Warlock! Warhammer/ Fighting Fantasy RPG Review

[@QuestingBeast]

Get Warlock! from DrivethruRPG: bit.ly/WarlockRPG Check out our sponsor, Anyworld! bit.ly/AnyworldRPG Patreon: bit.ly/QBPatreon

[@spevna]

I’m still very proud of this cover :) Glad you all like it.

[@TheNiall666]

It's really great artwork!

[@spevna]

@@TheNiall666 Thank you! I’m glad you like it :)

[@badgerbaiter2888]

@mustafebekir you are one of the artist that always stick in my brain for osr stuff. Love your work

[@spevna]

@@badgerbaiter2888 cheers man :) That’s still one of my favourite pieces I’ve done.

[@gregsaunders2941]

Thanks so much for the review! As already mentioned, career skill is now the lowest of the skills in the career, the average was the old rule.

[@yahwehsouljuh5285]

I'm really interested I'm this! But I'm wondering how well it would work in tandem with White hack 3e and deep carbon and Veins of the earth material?

[@aaronhumphrey3514]

Hey Greg, just bought a copy on DriveThruRPG, and I really like what I’m reading! Great job!

[@crowgoblin]

Thank you Greg for a great game, being British and growing up with both Warhammer and Fighting Fantasy, I love the theme of Warlock! and especially the new traitor’s edition, my only disappointment was you went with a d20 for resolution and didn’t stick to the d6 that both those games above traditionally used and also the d6 is used almost exclusively throughout the rest of your game.

[@03dashk64]

@@crowgoblin Warhammer uses a percentile d100 system though. Unless you meant the tabletop game and not the roleplaying game

[@crowgoblin]

@@03dashk64 only WHFRP, Warhammer fantasy battles, Warhammer 40k, Warhammer Quest, Warhammer Wrath & Glory, Warhammer Soulbound, even Blood Bowl… all use d6, ofcourse along with the 2d6 of Fighting Fantasy.

[@euansmith3699]

I like the description of the Servant spell; "The creature is intelligent, irascible and critical..."

[@RobertWF42]

Wow, there are so many OSR rpgs now! We need an OSR (or fantasy rpg in general) flowchart to help navigate. :-)

[@ILoveEvadingTax]

its so exciting, feels like how DIY punk used to be

[@funzerkerr3710]

What I like about Warlock! is the fact you can use hell-a-lot of system agnostic OSR content BUT this game have plethora of dedicated sourcebooks like Goblins. This gives you so many possibilities. Also that unique, grotesque sense of humour...

[@ggFDAggFDAcls]

With regards to the misprint @8:15 Average was the original rule and minimum is the new rule. The author did not correctly change it in all locations of the book. It does appear correctly in the pdf.

[@excalebenthoreh.3063]

Great review :) The one with the career skill is a missprint yes. In older versions it was the average of the skills but in the new traitor edition it is supposed to be the lowest for ease of use

[@talon12020]

If sci-fi/space opera is more your genre then check out Warpstar which uses the same mechanics.

[@kingVibe111]

Ben you continue to be one of the few guys who knows how sound works. Seriously, lots of people need to up their sound game so they are able to be heard in an audible manner. Maybe they have headphones or good speakers and they just don’t get that their sound isn’t very good but I see people making many videos without improving their sound when they probably use programs with built in compressors and EQ.

[@VosperCDN]

Great timing for this review. I've been looking at this one a while now, and glad to have the inside look at the game, thank you.

[@PeterSFam]

Warlock! is probably my favorite OSR system. Its as if its the B/X version of Warhammer Fantasy. (Would love to try the Enemy Within campaign with it) The additional source books are great as well and well worth it.

[@imadottallah422]

One of my favorite systems! Awesome review as always Ben.

[@Madkingstoe]

I purchased the limited edition version of this game last year based entirely on recommendation. It was costly, but I was very happy with the final product. I'm happy to see it getting some of the exposure it deserves. I'd like to also recommend the Dunkeldorf miniatures which go especially well with this game.

[@perplexingruins]

Great look at this one! Hoping to run this solo sometime this summer! And there are heaps of supplements for the system too

[@ancientvaults]

I have this in print and hope to run it next week. Was hoping for a more printer friendly character sheet, I might need to make one. Is there a guide to the content, as I see there is a lot of add-on material.

