Into The Maelstrom: July 2019

I've put a full review of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st. edition up, but when going through the book again, I replayed the sample scenario, partly for review purposes but also for a deeper analysis of the scenario to take it apart and see what makes it tick.

* MANY MANY SPOILERS AHEAD *

The Oldenhaller Contract is explicitly designed as a rules-introductory scenario with the goals of introducing the GM and players to the major sub-systems of the rules. Naturally this isn't a goal of all scenarios but it in some ways constrains a scenario design.

The rulebook does give four sample characters for the scenario, a human, dwarf, elf and halfing, but I used my own for this scenario (because I had generated several additional characters to test the character generation rules, some of which used rules in some of the WFRP supplements, and wanted to get them into action). There are some specific advantages to using the pre-generated characters, but nothing that makes a huge difference.

The Player Characters:

Name: Axel Hartmann Race: Human Sex: Male Career Class: WarriorAge: 17 Height: 5’9”” Weight: 11st 5lbs Hair: Corn Eyes: Light Brown

Description: Massive frame, loud voice (+5 Ld, -5 Fel) Current Career: Bodyguard Career Path:

Career Exits: Bounty Hunter, Footpad, Mercenary, Outlaw Chief

Profiles

Dex

Int

Fel

Starter

45*

27*

Advance

+20

+10

Current

Weapons: Sword, Dagger, Knuckle-dusters Armour: Helmet, Leather Jack, Shield

Skills: Dodge Blow, Very Resilient*, Scale Sheer Surface, Luck, Disarm, Specialist Weapon – Fist Weapons, Street Fighting, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun, Very Strong*

Spells: - Fate Points: 3 Power Level: - Magic Points: -

Other Equipment: Sturdy clothes, hooded cloak, boots, backpack, pewter tankard and cutlery, tinderbox, blanket, 13GC

Name: Ilse Blass Race: Human Sex: Female Career Class: Rogue Age: 16 Height: 5’10”” Weight: 8st 3lbs Hair: Dark Brown Eyes: Grey-blue

Description: Puny frame, underweight, very white teeth Current Career: Smuggler Career Path:

Career Exits: Fence, Pilot, Seaman

Profiles

Dex

Int

Fel

Starter

57*

40*

Advance

+10

Current

Weapons: Sword, Dagger Armour: Leather Jack,

Skills: Fleet Footed*, Dodge Blow, Lightning Reflexes*, Dance, Drive Cart, Row, Silent Move Rural, Silent Move Urban, Secret Language – Thieves’ Tongue, Speak Additional Language - Kislev

Spells: - Fate Points: 4 Power Level: - Magic Points: -

Other Equipment: Sturdy clothes, boots, 139GC

Name: Carlotta Rittersdorf Race: Human Sex: Female Career Class: Academic Age: 22 Height: 5’1”” Weight: 7st 1lbs Hair: Silver Eyes: Dark Brown

Description: Light frame, underweight, very skinny Current Career: Pharmacist Career Path:

Career Exits: Alchemist’s Apprentice, Charlatan, Physician, Prospector

Profiles

Dex

Int

Fel

Starter

44*

Advance

+10

Current

Weapons: Dagger Armour:

Skills: Cryptography, Heraldry, Flee!, Read/Write, Lightning Reflexes*, Chemistry, Cure Disease, Heal Wounds, Immunity to Poison, Manufacture Drugs, Prepare Poisons, Secret Language - Guilder

Spells: - Fate Points: 3 Power Level: - Magic Points: -

Other Equipment: Nice clothes, shoes, 14GC, pestle & mortar, 4 small glass powder jars

Name: Erhardt Zimmerman Race: Human Sex: Male Career Class: Ranger Age: 18 Height: 6’1”” Weight: 11st 1bs Hair: Light Brown Eyes: Purple

Description: Average frame, barrel-chested Current Career: Woodsman Career Path:

Career Exits: Druid, Outlaw, Scout

Profiles	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Starter	4	34	38	6*	3	5	27	1	28	33	37	29	24	32
Advance
Current

Weapons: 2-handed axe, Sword, Dagger Armour: Leather Jack,

Skills: Ride, Very Strong*, Sing, Orientation, Concealment Rural, Follow Trail, Identify Plants, Secret Language – Ranger, Set Trap, Silent Move Rural, Specialist Weapon – Two-Handed, Spot Trap, Secret Signs’ – Woodsman’s

Spells: - Fate Points: 3 Power Level: - Magic Points: -

Other Equipment: Travel clothes, hat, cloak, boots, leather bag, 2 blankets, cutlery, tinderbox, cooking pot, water flask, 8GC

Although the adventure isn't that interesting, it does have some strong points. I liked the almost "Choose Your Own Adventure" format which is really aimed at beginning GMs. Unlike other sets of rules, a group of children could work out what to do from the instructions given in the book. It does give opportunities for a group to test out all the major systems.

