WFRP: Best of the fans (9)

This spring the A to Z blogging challenge was brought to my attention. I could never ever in my imagination seeing myself contributing to posting one post every day, for a month. So I wrote it off.

Then Tim at Another Caffienated Day showed me how it's done! He stepped up to the plate, and delivered 26 blog posts, from A to Z, about WFRP.

A mighty deed, indeed. Impressive and invigorating. And absolutely worthy of a Best of the Fans mention!

But I have to beat an old drum of mine. Hearing from readers is one of the most fun parts of writing a blog, and if you drop by and read Tim's posts, drop him a "hello" and "well played, good chap" or what passses as a cheer in your part of the world.

For I would very much like him to continue blogging, even if it's not one post a day. So remember Another Caffienated Day when you think about what's the best among WFRP fans. 

/Magnus

WFRP: Best of the Fans (8)

This time around I'm going to highlight a WFRP fan for the second time. The first time was when he was awarded with a Best of the Fans post for his immensely cool WFRP fan site, Kalevalahammer.

This time around I'm going to give a shout out to Jackdays for his map of Nuln, which he keeps updating and releasing to us fans all over the world. It is a dashing companion to my own iAltdorf project, and fans of any edition is bound to find it very useful if you plan on running a game in Nuln, like e.g. Forges of Nuln.

And remember that the best payback a fan can get is if you give feedback on his work! So get thee hence to a WFRP forum of your choice and start telling Jackdays that his map rocks and pummel him with awesome ideas!

/Magnus

WFRP: Best of the Fans (7)

As I am the creator of the iAltdorf map (which you really should check out if you haven't done so yet), I don't think anyone will be surprised to learn that I like maps. I have longed for an atlas of the WFRP world for ever and ever, even though I know it's just a pipe dream. But once again, like so many times before, the fans of the game comes to rescue. MadAlfred (interviewed recently at TAC) has devoted time to create accurate maps for the WFRP game. These maps were then turned into pieces of art by talented and generous cartographer Andreas Blicher, also known as Black Spectrum. This combination of talent has yielded some of the best maps for any roleplaying game out there. And they are all available online!

Click here for Black Spectrum's maps!

So it's not difficult to name these contributions to the game a Best of the Fans achievement!

Magnus

FAL Interview: Interview with Alfred Nuñez Jr.

Regular readers of The Altdorf Correspondent know that I try to do my part to put the limelight on the many great and dedicated fans WFRP has, and the top notch material they produce and offer online for free. I try to make a Best of the Fans post every month, and believe me, there’s plenty of material to look through to find the very best. Each time I sit down to pick a fan project to highlight as a Best of the Fans effort, there is one name that always crops up. Alfred Nuñez Jr, pictured on the right.



I believe most know him as MadAlfred, map maker extraordinaire, but he is also the author of the well recieved sourcebook Dwarfs: Stone and Steel for WFRPv1 that was published by Hogshead in 2002, as well as Pretty Things, one of the earliest adventures for WFRPv2 that was published by Black Industries in the Game Master's Pack. A while ago he released Empire at War online, a complete and massive reimagining of Empire in Flames, the ill-fated last part of The Enemy Within campaign, bringing it in line with the kind of WFRP imagery that the enduring fans of the game appreciate.



Myself, I think of Alfred as the grand uncle of The Altdorf Correspondent. If it hadn’t been for his and his co-conspirators' work on compiling information about Altdorf from hosts of Games Workshop sources, this blog would probably be The Middenheim Correspondent … or something like that. So I dropped Alfred a mail, asking if he would be game for a short interview here, and here’s the result.

The Altdorf Correspondent (TAC): Tell the readers a bit about yourself.



Alfred Nuñez Jr (MadAlfred): Well, I am an American from California and (currently) 51 years of age. Apart from gaming, my reading interests include Ancient History, pre-Tudor British history (currently reading various sources covering 410–1066 A.D.), Archaeology, and Paleontology. I work in the garden to relax as well as occasionally go on walks/runs. The latter helps me sort out my thoughts on whatever WFRP material I'm currently writing.



TAC: How and why did you start playing WFRP?



