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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Rulebook
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP or WHFRP) is a roleplaying system created by Games Workshop. It is set in the Old World, which bears some resemblance to late medieval / renaissance Europe. The world is threatened by the forces of Chaos. The major power in the Old World is the Empire, in which most of the adventures are located. The Empire itself is a country full of intrigue, conspiracies, and dark plots. This is the core set of rules that everyone needs in order to play the RPG. BL Publishing is the publishing wing of the world famous Games Workshop group of companies. As well as its new Black Industries imprint, the division is also home to the Black Library, which has been producing best-selling and award-winning novels, comics and artbooks set in the worlds of Warhammer since 1997. It also includes the Black Flame fiction imprint for non-Warhammer titles, and Warhammer Historical Wargames. Warhammer Fantasy Battle was originally published in 1986 and subsequently licensed to Hogshead Publishing. This is the second edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.
251 pages, Hardcover
First published April 29, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 26, 2012
"Characters start out thinking they're in D&D, but find out they're actually in Call of Cthulhu."
I got into WFRP with the 2nd edition. Though I read the 1st edition, I was never a huge fan, so the edition of colour wizardry and the setting changes didn't bother me. I actually quite like them.
It's quite a fun, down-to-earth game. Much more on the low fantasy end than D&D--even powerful characters have to worry about being ambushed, magic is always odd and dangerous even for master wizards, and elves are mysterious (mostly by virtue of never actually getting a book written about them). It doesn't get 5 stars because of a few system quirks that are pretty well known. The whiff factor for starting characters because of percentile dice and the lack of setting information (especially compared to WFRP 1st, which had exponentially more setting info in the main book) are the two biggest ones. Still, it's a excellent alternative to D&D if you prefer fantasy that's more low-powered.
I got into WFRP with the 2nd edition. Though I read the 1st edition, I was never a huge fan, so the edition of colour wizardry and the setting changes didn't bother me. I actually quite like them.
It's quite a fun, down-to-earth game. Much more on the low fantasy end than D&D--even powerful characters have to worry about being ambushed, magic is always odd and dangerous even for master wizards, and elves are mysterious (mostly by virtue of never actually getting a book written about them). It doesn't get 5 stars because of a few system quirks that are pretty well known. The whiff factor for starting characters because of percentile dice and the lack of setting information (especially compared to WFRP 1st, which had exponentially more setting info in the main book) are the two biggest ones. Still, it's a excellent alternative to D&D if you prefer fantasy that's more low-powered.
December 3, 2007
A great fantasty role playing game. Much better an introduction to FRPs than the overly complex D&D, and more fun, in a grimly humorous sort of way.
June 26, 2017
First order of business: If you are accustom to the fuzzy nature of D&D, this is not for you. This is Call of Cthulhu RPG gilded in a D&D-esque setting.
That being said, if Warhammer Fantasy is a setting that you enjoy - and for many it may not be, due to it being heavily analogous to history, lending to how convoluted and volatile it is - then WFRP2e may be the best RPG you'll have the opportunity to experience.
Now, this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. While WFRP2e is my favorite setting and RPG (am currently running a few-month-long campaign right now with some friends), it is inherently incomplete. Fan-made supplements are highly recommended to compensate for the faultiness of, say, the crit system. The fan-base is not massive, but it is extremely dedicated. Supplements will be easy to come across if you know where to look (http://strike-to-stun.net and http://www.windsofchaos.com are a start).
"Warhammer is a grim and perilous world." Revel in it, and you will enjoy it.
That being said, if Warhammer Fantasy is a setting that you enjoy - and for many it may not be, due to it being heavily analogous to history, lending to how convoluted and volatile it is - then WFRP2e may be the best RPG you'll have the opportunity to experience.
Now, this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. While WFRP2e is my favorite setting and RPG (am currently running a few-month-long campaign right now with some friends), it is inherently incomplete. Fan-made supplements are highly recommended to compensate for the faultiness of, say, the crit system. The fan-base is not massive, but it is extremely dedicated. Supplements will be easy to come across if you know where to look (http://strike-to-stun.net and http://www.windsofchaos.com are a start).
"Warhammer is a grim and perilous world." Revel in it, and you will enjoy it.
August 21, 2010
Probably my favorite fantasy RPG. Certainly the one I've played the most of within the past decade. Excellent mechanics for a traditional RPG (as opposed to an indy RPG) The use of an exploding die mechanic when rolling damage combined with life saving Fate points that only heroes have makes combat a risky business no matter how experienced a character is or how weak his opponent, yet still allows heroes to be heroic.
