It always rains in Nuln

Xathrodox86 reviews: “Luthor Huss” by Chris Wraight

Luthor Huss is one of my favorite Warhammer heroes. Today I am writing a review of his very own Black Library novel.

I am currently working on a massive review of the End Times series from BL, together with a commentary on this whole, unfortunate event. However it’s a gruelling task, not helped by the actual source material. I should have it ready for my next post and, hopefully, this will be the last time that I’ll write anything about the End Times. Meanwhile I decided to share my thoughts on Chris Wraight’s take on the iconic character of Luthor Huss, the Prophet of Sigmar himself.

***He’s a seriously one tough bastard! (art taken from the Black Library website)***

Obviously there will be spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

Anyone who is even slightly familiar with the venerable Storm of Chaos campaign, knows that Luthor Huss played a major role in it. He was responsible for finding and leading Valten, the so-called “Chosen of Sigmar”. He took part in the final apocalyptic battle for Middenheim, and later was sent by Karl Franz to spread the word of Sigmar to the people of his Empire. All in all a pretty important character, obviously based on the real-world Jan Hus, a former Czech priest, theologian and philosopher from the XVth century. Just like Hus, Luthor was also big on reforming the Church. The second inspiration for the character is, naturally, Martin Luther, a German priest, Augustinian friar and renowned theologian who protested against the corrupt practices of the early modern Roman Catholic Church.

I can already tell you that Huss’ hatred of corruption within the Sigmarite cult is almost nonexistent in this book, something that I think is a really missed opportunity, as it’s one of his core characteristics. A shame really.

That said, let’s start from the beginning. The story is told mainly from two perspectives. There’s of course Luthor Huss himself as he travels (mostly) alone through the Drakwald in search of Beastmen to slay. On the other side we have the Witch Hunter Lukas Eichmann, a man burnt out by his profession who nonetheless does what Sigmar expect from him, and tries to uncover a cult comprised of Beastmen and debased humans, that prepares something nefarious within the murky depths of the Drakwald forest. He knows that the core figurehead of the cult is someone, or something, named “Hylaeus”, also referred to as “Sigmar-in-Forest.” Time is running out for the people of the Empire as within the Drakwald more and more Beastmen are gathering, preparing themselves for war on an unimaginable scale…

The premise is simple enough and the dual protagonist system is interesting enough, especially since Huss and Eichmann are vastly different. Both of them are brooding, troubled characters, but their approach to dealing with the servants of Chaos is varied. Luthor is portrayed as a force of nature in this book. His stamina and combat prowess borders on supernatural at times. He often reminded me more of one of Imperial Space Marines from Warhammer 40,000, than a normal, baseline human being. That is not a critique by the way as Wraight clearly describes him as someone who will sooner die than relinquish his duty to his God and the Empire he serves. It’s also worth noting that at this point Huss is already capable of conducting miracles so the whole “Übermensch” comment is not too far fetched.

Lukas Eichmann, on the other hand, is someone who desperately needs a vacation. He is even told so by his superior in Middenheim where he’s normally posted. The man is one case away from a fully-fledged mental breakdown and I was really surprised that he wasn’t portrayed as having a massive drinking problem. If Eichmann were a hero of modern-day noir story, he would probably smoke ten packs of cigarettes a day, and drink at least a bottle of cheap bourbon to function in any capacity. I gotta say that this take on the classic Witch Hunter trope was really refreshing. Lukas is not your typical gruff monster-slaying badass in a long overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat. Yes, he wears those, but there is clearly a warning in how he’s portrayed. Even the most pious and driven of Sigmar’s faithful may arrive at a point in life, where their fanaticism and zeal have finally caught up with them, hollowing them out and leaving only a shell of a man behind. Eichmann’s portrayal is done really well here.

