Greetings, everyone. We realize that with the excitement of the new releases across the RPG lines, there have been some questions raised over the series of Guide and Vault products we're developing for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay . I wanted to take a moment and clarify some of the issues so both new and veteran players know what to look forward to with the upcoming releases.

Also, if you're going to be attending GenCon, be sure to attend the Small But Vicious Seminar on Saturday (details available at our booth), where I will be presenting more information about the product line and answering questions.

Q: If I have the Core Set will I need the Player's Guide?
A: No, although the rules have been updated with our recent FAQ and may be clearer in some areas, there is no new rules or information.

Q: So what does the Player's Guide offer over the player information from the Core Set?
A: We have condensed all the information from the cards and careers of sets up to and through the "Signs of Faith" product for easy reference, and there are rules for playing WFRP "Lite" (i.e. without components, for those that prefer this method). This includes action cards, talents, career abilities--virtually all of the player-focused content released so far. Also, the Player's Guide features some new examples and diagrams, as well as some clarifications and streamlined organization.

Q: How about the GM's Guide?
A: If you own the Core Set, you'll not need the GM's guide to play WFRP. The GM's Guide, like the Players' Guide, does provide for detailed lookup tables for a number of game elements. For example, there are complete charts and tables for some effects currently managed by decks of cards, providing both a handy reference, as well as a means to play the game using more traditional means.

Q: So, if I have a new group interested in playing WFRP, where do I start?
A: The Core Set is the ideal starting point for a new group and a superb value. The core set's component mix can easily support 4 people (1 GM and 3 players). Additional players can be added with additional copies of the "Player's Vault" if desired. Now with the release of the new Vault and Guide products, if a player wants additional rules sets on hand, you can pick up the "Player's Guide" without having to get another Core Set (an augment this with more sets of dice, if needed).

Q: So did the original model not work?
A: We've had phenomenal sales of the WFRP products that we have put out to date, with several already in their the second printing. By adding these Guide Books and Vaults, we are responding to player feedback and requests to give players options to expand their group without having to purchase additional Core Sets.

Q: So you'll continue to sell the Core Set?
A:Yes. It's still a great value and the ideal all-in-one entry point for a group.

Q: How about future supplements?
A: These will be released in the same way that we have released our supplements to date (such as "The Gathering Storm" and "Winds of Magic") including both the rules, source materials, and components in one box

Q: Can you tell us why the anticipated Slaanesh box was not on the release schedule through summer 2011?
A: No, what happens in the Inevitable City stays in the Inevitable City.

...

UPDATED 8/13/10

A few additional comments and clarifications on the new format, addressing some information that was not clear in my Small But Vicious Seminar video.

Q: How many players are supported by the Player Vault?

A: The Player Vault includes the player-focused components from the popular WFRP Core Set -- this includes three sets of basic actions, stance pieces, tracking tokens, as well as the standups, sheets, and ability cards for all 30 original careers, and the corresponding actions.

Q: What content from Winds of Magic and Signs of Faith appear in the Player Guide and Game Master Guide?

A: The new careers, actions, and player-focused content from these products (as well as the Adventurer's Toolkit) is re-printed for convenient lookup in the Player Guide. The rules for corruption and mutation (first found in Winds of Magic) and disease (from Signs of Faith) are in the Game Master's Guide. The background information, creature flavour and background, adventure, and other content is not duplicated in either Guide.

Also, while the careers, talents, and other components from Winds of Magic and Signs of Faith are listed in charts and layout in the Player Guide, these components are not part of the Player Vault -- those cards, sheets, and punchboard are available in Winds of Magic and Signs of Faith.

Q: What "new material" is there in the Player Guide?

A: There are no new rules or new content, per se. Rather, the Player Guide features updated organization, streamlined rules, more sidebars and diagrams, more examples of play, and a robust index. The goal is to make the rules easier to read and find, and the game easier to play. The Player Guide also addresses some common questions and integrates updates from the FAQ and Errata.

ynnen said:

Thanks for the clarifications. Regarding the questions above, is there another starting point? Without the Core Set, you get no dice, so you can't really skip the Core Set, can you? Unless dice are included in GM Vault. I suppose buying multiple dice sets would not be cost effective.

