Tomboys and Troublemakers Part V: Zut Zut Zut and a Bottle of Bordeleaux

[BananaPhone]

Until then!

Also, I think I might run some house rules or ideas for tweaks I would like to use by you guys as they come to me. But right now, here's what's on my mind:

Roleplay Rebate: Buying a skill or Weapon Group Talent out of your class advance structure costs 200 XP, and you may not use this to buy +10, +20, or Talents normally. However, after you take a few opportunities in character to formalize that skill by learning it from someone (ideally within the party), you may have 100XP back. Some common sense applies - you can learn how to speak Arabyan, but learn the forbidden knowledge of Daemonology this way. Just... be sensible.

Example: Bertelis wants to use a Tilean pike he has found, but can't buy Specialist Weapon Group (Two Handed) for a few careers yet. He spends 200XP to buy it (not in the middle of combat like a psychopath) and writes Bertelis as using the pike somewhat basically for a while; but starts looking for opportunities to train with Gimgroth, who has spent enough time around Tileans to know how to handle a pike. After three such scenes across their adventures, Bertelis appeals to the GM and is granted his Roleplay Rebate of 100XP.


Another is a bit of a rework of the Best Quality weapons. Right now, as they stand, they don't really work. Best Handaxe + Shield is the objectively best weapon combination, and cheaper than others. Best Pick is strictly the worst (Slow and Armor Piercing, and half again as expensive as the axe?), Hammer is lackluster at best, and the sword is crazy expensive just to give you Defensive... which you already get if you're using a shield. And Great Weapons are just not worthwhile; the free parry from dual wielding with a shield is just too valuable to consider them, especially when you get impact on your axe. This is probably leading to a buff for most weapons, and probably some kind of nerf for axes. Impact feels like it should be reserved for great weapons, or tiring weapons.

For example, compare the Best Handaxe to the Best Greataxe.

- - - - - -
- - - - - , -

Weapon	Price	Encumbrance	Weapon Group	Damage	Special Rules	Availability
Handaxe	60GC	45Enc	Ordinary	SB	Impact	Scarce
Greataxe	120GC	180Enc	Two-Handed	SB+1	Impact, Slow, Tiring	Scarce

So a Great Axe costs 2x, weighs 4x, requires 100xp worth of talent, gives your enemy +10% to defend, and only gets Impact on the first round of engagement.... for +1 damage.

That's awful. It means that no one ever uses great weapons except enemies, and everyone is quietly looking for an opportunity to get a hold of a Best Handaxe. And no one ever uses a spear, despite it being the second most iconic weapon for a warhammer soldier to hold!

WFRP2e is a great game, but it has its little lacunae of bad rulings. I'd like to do something that means characters actually are incentivised to use different weapon types. It's sad that no dwarf ever wants to be stuck with a pick, and a Bretonnian is left grimacing at his family sword.

However: You have my solemn vow that I will not make any detrimental changes without talking about them here, and they will not suddenly apply in the middle of a hazardous situation. And if you happen to have, for example, a Best Handaxe, and you decide it no longer serves your interest like it previously did, fate will be suspiciously kind in arranging compensation.

I'll think about specifics on that one and update later.

Now that I'm sober (sorry about that), I'm fine with tweaking the weapons to make each more appealing.