Publishing history
First edition
''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' was first published in 1986 by Games Workshop. The product was intended as an adjunct to the Warhammer Fantasy Battle tabletop game. A number of GW publications – such as the '' Realm of Chaos'' titles – included material for ''WFRP'' and WFB (and the science fiction Warhammer 40K setting), and a conversion system for WFB was published with the ''WFRP'' rules. Following the publication of the popular ''The Enemy Within'' campaign series and a small number of additional supplements (including a character pack, Gamemaster's screen, and the aforementioned ''Realm of Chaos'' books), Games Workshop made the decision to refocus its business. It had found that the miniatures business was much more profitable than pure publishing; ''WFRP'' sold very few miniatures, and adding ''WFRP'' material to WFB and ''Warhammer 40,000'' supplements had done little to boost the sales of those products. Publication of ''WFRP'' material was turned over to Flame Publications, a division of Games Workshop focused exclusively on roleplaying, in 1989. Flame published a new series of adventures – the ''Doomstones'' campaign adapted from a set of ''Second edition
Black Industries, a newly created division of GW's Black Library publishing arm, oversaw the publishing and distribution of a new second edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, designed byThird edition
On 12 August 2009, Fantasy Flight Games announced a 3rd edition for immediate release, packaged as a single box containing four rulebooks, over 300 cards and counters, and three sets of 12 custom dice. One year later FFG released the rules in standalone books (and PDFs). On 12 August 2014, Fantasy Flight Games announced that the third-edition product line was "complete" and that no further products would be released for it. In September 2016, the companies announced an end to their licensing agreement. All Games Workshop-licensed FFG products were discontinued at the end of February 2017.Fourth edition
On 24 May 2017, GW and Cubicle 7 announced a fourth edition of ''WFRP'', saying it would take "its direction from the first and second editions of the game". The fourth edition was released in digital formats in August 2018 with physical release in November 2018.Setting
''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' shares the same doom-laden background as the ''System
Combat in ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' was adapted from the large-scale miniature combat of Warhammer Fantasy Battle. It is more 'deadly' than other contemporary systems. Most human-level creatures and characters can take only one or two hits before receiving a serious injury or a "Critical Hit" that may instantly kill, cripple, or permanently maim a character. There are no regeneration or resurrection powers in ''WFRP'' and limited healing options. A limited number of "Fate Points", which represent a character's fate or destiny, offset this in giving opportunities to avoid crippling or killing results.Careers
A central feature of all editions of ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' is the career system. Characters advance by taking on a career that provide access to a series of new or improved skills and bonuses to attributes (called "advances"). The career has requirements (acquiring tools of the trade, etc.) to be completed as part of the development before moving on to another career; some careers are pre-requisites for subsequent careers. The careers reflect the late medieval/early Renaissance setting of the Old World. There are "basic" careers for low level characters and advanced careers giving access to higher skills and bonuses. The initial career establishes the character before they embarked on a career as an adventurer (working as a baker, night watchman, rat catcher, or farmer). Thereafter the career is the occupation during and between adventures (thief, wizard's apprentice, druid), as well as how the character has changed and developed through their career (becoming a mercenary, explorer, or ship's captain).First edition
The set of numbers describing a character's abilities in the first edition is closely based on early versions of ''Warhammer Fantasy Battle''. The same basic array of characteristics (Movement, Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill, Strength, Toughness, Wounds (hit points), Initiative, Attacks, Dexterity, Leadership, Intelligence, Cool, Willpower, and Fellowship) is employed for both games. More detail and differentiation between characters than is required in a wargame is provided by using a percentile (1-100) scale for the skill-based characteristics instead of a decile (1-10) scale.Second edition
The second edition had every primary ("Main") characteristic on the 1-100 scale, with the tens digit of these values still corresponding to WFB's traits' values where required. For instance, a Strength value of 42% means your "Strength Bonus" is 4, which is directly comparable to WFB. Characteristics are tested using percentile dice, with penalties or bonuses applied to the roll or the target value according to various favourable and unfavourable circumstances. The eight Main characteristics (rated from 01 to 100) were ''Weapon Skill'' (melee weapons), ''Ballistic Skill'' (ranged weapons), ''Strength'' (physical power), ''Toughness'' (physical resistance), ''Agility'' (physical aptitude), ''Intelligence'' (mental aptitude), ''Willpower'' (mental resistance), and ''Fellowship'' (social aptitude). The Secondary characteristics (rated from 1 to 10 or more) were Attacks (combat actions per turn), Wounds (Third edition
Fantasy Flight Games implemented a completely new set of rules for the third edition. Dice pools of special dice (unique to this game) replaced the percentile system of previous editions. This system allowed multi-faceted outcome to dice rolls - the character could succeed at a task, while still triggering problems and penalties at the same time. The Characteristics were reduced to six in three pairs of similar physical and mental concepts: ''Strength'' (physical power), ''Intelligence'' (mental power), ''Toughness'' (physical endurance), ''Willpower'' (mental endurance), ''Agility'' (physical aptitude), and ''Fellowship'' (social aptitude). The two former Characteristics were demoted to Characteristic-based skills: ''Ballistic Skill'' was placed under Agility and ''Weapon Skill'' was placed under Strength. Insanity Points (how mentally ill the character has become) were replaced by Corruption (how tainted the character's soul is). The new system comes with several tokens and cards. Tokens represent any status conditions (Stress or Fatigue) the characters have. Two-dimensional standups were used for the players, enemies and monsters for ease of use on a battlemap. The cards contain text describing and explaining the characters' Actions and Talents. There were also decks covering Wounds, Insanity, and Diseases that detailed their in-game effects, the latter commonly induced through spells or monster attacks in the body horror-themed ''Warhammer'' universe. The intention was to speed play by having the information at hand rather than referencing the rulebook. The character sheets were printed on cardstock in a landscape layout. There were large rectangular Race and Career cards detailing the character's base Racial Talents and Career Advances. The sheet and cards were designed to be placed next to each other for ease of play. The base game came with Human (Reiklander), Dwarf (Karak Azgarad), High Elf and Wood Elf racial templates. (The Halfling and Ogre racial templates were later released in an expansion.) The Humans and Dwarves were subdivided into regional archetypes depending on which province of the Empire or Dwarf stronghold they came from. Each Human or Dwarf regional archetype is granted different focuses, advantages, and Special Abilities because of their cultural outlook. The Career cards have a title (the name of the Career), whether it is Basic or Advanced, and what race or races may enter it. There are four attributes listed under it (like ''Basic'', ''Menial'', or ''Bureaucrat'') that help in plotting a career path. They have a list of two Primary Characteristics, four or five Career Skills, and a four-piece Stance Meter diagram to show how conservative or reckless the career is. There are also slots for placing Focus, Tactic and/or Reputation cards; the player can only play one card of the appropriate type in each Career slot and have to take an action to switch it out. Each Career card held 10 Advance points worth of Skills, Action or Talent cards, bonus Wound Resistance points, and/or extra Fortune and Stance dice. When the Career's Advances are all purchased, the player has to select and buy a new Career. A new career costs 1 to 4 Advantage points; the cost depends on how many of the four Career attributes the new Career has in common with the old one. Each Career has an associated career Ability card granting special bonuses. If a character completes the Career, they get to keep the Ability card associated with it. If they switch to a new career before completing it, they forfeit the old Ability card but use the Ability of their new career. A new mechanic focused on party cohesion using "party sheets". The mechanism allowed characters to share an ability or power that a single character possessed so that anyone in the party can benefit from it. In addition to sharing talents, each party sheet included a specific bonus ability and negative effects. The Stance Meter was a game mechanic that was a combination turn counter and status marker. It was a set of square puzzle pieces that connected to a central hub. The left-hand squares with a green center represented the Conservative Stance and the right-hand squares with a red center represented the Reckless Stance. A player could convert 8-sided blue Characteristic dice into 10-sided green Conservative or red Reckless Stance dice by moving their Activation Counter from the neutral middle over to the Conservative left or Reckless right position. Both grant higher potential outcomes, but Conservative dice have a potential time penalty and Reckless dice have a potential stress or fatigue penalty. Once the character is off the center, the player has to move back space by space to return to neutral or use the opposite Stance. To aid play, green and red cardboard ovals were provided that fit over the character or opponent standups to indicate their current Stance.Fourth edition
The mechanics of the fourth edition reverts to the percentile mechanics of the first and second editions, instead of the custom dice pools of the third. Characters are now much more free to advance their Characteristics and Skills independently of their careers, and the cost in experience points scale with higher numbers. Skill usage (especially in combat situations) is expanded with the concept of 'advantage', where continued success grants cumulative bonuses. Wizardly magic keeps many spells of second edition, but integrates the casting mechanism into the overall task resolution system. Fourth edition is the first to offer guidelines on downtime – what happens ''between'' adventures.Reception
In the August 1987 edition of '' Dragon'' (Issue 124), Ken Rolston compared it very favorably to other fantasy role-playing games on the market, saying "''WFR'' deliberately aims at adventures and settings with a less elevated tone... This shift in emphasis from genteel to grubby, gory fantasy, and the simplicity of the tactical and magic systems, are distinctive assets of WFR as it competes for a slice of the antasy role-playing gameaudience." Rolston called the character generation system "interesting and original", and the character advancement system "flexible and informal". Rolston also liked the monsters encountered, describing them as "charming — and visually compelling — intelligent monster antagonists... well illustrated and often supplied with dramatic and humorous backgrounds." He called the setting the best part of the game, admiring the "epic theme of the Taint of Chaos." Rolston reserved his only strong criticism for the magic system, saying it was "relatively limited and unexciting", although he did see it inevitable in a game that was relatively magic-poor. He concluded with a strong recommendation, saying, "''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' is strongly recommended for gamers in search of a fantasy system and campaign background, or in search of elements to steal and add to their current system and campaign. Its systems, presentation, and campaign setting are superior, and the campaign supplement/adventure support looks promising. Its strengths, when compared to other popular FRPG designs, are the simplicity of its systems, its support of grotesque and macabre themes, and the distinctive flavor of its campaign setting." In the December 1987 issue of '' The Games Machine'' (#2), John Woods liked the look of the book, but soon found a lot of typos and a lack of organization, commenting, "The rulebook has a rushed feel to it, with some sections ill-organised, and several misprints." Woods also found the rules overly simplistic, especially a combat system where, instead of accumulating gradual damage, a character was either entirely alive and unwounded or, after taking any damage, completely dead. He concluded, "Probably not a system with much to offer the experienced RPGer, but straightforward and detailed enough to give good value to beginners or those moving into RPGs from wargaming." In issue #19, Woods reviewed the paperback edition, and concluded "There are a few shortcomings which mean it won't be everyone’s cup of troll stew, but it's excellent value for money and should appeal to roleplaying newcomers in particular." In a 1996 reader poll conducted by ''Arcane'' magazine to determine the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time, ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' was ranked fourth. Editor Paul Pettengale commented, "''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' is an extremely atmospheric game to play in", and described the game as feeling like a cross-breed between ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and ''Call of Cthulhu'', saying "if you've played these other two games, you can probably imagine what a superb mix that can be."Reviews
*''Awards
At the 2005See also
* List of ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' publications * ''Zweihander Grim and Perilous RPG'' - A game based on the rules set of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (2nd edition), but with rules tweaks and the Warhammer gameworld removed.Notes
References
External links