Step 1 - The players arrive at the wharf at Nuln. Not knowing where to go, they are approached by a man who offers to take them to a good hostelry for couple of pennies. Perhaps unsurprisingly, if accepted this leads to a fight. If not accepted, the fight is avoided. The players find the same pub whichever.

Step 2 (Optional) - The fight. The players can either surrender and be robbed but not otherwise harmed. Otherwise, there is a fight against four footpads.

FOOTPADS:

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	33	25	3	3	6	30	1	29	29	29	29	29	29

Weapons: Club Armour: Leather Jack (0/1 Body/Arms) Skills: Silent Move Rural, Silent Move Urban, Strike to Stun Other Equipment: Hood

TURN 1:

Ilse draws her weapon, so does Carlotta and shout for help. The Footpads charge (+10 to WS) and attack.

Footpad 1 misses Axel. Footpad 2 hits Ilse, but she dodges successfully. Footpad 3 misses Carlotta. Footpad 4 hits Erhardt on the arm, 1 damage. Axel and Erhardt both draw their weapons.

TURN 2:

Ilse misses. Carlotta misses. Footpad 1 hits, but Axel successfully dodges. Footpad 2 hits, but Ilse dodges. Footpad 3 hits Carlotta in the leg for 2 damage. Footpad 4 hits Erhardt, who successfully parries.

Axel hits Footpad 1 in the left leg. Rolls 6,6,4 for damage, +1 for Strike Mighty Bow skill +5 strength, -3 (target toughness). Total 19, Footpad takes a level 13 critical hit. Hip smashed, artery severed, Footpad 1 dies.

Footpads test against Leadership – Footpads 2 & 3 flee.

TURN 3:

Ilse attacks Footpad 4, misses. Carlotta hits Footpad 4 in the body, rolls 5, -2 for dagger, -3 for toughness, +3 for strength, -1 for armour. Footpad 4 loses 2 hits. Footpad hits Erhardt in the right arm, rolls 3, adds 3 for strength, minus 3 for toughness, 1 for armour, 2 hits taken, Erhardt down to 2 wounds. Erhardt misses. Axel misses.

TURN 4:

Ilse misses. Carlotta misses. Footpad 4 hits Erhardt again but rolls 1, causes no damage. Erhardt and Axel both miss.

TURN 5:

Ilse and Carlotta miss again. Footpad 4 misses. Erhardt misses. Axel hits in the arm, causes 3 damage. Footpad down to 1 wound.

TURN 6:

Isle and Carlotta miss again. Footpad 4 tries to flee, Isle hits him in the head, 3 damage, level 2 critical. Footpad 4 hit in the Carotid artery, bleeds out in 4. PCs take the two clubs and leather jacks and go.

Step 3 - The players reach the pub ("The Reavers Return"). The door is stuck and the landlord tells them to give it a shove, basically to show how Strength-based tests work (roll d100 under Strength x 10, modified by the GM for difficulty). When the character completes this successfully, the door smashes and the landlord charges the group for it, providing an opportunity to use the system for bargaining (roll d100 under Fellowship, modified for difficulty (or in this case, ease)). It doesn't really say what happens if the characters fail the test. Maybe the landlord gets off his fat behind and opens it from the inside, proving sometimes it is better to succeed than to fail. Anyway, this provides Carlotta the opportunity to tend to herself and Erhardt who were slightly wounded in the fight with the footpads.

Step 4 - A night at "The Reavers Return". In the Eighties, the GMs I knew had a penchant for sending burglars and assassins in to get a party if they didn't lock the room and bolt the windows. Comments I have seen have persuaded me this was not an unusual experience. This adventure is no exception! Every group I gamed with had a more-or-less military set of SOPs as to how to take over a room in a tavern to try and neutralize this type of GM behaviour. It resembles nothing quite so much as Hermione in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, going through a set ritual of physical and magical protection every time they go to a new campsite. Anyway, because I did this, I missed out on the chance to be a - burgled or b - catch and interrogate the burglar (and get a useful password for the next day). From a learning the system point of view, it is better to get burgled, since then you can go through the chase and interrogation mechanics too.

Step 5 - The group basically gets railroaded to go to the market place in Nuln to look for adventures. There is, handily, one opportunity on offer...

Step 6 - A merchant (Albrecht Oldenhaller) wants a gem recovered from a set of criminals (The Schatzenheimer Gang) who have failed to deliver it and is willing to pay handsomely for it (100 Gold Crowns each - although economics are not really WFRP 1's strong point, so whether this counts as riches depends quite a lot on what you want to do). You can bargain him up, although my group failed. He gives you a magic box to put the gem in as soon as it is recovered and after a few administrative preparations, off you go...

