Enemy In Shadows Companion Available

[FasterThanJesus]

Drive Thru RPG has just sent an email informing me of the release of The EiS Companion's availability. Unfortunatley I'm in work a little late so it will have to wait.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading through it and will put forward my thoughts on that and EiS as I was wanting to review them together.

Some slighly lighter news on the RPG front today.

[Totsuzenheni Yukimi]

I'm a little bit excited to see what's in it. I'm expecting it to be, or at least hoping it will be full of revised and new stuff.

Here's a direct link to relevant the Cubicle 7 shop webpage: https://www.cubicle7games.com/product/w ... companion/ .

[FasterThanJesus]

First impression as it is still coming out of my printer: no pregen characters!

I really like the art work for the Berebeli (which also has a map, Gideon).

We have a few pages of commentaries from the old writers including some Easter Eggs.

Foreward/Introduction/Commentaries (9 pages)
Chapter 1 - Easter Eggs (2p)
Chapter 2 - The Empire (9p)
Chapter 3 - Empire Roads and Highways (3p)
Chapter 4 - Mounts and Vehichles (3p)
Chapter 5 - Travel (14p)
Chapter 6 - Road Wardens (4p)
Chapter 7 - All Roads Lead To Bogenhafen (19p)
Chapter 8 - Mutants in the Empire (12p)
Chapter 9 - Purple Hand, GMs Guide (13p)
Chapter 10 - On the Road (4p)
Chapter 11 - The Affair of the Hidden Jewel (10p)
Chapter 12 - The Pandemonium Carnival (7p)

[Totsuzenheni Yukimi]

There weren't any pregen characters in the Enemy In Shadows either were there? I guess they must be doing away with the pregens altogether then.

[Theo]

A couple initial impressions after skimming it:

- I was pleasantly surprised to see that the description of the Empire and its various states and provinces, while modified, was definitely based on the 1E descriptions from the original TEW rather than the 2E and later WFB ones. So Middenheim is associated with Nordland rather than Middenland, and even Sudenland is around. (We'll see if they use the events of TEW to change the maps back to the newer versions - that would seem a bit pointless to me, but what do I know...)

- The new travel rules look like fun, but I've only had a glance of them.

- Lots of colourful NPCs, many of them traditionally dodgy pop-culture references, to illustrate various aspect of travelling life in the Empire. These look like they could come in useful.

- I appreciated that the chapter on "Mutants in the Empire" was not written as 40K-ish in-game propaganda like much of the fluff text in the 2E Tome Corruption.

- I was decidedly underwhelmed by the GM's guide to the Purple Hand. Mostly stuff from the chapter on Chaos cults from the old Middenheim book and (I think) a little from Tome of Corruption. Still no proper explanation of the PH's actual motivations. Why exactly are they working to destabilize the Empire? Are the rank-and-file cultists aware of this goal? If so, what's in it for them? If not, what do they think it is? (Not that I expected the book to really adress this, but hope springs eternal.)

All in all I expect to get more use of this than the proper Enemy in Shadows book. Now to see if the later books come out in time for me to get to use them...

[FasterThanJesus]

There weren't any pregen characters in the Enemy In Shadows either were there? I guess they must be doing away with the pregens altogether then.

Possibly. I fear you're right. The only other option is if they publish them as a separate download like they did with the starter pack. I think it's possible they're not bothering as nothing really hooks to pregen characters in the main campaign unlike the original which had quite a bit of material for the pregens.

It's not the end of the world, I was just hoping it would be easier for me to hand them out to the group and let them pick as there is only one WFRP/WFB vet among them.

[Karanthir]

Error and typo submission form is here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIp ... =0&c=0&w=1

I'm just skimming through, but I already noticed that the list of electors (page 15-16) says the High Priest of Nuln is based in Talabheim and the High Priest of Talabheim is based in Nuln! I kind of want this to be an in-universe administrative error. Unfortunately I assume it's a typo.

[Totsuzenheni Yukimi]

There weren't any pregen characters in the Enemy In Shadows either were there? I guess they must be doing away with the pregens altogether then.

I think it's possible they're not bothering as nothing really hooks to pregen characters in the main campaign unlike the original which had quite a bit of material for the pregens.

I hadn't realised that was the case. (I've only taken a quick look through the Enemy In Shadows PDF.) I fear i'm going to be a little disappointed with the Directors Cut. The fact that it's being somewhat shoehorned into a fourth edition mold already mars it somewhat. I hope someone is going to do a Directors Cut first edition 'compatibility pack', and i suspect someone (not necessarily Gideon) will do a 'companion' at some point.

[FasterThanJesus]

Error and typo submission form is here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIp ... =0&c=0&w=1

I'm just skimming through, but I already noticed that the list of electors (page 15-16) says the High Priest of Nuln is based in Talabheim and the High Priest of Talabheim is based in Nuln! I kind of want this to be an in-universe administrative error. Unfortunately I assume it's a typo.

Thanks. I noticed a few last night.

I hadn't realised that was the case. (I've only taken a quick look through the Enemy In Shadows PDF.) I fear i'm going to be a little disappointed with the Directors Cut. The fact that it's being somewhat shoehorned into a fourth edition mold already mars it somewhat. I hope someone is going to do a Directors Cut first edition 'compatibility pack', and i suspect someone (not necessarily Gideon) will do a 'companion' at some point.

