Hi all

I'm just starting out on WFRP and pretty excited. I have had only a little experience with WFRP though a fair bit in DnD 4e, as a player not a GM. I have a quick question if anyone could please enlighten me it would be much appreciated.

My question is about active defence. Using Parry as an example. Being an action card the way i see it is you use it as you would any action, then it's "active". You can then choose which attack to use it against, including in later rounds. Once used it gains recharge tokens as normal. Is this correct?

My group are all new to WFRP and to us this seems like the most logical use. Hope i'm not just missing something really really basic, though to be honest it wouldn't surprise me!

Thanks

The Parry card is used as a reaction, if you notice it has the "Reaction" trait up top, which means you use it in reaction to some event in the game. The text in the card says as much: "After you have been declared the target of a Melee Attack add two recharge tokens to this card to add [P] to the action's dice pool."

In the case of Parry you use it when someone declares your character the target of an attack, as the text says. You don't use it ahead of time, only if someone tries to attack you.

Thanks for the reply. Makes perfect sense now someone else explains it. Wasn't quite on top of the "trait" meanings. I've got lots of re-reading to do!

Thanks again mate

Budgie said:

Most of us weren't either, which is why the Reaction trait has a section in the FAQ where this is explained.

Actually the trait, "reaction" doesn't do anything, the FAQ clarifies this under the section, Game Terms: Trait , and also under the section Actions: Reactions & Immediate Use. The latter section reads, "The Reaction trait itself confers no special meaning (see Game Term: Trait for more information on traits)."

Cards like, Block, Dodge, and Parry are used under special circumstances that are listed on those specific cards, it says on the card what special circumstances allow those cards to be used. They usually have a header on them like " Special: " and that section will typically read something to the effect of, "You may use this card when you are the target of a melee attack" or something similar to that, it is up to the players and GM to be aware of the special uses/effect of their actions. Also you should be aware of the traits of a card, though they don't specifically attach any special rules to that card, other card may have an effect based on those traits, or those traits will give you a clue as to how and when that card is best or properly used.

BCA said:

That's definitely true, yet as you mention the Reaction trait isn't without meaning, as it's generally attached to cards that are triggered due to an event. So while the trait itself doesn't trigger a specific rule, it does hint at the intent of the card and helps clarify its usage. So while traits aren't "legally binding" if you will, they do have meaning and use in the system, be it descriptive from a narrative sense "Slayer", "Ritual Dance", "Ancestor" or mechanical "Reaction", "Active Defence".

I have a question related to these cards. I'm a little confused about exactly how many recharge tokens they get. Most cards just have the number in the upper right to indicate the number of tokens you put on them, but the defence cards also say something to the effect of "put 2 recharge tokens on this card" and ALSO have a number 2 in the corner. Is the text just, for no apparent reason, reiterating what the number already says, or do the cards actually end up with 4 recharge tokens?

You put two recharge tokens on the action card, just like the text says. If you were meant to add them together it would say something like "place two additional recharge tokens". The text is just detailing what you need to do to get the listed effect, in this case to put two recharge tokens on it.

That's how I thought it worked, but I wondered because none of the other cards say to place the tokens in the text. To have it in the text of the card AND use the number in the corner is confusing and redundant. I don't understand why they did it that way.

Anyway, thanks for the confirmation.

There are other cards that state you need to put recharge tokens explicitly in the text, like all the other active defence cards and Shadow's Coil for example. There might be others, but I don't have the deck with me.

Most likely they did it that way because those cards are played outside of your turn, as a reaction to another character's actions. So they wanted to make it clear that despite the fact that it was outside of your turn you still had to place recharge tokens on the card. It's also likely they did this in an attempt to clarify that the card was exhausted when the effect came into use, not during the character's turn as a pre-emptive action that would block, dodge or parry all incoming attacks.

I mean, maybe these cards needed a special exemption because the rule is, when you successfully use an action, you place a number of recharge tokens on that card equal to the number in the upper right, if you don't successfully use the card then you do not add tokens equal to that number, but you still follow the text on the card persuant to the result of the dice you rolled.

Since you don't make a roll when using active defense cards, and there is no, "Successful", or "Not Successful" result, you technically would never actually add and recharge tokens to the card.

More likely though its just text that repeats the rule, and is not meant to add any additional functions to the card, just simply reiterate what is supposed to transpire to begin with.

Nice catch BCA, I believe that's the reason why those cards are stated differently.