Hey folks! I am currently playing WFRP and overal am enjoying the experience, there is a real lack of material so I am looking for another RPG to delve into and possibly make my primary RPG!

I've read about the dice mechanics and got a good grasp of the percentile system (roll 2 d10's try and roll below your percentage, like climb walls in ad&d 2.0)

Now, if I could get some specific insight on how this game differs from WFRP 3e in the following it would be appreciated as I feel it is WFRP 3e's weaker points, maybe this game can compensate!

1) What is the class system/progression like? Can you stick with one class for as long as you like or are you forced to multiclass?
2) Is damage fixed?
3) Whats the range system like? Is it abstract?
4) Considering there is a lot of technology in this game compared to a medieval/fantasy theme, is there a lot of Jamming weapons/failing devices/glitching systems/ammunition and lots of renewables in this game?
5) Can items degrade over time?
6) What races can you start out as?
7) I have to admit I am a bit of a rules lawyer (sorry lol!) and like a good solid foundation for rules and campaigns, I don't have a lot of time to be creating a world as much as I'd like to. Do you feel the universe has lots to offer with good descriptions of room/stories/characters or am I stuck house ruling everything and making my own campaigns?

Thats about it for now, if you have made it through my wall of text & questions, thank you and I appreciate your time!

Boze said:

1. You have a system of ranks which work like levels. Each rank is tied to a certain number of skills and talents that you can purchase with earned experience. Currently you cannot multiclass, although there are a few substitution ranks that let you customize your career.

2. Damage is not fixed. It actually is based on the d10. You roll the damage for the weapons (for example, 1d10+5). If you roll a natural 10 on the die, you have a chance of gaining additional damage by rolling to hit again. If you hit the 2nd time, you get an added d10 damage. After that, each natural 10 guarantees another d10 roll. It's not quite an exploding system, but it's close.

3. The range system is standard like in most games. You can play it out on a battle map or keep track in your head. All weapons have a range and people have movement values.

4. Yes. Normal ranged weapons jam on 96-100. Some weopons overheat as well. Psychic attacks or phenomena can also affect technology functioning.

5. I suppose, but the rules don't cover it.

6. Human. Instead of playing alien races you gain starting traits, skills and talents based on your homeworld and career. It's pretty straight forward.

7. The universe is fully developed as there are a ridiculous number of novels and rulebooks that have been written on the subject. The core rulebook contains enough to get you started.

I'll attempt to answer your questions, even though some of them really don't make sense to me.

1. You choose a career, and then spend experiense to get skills, stat increases, and talents. Reaching different experience total s will unlick the next rank of the career progression tree making more skills and talents available. You can always spend experience ot buy skills and talents that are in past ranks on the career progression. You mostly stick with one career. The closest to multiclassing is when a career's advencement splits into differnt paths and you have to choose one path and stick with it. You can also take alternate career ranks from the Inquisitor's Handbook if your character qualifies for it, but I have no experience with it.

2. Depends on what weapon you use. You will mostly roll a D10 or multiple of them and modify the result (adding and subtracting depending on situation) for total damage done.

3. There are 5 ranges that modify hit rolls and those ranges are dependent no the weapon used. For instance short range is half the weapon's stated range and will making the roll to hie easier.

4. Weapons do jam, but different weapons are easier to jam then others depending on the weapon special effects (traits weapon has). There is always a roll involved using technology, so failing the roll can have different results.

5. Not really, unless it's food or some thing. Would be too much detail to keep track of for weapons.

6. Human. Any thing else is heresy and should be purged.

7. House rules is encouraged, but you can easily play the game by the book. There are lots of pre written adventures and such, so you can put in as much work as you want to. The errata clears up allot of the problems with the rules. It is best to first read up and become familiar with the 40K universe. You will find there is no lack of subject matter.

Thanks for the input so far! I apologize if the questions were a tad bizarre!

Regarding 7)

I understand there are lots of Novels, I played 40k for years (White Scars, Orks- Speed Freaks, Imperial Guard, Dark Eldar) so I feel comfortable with the lore aspect and semi-familiar. It's just I really don't have time to say, read a novel and interpret that into a campaign. Rather I would like to have a nice book that has a whole campaign/scenario layed out for me. That's what I feel is missing most in WFRP3e right now, and I would really like to do an RPG and continue supporting FFG as I feel they are a fantastic company. Thus my original post!

Thanks and looking forward to more comments! I think this thread could be a big help to curious WFRP players!

When you say "a nice book that has a whole campaign/scenario layed out for me" I guess you're looking for an adventure series?

There's one book called Purge the Unclean that has 3 linked adventures, and a more involved campaign series of 3 linked books called the Haarlock's legacy trilogy that is currently two thirds of the way through (ie a third and final book is on its way.) The Dark Heresy core rulebook also has a short adventure in it. All are good.

