Hey all. I'm really struggling with the combat side of play (I think there's so much to focus on). You guys have any tips for a beginner GM? Thanks.

Combat can be really fun, dynamic, and cinematic in this edition. Is there a specific thing that's giving you trouble or is it just everything at once?

I think it's everything at once, Cronevald.

We quickly found out that we were "trained" by the miniatures-combat-games like D&D and 2e warhammer. During Day Late, Shilling Short, my players were wanting to try to climb onto the carriage and/or hide behind it. At first, I was trying to move the miniatures like we did in D&D..I started calculating the nonsense 5'-steps, diagonal angles, flanking and suddenly stopped..wait, I don't have to do all that retarded stuff anymore.

I told the one player to roll a quick coordination to hop up on top of the carriage. He succeeded, so I gave him one white bonus for attacks and an extra black defense die for anyone who tried to engage him.

The person who wanted to run to the other side of the carriage, well, that just meant "disengage" and stealth to hide. He didn't succeed, so I let him think he succeeded, and then had a beastman jump out around the other side and engage him.

Man, it is freeing knowing we're no longer playing a 5'-grid miniatures combat game.

[more in next post]

jh

Alright, lets do a quick walk through. Ignore stance dice and criticals for now.

Example encounter. Soldier player vs one goblin

Player's turn. He uses Melee Strike against the goblin:

1. Roll a skill check for melee strike against 1 PURPLE difficulty.
2. If it is a success, you hit. Add up your total damage inflicted ------- equal to DR + Strength
3. Apply that damage total to the Goblin minus his total SOAK ------- equal to goblins toughness plus any armor bonus).

Goblin's turn: Goblin uses Melee Strike against the Soldier

1. Roll a skill check for melee strike against PURPLE difficulty.
2. If it is a success, apply damage equal to DR + Strength (total of damage)
3. Apply that damage total to the Soldier minus his total SOAK (soak is toughness plus any armor bonus).

Repeat until one person runs off or dies.

If you've got the time, I'd say try running some simple combats by your self with a couple of characters and a couple of adversaries. Maybe grab some of the sample characters from the "Day Late, Shilling Short adventure on the WFRP support page and set them up against a couple of beastmen and see what happens. Without knowing more it may be hard to give decent advice.

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/wfrp/WFRP-download-promo/wfrp_day_late_shilling_short.pdf

Next: Modifiers.

Armor may add a defensive black die to the attacker. (in the Def column) Soak obviously adds to your total damage soak.

Dodge/parry/block may add a defensive black die to the attacker.

Next: Criticals

Each weapon has a "CR" number. That is a critical rating. If you get that many leftover EAGLES, then you inflict a critical.

You can also inflict an automatic critical with a single COMET (on a yellow die).

When you inflict a critical, your opponent takes a wound card and flips it over. Apply the effect.

So, here's a walkthrough:

Soldier character with Strength 4 has a Weapon Skill Trained. That means the MINIMUM total melee strike attack dice should look like this no matter who he attacks:

4 blue for his strength 4, one yellow because he's weapon skill trained, and there is ALWAYS one purple difficulty in any combat.

Soldier character strength 4 with a hand weapon (sword) will inflict 9 total damage any time he hits.

Here are the statistics for a goblin:

Goblin: Strength 3, Toughness 3, DR 4, Soak 1, Defense 0. Wound threshhold: 9. They are not weapon skill trained. Damage total: 7, Soak old:4.

Here is the Goblins attack dice stack for his Weapon Skill check (3 blue for his strength and one purple for standard combat difficulty):

Now, technically, a goblin trades out one blue for one green stance die, but we won't worry about that right now.

Now apply modifiers:

Goblin gives NO black dice to the soldier, as he doesn't bother with block, parry or dodge.

The Soldier gives the goblin 1 black die because he can use dodge or parry.

Roll on their turn, and have them battle it out. Say the soldier goes first.

After you've done this a couple times, you can start using all the other stuff like stance, advanced action cards, movement, engagements, recharge, etc.

Now, ask some more questions and we'll try to help you out

jh

Thank you guys!! I haven't read it all yet, but I will print it out Emirikol, for when we're WFRP'ing it up next!

Here's another handy reference: http://rpggeek.com/thread/915289/tutorial-how-to-learn-it-how-to-teach-wfrp3

A couple of other things to know:

On a player's COMBAT turn:

1. Optional: change your stance dice one deeper or shallower. Additional stance shifts in the same round cost one STRESS each.

