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A number of club members have signed the Green Ronin NDAs and are involved in testing the new WFRP rules. Obviously, I cannot say anything about the rules, but I can give synopses of the games that I have run. Not only might these be of casual interest, but also I can then claim to be the first person to publish second edition adventures! Games were mostly one-offs and we generally created new characters for each game as the best means of testing generation out. We also variously used characters that we advanced into second or third careers, again to test out career progression. I tended to devise scenarios to test out specific themes. For example, our first game was very combat intensive and the second was intended to test the skills system.

The test games are all set in Wolfenburg, a city that I detailed for my A Private War campaign. The events are set after Empire in Flames under the rule of the Emperor Heinrich. A wise man, The Empire has settled down under approximately 8 years of careful stewardship (so we are roughly at 2520IC) and polytheism has once again settled across the provinces. In Wolfenburg, this has led to the establishment of an Ulrican temple - on the site of the shrine to the Sigmarite St Levudal. However, since the latter was only locally accepted, this was something of a satisfaction to the central church - ditch an unwanted saint and blame the Emperor and Ulricans!

Grand Prince Hergard von Tasseninck retains his family's title - but civil war with Valmir von Raukov runs daily closer. This tension has re-opened the Ulrican (Raukov) and Sigmar (Tasseninck) rift. The PCs immediately notice this when their first adventure leads them to the temple to Ulric, only to find barricades being erected and defences prepared.

Obviously, this is not the post-Storm of Chaos setting that Black Industries have announced that they will be using, but this is the one that I adopted for our purposes. Since I much prefer the enemy within background, a game set in Storm of Chaos is not a positive in my view anyway.

A few snippets of news have been called by the public criers, including the arrest of the last surviving member of the Butchers of Bechafen, Jakob Stoll.

A Simple Warrant
The first adventure required the PCs to serve a warrant for heresy on an Ulrican priest currently held in the temple cells. The warrant was signed by the Grand Prince's office and an initiate from the (separate) Ulrican shrine. The PCs never queried why a mere initiate was signing a warrant; if they had they would have discovered that the warrant was a means to get the 'heretic' away from the cult and to the Grand Prince with whom he was friendly. In the longer term, saving Jurgen might help avoid future religious conflict as he is trusted by both the Grand Prince and Valmir von Raukov. Sadly, this was not to be!

The wanted man, Jurgen Bahrens, was junior only to Ragnar Schwettmutt (the high priest) and his assistant, Magda Armistadt. Because the temple was relatively new, a number of the priesthood were from the north. Magda was their leader and had come to effectively run the temple as the ailing Ragnar sank into decrepitude. Unfortunately, Magda was a member of the Children of the Kraken cult and sought to remove all those who opposed her (specifically Jurgen) and take over the temple to her nefarious ends. Rumours of problems had reached the ears of the Grand Prince, hence the warrant.

On arriving at the temple, the PCs failed to be politely put off or misled by an apparent jailbreak that Magda had created as a ruse to make any investigators believe that they did not hold the priest anymore. All attempts at distraction having failed, the PCs were to be killed. They were thus trapped and attacked in the bowles of the temple.

Magda and her people were in fact a Genestealer coven. The PCs fought through to the end, losing a multitude of fate points. Having rescued Jurgen two PCs jumped into an underground pool hoping to swim to safety - but only discovered the kraken! What they did not know was that Jurgen had been infected anyway (although one player did guess this might be the case). Two dwarfs were also saved, but they sought death in combat to atone for their capture. The PCs did not show a willingness to follow this example, but did fight dutifully onwards. They were ultimately saved by a skaven commando squad from a nest also infiltrated and infested by the 'Stealers. They killed most of the PCs and sent one back to warn the authorities.

Clearly the scenario was a simple hack 'n slay adventure once some very basic background and obvious subterfuge was seen off. We had fun and comments were fed back.

Festgild
A day of fun and carnival, the Festgild celebrates the guilds of the city. In the morning there is a parade, in the afternoon a carnival and in the early evening the Frachtwennen - a cart race around the city. The aim of the adventure was to test the skills system primarily, by having PCs undertake a whole series of tests, hence the competition. This was wrapped into some background politicks and a number of individual cameos.

