In my Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition) review of the Enemy Within Campaign – Volume 4: The Horned Rat (PDF only), Middenheim the city was well covered as was a great enemy, the Skaven. While The Horned Rat Companion (PDF only) contains 64 pages of excellent supplementary ratmen material, I’m going to focus on the Middle Mountains in this review.
My thanks to Cubicle 7 for providing me a copy to assist in my coverage of all things Warhammer RPG. Their ongoing reimaging of the Enemy Within campaign with additional support includes some amazing material useful for any WFRP campaign, not just ones following the adventures in order. The Horned Rat Companion has adventures, the aforementioned Skaven support with equipment and spells and monsters and more, and even a cult. Plus a gazetteer, a monster infested keep, PCs and NPCs, and an adventure in the Middle Mountains. And as is the case with many of these books the art, layout, maps, and overall quality are extremely high.
The Middle Mountains lie on the borders between Middenland, Hochland, Nordland, and Ostland. It is the only mountain range wholly within the Empire’s borders. Long before the Empire, the Dwarfs made homes in the shadows of the tall peaks in the realm of Karaz Ghumzul. A Chaos gate was discovered beneath the mountains and eventually the Dwarfs left, leaving only Slayer-Monks behind to guard the gate.
The mountains served as a barrier between warring humans, but a Chaos horde eventually attacked the Empire. While Chaos was eventually defeated (this time) pockets of Beastmen and Chaos Warriors still survive in remote desolate areas. Brass Keep is still infested by Chaos and the fortification known as the Picket is designed to keep those forces at bay.
The included gazetteer and map lists plenty of place for adventure: a Chaos keep, a mining colony and penitentiary, and the remnants of Karaz Ghumzul. What is so great about this location is you could pick it up and put it in any fantasy RPG setting that has traditional dwarves and humans. The area could be used to kick off an entire WFRP campaign but it could just as easily inspire a Dungeons & Dragons game.
The mountain has much to explore. The mining colony and penitentiary has hidden secrets and PCs might work as mercenaries leading prisoners there. Or the PCs might be the prisoners themselves. This would be another way to kick off a campaign: learn the dark secret of the prison, break out, and decide what, if anything, to do with what they have uncovered.
Additional encounters cover monster hunters, escapees, prospectors, hermits, followers of Chaos, bandits, and various monsters. Brass Keep, a bastion of Chaos, is home to the Chaos followers called Blightkings who clash with Skaven. Those first 60 pages of Skaven information can come in handy here.
There are also three Dwarfs with stats that can serve as NPCs or PCs. There is a new career for Dwarfs called the Ironbreaker (the old tunnel fighter), and an adventure called Horror in the Darkness.
The adventure is really why mines exist in fiction. Miners have gone missing and the rest don’t want to go back in. So the PCs get hired to go and find out what is happening. What could possibly go wrong?
Smart PCs will need the right equipment, especially lamps. This adventure has a crude sketch of the mines for the PCs to follow and a side event where the map may have to be won in a drinking contest. This is Warhammer after all. The PCs will have to go slow to follow the map and to avoid getting off track. If they move too fast, they risk becoming lost.
Besides whatever has been picking off the miners, the mine holds plenty of other dangers. Getting lost, gas pockets, and cave-ins are all dangerous. All ending up with the PCs facing some horror in the dark beneath the earth. A classic and perfect recipe for adventure.
The Horned Rat Companion has enough material to kick off its own campaign, not to mention support and enhance The Horned Rat and Middenheim, City of the White Wolf (review). There is enough here that even GMs who are running something other than Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition) will find useful maps, adventures, and inspiration. Five out of five Warpstones. Highly recommended.
My thanks to Cubicle 7 for providing me a copy to assist in my coverage of all things Warhammer RPG. Their ongoing reimaging of the Enemy Within campaign with additional support includes some amazing material useful for any WFRP campaign, not just ones following the adventures in order. The Horned Rat Companion has adventures, the aforementioned Skaven support with equipment and spells and monsters and more, and even a cult. Plus a gazetteer, a monster infested keep, PCs and NPCs, and an adventure in the Middle Mountains. And as is the case with many of these books the art, layout, maps, and overall quality are extremely high.
The Middle Mountains lie on the borders between Middenland, Hochland, Nordland, and Ostland. It is the only mountain range wholly within the Empire’s borders. Long before the Empire, the Dwarfs made homes in the shadows of the tall peaks in the realm of Karaz Ghumzul. A Chaos gate was discovered beneath the mountains and eventually the Dwarfs left, leaving only Slayer-Monks behind to guard the gate.
The mountains served as a barrier between warring humans, but a Chaos horde eventually attacked the Empire. While Chaos was eventually defeated (this time) pockets of Beastmen and Chaos Warriors still survive in remote desolate areas. Brass Keep is still infested by Chaos and the fortification known as the Picket is designed to keep those forces at bay.
The included gazetteer and map lists plenty of place for adventure: a Chaos keep, a mining colony and penitentiary, and the remnants of Karaz Ghumzul. What is so great about this location is you could pick it up and put it in any fantasy RPG setting that has traditional dwarves and humans. The area could be used to kick off an entire WFRP campaign but it could just as easily inspire a Dungeons & Dragons game.
The mountain has much to explore. The mining colony and penitentiary has hidden secrets and PCs might work as mercenaries leading prisoners there. Or the PCs might be the prisoners themselves. This would be another way to kick off a campaign: learn the dark secret of the prison, break out, and decide what, if anything, to do with what they have uncovered.
Additional encounters cover monster hunters, escapees, prospectors, hermits, followers of Chaos, bandits, and various monsters. Brass Keep, a bastion of Chaos, is home to the Chaos followers called Blightkings who clash with Skaven. Those first 60 pages of Skaven information can come in handy here.
There are also three Dwarfs with stats that can serve as NPCs or PCs. There is a new career for Dwarfs called the Ironbreaker (the old tunnel fighter), and an adventure called Horror in the Darkness.
The adventure is really why mines exist in fiction. Miners have gone missing and the rest don’t want to go back in. So the PCs get hired to go and find out what is happening. What could possibly go wrong?
Smart PCs will need the right equipment, especially lamps. This adventure has a crude sketch of the mines for the PCs to follow and a side event where the map may have to be won in a drinking contest. This is Warhammer after all. The PCs will have to go slow to follow the map and to avoid getting off track. If they move too fast, they risk becoming lost.
Besides whatever has been picking off the miners, the mine holds plenty of other dangers. Getting lost, gas pockets, and cave-ins are all dangerous. All ending up with the PCs facing some horror in the dark beneath the earth. A classic and perfect recipe for adventure.
The Horned Rat Companion has enough material to kick off its own campaign, not to mention support and enhance The Horned Rat and Middenheim, City of the White Wolf (review). There is enough here that even GMs who are running something other than Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition) will find useful maps, adventures, and inspiration. Five out of five Warpstones. Highly recommended.
