How can I get the feel and flavor of the Warhammer world?

By gmanjkd, in WFRP Gamemasters

Hello all, I have been running wfrp 3rd for the last 7 months and I do not feel that I am doing the world justice. So, this question is for all of you old timers and or you Warhammer fanatics :-)

What are the top 5 to 10 book you would prescribe for a GM new to the Warhammer World to best educate that GM on on the feel and flavor of a proper wfrp game?

These 5 to 10 books can be from any of the 3 editions or even novels.

Just to clarify, I am seeking homework so that the next wfrp game that I run will be unmistakenly Warhammer. Not D&D, or Rolemaster, merp or any other world. I want my game to bleed Warhammer and showcase the world to anyone, newbie or veteran alike. I want to do the world justice and express the mood and atmosphere that makes wfrp unique.

Thanks for all of your valuable insight.

From Black Library:

Mathias Thulmann, Witch Hunter by C.L. Werner

Warrior Priest by Darius Hinks

Beasts in Velvet by Jack Yeovil

And if you have access to the first edition Enemy Within books, the black and white artwork in those is very evocative.

Those are good recommendations. My last blog entry on my (infrequently posted to) blog was about warhammer novels good and bad.

Rob

Thanks d6 evil men, I'll check those out. I've heard great things about the witch hunter novels'

@ Valvorik, what are the 5-10 definitive RPG books from any addition that u would recommend?

Per the blog:

Drachenfels by Jack Yeovil (pen name of Kim Newman)- it's part of series with Beasts in Velvet, Witch Hunter novels of C.L. Werner, Tales of the Old World, Felix and Gotrek - beer and pretzels stuff and enjoyable.

Drachenfels is pretty dark..you don't want to scare the boy right off the bat do you? He may go mad..or worse… On the otherhand, the beauty of Drachenfels is that it is EXACTLY how my games run. Lots of intrigue, not overdoing combat, and dark, dark things lurking in peoples' minds. I've found the Gotrek & Felix books to be just a little too empty in the warhammer feel and being little more than advanced comic books about combating strange monsters. That seems typical fare to me.

You could try THE ENEMY WITHIN novel :)

enemy-within-richard-l-byers-paperback-c images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR0NBTZtNeE5ACvj8WY-4q

If you want the feel and flavor of warhammer in real life, it would involve standing in manure and barbed wire while someone steals your car and you can't get to it and the police don't care unless you bribe them. Kind of like living in India I'd suspect.

jh

Scare the boy LOL, ok im 37, Im not old. "Well I cant just call you man", You could say Dennis. I didnt know you were called Dennis. Well you didn't bother to find out did you! :-)

Thanks for all of the Novel advise. I was really intending to get the forums advice on RPG books of any of the 3 editions, with a few novels to round things out. So far there have been several posts on novels but no RPG books.

What are the top 5 WFRP books you guys would recommend that i read to aquire the Mood, and Atmosphere of the Old World as I listed in my first post.

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

Thanks Guys

Gary

It is more than five, but here's what I would recommend.

1st Edition:

Shadows over Bögenhafen

Death on the Reik (lots of good stuff here about riverlife etc. Also, cultists and mutants are one of the quintessential enemies of WFRP and you can see plenty of them here)

Power Behind the Throne (interesting NPCs and a sinister plot)

2nd Edition:

Tome of Salvation (religion and religious schisms)

The Thousand Thrones (a campaign. Some parts are more WFRP than others, but overall it has good Warhammer feel)

Also, I think The Barony of the Damned captures the grime and grimmness of WFRP very well, but note that it is set in Bretonnia instead of the Empire.

Many think that the short scenario A Rough Night at the Three Feathers is the best scenario out there. If my memory serves me you can find it in the 1st edition book The Restless Dead , and reprinpted in the second edition Plundered Vaults .

Hi,

My list would be:

1. Tales of the Old World. A big book of short stories but really captures the flavour of the Old World.

2. The Vampire Wars anthology.

3. Beasts in Velvet Jack Yeovil Possibly the best warhammer novel ever written

4. The Hammers of Ulric anthology Dan Abnett

5. The Malus Darkblade anthology Dan Abnett Only author I know who can have you rooting for a totally evil individual to succeed.

6. Shadows over Bogenhafen 1st Edition

7. A Rough Night at the Three Feathers from Plundered Vaults 2nd Edition

8. Power behind the Throne 1st Edition

9. Marienburg. Sold down the River 1st Edition

10. Lichemaster 1st Edition

There is a lot of reading there but you can normally find this stuff on Ebay fairly easily.

I am with Emirikol on this one.

First - Set your house on fire.

Rip your clothes to tatters.

Find the deepest city sewer you can find and take a nice 10 min. swim.

Then, head over to your nearest sausage factory and hop into the "left over" bin, ( and geeze, just think about how bad it must be if they won't even put it in a sausage)

Then go purchase 100,000 cochroaches, 75 rats, and a dozen scorpions.

Head on back to the house and put the fire out.

Make certain to turn your sprinkler heads from the lawn so that they flow directly into your burned out roof.

Now let the roaches, rats, and scorpions loose in the house.

Without taking a shower, take all your sheets off the bed and grab the dog's blanket.

Go to sleep.

Wake up, stretch, and tell yourself what a great night's sleep you had and how refreshed you feel. Because after all of this, if you were really in the Warhammer world, that is exactly how you would feel,

Welcome to The Old World,….. apesta :)

Noone said Gotrek & Felix?

:(

Yes, someone did:

Emirikol said:

I've found the Gotrek & Felix books to be just a little too empty in the warhammer feel and being little more than advanced comic books about combating strange monsters. That seems typical fare to me.

For what it's worth, chikago… I love Gotrek and Felix :)

All of the recommendations here have been top notch. Hard to make a "top 5 really." Depends on what kind of mayhem you're in the mood for.

There are a lot of short exerpts from the Warhammer novels that would be a good start without having to drill through an entire series: the ebooks run about $3 usd.

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Warhammer