Grimvember 2017 is here! Xathrodox86 reviews "The Thousand Thrones"!
Every gamemaster has a personal favorite when it comes to pre-made campaigns and scenarios. Here's mine - the best WFRP campaign ever written. "The Thousand Thrones".
I've just finished "The Enemy Within" with my group. It is, without a doubt, one of the best campaigns out there, a true masterpiece of intrigue, action and drama. It pales, however, to the awesomeness that is "The Thousand Thrones". What can I say about it, other than that it is the best campaign that was ever written for the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.
Since the Grimvember has just begun, I thought: "why not start this event with a bang". And so I've decided to make a huge review of this, my favorite of all the pre-made campaigns for WFRP. After all, Grimvember is only once a year, so it should be done in a right manner, am I right?
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| In my humble opinion, of course |
Be advised: this review will contain spoilers. This article is directed mainly to gamemasters, I won't deny that. However I do hope that anyone, who reads this piece, will be convinced to at least pick up "The Thousand Thrones" and give it a try. It's certainly worth it.
This campaign, being the last one released for the 2nd Edition WFRP, is 256 pages long. This alone should tell you about its scope and magnitude, not to mention that it was penned by 9(!) authors. Yeah, it's that massive. Among them are 2nd Edition's legend, Robert J. Schwalb and a Black Library author, Nathan Long. The ensemble cast of writers is definitely one of this campaign's biggest strengths, there's no doubt about that.
The cover is soft and the artwork presented on it, perfectly encapsulates the atmosphere of this advenutre. This is the darkest, dirtiest and most desperate side of Warhammer Fantasy, and "The Thousand Thrones" thrives on that kind of atmosphere and it let's the players know that from the very beginning. This bizzare style of a dark and haunting beauty, of a decaying grandeur. Of something that is passing away, but can still be considered impressive and beautiful.
The cover is soft and the artwork presented on it, perfectly encapsulates the atmosphere of this advenutre. This is the darkest, dirtiest and most desperate side of Warhammer Fantasy, and "The Thousand Thrones" thrives on that kind of atmosphere and it let's the players know that from the very beginning. This bizzare style of a dark and haunting beauty, of a decaying grandeur. Of something that is passing away, but can still be considered impressive and beautiful.
The quality of the paper and internal artworks is top notch. The only real beef, that I had with this book, is its binding. One should be very careful when handling this tome, for it can go apart rather easily, without sufficient care. Long-term users of this module will probably need to bind it at some point.
The number of handouts inside is huge. There are 33 of them, and they're all of excellent quality. There are also additional maps, like that of an area around the destroyed city of Wolfenburg. Of course they're meant for photocopying, I think that even a high-grade camera phone would be able to work out really well in that case. Just snap a couple of photos and print 'em in your work place, while also making sure that your boss is not around.
Actually, now that I think about it, some of the "written" handouts can be hard to read sometimes. It is probably a good idea to supply your players with a transcript of sorts, so they won't have to strain their eyes too much.
Being the last module for WFRP 2nd Edition, "The Thousand Thrones" uses materials and rules from many of Black Industries previous sourcebooks. Among them are "Night's Dark Masters", "Realm of the Ice Queen", "Tome of Salvation" and "Tome of Corruption". Given the huge scale of campaign in question, the authors (all 9 of them!) advise the GM's to use other 2nd Edition campaigns, during their games, like "Barony of the Damned" and "Terror in Talabheim". While I do think that both of these modules are really good, I don't think that splicing them into "The Thousand Thrones" is a particularly good idea, as it could dilute the overall experience of the game. My advice is to run this module 100% kosher, with occasional short scenarios, between some chapters. I particularly endorse "The Lord of Lost Heart" and "A Dog Eat Dog World". You can find both of those scenarios in my WFRP collection, to which there's a link on the right side of this blog, or simply by clicking here.
There are even ideas and tips on party composition, based on general classes of Rangers, Warriors etc. I love that the authors are also giving GM's ideas about introducing replacement characters, and their starting experience points, however I can safely say that they've gravely underestimated the difficulty level of their own campaign. My advice is to not use the table, which states how many xp should a new hero start with. It's simply not enough, when "The Thousand Thrones" difficulty factor is taken into consideration, but more on that later.
