I found the combat was too time consuming so I decided to use the following house rules:

1/initiative is rolled for the single character and cannot be 'passed' to others.

2/Rally's step is not used anymore.

3/ Basic defenses (block, dodge, parry) and advanced versions can be used every turn ( recharge ZERO) but only against ONE attack and cannot be stacked (only one defense against a single attack). Only a character with all 3 defenses can try to hinder 3 different enemies attacks.

4/critical wound are assigned even if the attack's damage is not greater than the soak value.

5/ A/C/E points are not used. Game Master assigns permanent white, yellow or black dice as for skills and defences.

6/critical wounds effects are not applyed to standars (not Nemesis) enemies which receive extra damage = to the critical's rating.

1 - What if a player wants to wait for another character to act first? Does he still have to wait for after that character and all the monsters to go first before he can go? I think a better solution would be: PCs go in their rolled initiative order. If you want to switch with someone you can do that and suffer 1 fatigue or stress.

2. Rally phase is kind of annoying for me too. I just set it up that a player may declare a rally phase, once per combat, if he has a career or action ability that relies on it.

3. Basic defenses. Sounds fine. I've done it so that one is always on (one bonus black). A second bonus black applies if you take a skill specialization. We nullified about 5 cards that are dependent on "defense recharge" or just house rule them to something appropriate.

4. I like this.

5. ACE dice shouldn't be constraining anyways for a GM. He should feel free to make things harder or easier as he desires.

6. Thats a good, quick rule.

1/discussing initiative was a waste of time in both groups I had. As for many others RPGs if you want to wait for a slower character you have to decrease your initiative.

Also is absurd that characters can switch initiative

I find that initiative swapping under the rules as written is a time-waster more than anything. I'm more about speed of rounds than accuracy in some cases. This is also why our group did away entirely with the nonsense accounting of dodge, block, and parry and the limits on how many times you can use it.

Things like that carried over from 2e and THANK NURGLE'S DISEASED BALLS that 3e didn't port over the other stupid combat mechanics from 2e like hit locations, even-more-broken-2-weapon-fighting, and that crappy critical system that we used to be stuck with.

Anyways, the initiative swap could be done as waiting and then initiative resets to the point after.

1/discussing initiative was a waste of time in both groups I had. As for many others RPGs if you want to wait for a slower character you have to decrease your initiative.

Also is absurd that characters can switch initiative

I think the default system is just about the best system that a game like Warhammer could have.

When I used to play D&D, there was so much delaying and held actions that it really bogged down the first few rounds of combat. Warhammer put a stop to that while still giving players a level of tactical control over when their characters acted. I found it to be time saving, rather than time wasting.

I think the default system is just about the best system that a game like Warhammer could have.

When I used to play D&D, there was so much delaying and held actions that it really bogged down the first few rounds of combat. Warhammer put a stop to that while still giving players a level of tactical control over when their characters acted. I found it to be time saving, rather than time wasting.