Grimvember 2018 is here! Beware the beasts of the Old World!

Slowly we're getting to the end of this year's Grimvember. However, we still have some ways to go and monsters to slay, and every monster hunter from the Old World should posses a copy of the "Old World Bestiary" on his shelf!

Before I'll start reviewing (or rather talking in length) this sourcebook, I'd like to dedicate this article to the memory of Carl Sargent, who sadly passed away a few days ago. He wrote some of the most iconic modules for WFRP, including the "Power Behind the Throne" for the classic "The Enemy Within" campaign, as well as the venerable "Lichemaster", which I personally adore. Rest in peace Mr. Sargent, you will be missed.

I always loved bestiaries in RPG's. Reading the various entries about horrible monsters felt like delving into a lake of forbidden knowledge, and I still remember the fantastically written Monstrous Manual for the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, and the impact that it had on me as a wee kid.

Man those Dispalcer Beasts were scary!

Although not as scary as a pissed-off Wyvern!

Anyway, the venerable WFRP 2nd edition also has a book about beasties - the "Old World Bestiary"! I consider it one of my favorite tomes for this game. It's rich in lore, fascinating to read and has a plethora of fantstic and terrifying critters to pit against the hapless PC's... as well as some rather mundane ones, but these are boring! Give me a dragon over a basic horse anytime, I say!

The books is essentialy divided into two parts - the lore and the rules. In the lore section, every, single creature is described in detail by the author, who travelled the world to document its myriad monsters and beasts. There are also opinions and rumors about each beastie, provided by other denizens of the globe, some of whom are of the more... disreputable pedigree, to say the least. I'm still impressed that the author of this books had managed to avoid getting shanked by the Eshin Assassin, whom he interviewed. Not to mention being able to speak with daemons of Chaos and lived to tell the tale!

This part is incredibly climactic and features a lot of fascinating snippets about different races and monsters from the Warhammer world. From the Night Goblin tribe treating their guests with a tasty meal of deep-fried Squig to the Asarnil the Dragon Lord and his faithful mount, tanking cannonballs and throwing enemy riders back into their own ranks. I can't praise this section enough.

The rules section is also good, but there are a few things which irk me when it comes to it. First of all - the "Old World Bestiary" is only really good when the GM wants to offer a challenge to the fairly fresh band of adventurers. Simply put the monsters are really weak. With some exception (the dragons), they're a joke. The Black Orc for example is barely stronger than your average human and the Bloodletters, the foot soldiers of Khorne, are pushovers, pure and simple. If a Gamemaster wants to make these creatures challenging, he will need the additional profiles for monsters from the 2nd edition rulebook. Again, I don't know why these haven't been included in this book, as they're almost mandatory to have, when using the "Old World Bestiary".

There are also a few addition at the end of this tome, none of which is particularly interesting. There's an expanded mutation table, which pales in comparison to the one, found in the "Tome of Corruption". There are spells for shamans, which suck ass and are simply a joke. Finally there's a profile of a typical Imperial soldier, Johann Schmidt, who's said to be a hardcore veteran, but who in reality is just a horrible, sad pushover. If he's a veteran, then I'm the Cathayan Emperor.

That said, this book is awesome, if only beacuse of its lore section. For it alone it's worth buying it and giving it a go, trust me on that. I find myself returning to the "Old World Bestiary" on a regular basis, simply to read about my favorite Warhammer creatures, and everytime I have a lot of fun and satisfaction from doing so. I hope, dear reader, that you'll be having these as well.

Until next time!

Xathrodox86