The campaign itself begins in Marienburg, right after Archaon's apocalyptic Storm of Chaos, and takes players all across the Empire and into the blasted plains of Kislev. All in all, it is nothing short of epic. "The Thousand Thrones" is a classic "on the road" type of adventure and in that manner, it works exceptionally well. Players will travel all the way from Marienburg to Altdorf, then to the ruins of Wolfenburg and finally to the cold and unwelcome steppes of the Realm of the Ice Queen. Along the way they will discover the truth behind a miracle child, said to be Sigmar reborn and will get a chance to learn about the dark and terrible secret, behind the prophecy of the titular Thousand Thrones. I don't want to spoil anything more, so that's all when it comes to plot synopsis.
Almost every chapter of this campaign takes place in a completely new setting. From Marienburg to Altdorf, to the wilds of the Empire and the ruins of Wolfenburg, each part of this adventure is a self-contained scenario (in fact it can be played that way), that combines with other in a masterful way. Yes, "The Thousand Thrones" is a very on-the-rails type of campaign, but this is one of its main strengths and a reason, why the story that it presents is so, damn good. I know that a lot of people playing RPG's don't like to be led by their noses (a fact that even the authors of this adventure acknowledge), but for me a good scenario is all about the story and the way in which one can immerse himself in it completely. In that regard, "The Thousand Thrones" does it job in a splendid way, albeit the freedom of choice is illusionary at best, especially when the authors introduce the concept of mind control to make sure that the heroes will go, where are they are supposed to.
"The Thousand Thrones" can be considered an incredibly hard and deadly campaign. Most of the engagements are downright sadistic. The enemies often have a numerical superiority, not to mention they're more often than not armed with an array of nasty tricks. However this is not the "Thousand Thrones" main way of making players' lives miserable. No, the main danger in almost any scenario of this campaign, lies in sicknesses, mutations and other such hazards. I always liked that approach a lot. It dosen't matter if there's a party with over 20,000 xp between them and with combat stats maxed beyond any reason. Nurgle's Rot and good, old fashioned chaos stigmata are a sure way to test even the most elite and balls-to-the-wall warriors out there.
That said it is a good idea to warn your players about the dangers and a high difficulty level of "The Thousand Thrones", lest they'll become angry and frustrated, after losing a third character in a single chapter. I'm not kidding. When I was first running this game, one of my players lost 10 characters in total, some of them after a single hour of playing them. I wasn't boosting the difficulty up, nor did I cheated on the dice. It's just that "The Thousand Thrones" does not pull any punches. It delivers them with a smile on its face, wearing a spiked knuckleduster on each hand. Currently I'm running it for a second time and one of my first decisions as a GM was not only to allow my players to choose their characters, but also to give them a free Fate Point each. During our second session they've all nearly lost it and the entire party is already sick and feverish. Good times.
One of the strongest parts of "The Thousand Thrones" is its presentation. I especially love the way that the NPC's and almost all of the locations are described. There's a lot of information, regarding almost every, single NPC, and what's best is that most of it is for GM's eyes only. Little things like character quirks, customs, secrets and background stories are really making even the lowliest of cultists interesting and... human? Yeah, that's the word.
You see, this campaign gets one thing right - the bad guys. There are two major antagonists, and while I won't get into detail about them, all I can say is that both of them are extremely well written. One can be considered your basic evildoer, but only at a first glance. After all, true evil is such an alien and not understandable thing, that it defies reason and logic. That's why this particular villain works so well.
The other baddie is even better. Again, without too much spoiling of his character, I can only say that he's a perfect example why some people turn to the dark side, because of selfishness and ego of their keepers and peers. How many of Warhammer villains could've avoided such fate, if only other people around them, including their family and friends, would not make stupid, selfish mistakes? "The Thousand Thrones" does not provide an answer to this question, but it does make its reader ask it on more than one occasion. The gamemaster won't find his standard, moustache-twirling villains here. Almost all of the baddies became such, cause of desperation, bad circumstances, simple bad luck or some sick sense of loyalty to others. It's such a fresh and interesting take on the standard Warhammer bad guy trope, that I think it is one of "The Thousand Thrones" main selling points to me. And the best part? When our heroes are slaughtering all those evildoers, they of course think that they're doing what's right, not even once knowing the hard and cruel truth, behind their enemies' turn to darkness. Simply heartbreaking, let me tell you.
