I'm pleased to introduce an unofficial content pack for WFRP1 - The Silver Crow Company. I wrote this a while ago, and have revised it slightly for release. It details a group of outlaws near Altdorf, working the Nuln road and the River Teuful.
I hope you find it an entertaining read, and maybe even useful for a setting for some great adventures. Feel free to pass on feedback or corrections.
The Silver Crow Company
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Wavehammer Roleplay
Yes I know its not being developed anymore - much to my disappointment - but Google Wave could prove a useful way to run a Play By Mail (PBM) game with the all the functionality of emails, with graphics and attachments, but with the added advantage of realtime information, with an easier way for all parties involved to interact at the same time. Also without the hassle of using IM. One could also have split off waves between players, and between GM and players, while maintaining a main game feed.
There are some cool possibilities there, and until they re-develop the tool into something else, it will still be available to use.
More to come...
Google Wave
There are some cool possibilities there, and until they re-develop the tool into something else, it will still be available to use.
More to come...
Google Wave
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Awakening
I am here now....
I am waking...
From my tomb of darkness, one thousand years of memories return to me as if a dream. Once more I know the world in my mind as if above it, mighty and aflame! I know the jagged mountains clawing at the endless sky. I know the wilds and the plains and the petty cities of men. I know the vast forces sent against me, one thousand years of war and destruction. I feel again the fiery blood in my throat and vast power in my wings...
I am rising now, like a silvery flame, up through the darkness, higher and higher until all around me is open and bright with stars! I let loose my endless wings, painted silver by the white hot moon! I am awake! I am the night sky itself! I am the storm! I am Yxthyriax, and I am reborn!
I am waking...
From my tomb of darkness, one thousand years of memories return to me as if a dream. Once more I know the world in my mind as if above it, mighty and aflame! I know the jagged mountains clawing at the endless sky. I know the wilds and the plains and the petty cities of men. I know the vast forces sent against me, one thousand years of war and destruction. I feel again the fiery blood in my throat and vast power in my wings...
I am rising now, like a silvery flame, up through the darkness, higher and higher until all around me is open and bright with stars! I let loose my endless wings, painted silver by the white hot moon! I am awake! I am the night sky itself! I am the storm! I am Yxthyriax, and I am reborn!
~ from the epic saga “The Great Dragon Yxthyriax, Doom of Karak Hirn”
Legless Willy
Wilhelm’s blade sunk into the brigand’s gut. He slammed his pistol into the thief’s chest, firing point blank, blasting the poor bastard from the end of his sword in a cloud of heavy stinking smoke. From his flank, another foe appeared, bursting through the choking sooty mess, sword raised to strike. Wilhelm spun around, barely deflecting the blow with his smoking pistol. He tossed the hand gun aside, reaching for his belt, and drawing his long sharp Tilean stiletto. He came down fast on the unbalanced ruffian, slicing with the dagger, cutting nothing but smoke, then bouncing of leather, hidden beneath the man’s cloak.
The brigand was quick to counter, making another sweeping strike across Wilhelm’s knees, connecting with a loud crack! The ruffian watched stunned and wide eyed as Wilhelm fell, and what appeared to be a wooden leg came free, collapsing to the dusty road with the rest of him in a broken heap.
The bandit wasted no more time, lunging at his downed prey. Wilhelm rolled for his dropped sword, wildly swinging away the first attack, but the brigand was raising his weapon for the final blow. In a groggy panic, Wilhelm found his other hand on his battered wooden leg, and clasping it, he threw his body forward, striking with the unlikely weapon. The wooden leg connected with a knee, and the brigand dropped, wincing and losing grip on his blade. Wilhelm struck again and again, bludgeoning his foe, then gathering the last of his strength, he drove his sword into the man’s chest, killing him.
Wilhelm collapsed onto his back, exhausted. Through the slowly dispersing cloud of black-powder smoke, he could not see much, but could hear horses and voices approaching. He was too tired to look. He grimaced, and clenched the blood splattered wooden leg in his hand. Summoning the last of his energy, he roared, hauling himself around ready to strike. His fiery glare was met by the face of an armoured Warden, dropping down from his tall horse and striding his way. Wilhelm let out an exhausted laugh, dropping his wooden leg, and reaching out his hand to meet an armoured glove...
The brigand was quick to counter, making another sweeping strike across Wilhelm’s knees, connecting with a loud crack! The ruffian watched stunned and wide eyed as Wilhelm fell, and what appeared to be a wooden leg came free, collapsing to the dusty road with the rest of him in a broken heap.
