It always rains in Nuln

Yeah, I know that I was supposed to review "Ironclad", but stuff happened and y'all get something else. Almost five years ago I've managed to finish the first "Warhammer Quest" on the PC, and now I'll tell you all that you need to know about its sequel! Let's not beat around the bush here - this title takes place during the End Times, the final death troes of the venerable Warhammer Fantasy. Now, as most people I consider the finale of WFB to be some of the worst written fiction of all time. Fun fact, I haven't read a single positive comment about it! Really, not even one. There were a few people who liked the army lists they've prepared in the ET books, but I haven't met a single person who said: "Yes, the End Times were fantastically written. Can I have some more, please?" That said there were a few good things about them, mainly the "Vermintide" games. "Vermintide" 1 & 2 are seriously some of the coole...

I've finally managed to get through my writer's block. Without further ado I give you another one of my RPG rants, this time about a very important thing - immersion. I will be mainly using the example of my most often played title - Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Also take note - this article is not for veterans, who have decades of RP'ing behind them, and know every trick in the book. As most of my posts of this type, I am aiming it towards those who are new to the hobby, who only begin to experience it, and could use any help in doing so. I see a lot of people lately, just starting with RPG's and not knowing almost anything about this hobby. If posts like this one will help them, then I know that my work is worth something. Helping others is always cool (image taken from 'Souls Comprehensive Roleplay Guide) So... how to immerse yourself during a game? The more important question is: should you immerse yourself at all? Personally I wouldn't be regularl...

Chris Wraight is one of my all-time favorite Black Library writers. I've enjoyed all of his books so far, and I consider his "Swords of the Emperor" duology to be one of the best stories, set in the grim world of Warhammer Fantasy. Of these, the "Sword of Justice" is the first part. Being a part of the "Warhammer Heroes" line, and centering around the dour and uncompromising Ludwig Schwarzhelm, the Emperor's Champion, it presents a tale of corruption, ambition and misguided pride - all of which can lead to the downfall of even the mightiest of heroes. Even Ludwig Schwarzhelm... Of all Karl Franz's servants, none is more staunchly loyal and steadfast in his duty as Ludwig Schwarzhelm. Born a common man, through the might of his arm, and the strength of his will he became one of the most powerful people in Sigmar's Holy Empire. Supposedly never having smiled once in his life, Schwarzhelm is a perfect representation of the Emperor...

Wow, what a day! I've just read that Jackdays, who's running the fantastic Warhammer Fantasy website Kalevala Hammer, has published my three unofficial sourcebooks for this venerable game! I've created these three addons with the help of Hectorius  (thank you so much!), who was very active on the, now sadly gone, Strike to Stun forums. Without him, proofreading my work and giving me lots odf great ideas, I'd never send them to Jack (who also worked on my, not so perfect English, as well as offering me lots of awesome advice. Thank you!). This is one of the best sites ont the whole interwebs! There are three of them. The first one, "Blood and Silver" , is a campaign template, which takes place in the lawless kingdoms of the Border Princes. This is a strictly military campaign, although there are ideas here for more clandestine, and sinister, plot hooks... "Secrets of the Path: Disciples of the Serene King" is a sourcebook about an anci...

Happy new year! Let's kick off 2019 with a brand, new review of "Reiksguard", a novel about, well... Reiksugard! First things first however. Strike to Stun will soon be out of action which is a damn shame. That said, there's still hope. Not only does the fantastic Rat Catcher's Guild Discord server still going strong, but now we also have a brand new community in the form of Winds of Chaos forums. Hopefully it will gather folks from StS and continue that venerable's site legacy. Sigmar be praised. Now to the review itself. I've finished "Reiksguard" last year and was really impressed with that book. This was my first time with Richard Williams' work and, well, he nailed it. "Reiksguard" is a very, very good book which shines a lot of light at one of the Empire's most interesting knightly orders. This is seriously one of the coolest Warhammer covers ever made (and I know that I'm writing this statement almost e...

What is this? A simple audiobook review while the world celebrates the release of the 4th edition of WFRP? Have I gone mad? Not really. You see, while I'm very happy about the newest iteration of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay to finally see the light of day, I won't review it. At least not yet. The reason is simple and there are actually two of them - first of all, it's not a finished product and second, I can't read PDF files too well on a PC screen. While I will probably have to do so anyway, for now it's making me incredibly uncomfortable to do so, so now 4th edition review from me for now, at least. So, without further ado, let's check out the second Gotrek & Felix audiobook with a very metal title: "Curse of the Everliving". The cover's pretty metal as well! This one has been written by the talented David Guymer and is  from the "newer" line of Gotrek and Felix, i.e. the reader can place it at any time he wants. This ...