So, how about the Creature Guide?

I have still some question about the player and GM vault. May you answer to them please (excuse my english) :

Does the player vault contains actions cards from the corebox. I suppose there are basic actions cards for one extra player, but what about all other melee, ranged and support action cards from the corebox ?

Does the player guide contains pages with the spells discovered in Winds of Change ?

Does the GM guide contains pages with informations from the GM toolkit ?

Does the GM vault contains actions cards from the corebox, like its spells and blessing ? location cards ?

willmanx said:

It seems it does, he specifically writes that it contains stuff up to and through Signs of faith.

Thanks for the FAQ, I think the most interesting bit of info is that future supplements will be in the old format.

Will every future supplement come in "Lite" and "Full" versions (including campaigns and setting books like Black Fire Pass)?

Arent you worried that gameshops will only stock the most popular of the two versions resulting in making it harder for fans to get the less popular one?

Don't you risk causing an edition war within 3rd ed. potentially causing a(nother) split amongst players and (admitted definately worst case) that you (FFG) may end up with the Full version not being economically feasible thus causing your overall design idea to be abandoned in favour of the "lite" approach?

Sorry to sound so negative but the "lite" version it feels like a risky move, obviously designed to make more money (which I have no problem with btw.), but potentially at the cost of the original and (in my opinion) very cool and innovative gamedesign.

Thanks for the FAQ! A quick question:

Is there any chance, that we will see such compilation of the new rules and game elements from next year's supplemets during 2011's fall? I suppose those, who got into the game, would like to buy their supplements as books too (maybe except adventures), just like those, who bought the boxes, want to continue buying high quality boxed products.

So there will be no content in the Vaults and Guides that isn't already published (besides Signs of Faith)? It's de facto just a reodering and alternative way of presenting the game?

Duh! People, calm down! It was pretty clear right from the start that the new guides just give you OPTIONS - it would be insane if FFG wanted you to buy those for some 4 pages of extra content in each one. People moaned why should they buy the core set while they only wanted the rules, so that's who FFG targets with this line of products. It doesn't hurt the release schedule for the original products as they obviously didn't spent much development time into the hardcover books. This line won't replace the original idea which FFG claims was pretty successful (and I for one believe that). Overall it is great that WFRP3 has been such a success for the company to afford giving us this kind of options.

And don't forget we're getting the bestiary everybody was so stoked to have... and we're getting it in TWO forms no less!

All this means just one thing - the game is doing great and will likely be around for a while.

Fossy said:

On page 6 of the new Sifting through Shadows it says:

“This hardcover book contains the rules and gameplay information from the Core Set—expanded, updated, and clarified— as well as some previously unreleased material. ”

It would be interesting to know what kind of content this will be… it seems possible that this new material will only address playing without components, but it could also be new content that is useful for those who play in the standard way.

ozean said:

It pays off to read the FAQ carefully:

Also, the Player's Guide features some new examples and diagrams, as well as some clarifications and streamlined organization.

Ok, so that does clarify a lot of where these new releases are headed; which is good.

I'd be interested to know though, if we are a component heavy group, would we need to purchase both the creature guide and vault or just the creature vault?

How much information is replicated between the two, because if all the info about creatures come on cards in the vault (which is great) I'm not sure I'd want to buy the guide too, BUT if the guide has info that doesn't come in the vault (such as back ground info) they i'll have to.

It is now pretty clear from the FAQ, that for a group that likes the components and who has the core set, they probably don't need the players/GM's guide. The GM's vault is also probably superflous, but individual players may wish to buy the players' guide (for reference) and you may need to buy a player's vault or two if your group is large,

As a GM though, I'm unclear if i need both the Creature guide and the vault, or just the vault...

Is the creature guide only for GMs/groups that don't wish to be component heavy, or that wish for an additional reference guide to list all the info in the vault in a more convenient fomat?

Iffo said:

Insane, yes, but as the GM's guide was described as a "must have" product, it was important to clarify what new content in the book made it a must have; as it happens, for a group that already has the core set, its probably not at must have at all.

