Cubicle 7 released the much anticipated Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4e (WFRP4e) in pre-order digital format over the weekend and I have had the chance to give it a good once over and want to now announce that I am pleased with what I see. This is not the final document and we are told there may yet be some changes to the final including some additional illustrations and maps. As it stands today, I think it is a very attractive book that definitely gives the Warhammer "grim and perilous" impression.
Whether reading or just flipping through the pages taking in the illustrations it is evident WFRP4e is an old friend. It is mostly the same game as I recall from 1e and 2e. There is new artwork, but it looks familiar and a few new concepts like Fate, Resilience and Resolve. The roll under d100 mechanic and familiar career classes and professions are here and a non-human PC is still an unlikely outcome percentage roll of the d100.
Like earlier editions, 4e seems to be a complete game in one volume with enough detail for veteran gamers, but much of the text seems aimed at beginners. There are plenty of moving parts and room for thoughtful play, so I wouldn't call WFRP4e a simple game. It is old school in the emphasis on random chargen - there are no power-built starting characters here. That said, some random PCs are going to be tougher than others. That's life in the Old World.
Before I leave the impression that WFRP4e is just earlier WFRP repackaged I should mention there is this little difference that permeates through everything and it is HUGE - Success Level! (SL) A combat round is an opposed skill test and the higher SL wins. You can actually both fail the test, but the higher SL still wins and scores a hit. Because of SL, the whiff factor" is gone in 4e. No more "we both miss" results. A more talented fighter will likely benefit over a less skilled one because his SL will be higher even on a miss. SL determines damage on spells using a Channeling roll for divine magic and a Speak Language roll for arcane magic.
Much can be assumed from the cover illustration which hearkens back to the original. One might say "it is the same, but different".
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