Last rpg session I took (was a non-warhammer fantasy setting) went for about 5 hours and there were 2 combats: one at the start, and one big one at the end. In between there was a lot of investigation and exploration (legal and illegal). This is the style of roleplaying my group likes.

So considering this, how does the new WFRP3 system handle situations outside of combat, for example searching for something, breaking and entering, climbing over fences, swimming across rivers, trying to avoid detection, casting non-combat spells, intimidating peasants, bluffing the town guard etc.? (Ok the last two you could handle with roleplaying and without the need to roll dice.)

Yes, I'm still on the fence about buying this version. From what I've read here and elsewhere, I have a good idea how combat works, but not much beside that.

Well I'v only had one session so far with my group, but almost no combat in it, plenty of social and sneaking, the rules handled them well.

The reason my group likes WFRP3 so much is because of how much fun the game is outside of combat. The mechanics handle everything so well.

is the game like D&D 4E and only about combat without rules for anything really outside of combat?

Not at all, the rules can cover just about anything you can think of. One of the ruleset's strengths is the dice pool mechanic which really allows GMs to work with PCs on the fly. A lot of the tools provided within the core set also work really well for tracking non-combat situations.

The introduction adventure in the Tome of Knowledge is a good example of how WFRP3 handles non-combat encounters. If you have a chance to look at it in a store copy or a friend's book do so. It is basically an investigation in a rural fortified manor. There is combat at the beginning and the end of the adventure, but everything else is basically non-combat. Well, as long as you PCs don't start going nuts and killing the manor staff!

Ulairi said:

4E isn't like that. The skill challenge system provides as much for out of combat situations as WFRP3.

Ulairi said:

To be honest, there are very few pre-defined rules in comparison with most rule sets. For combat, you get the core structure (move your stance, take a maneuver, take an action, roll the dice, resolve), but they don't outline every single potential combat situation, rather they offer suggestions for how to handle things like being overwhelmed or outnumbered using the dice. I actually ended up really liking this methodology a lot; as a GM I am free to do what makes sense and am not required to know the bonuses/minuses for ever action. Instead, I can say that flanking adds a fortune dice, or attacking a prone target adds 2 fortune dice, or something similar.

This extends to social encounters. Yes, they do provide social action cards (special socially focused skills) that allow you to do more than the standard checks (like intimidate, cajole, befriend, etc.) They do have some suggestions on how to handle complex social engagements such as influencing a baron.

But as far as doing things outside of combat, it's all up to the GM and the players. The focus of the game is on saying "yes" to your players; let them try all sorts of stuff. The dice mechanic coupled with the characteristics and skills allows you to create checks on the fly very easily, and thus you're limited only by your ability to think stuff up. Whereas, I have found, that the more structure that a game outlines for combat, social encounters, skill checks, etc, the less likely the players are to step outside of those bounds.

HedgeWizard said:

Thanks. My normal game is HackMaster which is pretty rules heavy and I' mmust more used to playing games that have systems in place for most actions the players will do. I picked up the core set and once we get two adventurers kits I'll be able to give it a go with my players.