MadAlfred: I moved my playing group from AD&D to WFRP in 1988. I thought WFRP was far more interesting a game to play with its darker elements. Odd as it sounds, I also liked the (then) concept that wizards in the game did not always dress in flowing robes and they could carry swords rather than daggers and darts.



TAC: What was it that primarily attracted you to WFRP?



MadAlfred: The darker tone, richer background, and career/skill based system were the elements that won me over.



TAC: How long have you been producing fan material?



MadAlfred: I have been writing fan material since 1994 or thereabouts. So, about 14 years.



TAC: What prompted you to do this, and to distribute your material for free, online?



MadAlfred: Since the game lacked official support, I wanted to further develop the background for my own use. Shortly after joining the old WFRP mailing list hosted by Clay Luther, I thought I would share some of my material to other subscribers. The reaction I received was pretty positive, so I started posting my other ideas hoping someone who find something useful to use in their campaigns.



TAC: A large and important part of your work has been compiling gazeteers and drawing maps. Why did you focus on these two categories?



MadAlfred: I found that both maps and gazetteers are helpful at generating game ideas as well as providing a quick reference material for GMs. I also found that these helped me focus in visualising the world at large and gave me a starting point for possible scenario plots.



TAC: What was the most difficult part of compiling the information on Altdorf?



MadAlfred: The most difficult part was determining how to incorporate the sketchy and sometimes contradictory information contained in many of the Warhammer novels. I had learned from one of the writers that there was no central authority among the editors of Games Workshop to ensure some level of consistency with Altdorf and its locations.



TAC: What is your favourite WFRP book?



MadAlfred: “Marienburg: Sold down the River” by far. My oldest son makes a cameo in the book as Miguelito “Little Round Head” Nunez in that book



TAC: What is your favourite WFRP fan material?



MadAlfred: The “A Private War” campaign by Tim Eccles.



TAC: What are your hopes for the future of WFRP, fan-wise or commercially?



MadAlfred: Commercially, I’d like to see WFRP move more towards the 1st edition in tone (grim and perilous) rather than stay with (my interpretation of) the 2nd edition change to heroic fantasy with spiky bits. I’m just not sure what FFG intends, if anything.



Moreover, I’d like to see more fan effort, though such can be uneven in quality. Warpstone magazine is a great source for ideas and a number of sites – for example, Liber Fanatica – put out quality material. So long as its fans care, WFRP will continue to be supported.

I think Alfred is right. WFRP has had its ups and downs, but there's no denying that the fans care passionately about the game. And Alfred himself is one of the very best examples of this passion, which drives him to create material that make all our other games richer and more fun. So let me close this interview by thanking Alfred for answering my questions, and for all his efforts to make WFRP great!



Magnus

WFRP: Best of the Fans (6)

WFRP has long been known as a game with dedicated supporters, and the fans have been known for the excellent supplemental material they produce. Today, most of the limelight goes to contributions to the second edition of the game, but it is important to remember that the production and distribution of high quality fan material isn't a recent development. For as long as there has been an Internet, it seems that there has been first class rules and background released online by fans. One place to go for high quality material for WFRPv1 is the Strike to Stun website. This site, which has one of the best site names in WFRP fandom, contains a download page with links to the Strike to Stun fanzine, but also a link to one of the real gems of the site; the sourcebook Monastic Life in the Old World, written by Natascha Chrobok.



Click here to go to the downloads page of Strike to Stun, and click the download link next to Monastic Orders.



Although the sourcebook was written with WFRPv1 in mind, it contains much that is useful for players of any version of the game. It contains background info, new careers, new skills, details on religious orders and a bunch of NPCs. It might not fit every Game Master out there, but for anyone wishing to add depth and colour to their own Old World, this sourcebook is a true Best of the Fans effort!



Magnus

WFRP: Best of the Fans (5)

WFRP has always been a game that's been defined by how you play it, rather than what it says in the core rules. The impression of the first edition was influenced more by the ground-breaking and breath-taking The Enemy Within campaign and subsequent fan material covering various aspects of the Old World not touched upon by more official and marketable material.

When the second edition was announced, there was fear among the established fan community that the new edition would prove to be less supported by stellar fan material, since more than a few of the old hands expressed doubts about writing new material for the new edition. Fortunately for Black Industries and fans of second edition, a lot of both new and already established talent decided to step up to the plate and start hitting home runs.