[@DurpleisasweetpeaOwO]

Love how they have used Kelek from the AD&D toyline in their "Magic" chapter! Mercion and the good wizard (forgot the name) as well in later pages. Really neat reference.

[@johnberry5296]

What an excellent video. This is my first view of your channel and the first time I have heard of this game which looks great. I’m a huge Fighting Fantasy fan as a 50 ish year old Brit so this is definitely my cup of tea!

[@robertwarren4734]

Follow-up to an earlier post: ordered print copy on 2JUN, arrived 22JUN (USA). The three weeks as per Samurguybri's post (thanks again!). The errata on p. 61 regarding the career skill being the average of the career skills does persist in the print version, though corrected in the pdf. The p. 15 reference to the career skill value as the lowest of the career skills is in place.

[@HowlingSphinx]

Did somebody say... Fighting Fantasy? Because I think someone said Fighting Fantasy.

[@crowgoblin]

@@thelastmotel Warlock is built off the Advanced Fighting Fantasy system, it’s literally AFF with a careers system from Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.

[@withsobersenses9199]

Such a great game. And as someone who has wanted to run Zweihander for ages....I actually just end up running Warlock!

[@lastsonofkrypton3918]

Looks great, putting it on the list! How about a review of Low Fantasy Gaming? The original edition is available in pdf or very inexpensive for print at lulu in paperback too.

[@QuestingBeast]

I already reviewed LFG!

[@lastsonofkrypton3918]

@@QuestingBeast My mans!

[@jameswight6259]

Great review. Thanks! Love that it has all the grim darkness of WFRP but you can pick it up and run with it really quickly. Love the sound of the combat mechanics! Do I detect a hint of DCC in the mix perhaps? Are there any decent pre-written adventures available?

[@vesavius]

I am looking for a system with exactly this flavour... I was considering the Talisman RPG, but may just get this as well. The plan is the run some Advanced Fighting Fantasy things (Sorcery! etc) and use Titan as my gameworld, but I am 100% for bringing that OG warhammer vibe into it more as well. Useful video, thanks!

[@robofeeney]

Great flip through! I've been running Warlock continuously for a couple years now and love it to bits, but find that the books keep inching up in price--the latest version is 40 CAD for 160 pages of intentionally bad design and layout, on dtrpgs worst paper quality and black and white. I adore what the system has done, but considering it's just the d20 skill mechanic bolted to almost word for word fighting fantasy rules in a few spots, and the series asks you to buy material that was offered up for free by fans, I can't justify suggesting it to anyone at its current cost. Even the pdf is close to 20 dollars on a good day. The cost and the quality here do not match up.

[@justincolussy-estes8447]

I love this system, particularly for solo or small party play.

[@yuriperko]

I am the artist of the inner arts of this book, I hope you enjoyed it.

[@robertwarren4734]

One feature that I don't believe was mentioned explicitly in the review is that one gains a pool of 10 skill points to distribute once the starting career has been determined/selected (p. 15 of the book). I like how RAW have one distribute the initial skill points (the 10x6; 10x5; rest = 4) before one knows their initial career. One then can use the pool of x10 points to bolster their five designated career skills (up to the maximum provided for that career) before play begins. One question for anyone reading: on p. 60 for testing Luck, it states: "In any case, you deduct one from your Luck score for the rest of the adventure." By 'rest of adventure,' do they mean the life of the character? A particular story arc? Just that evening? WFRP4e seems to have a kind of implicit end-of-the-session reset in terms of experience and such. Is that what they mean here? Just seems that the term "adventure" is a bit ambiguous.

[@imadottallah422]

I’m fairly certain it’s left up to the GM. In the game I run, luck replenishes after a undisturbed rest and meal.

[@18ps3anos]

This looks like a D20 version of systems like BRP and its variants (openquest, magic world, mythras, runequest). Loving it. Might snatch a pdf copy later this week.

[@robertwarren4734]

Was just looking at this at DrivethruRPG. Unfortunately, the shipping cost for UPS with a 3-4 week delivery delay is nearly the same as the printed book itself, nearly doubling the total expense. "Media Mail" was somewhat more moderate, but was ~ 5 weeks and cannot be tracked. So unless one is content with the pdf and viewing the electronic version (hard on my old eyes) or paying for printing and spiral binding, the ancillary costs are prohibitive. Pity: this seems like an interesting system having the WFRP4e book.