The bandit wasted no more time, lunging at his downed prey. Wilhelm rolled for his dropped sword, wildly swinging away the first attack, but the brigand was raising his weapon for the final blow. In a groggy panic, Wilhelm found his other hand on his battered wooden leg, and clasping it, he threw his body forward, striking with the unlikely weapon. The wooden leg connected with a knee, and the brigand dropped, wincing and losing grip on his blade. Wilhelm struck again and again, bludgeoning his foe, then gathering the last of his strength, he drove his sword into the man’s chest, killing him.
Wilhelm collapsed onto his back, exhausted. Through the slowly dispersing cloud of black-powder smoke, he could not see much, but could hear horses and voices approaching. He was too tired to look. He grimaced, and clenched the blood splattered wooden leg in his hand. Summoning the last of his energy, he roared, hauling himself around ready to strike. His fiery glare was met by the face of an armoured Warden, dropping down from his tall horse and striding his way. Wilhelm let out an exhausted laugh, dropping his wooden leg, and reaching out his hand to meet an armoured glove...
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
WFAP - Warhammer Fantasy Arcade Play
Heroic ‘One-off' Adventures
Your players been indulging in too many video games? Have your attention spans shortened? Are you too over stimulated to bother with carefully investigating the intriguing events of a cult growing in power enough to influence the Graf of Middenheim, under the shadow of Chaos encroaching on the Empire?
Ive been thinking of different play styles that could be used to create ‘one-off’ adventures. Where a team of players create ‘one use’ characters and play a more hack’n’slash style adventure, with no respect for tone but for instant satisfaction and glorious treasure! Changing the game mechanics to a certain degree sets up an opportunity to have some fun in the Warhammer world, in more of a Diablo 2 tradition than lets say The Odenhaller Contract, or Enemy Within.
Mechanics
- Create ‘one-off’ characters, not intended for long term gradual development.
- Perhaps double the XP earned throughout the scenario, if not more
- Award XP during the session on accomplishment of tasks, rather than between sessions or after the scenario.
- Bend the rules for learning skills, or taking careers, to allow for fast development and ‘levelling’ to occur during sessions.
- Random loot rolls in hero chests, including magical items.
- Have an idea of what enemies the players will face, however keep the freedom to be able to randomise the numbers based on the progress of players, or their new powers granted to them from magical artifacts.
-Random roll for the arrival of mini-bosses?
-Encumbrance doesn't matter
-Maybe change rules for healing or effect of healing spells?
-Maybe add mechanism for regenerating some MP for spellcasters.
-Balance all player advantages with and increasing level of challenge. They may have a kick-ass magic sword, but maybe a Basilisk or far worse lurks lower in the cavern?
Story
Keep it simple. Its all about action and seeing if the players can survive the adventure to the final boss. Structure the scenarios in a way that gets the players into the action quickly. Quest based scenarios are often good, as the focus remains strong and there is a steady rising challenge as the players get closer to their goal. Some ideas...
-Searching for artifacts is always good. Good old Holy Grail quests give focus.
-Kidnaps and rescues are great. Rescue a foolish noble from Kislev Troll Country?
-The players start being captured by the enemy, in a fortress, far from home. Escape and bash their way out to freedom!
-You should have a ‘boss challenge’ that guards the final completion of the quest. It could be a creature, a puzzle or magic.
-Enemies taking over precious Imperial infrastructure - greenskins have made their way through a mountain pass, taking over the fort guarding the border into the Empire. Respond to the signals for help and take back the Castle!
-Geography will play a big role - getting out of the Empire, into the Badlands, even Darklands will provide endless swarms of greenskins - and worse - for the players to deal with.
-Keeping the action in tunnels and caves means you can easily add traps, fungus/spores, and the further you go underground the worse the fiends become.
I'm not implying these types of games should become the norm, just that sometimes breaking out in a hack n slash fest might be entertaining enough to re-energise your play. You never know, maybe one of these types of adventures take you out of the Empire to strange new lands and dangers, that you wouldn't have experimented with in a normal scenario.
Let me know your thoughts or reactions?
Your players been indulging in too many video games? Have your attention spans shortened? Are you too over stimulated to bother with carefully investigating the intriguing events of a cult growing in power enough to influence the Graf of Middenheim, under the shadow of Chaos encroaching on the Empire?