August 2, 2012
Probably my favorite non-homebrewed fantasy rpg setting. I first played WHFRP back in the late 90s and it's come a long way since. Most notable is that the newer editions are set after the events of the Storm of Chaos campaign which had drastic results on WH canon(or as WHammerer's tend to call it, fluff) and the magic system was overhauled along with other rule changes. Unfortunately I haven't played a game of this since 2007.
April 17, 2016
Re-read this before possibly playing a few sessions. Yup, still as good as it was back when I bought it, more than 10 years ago. Despite some silly mistakes in the Polish edition, and a confusing layout for the rules, it's still one of my favourite RPG books in my collection.
January 8, 2009
I am learning that I will most likely die in this game, but with the book, I can at least learn to die valiantly as a warrior of Ulrich and not as some elf hiding under a log somewhere.
January 24, 2018
It was very useful.
March 18, 2018
After fairly recently getting into tabletop role-playing, I picked this up in an excellent PDF bundle (with about 15 other books) over at Humble Bundle.
It feels weird to give a game book a star rating, but here we are. WFRP, as the kids are calling it these days, is a gritty, disease-ridden, mutated view of the traditional Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying genre. The 2nd edition almost reads like an alternate history, with the Empire reading like pseudo-medieval Europe, complete with historical European naming conventions.
I would have liked to see more variety in the cultures available, but that's par for the course. The sheer volume of RP systems available mean that you can find something to play just about any historical setting you want, but I don't believe that was really the case 15 years ago. Even now, the systems that have extensive world-building tend to lean on the traditional Eurocentric fantasy tropes from what I've seen.
While I don't really see myself getting into and playing WFRP long-term, I'd definitely be willing to give it a shot, and the interesting approach of character advancement through careers makes the world feel full and varied. I'm also impressed by the depth and dedication to tone of the various books I picked up.
It feels weird to give a game book a star rating, but here we are. WFRP, as the kids are calling it these days, is a gritty, disease-ridden, mutated view of the traditional Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying genre. The 2nd edition almost reads like an alternate history, with the Empire reading like pseudo-medieval Europe, complete with historical European naming conventions.
I would have liked to see more variety in the cultures available, but that's par for the course. The sheer volume of RP systems available mean that you can find something to play just about any historical setting you want, but I don't believe that was really the case 15 years ago. Even now, the systems that have extensive world-building tend to lean on the traditional Eurocentric fantasy tropes from what I've seen.
While I don't really see myself getting into and playing WFRP long-term, I'd definitely be willing to give it a shot, and the interesting approach of character advancement through careers makes the world feel full and varied. I'm also impressed by the depth and dedication to tone of the various books I picked up.
June 3, 2024
Das Buch regt die Kreativität sehr an.
Ich fange zwar jetzt erst an eine eigene Kampagne zu scheiben, aber ich bin mir sicher, dass es spaßig wird. Die Regeln sind nicht übertrieben komplex, aber tief genug, um viele Szenarien und Situationen zu simulieren. Das Welt ist umfangreich, daher muss man erst mal klein Anfangen, selbst, wenn man Warhammer schon kennt.
Ich fange zwar jetzt erst an eine eigene Kampagne zu scheiben, aber ich bin mir sicher, dass es spaßig wird. Die Regeln sind nicht übertrieben komplex, aber tief genug, um viele Szenarien und Situationen zu simulieren. Das Welt ist umfangreich, daher muss man erst mal klein Anfangen, selbst, wenn man Warhammer schon kennt.
April 11, 2020
Prosty system. Praktycznie to samo co część pierwsza ale zasady zbalansowane i unowoczesnione. Fajny lore jednak oprawa graficzna mocno odstaje od dzisiejszych standardów. Bogaty lore to zdecydowanie najwieksza zaleta systemu.
December 3, 2022
Good revival of the classic game, but hampered by a Games Workshop-imposed mandate to reflect the rather lacklustre "Storm of Chaos" metaplot event. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...
February 5, 2023
WH Fantasy <3
November 28, 2023
#add correct edition
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March 25, 2024This was a fun read. As a young adult, I would read the career section in this book over and over before falling asleep. This book allowed me to reminisce and think about a time that was.
July 6, 2024
Tiene ya unos cuantos años, pero es interesante. Es un sistema con d100, el combate está muy bien descrito. Es más al estilo de los RPG clásicos
April 12, 2016
I have mixed feelings about this RPG. On the one hand I hate the setting. I hate the heavy handed grim darkness of all of Games Workshop's IP, and warhammer fantasy has always felt like someone just took a bunch of fantasy tropes and threw them in a blender with half a gallon of despair and a jar of dirt.