All in all, "The Thousand Thrones" is a masterpiece. Sure, there are a few flaws here and there. I've already talked about the durability of the book. Other than that, there are a couple of spelling mistakes and a persistent trend of changing "o's" to "0's", but other than that, I can't find anything TOO bad about it. Sure, like most ready-to-play campaigns, the final chapters are a bit of a hit-and-miss, with the last one being the weakest part of all and a rather frustrating one at that. But you know what, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, because this campaign is, overall, a masterpiece. This is what Warhammer Fantasy really is for me: a dark, gritty but ultimately heroic setting, where even the ordinary people can become heroes and save the world, if more often than not, paying a very high price for their courage and the will to do what is right.
Do yourselves a favor, find a good, tight crew and enjoy this masterpiece of role-playing together. It tastes best with a group of like-minded friends or colleagues, as it's simply too, damn good to be wasted on playing with a bunch of shitty "randoms". I'm a very lucky GM to run it a second time (after playing it once myself, many years ago) with a fantastic crew, with a possibility of a third run, in the near future, this one done in English.
Like I've said at the beginning of this article - as someone who just finished "The Enemy Within", I can safely and surely state, that "The Thousand Thrones" is a much, much better campaign and a fantastic title, with which to end the venerable Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition game series.
Sigmar Vult and until next time!
Xathrodox86
Actually, now that I think about it, some of the "written" handouts can be hard to read sometimes. It is probably a good idea to supply your players with a transcript of sorts, so they won't have to strain their eyes too much.
Being the last module for WFRP 2nd Edition, "The Thousand Thrones" uses materials and rules from many of Black Industries previous sourcebooks. Among them are "Night's Dark Masters", "Realm of the Ice Queen", "Tome of Salvation" and "Tome of Corruption". Given the huge scale of campaign in question, the authors (all 9 of them!) advise the GM's to use other 2nd Edition campaigns, during their games, like "Barony of the Damned" and "Terror in Talabheim". While I do think that both of these modules are really good, I don't think that splicing them into "The Thousand Thrones" is a particularly good idea, as it could dilute the overall experience of the game. My advice is to run this module 100% kosher, with occasional short scenarios, between some chapters. I particularly endorse "The Lord of Lost Heart" and "A Dog Eat Dog World". You can find both of those scenarios in my WFRP collection, to which there's a link on the right side of this blog, or simply by clicking here.
There are even ideas and tips on party composition, based on general classes of Rangers, Warriors etc. I love that the authors are also giving GM's ideas about introducing replacement characters, and their starting experience points, however I can safely say that they've gravely underestimated the difficulty level of their own campaign. My advice is to not use the table, which states how many xp should a new hero start with. It's simply not enough, when "The Thousand Thrones" difficulty factor is taken into consideration, but more on that later.
The campaign itself begins in Marienburg, right after Archaon's apocalyptic Storm of Chaos, and takes players all across the Empire and into the blasted plains of Kislev. All in all, it is nothing short of epic. "The Thousand Thrones" is a classic "on the road" type of adventure and in that manner, it works exceptionally well. Players will travel all the way from Marienburg to Altdorf, then to the ruins of Wolfenburg and finally to the cold and unwelcome steppes of the Realm of the Ice Queen. Along the way they will discover the truth behind a miracle child, said to be Sigmar reborn and will get a chance to learn about the dark and terrible secret, behind the prophecy of the titular Thousand Thrones. I don't want to spoil anything more, so that's all when it comes to plot synopsis.
Almost every chapter of this campaign takes place in a completely new setting. From Marienburg to Altdorf, to the wilds of the Empire and the ruins of Wolfenburg, each part of this adventure is a self-contained scenario (in fact it can be played that way), that combines with other in a masterful way. Yes, "The Thousand Thrones" is a very on-the-rails type of campaign, but this is one of its main strengths and a reason, why the story that it presents is so, damn good. I know that a lot of people playing RPG's don't like to be led by their noses (a fact that even the authors of this adventure acknowledge), but for me a good scenario is all about the story and the way in which one can immerse himself in it completely. In that regard, "The Thousand Thrones" does it job in a splendid way, albeit the freedom of choice is illusionary at best, especially when the authors introduce the concept of mind control to make sure that the heroes will go, where are they are supposed to.
