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My friends and I play quite a few pen and paper RPGs and I wanted to try WFRPG from Fantasy Flight. I know a little about the game and I understand the dice pool system, but i don't know much else about it.

My most important question is this: In other games (like Pathfinder or Rouge Trader) you can create a character from a number of classes, but ultimately it's a highly customizable character. For example, you can combine many different races and classes to play something unique. From what I can tell in Warhammer Fantasy RP, i've seen the cards but i'm confused on the character creation. Can you be several different classes and races in order to play something you really like? Because of the dice pool mechanic, it seems like you could customize a lot about the game, but if we can't play characters we actually care about, we wont really get that hooked.

In addition, if anyone has played the game I'd love to hear what people think of it or what it's strengths or weaknesses are.

Thanks Dakka Community!

Prepare for a brief history lesson...

Going back to WFRP 1st Edition (1980s), race and starting career (class) were determined randomly. This was a thematic choice that communicated that your lot in life was at the whim of the gods. However, after gaining experience, you could switch careers, eventually progressing (for example) from lowly Rat Catcher to Footpad to Highwayman to Outlaw Chief (an Advanced Career).

In WFRP 3rd Edition, this philosophy is largely kept intact. You may select or randomize your race: human, dwarf, high elf or wood elf. You then draw three career cards and select one you like, or you can roll. Of course, the GM could allow you to select your favorite career--FFG's Rules Lawyers won't knock on your door.

Similar to WFRP 1e, 3e allows you to switch careers when you gain enough experience. This system is more flexible than in 1e. (2nd edition is more like 1st edition if you're wondering.)

Regarding customizing the character, you are given creation points to improve characteristics (Strength etc.) and select talents, skills, etc.

I haven't played it, I'm just looking at the rulebook, so hopefully someone can chime in and tell you what they think.

Happy gaming!

Our group likes the system. It is definitely role playing as opposed to roll playing. If your group likes number crunching an min/maxing stats to make their characters gods among men then this game is not for you. Warhammer RPG is very much a low fantasy game. By that I mean for the most part magic is really shunned, magic items are very, very rare and if you do manage to get a hold of one don't let anyone see you use it - you may end up running from the locals as they go on a witch hunt. Even those few sanctioned to use magic (state wizards or priests) have a tough time fitting into society as they are always suspected of really just being an agent of Chaos. Of course, you could just play a campaign as agents of Chaos trying NOT to get caught.....

The career system is definitely different than other games too and some things need to be house ruled. For example, once you've completed a career you either need to move on OR you're stuck never seeing your stats get better (once you finish a career that's it- no more advances for that character in that career- ever.) That sort of stinks if you liked the career you were already in and can't find something that you like or think your character would naturally progress to. Our group decided that if you wanted to continue your career we would just allow you to reset the advances as if it was a brand new carrer for you.

When you do complete a career there's normally a special ability that you get to take with you to the next career but you don't keep all your original cards unless there's some crossovers between careers. An example is the Swordmaster - if I decide my next career will be a diplomat, I lose all my sword styles but I get to keep my sword and armor set. In most other systems I wouldn't just forget those styles. You do still keep your stat increases and specializaations so you're still probably better than some average guy who happens to have a 2 handed sword but it doesn't really feel like the same character. Fortunately there are only a very few careers where this happens (Swordmaster and Dwarf Slayers) but it is something to be aware of.

The stance system is neat and there is a great deal of risk vs reward when deciding how nuts or how conservative you want to be in a situation. We also like the cooldown mechanic on abilities. Combat is deadly but it's easy to run mass combats and your characters do start to get an epic sense about them as they cleave down handfulls of monsters with a single stroke. Monster leaders (like warbosses) or single large creatures really test characters and our group has had some epic (and epically horrible) combats. Have you every had your character clubbed with half a cow that a troll was finishing off for dinner? it's not pleasant.....

Both good summaries of the system. My group originally got into this system because of the nature of how they designed it. We are all veteran table-top miniatures guys, having played most editions of Warhammer and 40k going back to the late 80s/early 90s. I used to play D&D 2nd edition, and stopped as I got into miniatures gaming, another guy (Ozymandias on these forums) has been playing the 40k RPGS since FFG first started releasing them, and has been doing pen & paper RPGs for years. The other two guys were strictly miniatures guys.

For your group, having so much experience with the pen & paper style RPG, can definitely go the WFRPG lite route and eschew all the bits, bobs, cards, etc that were part of the original game design. Just make sure you get a hold of the newer/thicker hard-cover books as they include all of the abilities, spells, etc that were included only as cards in the original box set.

The reason we all really dig 3rd edition as it was originally designed is because it feels very much like a hybrid of a board game and an RRG. There are little tokens, wound and fatigue markers, ability cards that slot into your character reference card, special abilities and actions that are represented on cards that detail game effects depending on which stance you are in, etc. Combat using this system seems very intuitive and fluid, having a visual tracker for initiative steps, keeps everyone on the same page, social interactions that require skill checks, initiative steps, etc, use the same system. The rest of the time, its very much free-form like a traditional P&P RPG.