I got my pre-ordered copy last week. I've read through most of it but it's been a long while since I played the original. I haven't gone through each edition for a side-by-side comparison (nor am I likely to), but I like what I see overall in the new book. It does a good job of capturing the tone and feel of the Old World, but doesn't seem too bogged down in all the history that goes with WFB. I don't know that I'd buy the other books since if I were to run a WH rpg, I'd probably use Savage Worlds for the rules and just lift some of the setting and monsters info from the WH book.

My single gripe is that character classes are now completely random. In the old version you at least got to choose a category, then randomized, now you can too easily end up with a rogu who can't pick locks, move silently, or talk his way out of trouble... I am likely going to create a random table breaking it down in a manner similar to the previous edition.

I am ignoring Storm of Chaos, and most of the newer version of their history. I liked The Enemy Within! (Even if it was a bit of a railroad ride.)

But the book is gorgeous! The rules do seem better balanced, and I very much want it on my shelf.

The Auld Grump

I don't mind the randomness so much. After all the designed characters I've seen, where not a single die is rolled during the entire creation process, It's a cool change.

Since there are mechanics to allow a character to pretty much move into any basic career eventually, it's kind of a neat way to reflect the less heroic side of the game. Your PC isn't some larger than life, epic type. He's a shmoe. A dead shmoe if he isn't careful.

OTOH, I'd say it would probably be OK to just let folks pick their first career if you wanted. The point is to have fun after all.

PS- The more I think about the new WH, the more I'd like to run or play it. My current group is just getting into the groove on a Savage Worlds fantasy game set in the old D&D world of Mystara, so I don't want to change gears on them. Not to mention the fact that they aren't the "Grim & Gritty" type of players. Oh well, maybe I'll try to do an online game or something.

The general impression I got from the negative comments & reviews I've read seemed to be either:

A) People who played and loved the old edition and didn't want to see any change.

B) People who were d20 fans and thought the game should have been a d20 supplement instead of its own system.


I'm a big fan of the setting and tone of the original game, but haven't played WHFRP in years. I own several of the books, including the last couple put out by Hogshead Realms of Sorcery and Dwarfs: Stone and Steel. However, I wasn't in love with the mechanics of the original game, so changes to the system that left the overall feel intact were okay by me.

PS- Not to mention that I think Himmelveil will ROCK in a WHFRP game!

Hmmm, I liked the old version, and I like the new version. When I said 'my only gripe' that was exactly what I meant. I still have not picked it up, but I intend to.

A quick question, since I didn't think to look it up when I had the book in front of me - How do they handle armor and Toughness in the new version. That was the single biggest problem that I had with the older one, nigh invulnerable dwarfs... (And elfs were way, way, way, too good.)

The Auld Grump