I'm reasonably happy with it, but I do have some issues. I still think parts 3 (organisation and assistence with running), 4 (all new) and 5 (needing a lot of rework) will be what makes or breaks this for me.

Anyway, I'm going to remake the characters from 1st edition in 4th over the weekend. I may even use those nice google doc forms for it.

[Jackdays]

Elector situation in 2512 and other fluff there is pretty interesting considering situation in circa 252X. Very exited to see how story goes, when they get to the final parts of the TEW. I still think the civil-war is happening... And why is Prince Luitpold banished away? Wolfgang is named heir…

Companion is pretty nice package full of various information, NPCs and adventures.

[mrlloyd]

Anyway, I'm going to remake the characters from 1st edition in 4th over the weekend. I may even use those nice google doc forms for it.

Try these https://amazing-tales.net/2019/11/14/wa ... ollection/

[Totsuzenheni Yukimi]

Elector situation in 2512 and other fluff there is pretty interesting considering situation in circa 252X.

I guess it depends what is going to be canon in fourth edition. When The Enemy Within was first released i don't think there were any future events that needed considering.

[Jackdays]

Elector situation in 2512 and other fluff there is pretty interesting considering situation in circa 252X.

I guess it depends what is going to be canon in fourth edition. When The Enemy Within was first released i don't think there were any future events that needed considering.

True. But now there is. I think Fourth must follow license. Cant kill Karl-Franz. It will probably be little different ending... But, it can be good one too.

Kislev seems to be gone too, so the "end game" might even start with book before.

[Totsuzenheni Yukimi]

Elector situation in 2512 and other fluff there is pretty interesting considering situation in circa 252X.

I guess it depends what is going to be canon in fourth edition. When The Enemy Within was first released i don't think there were any future events that needed considering.

True. But now there is. I think Fourth must follow license. Cant kill Karl-Franz. It will probably be little different ending... But, it can be good one too.

Kislev seems to be gone too, so the "end game" might even start with book before.

You might be right, but i think the entire 'Old World' history could be in the foothills of getting retconned now that a 'Warhammer Old World' miniatures game coming directly from Games Workshop is on the cards.

[FasterThanJesus]

Anyway, I'm going to remake the characters from 1st edition in 4th over the weekend. I may even use those nice google doc forms for it.

Try these https://amazing-tales.net/2019/11/14/wa ... ollection/

Thanks; using them . I've noticed a couple of minor issues: spellcaster sheet name/career bit is shorter on the spell pages than the main page truncating the career and font mismatches on the money section.

A section for a more general biographical/background would be pretty neat, too.

I've done three characters, so I'll post them all when done. And you can all tell me my conversion is wrong. As an aside, the starter character talent selection is stupid.

[macd21]

The pregens will be coming as a separate download, apparently.

[FasterThanJesus]

The pregens will be coming as a separate download, apparently.

Thanks for the info!

Where did you find out? Also, do you know what the timeframe is?

[Capitaneus Fractus]

Elector situation in 2512 and other fluff there is pretty interesting considering situation in circa 252X. Very exited to see how story goes, when they get to the final parts of the TEW. I still think the civil-war is happening... And why is Prince Luitpold banished away? Wolfgang is named heir…

As Luitpold is said to had born in 2491, he is about 21 years old in 2512 I.C. This seem to be enough to be an imperial heir apparent (the Holy Roman Emperor simply had to be aged 18 years or more), but would the minimal age to be elected emperor, in Warhammer, be aged of 25 years or more, that it would be possible that his first cousin, Wolfgang (the son the sister of Karl Franz, called Isabella in Warhammer Dark Omen) who happen to be about 25 years old in 2512 I.C., might perfectly fit being the heir presumptive up to the 25th birthday of Luitpold... without even having Luitpold dead or banished.

Such condition of being 25 years old might explain why Karl France would had been crowned emperor in 2502 I.C. (the year of his 25th birthday) while his father, Luitpold (also called Ferrand, in Letters from Sylvania), is said by Warhammer Novels to had passed away in 2491 I.C. (which imply an interregnum of eleven years...)

Another clue might be within lines of the Liber Chaotica Tzeentch (Marijan Von Staufer, Black Library, 2004) which state about emperor Karl Franz's heir: Although few know the full details, it is rumoured that a Tzeentchian organisation, now known to be the Purple Hand, almost succeeded in replacing his Imperial Majesty, Karl Franz, or perhaps his only son and heir (the stories are somewhat hazy) with their own puppet ruler. Have the Purple Hand simply replaced his only son and heir, Luitpold, with their own puppet ruler, Wolfgang?

[Theo]

Such condition of being 25 years old might explain why Karl France would had been crowned emperor in 2502 I.C. (the year of his 25th birthday) while his father, Luitpold (also called Ferrand, in Letters from Sylvania), is said by Warhammer Novels to had passed away in 2491 I.C. (which imply an interregnum of eleven years...)

Or someone from another house was Emperor from 2491 to 2502. The post isn't hereditary but elective, after all.

Though the Warhammer Wiki suggests the Holswig-Schliesteins have been hogging the throne since the mid-2400s. What was the exact source for the early death date?

[Capitaneus Fractus]

The exact source is the chronology that came with Warhammer novels published by Boxtree...