Traditionally, the race takes place with six competitors but recently the Cult of Ulric had also joined as a political statement relevant to its increased presence in the city. Unfortunately, due to illness amongst the priesthood (see above) their entrants had to be withdrawn. It was important politically that the cult was seen to run, and so a motley assortment of volunteers was hastily assembled. Guess who?!

The essence of the Frachtwennen is a cart race around the city The race begins at the Gildenhaus (16) to the Shrine of St Mikhael (14), around the southern wall to the livestock pens and up to the Square of Standards (5). From here the route goes along the river into the Main Platz (3) and around to the Cathedral (1).

At specific points, tokens are collected en route, each requiring the successful completion of a task. These include driving skills, climbing a wall tower, riding a bull, swimming the river, shooting a target, wrestling and giving a speech in the Main Platz.

Obviously the skulduggery started well before the race with bribery, sabotage and violence attempted. The PCs were proactive in this as well, specifically trying to nobble the entrants from the Cult of Sigmar and Pewterers Guild. This devious behaviour continued within the race, particularly as a group of the Sons of Sigmar really did not wish the 'Ulricans' to finish.

Competitors were as follows:

• Pewter's Guild and Cult of Sigmar in a cart with five cart horses. One of the crew mysteriously died of a broken neck prior to the race. The PCs were interviewed, but were innocent. This was only because they failed their Charm tests to find out where this group were hiding up.
• The Merchants Guild and Cult of Handrich in a cart with four horses.
• The Gold and Silversmiths Guild with the Cult of Esmeralda, who employed a stagecoach with six horses.
• The Community of Labouring Guilds with six oxen, and who rather make it a principle annually to come last (unsurprisingly!).
• The Imperial Garrison, the Estates District and the Cult of Myrmidia who employed a chariot with three horses, hoping for speed over durability.
• The Craft Guilds who employed a war wagon, including six encased horses and for whom steering was to prove a problem. Their star driver was beaten up in a bar brawl the night before the race.

The PCs found that their cart had been vandalised, was up on blocks with no wheels and had the floor kicked out. They needed to arrange for repairs and get some horses. These were to come from a farm, which they found to be on fire and under attack. They thus built their cart, got their horses and trained. They also had to survive an attack on their hideout, a halfling peddlar selling elixirs, an "insurance salesman" from the local Two Moons gang, sundry bribery offers and also 'encouragements' (threats if they lost).

The race itself was broken down into the following sections:

Driving through cavalry armed with rods attempting to force them off the road gambling for the bronze SIGMAR medallion at the Shrine of St Mikhael. The Sigmarians also attempted to give the players a fake tin medallion, but they noticed the 'mistake'.

Driving along the city walls where they are pelted from above by the citizens with soft rubbish, and some Sons of Sigmar with sling stones. They must climb up the wall for the PEOPLES' medallion.

At the city tower they must climb again for the GARRISON medallion.

At the livestock pens, they must ride successfully for the FARMERS medallion.

At the Standards and Measures Square, they must obtain crowd approval for a speech for the VERENA token.

They must then swim the river to a buoy for the BOATMENS token.

In the Main Platz, they must shoot a bullseye for the RANGERS token and wrestle for the ULRIC medallion.

Finally, they must drive for the finishing line around an obstacle course.

Our valiant PCs ultimately managed to break the Sigmarian's cart and everything degenerated into a brawl. The Silversmiths Guild, Goldsmiths Guild and Cult of Esmeralda joint venture ultimately won, but the PCs were a very creditable second place. Whether the race can ever be run again after the events this year is something that the authorities will have to decide upon. Still, the crowd loved it!

SCHATZKAMMER UNTERHALB
There have always been rumours about an underground El Dorado. Here allegedly lost cargo from the Wolfen is washed into, ore is washed down from the mountain and all lost precious items end up. Here too is a lost dwarf hold from ages past, tombs from the time of Sigmar etc. Of course, all these stories are rubbish. Except that Freiherr Franz Gruber has approached you, claiming to have found it. A Bright Wizard, and renowned academic, he is a minor noble who has made money in trade. The PCs have worked for him in the past in various capacities. He needs them to scout out the place for him secretly, since Heinrich Kolderer, the City Planning Officer, has taken exception to his prying into city matters.

The PCs are sent to the old mansion at Edge Hill, once owned by Joseph Wilhelmkind, who was known to have employed ex-soldiers from the Great War to dig passages under his home - for no known reason. Might the stories actually be true?

All trademarks acknowledged.

WFRP        Tim Con II