Plus, most of the sourcebooks have ideas that you can springboard into your own campaigns.

Hope that helps!

Boze said:

1) Basically a class/level system only unlike D&D you advance by buying/improving skills, talents and characteristics rather than improving those by advancement. Multiclassing is not strictly possible.

2) No. Damage is variable.

3) Range is in meters, though how range bands are calculated is a little odd IMO.

3) Yes and no. Guns can jam. Psychic powers can fail. Otherwise special tech mostly gives you special abilities or bonuses to task checks.

5) Not in the rules.

6) Human, but there is a lot of variety within "human." Instead of fantasy races, characters have a Homeworld. Each Homeworld has characteristic adjustments, special abilities and weakness. For instance, Feral Worlders are tough, strong, not very sociable while Hive Worlders aren't so tough but are very socially adept.

7) There is a well developed campaign setting (the Calaxis Sector) and several published adventures available. If you don't have the time or inclination for world-building there is a lot of material available to you. On the other hand, if you do, there is a lot of room in the setting for you also.

On the topic of scenarios, campaigns, and what-not, Ligtbringer mentioned most of the books that have them, though he forgot about two. In Disciples of the Dark Gods, there is a nice scenario entitled House of Dust and Ash which was something of an official introduction of the whole Haarlock ting. There is also a less then stellar one in the GM's kit which has been getting mixed reviews called Maggots in the Meat which introduces my favorite alien race to use and torture my players with in this setting, the Slougth. Beyond the books, there are also six scenarios written by fans for the annual adventure competition that FFG holds for a signed copy of what ever book is being hyped at the time. You can find them for free download on the Dark Heresy Support Page as well as the stellar introductory adventure, Edge of Darkness . In fact, if you want an idea of how the game works and plays, you might want to go grab it now.

So, all totaled up, and counting the last unfinished book of the Haarlock trilogy, you have 16 scenarios (not all linked, but it doesn't take much work to correct that) and that's before cruising through sites like Dark Reign for more fan made adventures :-)

Hey thanks for the information!

Everyone was very helpful and I found everything I needed to answer my questions.

Thanks again!

Once you get comfortable and confident with the DH system and setting and crave more pre-written adventures there is nothing wrong with picking up some adventures for a game that has similar themes to what you and your group enjoy and simply re-write the particulars to be 40K appropriate. Say you have an old favourite mission laying around for the old out of print 007 game... Change some of the descriptions and recast the thing with suitable DH replacement NPCs.... BAM! New mission investigating the latest Tech Heresy to be perpetrated by some mad Logician bent on inflicting some new tech-horror on an unwitting hive populace. Based on the posts of other GMs, some of the Call of Cthulu adventures seem to make for popular translations to DH.

Welcome to the game!

One thing to consider: There is a free adventure that can be downloaded from FFG called "Shattered Hope". From a story standpoint it is terrible, but that was not really the point of this one. This is the original preview adventure that was released before the original game book as a sort of tease/intro and was intended to take a table of people who have never seen the game before and get their first game in in about 4 hours (the usual time slot at a typical game convention, go figure!). The story is very linear and limited, but the real use for this mission is to learn the game. As a GM each encounter read like a section of the rulebook.... "Ok, this is the scene where they learn how to shoot. This is the scene where they need to fight melee. This is the scene where fear tests are introduced. This is the scene where the surprise/ambush mechanics are learned. This is where we show you how to use skills...." and so on. It includes 4 premade characters, and last time I looked there are 2 bonus characters that are available for separate download. Consider running this one first and handing out the premades. If they royally screw up and die, no big loss. They learned the basics of the game and can set about making a character of their very own. Love the character they played? Cool. Hand out some XP and continue on to the better stuff.

Most starting groups tend to pile on with the combat specialist characters. Nothing wrong with this, but such teams will struggle overall. Having a mixed bag of specialists is definately the way to go in DH! Even the "wimpy" careers can be anything but wimpy... This IS the Warhammer 40K universe after all, and the Inquisition does not recruit the useless. Techpriests are frickin' SCARY and in my game at least, the Adepts seem to be blessed by the Emperor. In a game where literacy is a trained skill (and most of the characters probably lack it at the start!) and knowledge is considered to be a secret thing to be zealously guarded, playing a character who KNOWS stuff can be very powerful! The game is investigations, undercover work, stealth, research, combat, puzzle solving, horrifying underwear-staining and a huge heaping dose of AWESOME all rolled into one.

And erm, about WFRP having not much books. There are tons of good books including award winning adventures detailing every country, monsters, chaos, wizardry etc. Check the internet. There is pretty good stuff out there, only problem is that it is an older no longer supported by FFG 2nd and 1st edition. But the gazatewrs and the adventures shouls be easy enough to convert.