Hello FFG!

I am a big fan of FFG games (Arkham rules!) and I have been a huge Warhammer fan since the original Fantasy Battles, Rogue Trader and WFRP 1e roared onto the gaming scene. I like when RPGs go in new directions and as a fan of Warhammer Quest & D&D 4e, I enjoy games that are hybrid RPG / boardgames. Thus, I am a likely customer for your new game.

However, I have a concern about running WFRP 3e at gaming conventions.

Maybe I am misinformed, but the core game box suggests that the game is primarily designed for a GM + 3 players. I base this assumption on "Three character keepers designed to hold everything your hero will need each session" as listed in the advertisement.

My main RPG play is at game conventions. I do about 6 cons a year and I mostly run events (GM god complex!). Most conventions require a certain number of "player hours" for the GM to earn his free badge. Thus, a 4 hour game x 6 players equals 24 player hours. Some conventions even require a minimum of 6 players per game because of the limited table space. Thus, if I ran WFRP 3e with only 3 players, I would be earning far fewer player hours and may not even be able to demo 3e at some conventions.

Will GMs be expected to purchase the Adventurer's Toolkit and the extra dice to be able to run a full table of 6 players? Also, is the gameplay optimized for 3 players + GM so that additional players would upset the game design and balance?

Thank you!

The issue of the 3 players is only a matter of resources. There are only 3 character keepers, and there are only 3 cards for each of the basic action cards (Dodge, parry, melee strike, ranged strike, etc), plus you'll need to be careful PCs don't have the same talents or other action cards. If you have players share, make some sort of your own "spare" card/sheet, or possibly FFG will let you buy extra of specific cards, then there shouldn't be a problem running additional players.

The problem with sharing resources in a campaign would be exacerbated, but in a convention, where you play just one or two scenarios, I think the discomfort of sharing some of the cards should be overcome by the fact that you are able to present the game to more than 3 players.

So, the core set comes with material to play with 3 players without having to share cards among them, but obviously that does not mean that you cannot play with more than 3 players.

Until someone at the Con wlaks away with a card or special die. I wouldnt trust everyone enough to chance it LOL.

My Paranoia goes only so far!

Speaking as someone who has run a fairly large number of convention games - both demos and regular scenarios - it's very important to have all the necessary materials for play on hand.

So "yes," having all the necessary cards, dice, etc. would be important.

Worst case scenario: you'd have to buy a second copy of the game to make sure you had enough material for 6 players.

However, I'd be surprised if FFG ddin't consider a " Player's Kit " at some time in the near future to help ease the price of entry for the game.

Thank-you for bringing this up; I hadn't considered running the game at cons yet!

My main concern is the number of players the game was designed to accommodate. Doom is designed for 3 Marine players and GM. You can add more marines (I've done 6 at a con demo), but that changes the game and certainlty alters the play experience.

When a designer / company puts out a box with supplies for 3 players and GM, then it is appears that the core design concepts for how the game is to be played involves a GM and 1-3 others. Do we have OFFICIAL confirmation of how the game scales with larger groups? If so, please post a link.

Peacekeeper, your concern is valid. I gain and/or lose dice at every con I attend. After so many years of going to cons, I have no idea where half my dice went and where the other half came from! It's no big deal with D6s or even D20s, but custom dice and cards are another story.

Also, is there going to be any Convention GM support? GM rewards? Lots of companies give freebies and swag for doing demos.

Is there going to be an on-going Living Campaign like the RPGA?

Well, FFG did provide a fourth character for the demo adventure, and it played just fine with four for us. The only issue, besides sharing cards, is sharing dice. There might not be, especially with larger groups, enough dice for multiple players to roll at the same time. The game might slow a bit, having players each roll initiative separately instead of simultaneously. I didn't have a problem with 4, but with 7 it might feel slower. Of course, there's all the rest of stuff taking longer with more players, but all of that is typical of any RPG and not WFRP3e specific.

Realistically you are going to have this problem at a con, a game store, or at home (if player with people you don't trust). That's just part of the problem with the fiddly bits of this particular game. It's not a board game, but it DOES have board game components.

Personally in a convention setting I'd put out one set of the basics and the players put recharge tokens near the card (not on it) based on their relative table seat (the player north recharges the tokens on the north side, etc). That would also cut down on theft or accidents. I'd also mention how much money the game is and what an investment it was for you. Good gamers will be extra careful to respect that.

In the end however, that's sort of the price you pay running any sort of boardgame at a con or gams store, parts can go missing. Since RPG were mostly pencil and paper and standard dice, nobody cared till now.

I'd probably even recommend going to a hobby or craft store and pick up some cheap colored beads/buttons to use as tokens (in a couple colors). That way, it's not a big deal if they get dropped or lost during the course of the day.

I wonder if convention gamers (including myself) will end up bringing their own card and dice to the game from their sets at home. I wouldn't be surprised if FFG or some other company comes out with nicer "character storage boxes" that let players cart their stuff around.