Ive been thinking of different play styles that could be used to create ‘one-off’ adventures. Where a team of players create ‘one use’ characters and play a more hack’n’slash style adventure, with no respect for tone but for instant satisfaction and glorious treasure! Changing the game mechanics to a certain degree sets up an opportunity to have some fun in the Warhammer world, in more of a Diablo 2 tradition than lets say The Odenhaller Contract, or Enemy Within.
Mechanics
- Create ‘one-off’ characters, not intended for long term gradual development.
- Perhaps double the XP earned throughout the scenario, if not more
- Award XP during the session on accomplishment of tasks, rather than between sessions or after the scenario.
- Bend the rules for learning skills, or taking careers, to allow for fast development and ‘levelling’ to occur during sessions.
- Random loot rolls in hero chests, including magical items.
- Have an idea of what enemies the players will face, however keep the freedom to be able to randomise the numbers based on the progress of players, or their new powers granted to them from magical artifacts.
-Random roll for the arrival of mini-bosses?
-Encumbrance doesn't matter
-Maybe change rules for healing or effect of healing spells?
-Maybe add mechanism for regenerating some MP for spellcasters.
-Balance all player advantages with and increasing level of challenge. They may have a kick-ass magic sword, but maybe a Basilisk or far worse lurks lower in the cavern?
Story
Keep it simple. Its all about action and seeing if the players can survive the adventure to the final boss. Structure the scenarios in a way that gets the players into the action quickly. Quest based scenarios are often good, as the focus remains strong and there is a steady rising challenge as the players get closer to their goal. Some ideas...
-Searching for artifacts is always good. Good old Holy Grail quests give focus.
-Kidnaps and rescues are great. Rescue a foolish noble from Kislev Troll Country?
-The players start being captured by the enemy, in a fortress, far from home. Escape and bash their way out to freedom!
-You should have a ‘boss challenge’ that guards the final completion of the quest. It could be a creature, a puzzle or magic.
-Enemies taking over precious Imperial infrastructure - greenskins have made their way through a mountain pass, taking over the fort guarding the border into the Empire. Respond to the signals for help and take back the Castle!
-Geography will play a big role - getting out of the Empire, into the Badlands, even Darklands will provide endless swarms of greenskins - and worse - for the players to deal with.
-Keeping the action in tunnels and caves means you can easily add traps, fungus/spores, and the further you go underground the worse the fiends become.
I'm not implying these types of games should become the norm, just that sometimes breaking out in a hack n slash fest might be entertaining enough to re-energise your play. You never know, maybe one of these types of adventures take you out of the Empire to strange new lands and dangers, that you wouldn't have experimented with in a normal scenario.
Let me know your thoughts or reactions?
House Rules - Breaking Chests
Breaking Chests
When breaking open containers instead of picking locks, we make all the standard (S) test or damage tests against the container, but include some extra tests to add flavour to the situations when your players are just easily breaking everything instead of using finesse. I think this adds some penalty balance to how easy it is to make a combined (S) test to break open boxes and doors.
Traps
Sometimes we have afforded any traps the chance to ‘go off’ during the bashing process. Keep it simple, and in context. If the players are specifically breaking the lock mechanism, if the trap is connected to it, have a chance it goes off normally. If the players are targeting the whole chest, bashing it with weapons, have a chance based on the CR % (lock quality) that it will still activate, at whatever modified effectiveness you wish. This could work on doors to.
Damaged Goods
If the players are hacking into the wood or metal with weapons, then simply roll some chances that goods will be broken inside. Use commons sense. Coins wouldn't break, but you could smash some pottery or dent some brass urns etc, even cut some fine materials and clothes.
These notes have been added to the
House Rules Compendium
When breaking open containers instead of picking locks, we make all the standard (S) test or damage tests against the container, but include some extra tests to add flavour to the situations when your players are just easily breaking everything instead of using finesse. I think this adds some penalty balance to how easy it is to make a combined (S) test to break open boxes and doors.
Traps
Sometimes we have afforded any traps the chance to ‘go off’ during the bashing process. Keep it simple, and in context. If the players are specifically breaking the lock mechanism, if the trap is connected to it, have a chance it goes off normally. If the players are targeting the whole chest, bashing it with weapons, have a chance based on the CR % (lock quality) that it will still activate, at whatever modified effectiveness you wish. This could work on doors to.
Damaged Goods
If the players are hacking into the wood or metal with weapons, then simply roll some chances that goods will be broken inside. Use commons sense. Coins wouldn't break, but you could smash some pottery or dent some brass urns etc, even cut some fine materials and clothes.