Gotrek & Felix - the most infamous, Old World duo. They are the posterboys of Warhammer Fantasy and, soon, the Age of Sigmar. My adventure with the fantasy franchise created by Games Workshop began with these two heroes. Back in 2007 I've bought two omnibuses in a London bookstore and... well here I am, more than a decade later. Still a huge and avid fan of Warhammer Fantasy, albeit a one that also recognizes its many flaws. That said, without the Slayer and his human companion I would probably never have picked up the WFRP books, never installed games such as "Shadow of the Horned Rat" and "Dark Omen" on my PC, not to mention "Vermintide." It is to Gotrek and Felix that I should owe my passion as a RPG enthusiast and gamer. When it comes to their adventures, I've only read the books by William King and Nathan Long. I'm not familiar with any of their later exploits and quests. Thart said, there are two stories, concerning our restles...

Whooo boy, what a time to be alive, eh? GW is in full swing, releasing tons of new minis, tie-in games and... children books? Wait, what? I know what you're thinking right now, after reading these first, few lines of intro text. "I bet that you hate them children's books, ya cranky sod!" No, no I do not. I honestly think that the upcoming "Warhammer Adventures" series is one of the best things that Games Workshop ever made. No joke, no irony on my part, I'm 100% serious here. This is simply awesome and a clear sign that the Nottingham company thinks a couple steps forward. Simply put - they are making sure that today's children will, at the coming of age, jump from adorable kids stories to stuff like Gaunt's Ghosts or the Ciaphas Cain series. Sure, Warhammer as a whole is marketed towards children, but let's be honest - some of this stuff is not suitable for youngsters. Daemonculaba? Slaanesh? Hell, even the Imperium with its totalitar...

It's time to take a look at the last DLC for "Vermintide", a game that took a lot from "Left 4 Dead" and mixed it with good, old Warhammer Fantasy sauce. The end result is more than excellent. However I'm not going to talk about how much I love this game (100+ hours clocked in already). Instead I want to take a look at the last DLC released for the first part of "Vermintide". A few months ago Fatshark has released "Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide 2" and yes, I will review it at some point in the future. I finally have the rig to do that, so you know - good things are coming. As for now, let's take a look at "Death on the Reik". I had a lot of expectation towards this one. The title itself is a big deal, being a clear reference to the original "The Enemy Within". In fact "DotR" is my second favorite part of this campaign, right after "Shadows over Bogenhafen". The makers of this DLC ev...

Those pesky Beastmen, they're so adorable, aren't they? Funny goat-men who sometimes try to ruin the adventurer's day by jumping out of the forest, screaming "oogah boogah boogah!" At least that is how they're usually portrayed: as a bunch of inbred dumbasses, who are only threatening to level 1 characters, and only on a very bad day. It doesn't matter if we are talking about official or fan-made publications - the Beastmen always get the shaft. What if I'd told you that it is possible to make them a formidable, scary and unique threat to your players? Is it even possible? Yes, yes it is. For that we'll have to reach out to our boy, H.P. Lovecraft himself and steal a bit of his ideas and, more importantly, the atmosphere of primeval horror, which he was able to include in his works with unparalleled skill. You see, the Beastmen are not men with hooves. They're not men with animal heads, wearing shit-stained loincloths and brandis...

Right before the end of December, I look back on the whole year and sum up my entire hobby endeavors. It was a crazy year. Some personal stuff aside, I can easily call it a success, when it comes to hobby related stuff. Let's take a closer look on some of the more important points of 2017. 1. Starting a new RPG group. Time to step back into that familiar tavern... One year ago I've returned to running WFRP live. Until then, for a year I only GM'ed it on Roll20 (and I still do!), but I wanted to return to "real life" experience. Needless to say, it went well. I've gathered a fantastic group of fellow hobby enthusiasts and we're playing once a week for a year now. There were a few changes in the group's composition at the very beginning, but right now it's all stable. During that single year we've managed to complete two classic 1st edition campaigns - "Lichemaster" and the entire "The Enemy Within"! Not only th...

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...