Step 7 - There is a potential trap at the entrance to the criminals' complex, avoiding which seems to be a matter of complete luck (50/50 chance). My group was lucky and escaped it. The group can then search this part of the complex and finds the scene of a massacre, where the group of criminals who had the gem seem to have been completely wiped out by a rival group (the Valentina gang). In fact, one of the group has survived and attempts to shoot the PCs but with a bit of luck and skill, he can be overpowered easily, interrogated and even patched up, if your group is a merciful lot (as mine is).

ULRICH VOGEL, GANG MEMBER:

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	33	25	3	3	0(6)	30	1	24	24	24	24	24	24

Weapons: Crossbow, 6 bolts. Armour: Leather Jack (0/1 Body/Arms) Skills: Disarm, Silent Move Urban, Street Fighting Other Equipment: Hood

Step 8 - The rival criminals advertise their responsibility for the attack, so the PCs know who did it, although the wounded gangster provides a few useful details. It is pretty obvious that they must now have the gem, so the PCs must now get it back from them.

Step 9 - There is a basic choice for the PCs of whether to bluff their way in or fight their way in. Both can work, although depending on how tough the GM wants to play it, a noisy fight should bring in large numbers of reinforcements quite quickly. Incidentally, I recommend using the Zone of Silence spell (much more useful than the Glowing Light spell that the pre-generated Wizard's Apprentice gets) if you want to go for fighting strategies - lots of defence systems are predicated on sentries crying out and noises carrying. Bluffing the guards shouldn't be too hard anyway - some thing along the lines of we have business/a proposition to discuss with your boss should work and that's what my group did, claiming that her group wanted to discuss rights to the real estate now vacant since the Schatzenheimer's demise. Since Ilse actually is a smuggler, this was a pretty easy test and was duly passed. The other alternative is if the burglar at "The Reavers' Return" is captured or killed, then the Valentina's password can be obtained from him. Once you get into the gang's area, then it is obvious that they are about to leave their complex since the other end of it has been invaded by dangerous cultists! Getting past the gang boss's bodyguard is quite easy, whether by bluff, bribery or fighting, although the latter is distinctly more dangerous than the first two. Ilse just continued the bluff, which worked fine.

VALENTINA GUARDS:

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	33	25	3	3	7	30	1	29	29	29	29	29	29

Weapons: Crossbow, Sword Armour: Sword, Knife, Crossbow (6 bolts) Skills: Disarm, Silent Move Urban, Street Fighter

OVERSEER:

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	33	25	3	3	7	30	1	29	29	29	29	29	29

Weapons: Sword, Knife Armour: - Skills: Disarm, Silent Move Urban, Street Fighter

SEBASTIANO SANSOVINO (Bodyguard)

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	41	25	3	3	12	40	1	29	29	29	43	29	29

Weapons: Knuckledusters, Crossbow Pistol Armour: - Skills: Disarm, Specialist Weapon – Fist Weapon, Specialist Weapon – Crossbow Pistol, Street Fighter, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun

Step 10 - The bodyguard and/or the group then discover that the gang boss, Emilio, has been murdered and decapitated and there is no sign of the gem. The PCs (inevitably) find a secret door and then follow the assassin's tracks into the sewer system. At the end of the sewers, the PCs are attacked by a swarm of rats and they find the body of the assassin, the gem and the head of the Valentina gang chief. This is a very "Indiana Jones"-type scene, but as long as no-one has outrageous bad luck, everyone can get inside the mine cart and speed away...

Step 11 - Before hitting the buffers and being dumped out. The scenario reckons it is safer to "jump clear" before this happens, although I think this is pretty stupid really. Anyway, there is the opportunity to take a bit of damage either way. Damage from these type of falls is quite easy to do, it is normally roll a d6 - a number, if the remainder is positive, that is how many wounds you take. Toughness is no help against this kind of thing, although it is in melee combat. I'm not really sure that works logically, but hey-ho, at least it is speedy.

Step 12 - The players then find a dispirited group of smugglers, the last criminal group in the complex, who have been forced back by the arrival of cultists. To make sure the players have their options removed, the Valentinas demolish the tunnels behind them at this point to seal off the cultists. So the PCs have basically two options: try to burst through the cultists and escape (there is another minecart to hepl them), or try to kill the cultists. My group decided to go for the latter. The cultists themselves aren't too strong, but they have a mage with them, and they are summoning a Beast of Nurgle which is both nasty in its own right and also has the chance to give them an incurable and fatal disease too! If the group attacks, it must get past two cultists on guard and injure at least one of the cultists performing the summoning in D3 rounds to prevent the beast arriving...