[@samurguybriyongtan146]

In the US, I ordered mine as untracked media mail with no problems it arrived within 3 weeks. The podcasters on Mud and Blood talk about this system with the creator and then review it. They seem to greatly prefer over 4e, but give strong caveats about preferred gaming styles.

[@robertwarren4734]

@@samurguybriyongtan146 Thank you for this feedback.

[@danielmiller1826]

An old British game I would love you to dig out is Maelstrom. It was one of the first RPGs I played, set in Tudor Britain but with magic. The free-form magic system is really cool and it has lots of stuff you could nab for other games (like a table of magical herbs). The designer was only 16 at the time which is remarkable. Also it was published as a Penguin paperback in the same format as the FF books rather than the big hardbacks of most rpgs and the front cover is amazing. I think a pdf of it is on Dri Thru RPG

[@sethpeterson8261]

Weird... I just stumbled across Warlock! as a forum post mentioned it as one of their favorites and I'd never heard of it before. Was also looking up info on Fighting Fantasy, which pulled up this video, which is about Warlock!... Guess that's a sign I should order the hardback.

[@EricVulgaris]

Looking forward to this game a lot!

[@thepardoner2059]

Could a monster with 4 actions attack the same character 4 times in a round of combat?

[@grimshwiz]

I have been hacking this together with all the supplements and working on running it in The Old World. Such a fantastic and underused system IMO.

[@Darr6477]

I believe for ranged attacks shields add a bonus to the target's dodge roll, not a penalty. Pretty sure that 'minus' is meant to be a dash, kinda confusing!

[@wyrmisis]

I just got this game in a few days ago! My only disappointment is that the number of professions feels kind of limited for the kind of street-level, intrigue-heavy games I'd run with something in the vein of Warhammer; I've been thinking about porting some of Zweihander's professions into this game, as well as using this game's "multiple random choices for professions" concept with Zweihander (rolling separately for each of that game's archetypes and picking from there).

[@crowgoblin]

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd had like 220+ careers!

[@samurguybriyongtan146]

There are many more in the expansions for the game and quite few homebrew ones on reddit

[@ebrim5013]

Warlock! is really great, I’ve had a lot of fun with it.

[@Sanguivore]

This seems like a fantastic and elegant system. Exactly my sort of game!

[@babissarris5003]

Thank you, very interesting game! Does anyone know if there are any restrictions in weapons or armor for spellcasters (Initiate & wizard's apprentice) ??

[@imadottallah422]

There are no restrictions.

[@babissarris5003]

@@imadottallah422 Thank you!

[@crikeymiles]

I’m definitely going to grab a copy of this, but attempting to emulate the feeling of FF and WFRP with a D20 is not the stylistic choice I would have gone for. For me, that die hasn’t anything to do with the old school British RPG world. I would have gone for D00 or D6.

[@cell32005]

That particular choice seems strange to me as well, especially with all the other d20 systems out there. I like the inherent transparency of d100, a total beginner can grasp the percentile odds.

[@crowgoblin]

It’s based on the Fighting Fantasy system which just uses the d6 so it’s pretty easy to retro hack it back to using the d6. Look up Advanced Fighting Fantasy or Troika for how the system works.

[@TonyCrenshawsLatte]

I'm in a campaign with this rule. I wasn't too crazy about the ruleset at first because the character growth is rather slow, especially in terms of combat prowess. But once I got used to its slow-burn rhythm, I'm actually finding the character growth in this game to be much more satisfying than those of other games. My character will never become a superhuman as with other rules. But my character will become a sophisticated human being (as long as he survives), and that is super satisfying. Anyone planning to run a long-term campaign with old-school sensibilities should take a close look at Warlock.

[@cell32005]

This has just shot to the front three of the systems I'm looking at for DMing for the first time (Knave having been there for a while now); would you say the way the book is structured would work well for a group of beginners (assuming I understand some of the basic conventions)? Not sure how I feel about the game not using d100 with all the d20 iterations out there, but there might be something to be said about not having too much granularity as well ... While I see many similarities with Troika at a first glance it seems like the more "grounded" world could work better with a group that doesn't necessarily jive with Troika's slightly surreal bend.

