Read-through of Main Gauche supplement for Zweihänder Grim & Perilous RPG

[Gringnr]

FULL DISCLOSURE: I WAS GIVEN A COPY OF THIS BOOK BY ITS AUTHOR, TO READ THROUGH AND REVIEW. I WILL DO BOTH IN A FAIR AND EVEN-HANDED MANNER



Hello, all. In a previous thread, I did a read-through of The Zweihander Grim & Perilous RPG Revised Core Rulebook. It was quite the undertaking. Clocking in at nearly 700 pages, that book had a Players' Guide, GM's Guide, and Bestiary all rolled into one comprehensive package. Seriously, you could game for ages with the material in that book alone.



But what if I told you that there was material that had been left out of the core rulebook? Well, there was. I have heard interviews with the game's author and lead designer, Daniel Fox, wherein he stated that he had to leave some material out, lest the book's weight (and its price) become unmanageable. Some of this material has been published as "Dark Astral", a sort of rough set of conversion notes for using Zweihander (which initially sprang from WFRP2e house rules) to play games set in a "Grimdark" future. But, as it turns out, there was more. Much more.



Which brings us to Main Gauche. Weighing in at just over half the page count of its predecessor, this new supplement is nevertheless a heavyweight in its own right. It's packed full of new professions and rules to enhance your Zweihander game. I have seen it described as a "Chaos Supplement". Intruiging! Let's take a look at it, shall we?





PHYSICAL PRESENTATION



As with the Revised Core Rulebook, Main Gauche is a beautiful book. It has many of the same qualities that made Zweihander such an impressive physical product. The same matte finish, which gives it a somewhat "understated" look. Well, as much as that's possible, given the cover (more on that in a bit). Thick, glossy pages. Lay flat binding that allows Main Gauche to be used effortlessly in play. Excellent illustrations by Dejan Mandic throughout, including on the border of every page. As with the corebook, Main Gauche has a cohesive feel. The art is plentiful, very well done, and, unlike some other games, not in garish color. No, these are in a distinctive black and white, that has a very nostalgic feel for old farts like me. It has that "almost underground comix" vibe that I loved so much about early RPG art. It sets quite the mood.



And while I had described the cover of the core book as not being very dynamic, the cover of Main Gauche is Dynamic with a capital D. By Ken Duquet and Dejan Mandic, it is a harrowing scene of adventurers (cleverly depicted as Characters of Professions listed in this very book) engaged in battle with what appear to be the very forces of Chaos. There is blood. There is Fire. There are Demons.



The endsheets are a darkish grey, and there is a greyish brown ribbon sewn into the binding to use as a bookmark.



Another minor complaint I had about the core book was that the printing in some of the tables was a tad small to be read comfortably by me (though, again, I am old). That is the case here, as well. Again, this is only something that comes up in the various tables, and in the Table of Contents.



Overall, I cannot find fault with the physical presentation of this book. Now, let's crack it open!



After the Table of Contents, there is an introductory bit of fiction featuring ex-convict, soldier and survivor Danziger Eckhardt, who also introduced us to the core book. And as grim as that into was, this one is even bleaker. I won't spoil it, but I will say it doesn't make ol' Danziger a very sympathetic character. Brrr!



Next there is a note from the designer, which tells us a bit about what has happened since Zweihander's official release in 2017. He then goes on to explain that Main Gauche is a mix of new material, and stuff that was left out of Zweihander's core book. Fox explains that what is in this new book has been thoroughly tested, and crafted to adhere to Zweihander's "bounded accuracy" model of game design, as well as its aesthetics and "feel". One thing I like about Zweihander is that many of the optional rules can be bolted on or stripped away with ease and without disrupting the flow of the game, so I welcomed the news that any systems contained within these pages would have the same modularity.



Then, we get a breakdown of what we will find in Main Gauche, to wit:



-Liber Mortalum (Book of Mortals) new Professions, and lots of 'em.



-Liber Armorum (Book of Weapons) 65 new pieces of armor, armament and shields, plus new materials with which to craft them, And, more WAR MACHINES!



-Liber Vehiculorum (Book of Vehicles) expands upon existing vehicles, but also adds fantastic machines, powered by Wytchstone, that drive or fly. Also includes rules for vehicular combat.



-Liber Alchemiae (Book of Alchemy) how to make stuff into other, cooler stuff. New Diseases, Disorders and Treatments. Also, fun with Wytchstone ("Wytch-Science", a practice of the Skrzzak)!



-Liber Daemonum (Book of Demons) how to contact and control be killed by Demons.



-Liber Umbrarum (Book of Shadows) Covenant Magick, a new path for those wishing to get new and exciting spells from Demonic patrons. Just remember, there's no such thing as a free lunch.



-Liber Malus (Book of Evil) rules for creating your own creatures and NPCs.



-Liber Obscurus (Book of Mysteries) jinkies! Rules for running investigations and conspiracies.



-There's Something About Marie, a full-length adventure that can be used as a follow-up to "A Bitter Harvest", from the core book.



-Appendix expanded tables which fold new material into the material from the Main Rules.





That's what we're going to see in Main Gauche, and I will be going through it, Chapter by Chapter. I hope you'll stick around.



I have noticed a couple of minor typos in the first 15 or so pages. My only real complaint with the main book was the editing, and I really hope that's not a running theme with this one.



Overall, though, I'm pretty excited to check this out. But, I have yardwork to do tomorrow, so I gotta go for now. Watch this space, because next up is



CHAPTER 1: LIBER MORTALUM