It is great we have the bestiary at last, but I am still a little confused about if i have to buy it in one format or both to get all the info... if our group uses components (which we do), do i need to just get the vault, or will there be some info in the guide (hopefully more than 4 pages) that is exclusive to that product? do you understand that, because currently, I don't.

Since I do not need anything, the collector in me takes over:

I am getting all of this!

On page 6 of the new Sifting through Shadows it says:

“This hardcover book contains the rules and gameplay information from the Core Set—expanded, updated, and clarified—as well as some previously unreleased material.”

It would be interesting to know what kind of content this will be… it seems possible that this new material will only address playing without components, but it could also be new content that is useful for those who play in the standard way.

It pays off to read the FAQ carefully:

Also, the Player's Guide features some new examples and diagrams, as well as some clarifications and streamlined organization.

I see a qualitative difference in the message of "some new examples and diagrams" and "some clarifications and streamlined organization" on the one hand and "some previously unreleased material" on the other. That's why I asked the question above and would like to have an official answer on it.

What will the Player's Vault contain? How many additional players will it allow? For $40, I'm assuming it will add more than 1 player. What I'm hoping for is that it will contain all the action cards from the core set (3 sets of basic actions, and 1 each of all the other actions). If that's true, I'll definitely buy it.

More generally, is it true that all guides + all vaults =~ Core Set (plus some extra stuff)? I suspect the Creature Guide+Vault will add a lot more than was in the Core Set (it might have been a bit lacking in creature-related stuff), but especially the Player's Guide/Vault and GM's Guide/Vault sound like they're basically a repackaging of everything that's in the Core Set (but fixed, edited, and maybe some more stuff). Is that correct?

plutonick said:

There is a dice set available already, and IMO it's not terribly expensive. (I think I paid about EUR 6, or $7-8, for mine.)

mcv said:

Yeah, but you need more than 3 of those set in order to match the number of dice in the core set.

plutonick said:

Yeah, the dice set doesn't actually come with enough dice for a player to have his own set. If you have a stat better than 3 or more than 2 conservative/aggressive stance dice, or attempt to do anything harder than 1 <p>, you need more dice.

Awww man..I was hoping for a bunch of new rules incompatable with the old ones

Looking forwards to it Jay!

Jay H

Will either the GM's Vault or GM's Guide include the GM's Screen? It doesn't seem to be indicated in either and if it isn't, where will it be available after the GM's Toolkit sells out?

Speaking of which, the Toolkits are currently listed as being reprinted, is this true or are they in fact being reprinted as the Guide and Vault?

Thanks!

ynnen said:

Ok, I would like to have an anwser did I get things right. I readed the new FAQ and I would like to know If I get it all right.

Those new format book are just the optional version of the core set + winds of magic book + signs of faith book (without the Tzeentch and Nurgle books). There is nothing new in those just all the material gathered in one place. So if You have the core set there is no need to buy GM Guide, GM Vaults, Players Guide and Players Vaults. Only if You want to play the Lite version of the game.

The new stuff will be only in Creatures Guide and Creatures Vaults.

ynnen said:

The other game titles will be still in the old format - one box with cards and books just like The Gathering Storm was.

There will be no new books in the new format - it is only made for the optional version of the core set. So next year I hope there will no such suprise like this.

ynnen said:

So I can hope that after GenCon we will see a video of this seminar so everybody can watch it a know what is going on.

to Waxfare - I don't think that GM Vaults will include GM screen. There is nothing mentioned about it, so no. And Jay said that publishing GM Vaults and Guide does not mean that older titles are canceled or will be not published. So the GM Toolkit will be back in stock I think.

Can we have a clear answer to if we need the Creatures Guide and Creatures Vault or if the Vault contains all the information.

Amketch said:

It looks like this is the only book with new stuff from all those in new format. And the Creatures Guide is the book with all the info, and the Creatures Vaults is the expansion of those on cards, stan ups and sheets.

Will the Player's Vault contain all of the player material from the Core Set, Signs of Faith, and WInds of Magic? If so, why would anyone buy those previous sets?