One of the most spectacular of these fan efforts is the project called Liber Fanatica. The project has so far released four pdf books filled with interesting and thought provoking material, and the first book was released simulataneously with the second edition core rules. The thing that attracts me to the Liber Fanatica is the fact that the writers work hard to build a bridge between first edition and second edition, updating careers, skills and other aspects as well as adding new material in the style of first edition.

So if you haven't already clicked the link to the Liber Fanatica web site, move your cursor the the following link, and download some of the best stuff for WFRP that is available online!

Click here for the Liber Fanatica web site!

Magnus

WFRP: Best of the Fans (4)

Poster Jackdays on the Black Industries forum have been very helpful with comments on the iAltdorf project. I'm working on incorporating some of his corrections as well as building a sewer layer.

But Jackdays is not only a helpful chap when it comes to Altdorf, he is also a mapper of skill and - hopefully soon - repute. He has taken it upon himself to expand on Norsca, and has graciously provided us fans with a smashing web site; Kalevala Hammer!

Check out the section on Norsca, especially the huge and detailed map, and remember that a project like Kalevala Hammer is ultimately successful thanks to hard work, a dedicated creator and helpful input from fans. Jackdays can be found on the Black Industries forums, soliciting comments!

His work is surely among the Best of the Fans!

Magnus

Best of the fans (3)

It's time again to point your browsers at another stunning WFRP fan contribution. This time it's not a netbook or a handout but an online tool that garners our attention. For any Game Master who's had to create an NPC on the fly, a character generator is a godsend! Or fan send, in this specific case.

Character generators don't get any prettier and easy to use than the one found at Danish based (but English language) web site Malleus Maleficarum.

So I don't have any qualms about naming their character generator a Best of the fans effort! And after you've checked out the generator, be sure to take a look at the rest of the site for a lot of inspirational bonuses!

Great work guys!

Magnus

Best of the fans (2)

This time at Best of the Fans we take a look at a fan classic for first edition WFRP. It is a treatise on ships and life on the water, aptly titled Under the Sails. The author is Leif Ulrich Schrader, a WFRP fan I seem to remember from the WFRP mailing list. Haven't seen him about for a long while though, which is a pity.

You can download this splendid supplement from this page! Don't let the German text scare you off, the document itself is in English. And you're playing WFRP, so it's only fair that you brush up on your language skills!

Magnus

Best of the fans (1)

One thing that has defined WFRP for a long time is the dedication of its fans. While WFRP was not supported by Games Workshop a strong tradition of creating additional material grew into a powerful force which created some of the best fan material I have ever seen. This helped keep the game relevant to the roleplaying public in a way that few other officially unsupported games manage. And with the emergence of the Internet, sharing this material became as simple as sending an e-mail to the WFRP Mailing List.

A lot has happened in the last few years. WFRPv2 has been released, and the WFRP Mailing List is as far as I know inactive. Instead the discussions about WFRP have moved to various discussion boards, such as Black Industries own official boards, or to RPGnet or other places. Some of those who were active in the past have decided to focus on other things, some carry on today, and quite a few new fans have joined the tradition of creating fan material for WFRP.

But strangely enough, even with the Internet and all, most of these fan publications go without notice from the large body of WFRP players. So I wanted to do my bit to help that situation improve. Even though my blog is only drawing about 50 readers each week (probably the same 50, bless you all), maybe I can help spread the word about what I consider to be the best fan material out there for WFRP! I won't focus on any one edition, as to me and my game they are so similar that any material is useful.

I'll simply pick what's best out there, and let you figure out which edition you want to use it for!

First out, taken from one of my favourite WFRP fan sites is Dave Graffam's Purity Seals and Prayer Ribbons (scroll down his page to find them). Taking inspiration from the scraps of paper carried by most of the people in the illustrations for WFRPv2, Dave has created ribbons and seals ready to be printed out and added to your character sheet. It adds immensely to the atmosphere around the table!

Dave also has a lot of other really good stuff on his site, and I promise I'll remind you of them at a later date. But hey, you don't have to wait for me to say that they rock! Download them now and find out for yourself.

Magnus