WFRP3 – What’s the Verdict?
WFRP3 Character Sheet
Well, it’s February of 2010 now, and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition has been out since about November of 2009, so roughly three to four months – so how has it been received?
Rodney Thompson, an actual game designer over at WFRP’s (and everyone else’s) main competitor for dominant fantasy RPG, Wizards of the Coast (D&D), wrote up quite a comprehensive WFRP3 review and his thoughts on running the new release, and in a surprise twist, most of it was quite a glowing endorsement.
the Altdorfer Correspondent does an interesting “unboxing”, for those interested in approaching the system from a step-by-step “I am opening the box. I am looking inside the box…” method.
Although a bit late in my posting, Fantasy Flight Games in January, announced the Game Master’s Toolkit, which cost the, I guess not outrageous sum of $30.00, and which looks pretty slick, like the rest of their line, and promises more cards and other such things, which I guess if you’re a fan of the new system, is good news. Also check out this Amazon.Com offering for WFRP2′s super rare Career Compendium – $80 to $132? Are you joking?!
The iN8sWoRld owner, apparently Nate (n8) Berry, wrote a brief blurb on WFRP3 (and linked to ZS, thanks Nate!), similar to mine, relating disappointment and even going so far as to rate it as a “FAIL”. I’m actually not sure I fully agree with this, as I’ve been rethinking my position and getting used to the idea of the new format for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. If you’re talking about the total rewrite of system and play style and outrageous price, then yes I totally echo Nate’s view.
From what I can see around the net, at the various communities, big and small, and publishers and reviewers, it is still a split, but not an even one, as Third Edition WFRP seems to be gaining acceptance, albeit grudging in some cases, plus the new supporters and customers they’ve gained from their glossy new marketing and simplistic approach to play, so while we can complain about “betrayal” (as I did), I guess I can’t argue with their motives from a commercial point-of-view, as they’ve gained new fans and converted some old ones, which was exactly their intent.
Thinking back over what I’ve read about WFRP3, although I would never pay what is being charged, I have to admit that WFRP2 books sold for about $30 on average, and if they put 4 books in this boxed core set, that would be $120, and they sell it for $99, so I guess it actually even gives a slight, very slight, discount – but it’s all in one lump, rather than one supplement or resource at a time, which is just so prohibitive, I don’t know how they sold any.
That said, I understand the concept of modularizing everything into cards, easily accessible, even photocopyable for multiple games and players – keep your spells and weapons and such in your own little Player/Character notebook/pouch so you have all the pertinent rules for that particular feature (whatever it may be) right there at the table in front of you so you don’t have to flip through game tomes. I just wish there was some other way to have done this, because no matter how convenient it is AT the time, it doesn’t change the fact you’ve taken something that takes, at the minimum, some dice, a piece of paper or two, and a pencil, and magically transformed it into the equivalent of Monopoly, or worse, Axis and Allies or Risk, component-wise.
So I applaud the risky repackaging and format for the rules and how the players access them, but just can’t behind a lot of the other aspects of WFRP3, and although they’re no longer the majority, a lot of other people can’t either.
About The Author
Hey there! I guess I’d like to qualify my FAIL statement since I was
only just looking into the system and haven’t actually played it as
yet. Since most of my core group have moved on to WoW or similar a
real play test is unlikely any time soon. It may have just been a
knee-jerk reaction to how much had changed, but I agree with you that
the cards seem like a good idea to keep pertinent info at the ready.
You’re also right about those being photo-copy-able and I imagine
we’ll see custom cards on the internet soon anyway. All the other
little cardboard chits and the dice pools idea I don’t like so much.
The FAIL isn’t so much from their perspective (ie: will they sell
any), but from my perspective (ie: will I buy it)
Thanks for your continued attempts to post here – last WP upgrade trashed a few things.
I know exactly where you’re coming from with what you’re saying, and I too think as far as *some* fans, WFRP 3E is indeed “Fail”, overall – as I said, some ideas seem admirable, but overall, the whole concept of just gutting everything but the name was just ruthless and uncaring.
I too haven’t played 3E, and unless I happen to find myself at a con, which doesn’t happen, nobody I know has the kind of money to keep up with buying new RPGs anymore, so I doubt I’ll be playing it either, and my views are also based on what I’ve read on it.