On the other hand I once played through a year long WHFRPG 2e campaign run by a fantastic game master who managed to make the game enjoyable despite the crapsack setting. I have a few fond memories from that campaign that colors this review.
On yet still another hand (we're up to three) I feel that the mechanics of the RPG itself, seperated from the setting, are easy to use and allow for a variety of character choices that matter (or would if you didn't have to work against the random career thing) but there are a few issues that keep me from being able to recommend it as a good RPG engine. For example, the way the combat initiative works you might as well not bother rolling to see who goes first as it will be very rare for combat order to deviate from one fight to the next. My dwarf character always and without exception went last in combat. That might have not been an issue were it not for the two archers that were able to end almost every fight before it started, leaving me nothing to do. (I ended up annoying the GM a bit because I resorted to bringing a book to the games to read when combat started, because it would almost always end before it rolled around to my turn to act.) This game is only well loved because the critical hit charts go into gory details describing someone's death.
If you like random character creation, random character death, and a setting devoid of any hope then this is the game for you.
On the other hand I once played through a year long WHFRPG 2e campaign run by a fantastic game master who managed to make the game enjoyable despite the crapsack setting. I have a few fond memories from that campaign that colors this review.
On yet still another hand (we're up to three) I feel that the mechanics of the RPG itself, seperated from the setting, are easy to use and allow for a variety of character choices that matter (or would if you didn't have to work against the random career thing) but there are a few issues that keep me from being able to recommend it as a good RPG engine. For example, the way the combat initiative works you might as well not bother rolling to see who goes first as it will be very rare for combat order to deviate from one fight to the next. My dwarf character always and without exception went last in combat. That might have not been an issue were it not for the two archers that were able to end almost every fight before it started, leaving me nothing to do. (I ended up annoying the GM a bit because I resorted to bringing a book to the games to read when combat started, because it would almost always end before it rolled around to my turn to act.) This game is only well loved because the critical hit charts go into gory details describing someone's death.
If you like random character creation, random character death, and a setting devoid of any hope then this is the game for you.
October 21, 2015
The long awaited 2nd edition of Warhammer Fantasy RPG.
It was a monumental step up from the first edition, yes. Mechanics and source books were better, but it didnt quite have the heart and soul of the first edition.
But the mechanics are a huge step up, the magic system alone goes from clunky and a drain like no other on XP to being a moloktov cocktail of doom and despair. You can take out legions, but you can also take out yourself just as easily.
You play as a member of a band of adventurers which go about and do whatever to make a living or just have fun. Fight a number of monsters and miscreants, investigate all manner of stuff and try your hardest to not die from friendly fire. Because belive me, thats going to become an issue sooner or later, usually sooner.
The madness system is great fun, the more horrible things you see and experience, the further it drives your character down a spiral of insanity. Where you eventually start becoming the monsters you have spent your short but xp filled life cutting apart.
It was a monumental step up from the first edition, yes. Mechanics and source books were better, but it didnt quite have the heart and soul of the first edition.
But the mechanics are a huge step up, the magic system alone goes from clunky and a drain like no other on XP to being a moloktov cocktail of doom and despair. You can take out legions, but you can also take out yourself just as easily.
You play as a member of a band of adventurers which go about and do whatever to make a living or just have fun. Fight a number of monsters and miscreants, investigate all manner of stuff and try your hardest to not die from friendly fire. Because belive me, thats going to become an issue sooner or later, usually sooner.
The madness system is great fun, the more horrible things you see and experience, the further it drives your character down a spiral of insanity. Where you eventually start becoming the monsters you have spent your short but xp filled life cutting apart.
June 18, 2022
After reading the disaster that is fourth edition I went back to check out 2nd (having never played any edition before). I really love these rules! Just the right amount of crunch and everything just makes sense. I know a lot of people complain that starting 2nd edition characters are next to useless, but to me that is a feature and not a bug. Starting Warhammer characters should be lowly weaklings that work their way out of the mud rather than superheroes straight out of the gate. If I ever do play a Warhammer RPG it would be 2nd edition without hesitation.
September 13, 2007
Friend Eric reminded me just how truly perilous adventure can be.
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May 27, 2016One of my favorite pen and paper games of all time. I do like the Fantasy Flight reboot, but this one wins out everytime.
September 21, 2020
A d100 system which I have mixed feelings about but the setting and the lore make for some great dark fantasy
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews