Even though I purchased have owned the Core Set, GM Kit, and Gathering Storm for quite a while now, I have yet had the opportunity to run a game of WFRP3 yet. It's the next game my group wants to play, but we're busy with Rogue Trader at the moment.

Anyway, I've always liked what I've read and tested of WFRP3, but yesterday put me over the edge into thinking this game is truly wonderful. I had a chance to sit down for about an hour with Jay Little and three other players and listen to him thoroughly explain and demonstrate the core aspects of the game. Now I simply can't wait to run this!

People who knock WFRP3 for lacking in roleplaying opportunities are on crack. Between the dice and the stress/fatigue mechanics, players are free to do just about anything they can dream up (i.e., things that a GM in other systems would have to say, "Woah...that's a bit much."). I finally realized that as a GM, I can basically strike a deal with the player to something outrageous as long as their willing to accept the stakes I propose. I can't tell you how much I love this.

Anyway, just wanted to share what is probably obvious to those of you who play regularly. Big thanks to Jay for putting on such a great demo!

Sounds very nice indeed! It would be wonderful to see such an example session or explanation of the game mechanics by Jay online in the form of a video or even just audio clip – I am sure I could improve my play and GM quite a bit through such an experience.

Jay's enthusiasm in the previous videos really seems infectious and I bet he makes a really terrific GM. Glad to hear you got the opportunity and enjoyed it. Do you recall anything especially neat or anything you hadn't really considered about the game before the demo?

Just wanted to add my two copper.

I had played some 2nd Ed Warhammer Fantasy (decent game, but not our fantasy staple), but I demoed 3rd Ed with Jay Little at gencon. I dragged one of my players to another demo, and both of us picked up the core set (plus got it signed by Jay. There's a huge 'FOR SIGMAR' in silver on my box now /squee).

Just some quick impressions on the game:

This is definitely a game about roleplaying. The very core of reading the dice really gets people into character, even people who aren't heavy gamers. I showed it to a friend of mine when I got home, and his girlfriend (who doesn't normally game) was kibitzing and she's already asking if I'm thinking of running a campaign. So to re-iterate, a non-gamer sat down. Asked to try. And was IN CHARACTER immediately, coming up with explanations on the dice reads and suggesting possible boons/banes calls for rolls.

The dice reading mechanic really puts people in-character. One of the problems of many games today is that there comes a separation of character and mechanic. In games where clockwork turns allow people to execute maneuvers on a static battlefield there is a tendency to slip into 'mechanics' mode where you are quoting rules and saying 'I attack for *roll* 22 damage' more often than not. The method of reading and interpreting dice (my aggressive stance bites me in the behind since all the reds came up bad) really allows people to come up with descriptions of what happens and drives the mechanics very deeply in character, and back into the story.

I love the 'team' aspect of things. The combinations of the party sheets, the lack of hard initiative order, and the flexibility built into the system is amazing. I was in a DnD 4e demo and we got pinned on a narrow staircase and had to spend 4 turns backing out to just get our characters into some sort of usable combat position. I caught myself swearing 'MAN, I wish this was WFRP right now' under my breath more than a few times. Also, badly wishing I could pass some of my passives to the party such as attaching tactics to the party sheet.

As mentioned previously the 'bargaining' with the players is awesome. The ability to put down the cost and let the player choose to go for it makes the story that much more epic.

Other notes:

Jay Little is awesome. His passion for the game is unmistakable, and better yet its infectious (he had his nails painted in die-colors with the WFRP dice symbols on them. That's dedication!). After my demo I talked to a number of people about the game, one of which caught up with me later and thanked me for pointing him in the direction of the demo (side note he had a big FF bag with WFRP stuff in it ^_~).

Honestly a video podcast (5 mins) with some clarifications, and examples of play is a great idea. I do not know a single person who walked out of that demo without being blown away (and I talked to a number). It can only help clarify rules, and infect people with great excitement for this awesome game.

Was there anything about the game demo, or the way Jay ran it, that surprised you?

Hey Jay...if you're reading this, I'd like to echo the request that you somehow find the time to make a video of you demoing this game and post it online. For some reason, I think a lot of people still don't quite get how much the dice and stress/fatigue mechanics free gamers and GMs up to do some serious roleplaying.

Listening to you demonstrate all of this was such an eye opener. I think lots of other gamers would be converted to WFRP3 if they had the opportunity to watch you run a game.

I gotta say I'm intensely jealous of those who were able to sit down and watch Jay demo the Game. I'm throwing my voice out there for a video of the event. I've hosted a few demos of the game myself, for the Emperor's Decree and Journey to Black Fire Pass, as well as my own events. I plan on hosting more and would love to see the creator/master himself in action. I've brought a number of people over to Warhammer after only a few rolls of the dice (that mechanic is particularly intoxicating to those who slug away at d20), but I'm sure there are a number of tricks I can pickup to increase my prosthelytizing efforts.

For Sigmar!

Bah, you guys should have asked for it before GenCon. I could've used my camera to record Jay giving a demo and explaining stuff. He is indeed passionate about it, and did a great job. I hung around a couple times watching him explain the game, and could've snapped a quick video. Ah well.

I'm glad to see a few folks who sat in with him at the Con post up on the boards about their experiences of his demo.

shinma said:

I couldn't agree more. The guy is practically an evangelist for the game...and a very effective one at that. Sitting down to that WFRP3 demo with Jay was probably the highlight of my convention this year.

I watched Jay demo a group that looked to be filled with very inexperienced gamers. Jay's enthusiasm, ability to explain the rules, and genuine friendliness won the table over. Watching the demo solidified in my mind that I absolutely must run this game.

I wish I'd had found the time to sit in on one of Jay's demos. Really wanted to see how its run from the dev perspective.

keltheos said:

By the way, both Jay and I were disappointed you never stopped by to say hi.