2. Optional: make one maneuver. Additional maneuvers in the same round cost one FATIGUE each.

3. Optional: make one ACTION (for example: Melee strike). There are NO additional actions in your turn. You get ONE.

4. After making your action, remove one recharge from EACH recharging action.

Some things to know about Stance:

• When a DELAY (hourglass symbol) comes up on a green die, the GM chooses ANY one Action that the player has recharging and adds an extra recharge point to it. (for example: dodge). No matter how many come up on your roll, this effect is only applied ONE time.
• When an EXERTION (blood drop) comes up on a red die, the player suffers one fatigue (if it was a physical action) or one stress (if it was a mental action). This effect is only triggered ONE time, no matter how many are rolled.

Some things to know about initiative:

• Players can take their actions in ANY order, however I've found it is best just to call out people in order and remind them that if they wish to switch places in the initiative, they can do that.

Some things to know about Skills:

• There are three types of skill checks:

1. Maneuver skill checks. Example: a player wants to spend their maneuver jumping over a fence so they can fire their bow from the other side. This would be 2 maneuvers. One to move. One to make the skill check to jump over the fence using a Coordination check. Another example: A player wishes to use Leadership to motivate some peasants out of the way while he charges an enemy.
   
2. Action skill checks. All action skill checks are performed with an ACTION. For example: Melee strike to attack a goblin. Example: Perform Stunt to seduce a bar wench.
   
3. Passive skill checks. Examples include when the GM needs to check if a character notices something that the player didn't declare. Example: players are walking through the forest and the bandits are camouflaged behind bushes. He has the player roll an "Observation" check. Example: Resilience check to see if he gets an infection in that nasty cut.

Social Encounters. Your goal is to "INFLUENCE" your target using social actions. How does "influence" work? If you succeed, you get the target to do something that the GM determines would be appropriate. If you fail, you must withdraw for the day (or other time period up to the GM). YOU USE PERFORM STUNT OR A SOCIAL ACTION CARD TO INFLUENCE PEOPLE. Success means that you influence the person one time. Some people need to be influenced multiple times (equal to their willpower).

There are THREE general types of social encounters: Uncomplicated, Complicated, and Duel of Wits/Social Combat.

1. UNCOMPLICATED (one roll to succeed or fail): Ask someone a simple question or deal with someone who isn't hostile and has no reason to oppose you. No initiative is needed. A player announces that his character is going to ask a non-important passerby "what's going on in this town?" The player makes a single Charm check. THE ACTION FOR THIS IS A PERFORM STUNT TO "INFLUENCE" on a success.
   
2. COMPLICATED: Influence a target a number of times in a limited number of rounds when they normally would not agree to . Typically ONE player gets to roll, and the other players can attempt to assist if the GM things that they could. For example: convince a suspicious guard to let you through the gates to see the crown prince during a peasant riot in 4 rounds or less. If you do not succeed, you'll have to try something else for the time being.

3. SOCIAL COMBAT or Duel of Wits (like complicated, but multiple rolls and target is trying to influence you back). This uses the SHAME THRESHOLD (detailed below). For example: You are trying to convince the local baron to give you money and title to take a ship to the Lustrian continent and meanwhile his adviser is actively trying to embarrass and dissuade you. Another example: You're attempting to seduce the local bar wench and she is sassy and likes to embarass people. If you do not succeed, you'll have to try something else for the time being.
   
   SHAME THRESHOLD ( or "Influence" threshold if you will) Complicated and Duel of Wits/Social Combat use the Shame Threshold detailed more in the Lure of Power supplement. ALL CHARACTERS HAVE THIS SCORE: It is equal to your WILLPOWER score plus your noble ranks if you have any. Just as wound threshold is for deadly combats, shame threshold is for social combats. Each time a person is "influenced", they suffer a "shame". Just like wounds, once you have surpassed the Shame Threshold, a person must withdraw and cannot try again on that person for as long as the GM say's so (usually a day). Shame recharges immediately after a social encounter.
   
   It is IMPORTANT for you to use COMPLICATED checks once in a while, especially if you have a SOCIAL character in the group (for example an Envoy or an Agitator). YES, sometimes you can use social actions in combat. This is up to the GM if it can even be accomplished.

• more in a bit