"The Thousand Thrones" can be considered an incredibly hard and deadly campaign. Most of the engagements are downright sadistic. The enemies often have a numerical superiority, not to mention they're more often than not armed with an array of nasty tricks. However this is not the "Thousand Thrones" main way of making players' lives miserable. No, the main danger in almost any scenario of this campaign, lies in sicknesses, mutations and other such hazards. I always liked that approach a lot. It dosen't matter if there's a party with over 20,000 xp between them and with combat stats maxed beyond any reason. Nurgle's Rot and good, old fashioned chaos stigmata are a sure way to test even the most elite and balls-to-the-wall warriors out there.
That said it is a good idea to warn your players about the dangers and a high difficulty level of "The Thousand Thrones", lest they'll become angry and frustrated, after losing a third character in a single chapter. I'm not kidding. When I was first running this game, one of my players lost 10 characters in total, some of them after a single hour of playing them. I wasn't boosting the difficulty up, nor did I cheated on the dice. It's just that "The Thousand Thrones" does not pull any punches. It delivers them with a smile on its face, wearing a spiked knuckleduster on each hand. Currently I'm running it for a second time and one of my first decisions as a GM was not only to allow my players to choose their characters, but also to give them a free Fate Point each. During our second session they've all nearly lost it and the entire party is already sick and feverish. Good times.
One of the strongest parts of "The Thousand Thrones" is its presentation. I especially love the way that the NPC's and almost all of the locations are described. There's a lot of information, regarding almost every, single NPC, and what's best is that most of it is for GM's eyes only. Little things like character quirks, customs, secrets and background stories are really making even the lowliest of cultists interesting and... human? Yeah, that's the word.
You see, this campaign gets one thing right - the bad guys. There are two major antagonists, and while I won't get into detail about them, all I can say is that both of them are extremely well written. One can be considered your basic evildoer, but only at a first glance. After all, true evil is such an alien and not understandable thing, that it defies reason and logic. That's why this particular villain works so well.
The other baddie is even better. Again, without too much spoiling of his character, I can only say that he's a perfect example why some people turn to the dark side, because of selfishness and ego of their keepers and peers. How many of Warhammer villains could've avoided such fate, if only other people around them, including their family and friends, would not make stupid, selfish mistakes? "The Thousand Thrones" does not provide an answer to this question, but it does make its reader ask it on more than one occasion. The gamemaster won't find his standard, moustache-twirling villains here. Almost all of the baddies became such, cause of desperation, bad circumstances, simple bad luck or some sick sense of loyalty to others. It's such a fresh and interesting take on the standard Warhammer bad guy trope, that I think it is one of "The Thousand Thrones" main selling points to me. And the best part? When our heroes are slaughtering all those evildoers, they of course think that they're doing what's right, not even once knowing the hard and cruel truth, behind their enemies' turn to darkness. Simply heartbreaking, let me tell you.
All in all, "The Thousand Thrones" is a masterpiece. Sure, there are a few flaws here and there. I've already talked about the durability of the book. Other than that, there are a couple of spelling mistakes and a persistent trend of changing "o's" to "0's", but other than that, I can't find anything TOO bad about it. Sure, like most ready-to-play campaigns, the final chapters are a bit of a hit-and-miss, with the last one being the weakest part of all and a rather frustrating one at that. But you know what, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, because this campaign is, overall, a masterpiece. This is what Warhammer Fantasy really is for me: a dark, gritty but ultimately heroic setting, where even the ordinary people can become heroes and save the world, if more often than not, paying a very high price for their courage and the will to do what is right.
Do yourselves a favor, find a good, tight crew and enjoy this masterpiece of role-playing together. It tastes best with a group of like-minded friends or colleagues, as it's simply too, damn good to be wasted on playing with a bunch of shitty "randoms". I'm a very lucky GM to run it a second time (after playing it once myself, many years ago) with a fantastic crew, with a possibility of a third run, in the near future, this one done in English.
Like I've said at the beginning of this article - as someone who just finished "The Enemy Within", I can safely and surely state, that "The Thousand Thrones" is a much, much better campaign and a fantastic title, with which to end the venerable Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition game series.
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| What a ride it has been! |
Xathrodox86
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