RPGNow

Sunday, July 23, 2017

PWYW - ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG (WFRP Clone-ish)



Some background on my end. I ran Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (hereafter referred to as WFRP 1e) pretty much from release until the campaign ended when the party's aspiring mage fumbled a fireball as he wore a bandolier of flasks of oil. It was certainly a way to end a campaign on a fiery note.

When WFRP 2e was releases by Green Ronin, I grabbed much of that line. When FFG releases WFRP 3e, I picked up the boxed rules and realized the latest edition of WFRP was not for me. Cubicle 7 is releasing a 4th edition, which will harken back to 1st and 2nd edition.

So, where does that put Zweihander? Its pretty much a house ruled WFRP 1e with many of the serial numbers scratched off. It has the right feel even if much of the WFRP tropes aren't accessible due to trademarks and the like.

Oh, and its big. 631 pages big. The PWYW version is sans art and called "early access" but really, its the full game. The full art, finalized version is available for 20 bucks in PDF.

Do you have fond memories of WFRP? Never played it and want a glimpse of what it was before the horrors of 3rd edition? Here's you chance at no risk.
ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG is a bloodier, grimmer and grittier version of classic tabletop role-playing games you may already familiar with. The community calls this style of gaming the “pathetic aesthetic”, but we simply call it grim & perilous gaming. 
WHAT IS ZWEIHÄNDER
ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG is an OSR Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay loveletter/retroclone/heartbreaker released under Creative Commons License Share-Alike. It is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game, one where adventurers will: 
Live in a gritty, ‘realistic’ fantasy world
Make morally grey decisions & enact vicious reprisals
Uncover insidious plots & political intrigue
Desperately fight in clandestine & open field combat
Defend themselves from injuries, madness & mutations
Take part in heart-pumping chase scenes
Venture into the wilderness & survive its perils
Encounter sanity-blasting creatures & their minions 
Using the classical D100 system, you will create grim characters, write perilous adventures and build low fantasy & dark fantasy campaigns. These rules are perfectly suitable to run Renaissance and medieval-styled adventures, too. You can also use this book to craft homebrew stories set in the works of Andrzej Sapkowski, George R.R. Martin, Glen Cook, Scott Lynch and other ‘grimdark’-inspired worlds. 
This all-in-one game includes most of what you need to play: a character creation guide, game mastery rules and a bestiary brimming with creatures both fair & foul. All that’s left to gather are a few friends, pencils and a handful of dice.
A percentage of sales made through The Tavern's RPGNow affiliate links are returned to The Tavern. We appreciate your support. We'll keep the doors open late...

11 comments:

  1. Get this. It's really good and it gets the WFRP vibe exactly right, no matter it doesn't have the rights to the Old World. I bought the Early Access pdf then the full pdf after seeing some of the art... and then I preordered the physical book because I sooo want this on my shelves

    ReplyDelete
  2. Isn't the game either the art featuring naughty bits?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think those got mostly covered in the release version. I didn't notice any penis flapping in the wind while going through the pdf.

      Delete
    2. Early Access is sans art. We 'snuck' a penis in the illustrated version, but it's only obvious if you're reading the text after the image. I'll leave it up to ya'll to find it. ;-)

      Delete
  3. It's a big beast of a book... I was in the kickstarter and I am waiting for the beast... but I got more a feel of 2nd edition than first edition... I still prefer 1st edition tough... I bought it in London in 1986 (or was it 1987)... 30 years...

    ReplyDelete
  4. 631 pages? That's not a game, it's a murder weapon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's both a ZWEIHANDER in name and in-hand. I am holding the galley copy, and it's easily the same thickness as A Storm of Swords.

      Delete
    2. 631 isn't that much if you consider how big the three core rulebooks of D&D have been together since AD&D2e.

      Delete
  5. Great review of a wonderful game! I can't wait for the physical tome to crush my femur!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'll have to check it out. I've been look for something dark and generic. I've played WFRP 1e, but I always have trouble filing serial numbers off when using a setting-system for something else. I really wanted to like "Riddle of Steel" back in the day, but it was a bit too crunchy. Maybe this'll fit the bill. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Got the .pdf for $10 the other day and LOVE it. Going to play this weekend.

    ReplyDelete

Tenkar's Tavern is supported by various affiliate programs, including Amazon, RPGNow,
and Humble Bundle as well as Patreon. Your patronage is appreciated and helps keep the
lights on and the taps flowing. Your Humble Bartender, Tenkar

Blogs of Inspiration & Erudition