With the upcoming Winds of Magic supplement for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, we’re able to expand on the rules and setting material for magic and its role in the Old World. Its influence is clearly felt with the Empire’s Colleges of Magic, and the eight Orders that study and harness the winds to pursue their goals. But the impact of magic – particularly the Colleges of Magic – goes beyond simply providing spell lists to wizards from different orders.

The Colleges of Magic are a political and cultural institution. In this designer diary , I provide some insights and a look at some of the new careers included with Winds of Magic that showcase their significance... as well as spoil a few of the careers!

Nice. The idea of using themes to decide which careers to add is a nice touch.

This product is def a must have. FFG here`s my visa. (continueusly throwing my card at the screen, oddly enough nothing happens).

Interesting ... I think this gives us some insight on what is to be expected for the next releases. So this supplement is based around the magic colleges and Tzeentch (even the expansion symbol is the mark of Tzeentch); it comes with new careers, a specialized set of actions and an adventure. Maybe each of the four Chaos gods will get one similar box, combined with the proper aspect of the Empire and the accompanying careers ... Slaanesh + social careers; Khorne + martial careers; Nurgle + priestly careers. That means we'll get a bestiary and both vertical and horizontal career advancement options all spread between four supplements. Of course all of that is just my speculation... Anyway if FFG manage to do just that and release those within 3 or 4 months of each other that would be really sweet!

Arrrghhhhh!!!!

Calling Somalia to get me a copy on yesterday (tomorrow is definitely too late, I can't wait any longer!!)

This is interesting. It gives the set a slightly wider appeal as it adds material for people that have no interest in playing a wizard. From a business standpoint, it makes sense. Sprinkle a few additional careers in and maybe you generate a few sales that just a magic set alone wouldn't have, especially since this will likely be the only way to get said careers.

OTOH, while I'm not disappointed in this news, since I was planning on picking up Winds of Magic anyway, it does confirm the suspicion I developed from earlier previews, that it tops out at 3rd level for wizards, leaving it to a later supplement to give us 4th level.

If every new supplement will have such nice suprises like those with the new carreers.

Great stuff jay - can't wait for more!

I find it quite interesting that the Scholar advanced career features 3 talent slots, something which has been reserved for the somewhat special case of the Flagellant before. I think that allowing 3 talent slots in advanced careers is a very nice idea that can add to the feeling of actually becoming more powerful when attaining an advanced career.

When we get more combat-oriented advanced careers it will be quite nice to have more talent slots. Imagine the Dragon Slayer with 3 tactic slots... Or Sergeant with two Tactics and one Reputation.

Its a stroke of brilliance, abite an expected one. I think I am going to enjoy this one

This is just bizarre...

I haven't even played 3rd ed. yet with my group but I am awaiting this magic supplement more than I do 8th ed. WFB and I have been drooling for a new edition for long.

FFG truly makes RPGs rock, and rock hard.

While I'm glad that new supplements keep coming out at a rapid pace, and there's no doubt lots of stuff in Winds of Magic that I love, there is one big thing that I don't like: that FFG fill out supplements with unrelated stuff. Yes, I want a Scholar and a Servant, but they don't belong in the Magic supplement. They should have been in the core set, or else in a career compendium or something like that. They're not magic careers, and the fact that wizards employ servants is a lame excuse.

In a magic supplement, I expect to find wizard careers, more wizard careers, 4th rank wizard careers, illusionist careers, alchemist careers, hedge wizards, seers, fake magicians and hypnotists even, but not servants. And not really scholars either.

It's the same thing as what FFG did with the Adventurer's Toolkit. Want to accommodate a fourth player? Then you'll also have to buy a bunch of over-powered inappropriate careers that you're better off without. Want to have a fifth player? You'll have to buy all that crap again. Need enough Beastmen stands to run the demo? Buy The Gathering Storm first.

I admit that unlike the Adventurer's Toolkit, Winds of Magic actually seems to contain mostly stuff that I do want, and probably nothing that I'd want twice. But still, FFG keeps putting in the wrong supplement, and that annoys me. I'm glad to see servants, scholars and grave robbers, but I wish they were presented in a more appropriate manner that lets fans choose what they want and what they don't want.

Now it's next week, so when will we see another sneak preview of what's comming up in The Winds Of Magic?

I can't wait for this one, especialy for the Chaos chapter.

I'm quite sad that I must admit I fully agree with you, mcv. Sometimes I've got a feeling that the game lacks of few things (especially horses!) and that WFRP is incomlpete. I'm also glad to be able to buy a new stuff, but I hold the view that the AT and GM's Toolkit should be included in the core set. In other words, I think that soon I won't be able to afford new sumlements - deficiency of money. And even if I'll be able to buy them I believe that our beloved game won't be comparable with things we got in former editions.

I do hope you all can understand what I mean

Cheers!

Armoks said:

There's a good point. Does WFRP3 have anything on horses? WFRP1 had quite a lot on verious modes of transportation and what that meant if you had to travel long distances.

Armoks said:

Not all of it needs to be included in the core set. My problem with both toolkits is that they contain some stuff that should have been in the core set, some stuff that is really optional (like all the weird super careers in the Adventurer's Toolkit), and some stuff that you want a lot of (the basic action cards in the Adventurer's Toolkit). The stuff you don't want drives up the price, which makes it a bad deal for the stuff you do want.

What should really have been in either the core set or the GM Toolkit, is the extra standups for lots of beastmen and other monsters. And what's still missing is standups for female and dwarf soldiers/mercenaries/watchmen.

It's not that what FFG has released is bad (other than the basic rulebook, which is), but that they made some bizarre decisions along the line.

Although now that I think about it, it does make sense: what they package in each release would have made a lot of sense if they'd been expansions for a boardgame. So FFG is unable to let go of the boardgame mindset for WFRP, and that's a shame.

Armoks said:

I still like the new edition, and money isn't so much of an issue to me, so I'll be buying everything they release. But I will keep complaining about the bad strategic decisions they make, and I'm also pretty sure that those decisions may cost them customers. And in the end, that hurts support, and therefore also my game experience.