DIRCK HUYDERMANS (Outlaw Chief, ex-Smuggler)

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	57	34	4	4	14	50	2	29	66	66	43	66	66

Weapons: Sword, Crossbow (12 bolts) Armour: Leather Jerkin (0/1 Body) Skills: Disarm, Dodge Blow, Street Fighter, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun, Swim

HUYDERMANS’ GANG

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	33	25	3	3	7	30	1	29	29	29	29	29	29

Weapons: Sword, Knife Armour: - Skills: Disarm, Silent Move Urban, Street Fighter, Row, Swim

CULTISTS

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	33	25	3	3	5	30	1	29	29	29	29	29	6

Weapons: Sword, Knife Armour: - Skills: Disarm, Street Fighter

JONAS WHITESPORE – Champion of Nurgle

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	41	25	3	2	6	60	1	43	43	43	43	24	4

Weapons: Nurgle Stave, Dagger Armour: - Skills: Arcane Language – Magick, Cast Spells – Chaos Magic, Identify Plants, Magic Sense, Rune Lore, Scroll Lore Magic Points: 16 Spells: Wind Blast, Aura of Protection, Summon Beast of Nurgle

Notes Surrounded by flies -10 modifier on opponents’ melee combat rolls. Horrid stench means that all non-cultists within 6yards test against Toughness or lose 1S for d6 turns

Key to this is quickly taking down the two guards. They are at a narrow gap, so it is difficult to swamp them with numbers. Here is how it went down for me...

The PCs and the gangsters approach quietly. Huydermans and Carlotta fire. Huydermans hits Cultist 2 in the left leg for 4 points of damage. Carlotta misses.

TURN 1:

Ilse, Axel and charge, with 3 gangsters following up Cultist 1, Huydermans and Erhardt charge Cultist 2, with the other 3 gangsters following them up. Carlotta reloads.

Ilse misses. Two gangsters and Cultist 1 all miss. Axel hits in the right arm, causes 8 points of damage, cultist takes a level 3 crit, smashing through the arm into ribcage, dies in a shower of blood. Huydermans misses. 2 gangsters and Cultist 2 misses. Erhardt hits Cultist 2 in the body, cultist takes 7 damage, +6 critical, dies horribly.

TURN 2:

Huydermans, Ilse, Axel and Erhardt charge again. Carlotta fires at Jonas. Huydermans hits Cultist 5 in the rt arm for 10 damage, a +5 critical, dies. Ilse misses Cultist 4. Carlotta misses Whitespore. Cultist 3 charges into Erhardt. Cultist 3 misses. Cultist 4 misses. Axel charges Whitespore. Hits him in the head 8 damage, +2 critical Bleeding from scalp, -10 to activity until medical attention received. Erhardt misses.

TURN 3:

Huydermans fights Whitespore but misses. Ilse misses Cultist 4. Whitespore attacks Axel, misses. Carlotta reloads. Gangster fights Cultist 4, hits right arm for 2 hits. Gangster misses cultist 3. Cultists 3 and 4 both miss. Axel fails stench test, misses twice. Erhardt hits Cultist 3 in the head, for 12 damage, +7 critical, head lopped off.

TURN 4:
Huydermans passes stench test, hits Whitespore in the arm, +4 critical, dies. Ilse misses Cultist 4. Carlotta moves to boat, covering. Gangster hits Cultist 4 in the head for 2 hits, down to 1 hit. Cultist 4 hits Ilse, who dodges successfully. Axel hits Cultist 4 in the arm, +6 critical, dies. Combat over.

Luckily the cultists were hit before the beast turned up, which made the fight significantly easier. The PCs gathered up the weapons of the slain and then escaped with a couple of gangsters on a boat, who were suitably grateful for the help. The merchant is also grateful, pays up, and lets the PCs know they should get lost. This can be taken as a hint to keep on moving, which can be used as a hook to get the characters involved in the Enemy Within Campaign...

I think that overall the scenario does a good job in providing a learning scenario, although the basic idea is pretty hum-drum. It does however provide a reasonable insight into the setting, although the actual premise isn't so different from a couple of the Conan adventures. This kind of adventure (paid to get a valuable item from someone) won't actually get featured again until much later in the Enemy Within campaign, although it is relatively easy as a hook. It does heavily feature the kinds of people that WFRP PCs do seem to interact with a lot: merchants, landlords, rogues, smugglers, footpads, cultists and creatures of chaos, which is also good. Interestingly, the adventure can be completed relatively easily without a meaningful fight, which seemed quite a novelty back in the 80s and is still far from the norm. On the other hand, if the players are willing to take on the quite chancy and brutal combat system, there are plenty of legitimate fights to be had if so desired.

Thursday 25 July 2019

The Oldenhaller Contract

***** MANY MANY SPOILERS AHEAD *****

* MANY MANY SPOILERS AHEAD *