Malaise

So, my ADD went sideways. All the wind went out of my BtPG sails, and rather than a shifting focus, I became unfocused. That lasted a few days, then I discovered a copy of WFRP 2nd edition. In spite of the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the 2nd edition (even from the 1st edition grognards), I was always an elitist prick about the whole thing.

Well, I have seen the light. This is a fantastic update to an already fantastic system. I skimmed it back when it was released, and didn't notice enough differences to make me feel like it actually was a 2nd edition. Based on that wholly incomplete exposure, my impression was that they had updated the presentation, and little else.

It is true that the changes are subtle, almost house rule like in nature. In fact, that really is what they are. Sand paper for the rough spots of the 1st edition. There were rough spots that needing smoothing, though. The end result here is that the original is wholly intact and made better by the changes. Sure, they are very subtle when reading, but their effect on play should result in serious improvements.

So far as I can tell with this reading, the magic system is the only thing with wholesale revisions. To be honest, I'm not sure about that, either. I like what they did, but I'm not entirely sure I like their backstory for it. Allow me to clarify: I like the backstory, I don't like it being the only backstory. There are some treatments on the net meshing the old "philosophy" of magic with the 2nd edition version. I need to check those out.

It is quite likely that my next few posts may have something or other to do with Warhammer. I'm a little uneasy about that, to tell you the truth. Warhammer is not: D&D, free, or old school. It is one hell of a good game, though, and it has my attention. At least for now.