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Showing posts with the label Grimvember

Grimvember 2019 is here! "Eureka!" is a classic tale, worth checking out!

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Grimvember is in full swing, and I've decided to revisit an old favorite of mine - a classic adventure by Paul Hargreaves, called "Eureka!". Gotta love this old school font...  Taking place in Nuln, the best city in the entire Old World (no, I'm not biased), this scenario finds the PC's employed by an eccentric inventor, Wolfgang Kugelschreiber (yes, really). He needs their help with dealing against a bunch of thugs, who want to extort money from him. Kugelschreiber is slightly manic, but a genius none the less, and he promises the party a large sum of money, if they'll help him with his "problem", while he continues working on one of his many, fantastic inventions. Unfortunately for the heroes, it soon turns out that the extorsionists are not whom they seemed at first. What's more, is that the goverment of Nuln has also taken interest in the engineer's work... "Eureka!" is a very short, but also extremely entertaining sc...

Grimvember 2019 is here! Will you heed the "Carrion Call"?

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Grimvember 2019 continues as we take a look at Ben Counter's "Carrion Call". Will it reach the standard of his Black Library work? Ben Counter has penned a lot of stories for both Warhammer Fantasy and its dark, futuristic sibling. His work includes the Grey Knights trilogy, a bunch of Imperial Fists stories, the grim tale of Egrimm Van Horstmann, and many more. Until recently I've just learned that he also wrote for the Black Industries! "Carrion Call", a spooky scenario from the "Plundered Vaults" anthology was penned by Mr. Counter, and it does not dissapoint. I've originally ran it almost a decade ago, during a time when I still had the capabilities to organize a all-night session, from time to time. I fondly remember this adventure for actually being genuinely creepy (something that very few WFRP scenarios can actually accomplish), and challenging - both things that I hold in high regard, as a Gamemaster. It starts with the players ...

Grimvember 2019 is here! "Everybody's Talking at Me" rocks my world!

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It's that time of the year again! The fourth edition of Grimvember is here, and so, throughout the whole month, I will be reviewing some of my favorite WFRP modules, both official and fan-made. This year we're starting strong, with one of my favorite adventures of all time - "Everybody's Talking at Me"! Penned by Georgios Panagiotidis, this scenario takes place in a small, sleepy village of Nordfels, that had just been shaken up by a brutal murder of a certain halfling entertainer. With this unfortunate's grisly demise, the town became a boiling point of resentment, paranoia and suspicion. The heroes are offered a job of Schlichters, arbitrators whose job is to settle various arguments between the memebers of Nordfels' community, and to difuse the tense atmosphere, before the village tears itself apart. It's not as peaceful, as it looks! WARNING! Minor spoilers ahead. Panagiotidis' short scenario is a perfect example of how well can ...

Grimvember 2018 is here! "Sing For Your Supper" is a solid scenario which you should definitely check out!

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It's time to end this year's Grimvember and I've decided to do so with a review of one of my favorite short scenarios - "Sing For Your Supper" by Nathan Greavey. I've GM'ed it only once, many years ago when I was still a fresh Gamemaster, learing the necessary ropes and niuances of this fine hobby. I've decided to run it right after the finale to the "Paths of the Damned" campaign (which actually references the "Sing For Your Supper") and was not dissapointed. My players also liked it a lot. They've liked it almost as much as this little fella enjoys getting grinded into a sausage! The premise is rather simple. The PC's have been hired by a rich man from Nuln to find his missing daughter. Along the way they will meet all sorts of unique and colorful characters, visit the Great Elm Deutz, eat a ton of sausages and uncover a truly nefarious plot, which could threaten the entire city. "Sing For Your Supper...

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

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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 a...

Grimvember 2018 is here! Reliving the classic tale of "Eureka!"

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There are a few official WFRP scenarios that I really like. Most of them have been written for the 1st edition of the game, and "Eureka!" by Paul Hargreaves is no exception. It first appeared in the 93rd issue of White Dwarf and was later included in "The Restless Dead" anthology. It's a favorite adventure of mine, as it's simple, tense and has that classic WFRP humor which really distinguished the very first edition of the game. Welcome to the 80's. Enjoy your stay The premise is simple. A band of unemployed adventurers, satying for a time in Nuln, have been hired by an eccentric inventor, one Wolfgang Kugelschreiber (I see what you did there Paul). Together with his plumpy assistant Fatboy Smallnose (sic!) he's being blackmailed by a band of thugs, who want to extort money from him and will not settle for empty threats. During their time as bodyguards for the inventor, the PC's will have a chance to examine some of his fantastic ...

Grimvember 2018 is here! Be wary of the "Chaos in the Rye"!

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Welcome to the third edition of Grimvember, where I review my favorite WFRP modules - both official and fan-made. Let's kick this year's grim & dark event with a look at "Chaos in the Rye" by Jeff Mason. I've GM'ed this adventure at the beginning of this year. It was sort of a prelude to the "Thousand Thrones" campaign that we're currently playing. Well, a prelude is perhaps too big a word. Simply put, I wanted a short scenario between "Terror in Talabheim" and the "TTT". Did "Chaos in the Rye" managed to satisfy my snobbish taste? I really dig that climactic art. It simply fits the tone of this scenario Yes. Yes it did. Jeff Mason managed to craft a really nice, cheeky horror-like scenario with this one. It has everything: cultists, chaos, daemons, beastmen and rye, which is the main antagonist of this adventure. Sadly, beside the title, Jeff's work has nothing to do with J.D. Salinger's excel...

Grimvember 2017 is here! The sinister "Order of the Feathered Lord" comes for you!