These notes have been added to the
House Rules Compendium
House Rules - Effective Iniative
Effective Initiative
We use a modified system of EI rules for combat and surprise. I have always treated initiative as slightly more a ‘solid’ stat than the standard EI rules given in Apocrypha Now and WFRP2.
Attack Order
We use the natural (I) without rolling at the beginning of every combat, or rolling for any bonuses. Then we follow the basic idea of dividing (I) by number of attacks to determine the order. Modifier for winning and charging are treated as normal for the following round
Surprise
If characters are surprised, I don’t see them standing around completely useless for 10 seconds. The surprised characters make an (I) test, with any modifiers that could help in context (sixth sense, acute hearing, knowledge of the enemy etc). If they fail, they are surprised and start the fighting at (I) -D6x10 to a minimum of 0 (at which point they must miss this round, only parrying and dodging). Even if successful, they lose (I) -10. All surprised characters must of course take actions to draw their weapons, ready shields as normal. The following round then continues as normal.
These notes have been added to the
House Rules Compendium
We use a modified system of EI rules for combat and surprise. I have always treated initiative as slightly more a ‘solid’ stat than the standard EI rules given in Apocrypha Now and WFRP2.
Attack Order
We use the natural (I) without rolling at the beginning of every combat, or rolling for any bonuses. Then we follow the basic idea of dividing (I) by number of attacks to determine the order. Modifier for winning and charging are treated as normal for the following round
Surprise
If characters are surprised, I don’t see them standing around completely useless for 10 seconds. The surprised characters make an (I) test, with any modifiers that could help in context (sixth sense, acute hearing, knowledge of the enemy etc). If they fail, they are surprised and start the fighting at (I) -D6x10 to a minimum of 0 (at which point they must miss this round, only parrying and dodging). Even if successful, they lose (I) -10. All surprised characters must of course take actions to draw their weapons, ready shields as normal. The following round then continues as normal.
These notes have been added to the
House Rules Compendium
House Rules - Combat Archery
Combat Archery
We usually only bother with complications if the group is considered really close together, where a sort of cover is provided by each other. Any modifiers below are in addition to the contextual modifiers for range, specialist skills, cover, moving targets and so forth.
Firing Into A Group, Without Target
We use some methods as described in Apocrypha Now, WFRP1 Supplement.
When firing into group of creatures (foe or mixed friend and foe), without declaring a target, the shooter gets (BS)+5 for each enemy considered to be in that group (including friends). If they hit, assign each group member and roll to randomly select the target that is hit.
Firing Into A Group, With Target
In some cases to keep things unrealistic but fluid, we have simply invoked a (BS) -20 modifier for the extra difficulty, and if the player misses, then don't bother with seeing if it hits another target. Sometimes simple is better. If players do want the chance of friendly fire, then we have used some rules found in a mixture of official literature, and some Warpstone magazine articles.
When firing into a group (foe, or mixed) and declaring a target, the normal (BS) -20 modifier applies. If you miss, and the score is between the modded BS value and your natural BS value, then you have hit another combatant. GM applies a numerical value to other combatants and rolls dice to determine the unfortunate victim!
These notes have been added to the
House Rules Compendium
We usually only bother with complications if the group is considered really close together, where a sort of cover is provided by each other. Any modifiers below are in addition to the contextual modifiers for range, specialist skills, cover, moving targets and so forth.
Firing Into A Group, Without Target
We use some methods as described in Apocrypha Now, WFRP1 Supplement.
When firing into group of creatures (foe or mixed friend and foe), without declaring a target, the shooter gets (BS)+5 for each enemy considered to be in that group (including friends). If they hit, assign each group member and roll to randomly select the target that is hit.
Firing Into A Group, With Target
In some cases to keep things unrealistic but fluid, we have simply invoked a (BS) -20 modifier for the extra difficulty, and if the player misses, then don't bother with seeing if it hits another target. Sometimes simple is better. If players do want the chance of friendly fire, then we have used some rules found in a mixture of official literature, and some Warpstone magazine articles.
When firing into a group (foe, or mixed) and declaring a target, the normal (BS) -20 modifier applies. If you miss, and the score is between the modded BS value and your natural BS value, then you have hit another combatant. GM applies a numerical value to other combatants and rolls dice to determine the unfortunate victim!
These notes have been added to the
House Rules Compendium
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