[@matthewludivico1714]

Warlock sounds very interesting, kind of one part Steve Jackson game book, and one part GW's Warhammer role plays but with a K.I.S.S. design.

[@AngryPict]

Looks interesting. What is the size of the physical book?

[@TheNiall666]

I rather preferred the font used in the original POD version, which I currently own. It reminded me of the one used in Warhammer 1st edition from 1983. The cover art is even inspired by the Warhammer boxed set cover.

[@TheNiall666]

@@thelastmotel I refer to the Warhammer Fantasy Battle boxed set which came out in 1983 and also had rules for role-playing. I also own the 1986 hardback WFRP.

[@Democraps_are_narrow-minded]

How much?

[@markgnepper5636]

Great stuff friend 👏 👍

[@jasonmosley6157]

I agree this is a strange mashup but it looks kind of neat.

[@dylanfraser9136]

Like your reviews

[@Farold_Haltermeyer]

Love this game, has been a revelation

[@weirdguy564]

Gah! Too many good RPG games. I’ve actually seen this recommended on forums when anybody asked for advice when they wanted to RPG in a grim-dark fantasy world. Which is code for Warhammer Fantasy. Let’s be real. I’ve owned it for a while, and I really think it’s much better than the official WHF RPG. They’re similar in important ways, mainly the amount of careers, mostly mundane ones. The official games are very bloated and are some of the longest page counts. Warlock fixes that issue and keeps it manageable. Again, I would play it, but my backlog of good games is keeping this one as a backup game. Sadly, as I genuinely think Warlock is good. I’ll also shout out to Questing Beast. Your review and comments from the author let me know to replace my PDF. There is a new one available.

[@oneysnyder2116]

As an avid table top gamer, I’m looking to get into this type of game and this looks super appealing. Is it something that can be played solo or with two players? Sorry if this was mentioned and I missed it.

[@QuestingBeast]

It requires a gamemaster

[@Semiotichazey]

I'm a big fan of this system; such an elegant alloy of FF and WFRP. My only gripe is that there are combat spells, but the fact that most of them cost Stamina and don't deal much damage means that they are usually very suboptimal. I'd either get rid of combat magic entirely, introduce a Willpower trait to deplete for spellcasting, or make them more effective in some way (not necessarily just a damage increase--that's a little boring IMO).

[@moochieman7]

That's where enchanted items come in. You can enchant an item such as a staff to have its own charge to deplete instead of your own Stamina.

[@Semiotichazey]

@@moochieman7 Hadn't considered that. I'll have to re-read those mechanics.

[@moochieman7]

@@Semiotichazey The rules for enchanting aren't in the core rulebook unfortunately, they're found in the Grimoire section of the first compendium book.

[@Semiotichazey]

@@moochieman7 👍

[@godlaydying]

Should have been called Dung & Rags, with the title made from 'Dungeons & Dragons' with letters removed.

[@KablooeyFineNerdery]

why? you don't like Warlock! ?

[@hellentomazin6488]

hmmm.... this system seems assume a little bit low-tech setting for my taste... any system like this for age of gunpowder games?

[@spearPYN]

I still prefer the original Fighting Fantasy RPG and Warhammer Fantasy Role Play 1st ed. Everything including the rules, artwork and writing was so much better in the 80s...

[@areallybigdwarf4560]

Damn combat takes a lotta rolls in this >3 npcs attack me they roll 3 times to hit > i roll 3 times to counter > 2 hit me they roll 2 times for damage >i roll 2 times for my armor > i counter one i roll 1 time for the damage >he rolls 1 time for his armor That's like 12 rolls just for one PC

[@QuestingBeast]

Keep in mind though, that in every conflict someone is getting injured. So on the attacks that you countered you will be doing it damage to them. Armor cannot reduce damage below one. Whereas in dnd, there's less rolling but there's the possibility that nothing happens.

[@Zenas521]

Audio was a bit on the quiet side.

[@TonyJ1776]

Did not get notified of this content even though I am subscribed and have all notifications enabled. Thanks KZbin...

[@stephenrichards3395]

I might have to unsubscribe, you are costing me a fortune.

[@jecheesecake]

Looks neat but not interested in rulebooks that are unclear and have misprints that contradict itself. Appreciate the review.