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Let's end this year's Grimvember with a bang. So far I've only reviewed scenarios and campaigns, but now I'll take a closer look at a sourcebook of sorts - the "Order of the Feathered Lord" by Sami Uusitalo. Every scenario is only as good as its villain, or maybe that's just my opinion. Anyway, I love a well-written bad guy in my adventures. Boring, one-dimensional villains are usually more harmful to the overall structure of the scenario, than they're to the PC's themselves. Fortunately the "Order of the Feathered Lord" presents gamemasters with a right bunch of evil a-holes, who are incredibly well written and very cool to use in almost any game of WFRP. They also serve the coolest Chaos God of them all! The "Order of the Feathered Lord" is the first part in the "Blasphemous Cults" series, created by Sami Uusitalo. Unfortunately I only have volumes 1 and 3 (Cult of  the Possessed). If anyone out there has th...

Grimvember 2017 is here! "A Secret Inheritance" is a must-play!

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We return to our regularly scheduled reviewing, this time with "A Secret Inheritance" by Steve Cumiskey. This one's a real treat and no mistake. I've GM'ed this adventure last year for my Roll20 group. The boys were on a trip from Talabecland to Nuln and, along the way, I wanted to spice things up a bit for their little gang. "A Secret Inheritance" turned out to be exactly what I needed! Plus it's full of Merchants! Who dosen't like economy themes in his adventures? The premise is pretty simple. The adventurers need to find a shelter from a storm, in a small town of Eisental and become embroiled in a local guild affair. The town itself, originally located in Ostermark (altough you could place it anywhere. In my case it was in Talabecland) is a quiet community, which recently lost its two priests. Not only that but the merchant guild's building got burned to the ground as well, two weeks before the PC's arrival. Our heroes are h...

Grimvember 2017 is here! It's time for an interview with Clint Lee Werner!

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Here's something for all of the fans of ruthless bounty hunters, killers of witches and Grey Seers - an interview with a man, who writes and understand such character better than anyone, Clint Lee Werner himself. I always loved the anti-hero trope. Not for me were the goody-two-shoes kind of characters, whose only problems revolve around their immaculate, shiny armor and magical swords of slaying goblins +2. I guess that's why I always liked Warhammer Fantasy so much (well, except for a short period of time, as some of you may know). This world is full of heroes who, in most other fantasy settings, could be even described as villains. Hell, even Gotrek and Felix are far from being a crystal clear duo of characters, what with their murder hobo kind of approach to many problems. Of course they are still the good guys and the readers know it. When it comes to Brunner the Bounty Hunter and Witch Finder Mathias Thulmann, however, things are not so simple. Is this a face of a ...

Grimvember 2017 is here! It's hard to live in "A Dog Eat Dog World"

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Grimvember is in full swing, as I review yet another, fantastic scenario - "A Dog Eat Dog World" by the talented Samuel Kisko. I've originally ran this piece between the latter chapters of "The Thousand Thrones" campaign. My players were already pretty buffed up and so I thought that this scenario should not present too much of a problem for them. Oh how wrong I was... That front cover kicks all sorts of ass! This adventure, set just after the Storm of Chaos, starts somewhere on the road in Middenland, but in reality can be set anywhere within the Empire. The PC's encounter a jolly Halfling by the name of Don Don. He's having trouble with pulling his food cart and, of course, asks our heroes for help, offering them free meals in return. Soon the poor shorty gets kidnapped by a huge dog and nearly killed by it. The adventurers (hopefully) save him just in time and notice that the felled beast is in fact a Middenland Wolfhound, a famous breed of...

Grimvember 2017 is here! Xathrodox86 reviews "The Thousand Thrones"!

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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. In my humble opinion, of course 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? Be advised: this review will contain spoilers. This article is directed mainly to gamemasters...

"Warhammer: Vermintide 2" gameplay trailer is here! The hype is real!

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Fatshark just dropped the brand new "Vermintide 2" trailer and it looks insanely good! Join me for a quick rundown and a wishlist from yours truly. Now it's no big surprise that I love "Warhammer: Vermintide". I have more than 100 hours clocked in this game, bought every, single DLC and generally think that this is one of the better co-op titles, which arrived lately to PC's and consoles. Will its sequel be just as good, or even better? First of all, the trailer showcases a completely new enemy in the sequel - the Northmen! Yes, Chaos comes to "Vermintide" in the form of Marauders and Chaos Warriors, dedicated to Nurgle! There will also be a Chaos Spawn mini-boss, akin to the Rat Ogres of Clan Fester. They will supposedly be able to grab the heroes, and throw them across the map. Awesome! Chaos shall not be denied Fans of the Skaven need not fret, since our murderous ratmen will also get new reinforcements. Stormfiends will bolst...

It's Grimvember time! Fear not the "Heralds of Woe"!

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Let's end the very first edition of Grimvember with a bang! I've recently ran a fantastic adventures by Hectorius, named "Heralds of Woe". Right at the start I would like to state, that this particular scenario took me, and my group, almost half a year to finish. Granted we're playing once every two weeks for 3 hours tops, but still - for a single scenario that is quite something, and it wasn't spent on pointless backtracking or some other kind of adventure filler. Far from it, I honestly think that "Heralds of Woe" was one of more interesting and captivating adventures, that I had the pleasure to run. The scenario's action takes place in Altdorf, altough it can be placed in any of the Empire's bigger cities. We've played it in Nuln (obviously) and it worked like a charm. The heroes are hired by the College of Heralds, an ancient an venerable institution that keeps track of any inheritance claims and cases. It sends out the titular...