Many of us geeks are busy waxing nostalgic about the 30th anniversary of D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) this week. I even took out my 1978 *signed* copy of the Players Handbook and read the inscription. (My mom got Gary Gygax to sign it at ICON in 1989, it says “Magic!” above his name).

Perhaps its not a bad time to mention that the roleplaying game I liked even better than D&D is about to be released in a new edition! Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay by Games Workshop was originally the bastard child of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, a tabletop miniatures battle game in 1986. The first edition rulebook was never updated and has spent many years in and out of print but a recent team-up may attempt to capitalize on the recent roleplay rennaissance. I was too lazy to scan in the cover for the rulebook so instead see the image of “Death on the Reik” moduleThe Games Workshop publishing arm, Black Industries, in co-operation with fantasy game publisher Green Ronin have teamed up to revamp the ruleset for Warhammer FRP. Things to look for include a better magic system (needed!) and revamped character stats. According to the FAQ, a new three part adventure is on deck as well. The current schedule calls for a release in Spring of 2005.

A poke through the forums on the BL site indicates that there are playtest packs out to folks now and that playtesters have to return non-disclosure agreements, so they seem to be serious about it all.

BL has apparently taken the advice of the hard core WFRP gamers that continue to keep this game alive and have decided NOT to trash the classic Warhammer system for the arguably more robust? D20 system. This comes as a relief to me, personally, though I doubt I will playing many Warhammer games anytime soon - I’d just hate to see them change what I always thought was an elegant game system because they were unwilling to put the time into it.

On the topic of D&D, however - although I haven’t played the new rules (they’re up to ver 3.5!), I did get a copy of the Players Handbook and the DM Guide and am mightily impressed by the amount of detail in there. Wizards of the Coast have really picked up the TSR flag and run with it. The authors spend a lot of time discussing the finer points (the nuances) of playing a roleplaying game for the novice player, in what amounts to a gaming etiquette manual for the socially inept. But beyond that, the books provide a wealth of detailed game-play examples, laying out possible scenarios (of game play) and discussing how each might be handled. Clearly the collective experience of MANY a hard core gamer has ended up in these books.

No matter how richly detailed the D&D books are now, there will always be a special place in my heart for the world of Warhammer. It’s detail is somehow grimmer, darker, more malevolent as the grinning chaos moon shines coldly on the greenskins creeping over the Old World.