Endy's RPG Stuff

Alright, I finally got to play Warhammer Fantasy 3rd edition. The GM was awesome. The party is great (though I will admit, I came on a bit strong and they think I’m evil – but that’s cool). I can’t say anything negative about the people involved, or the way the story has evolved. But the mechanical system of the game, I don’t particularly like. I’ll elaborate on why under the more tag.

Dice

First Point:I like WFRP 2, Dark Heresy, Call of Cthulhu, and Marvel Super Heroes. Individually they all have their upsides and downsides, but they all have one common factor: use of percentile dice. It takes less time to calculate, and no time to figure out what you have to roll. Playing 3e was like playing Warhammer Fantasy again for the first time: “How many dice do I roll?” I don’t like that feeling. It’s not a good one – to me, because it makes me feel dumb. I don’t often like D&D 3.5 for the same reasons.

Second Point:I do not carry an extensive bag of dice with me. Perhaps 30 dice of different sizes, all told – mostly d6, though 2 of everything else from d4 to d20. Thus, I have grown attached to them. I do not like the fact that GW and FFG have forced people into buying (and using) their dice. Qualifier: I understand that for a new group, this is a good idea. Firstly, rather than scaring people off with terms like “d6″, “d8″, and “d10″, they’re just “the blue ones” or whatnot. It also allows the creators of the game to use special d6s for certain applications (i.e. yellow, white, and black). This does not, however, make me happier. I see it as crass and forcing the experienced gamer into paying more for something they don’t need.

Cards

This one I must simply state, what’s up with this? We had three or four stacks of cards on the table, a few of which made sense. Most of which did not, to a first-time player. These things seem all too easy to lose, and again forces people to use something they don’t need to. The information on the cards could just as easily be written in the rulebook and transcribed into notes for each character.

Those are my two biggest gripes – the physical mechanics of the game.

Now, that’s not to say that I don’t understand a market for this. Firstly, some people keep track of things differently than I do. Second, including “feelies” like cards or special dice makes it far less likely that the game will be pirated effectively (after all, who’s going to scan the cards – both sides – into a PDF? It’s not worth the time). On the other hand, it cuts down on the possibility of electronic editions, which of course goes back to my understanding of the dice issue.

They’re courting new gamers, trying to bring them in via things like Warhammer Fantasy. I support that fact and think we should continue to encourage new people to join. Regardless, you’ll never catch me running it. I play for the party members and the social experience. Not the system. I run for the system.