plan very quickly hits the brick wall of reality there's not much point in arguing the case any further. It's a pipe dream; a pure exercise in wishful thinking. So what was the point of all this? The important thing, as I see it, is to find an alternative is the disenfranchisement brought about by the likelihood that huge swathes of the rules for WFB are kept at arms length from the majority of players. In line with my other posts this week I'd say that it's important to act as if the fundamentals of this improbable business model were actually true.

Character, Stats, and the three editions of WFRP

Tonight I start GMing my first game of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay in... oh, about 20 years! Over the past couple of months I've been a PC in a first edition adventure, but taking the reins will be a very different experience indeed. Being a GM is a big responsibility because a whole evening worth of entertainment for several people (the other four in our regular gaming group) is your responsibility - I really hope I'll still up to this!

WFRP is now on a third edition, which comes as a big box of stuff including a bunch of special dice. I was initially intrigued by this system, but I've read enough reviews to see that it might wander too far away from what I like about first edition to be to my tastes. So I've decided to give second edition a try. I realise that this edition also had its critics - the campaigns in particular have apparently taken a bashing - though I think it's worth a try.

The main reason I like the look of it is the slimed down stats system, which does away with a few of the less commonly used stats, but retains a good basis for the development of character. Of course, I don't want the system to be too streamlined - the lack of careers in third edition is not at all appealing, for example. But I do like the idea of a sensible reduction in stats - i.e. taking away Leadership - and leaving it up to the GM to judge percentage + or - on, say, Fellowship.

Now, it has been pointed out to me that L and F are very different things. However, I would say that having Leadership as an effective sub-category of Fellowship allows the GM to judge modification based on characterisation and gameplay, which I like because it places emphasis on roleplay without too much dilution of differentiation between PCs. In this way, I think that stats should prop up characterisation, rather than define it. There should be enough in the initial role-up to help define the basis of a character that's already lived for, say 22 years, but not so much that it over complicates the issue.

I also think that it helps players if the stat lines are slightly shorter, as with second edition primary characteristics - I think it's possible that they might actually pay them more attention, rather than more-or-less over look them, as I've seen happen in games of first edition. Overall it's my hope that this will actually achieve fuller character development through role play and stats. A few sessions of adventuring should provide the answers.