***I simply love Witch Hunters. They’re some of the best elements of the Warhammer Fantasy lore in my humble opinion! (art by Sam Manley)***

On the other hand the main hero of the story, Luthor Huss, comes off as slightly boring and one-dimensional. He’s more like an automaton, a force of nature that cannot be stopped, but at the same time there’s not much else to his motivation. There are quite a few flashbacks to his youth and training as an acolyte of Sigmar under his mentor Adso Thiess. I gotta say that these moments were really fascinating to experience, mainly because they described the more mundane part of a pious Sigmarite’s life. There was almost no fighting, only daily chores of a cleric of the Hammer God, the life in a secluded temple somewhere in the northern Empire. We see his evolution into the man that became famous as one of the most devout Warrior Priests of all time. Thiess is also not your usual priest of Sigmar. He’s more mundane and down-to-earth, with obvious weaknesses and character flaws. I wouldn’t mind reading a whole story about Luthor Huss’ life in that small monastery, located somewhere on a cliff overlooking the Sea of Claws.

Unfortunately once Luthor starts crusading in the Drakwald, his character becomes much less interesting. He’s just a gloomy, silent bastard, easily slaying every Beastmen and Undead abomination that he comes across. While he does interact with other people, mainly a peasant girl Mia and a crazy survivor/flagellant named Rickard Schlecht, it’s infrequent and rather limited. There’s a scene later in the book during which Luthor raises a whole army of fanatical faithful from the dregs of an Imperial city. We see his oratory skills in full display then, and it’s supposed to showcase his willingness to give those unfortunates who “fell through the cracks” a new purpose in life. However, for me, it only showed Luthor Huss as being very good at manipulating people, mainly those who lost everything, and are now only fit for the meat grinder. To Huss they’re just means to an end, his own personal cannon fodder, ready to be sent to their deaths for the greater good. I’m not gonna lie, it kinda made me dislike Luthor. I am sure that Chris Wraight didn’t want for him to be thought of as such, but Luthor Huss really comes off as a manipulative bastard.

There are quite a few other problems as well. Forces of Chaos using Necromancy, which normally doesn’t happen. The identity of the main bad guy is painfully obvious, once you read through a certain chapter and connect the very visible dots. The idea that a pious Sigmarite would decide to turn himself into a Beastman in order to avoid the ravages of old age was just bizzarre. I already mentioned Huss’ superhuman feats of strength and the ability to walk through even a huge number of enemies without barely a scratch. The man travels through Drakwald alone and is mostly fine. The Drakwald is a notoriously dangerous forest in the Empire, swallowing the unwary travellers without mercy, and even entire, heavily armed expeditions and armies can disappear overnight, without leaving a single trace of their existence. However Luthor just doesn’t give a shit, strolling through the thick undergrowth, smiting Beastmen left, right and centre, like he owns the place. I get that he’s an important named character with his own model, but his exploits in this book were stretching the credibility of his skills to their limits.

***His plot armor in this book is insane! (art from Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning)***

The overall descriptions of Drakwald and the northern parts of the Empire are top notch. Chris Wraight really brings the world of Warhammer Fantasy to life. Some of the small villages that Huss and Eichmann visit can almost be smelled with all their filth and grime, that’s how well they’re presented by the author. I also need to emphasise on how good the combat is. It’s visceral, brutal and merciless. You almost feel every blow, every sword slash and hammer strike. Luthor Huss fights in a purely economic way, his every attack maximised for dealing the most damage. There is also something wickedly cool about witnessing a Warrior Priest dual wielding a Warhammer and a huge hunting knife. Almost makes me want to kitbash a miniature like that for my Empire army for Warhammer: The Old World. Oh and as a nice bonus “Luthor Huss” includes a combat scene between Lukas Eichmann, his henchmen and a Centigor! I think this is the first time I read about these rare Beastmen in a Black Library book.

To sum up my review: “Luthor Huss” is a solid Warhammer Fantasy romp. It delivers a fairly interesting story about two men driven by faith, with each having a different approach to his duty to the Empire, and with Huss possessing insane ammount of plot armor at times. It shows us the past of one Empire’s most famous Warrior Priests, as well as hints about his future quest to find Sigmar Reborn (although, sadly, there are no references to the Storm of Chaos). The combat described by the author is simply top notch. Wraight always delivered when it comes to writing about swords swinging into torsos and axes loping of heads and limbs. The side characters are slightly on the weaker side, with Eichmann’s main henchman, Rafe Udo, being especially one dimensional. He’s just a merry sadist who’s not especially bright and only likes killing people. At times he almost acted like a Khornate cultist, to the extent that I thought that he maybe will turn out to be one! The main villain is also very bland and forgettable. His connection to Luthor is plainly obvious, as mentioned before, although their final fight was entertaining even if the finale itself felt really rushed.

Oh and once again – Chaos Beastmen using Necromancy was just bad. Really bad. Almost on par with “one of the Runefangs gets corrupted by Chaos and then returns to normal” bad, as described in the Kurt Helborg novel “Sword of Vengeance”, which was also written by Chris Wraight. You can read my review of it here. I also need to question the decision to name one of the protagonists “Eichmann”. If you know your history, you know what I mean.

On a plus side, “Luthor Huss” confirms the existence of Sigmarite Angels, something that I find really cool and 100% fitting the setting.

“Luthor Huss” is part of the Warhammer Heroes series. You can buy it via the Black Library app.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to return to work on the End Times novel series review. Hopefully it should be ready for my next post, together with extensive commentary on the whole event and my final thoughts on it. I want it to be more level headed than my early ET posts, with me fully describing why I think that this whole thing was a giant mess, what could’ve been done differently, and if there were any good parts of it at all.

Until next time!

Xathrodox86

Nagash, the Great Necromancer, is finally here!

There are certain milestones during the process of collecting a Warhammer army. For me this is one of them – I finally assembled and based my Nagash model from the 8th edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle!

While it was released for the controversial (and badly written) End Times, I still love this miniature. The old Nagash was, let’s just say, really damn bad. Ok it’s a classic, but come one – what is this face? He looks like a clown and not the supreme master of the living dead. I still want to add it to my Vampire Counts collection at some point, but only because I am a hopeless completionist, as well as for tradition’s sake.

Fortunately the newer version of Nagash is much, much better. When I got it from a friend, about two years ago, I was shocked to see just how huge and detailed this bad boy actually is. As you can see, he floats above ground, suspended by his dark magics and the many wailing souls, unfortunate enough to get caught into his blasphemous proximity. Nagash can be assembled in quite a few ways, but in my case he is holding his staff, Alakanash, in his left hand. Meanwhile his right arm grapples tightly with a wayward soul of the damned, armed with an ethereal blade. His famous Nine Books of Nagash are always close, swirling around him on the eddies of Dhar. They contain almost all of the necromantic knowledge that ever existed in the Warhammer World, and each of them was written by the Undying King himself. They are also incredibly hard to utilise correctly, even by the strongest of Necromancers, since Nagash was just on a whole different level when he first penned them.

Aside from the books, the Supreme Lord of Undeath carries a few other, equally deadly (and useful) toys. The aforementioned Alakanash, Staff of Power, allows him to be an even bigger nerd, and collect extra power which he can use for his terrifying spells. Nagash is also armed with Mortis, a powerful, serrated sword, forged by his own hand. Known also as “The Great Blade of Death”, which is just 100% metal, it can only be used by the Great Necromancer. It enhances his already superhuman strength substantially, as well as healing him when he deals wounds with it.

Finally there’s Morikhane – Black Armour of Nagash. Not only is it incredibly stylish, exposing his sexy midriff, but it is also fused with his withered body. No one else can wear it, except its owner! He Who Shall Not Be Named (yes, that’s one of his nicknames – suck it Harry Potter!) forged it from an alloy of lead and meteoric iron, and it allows its wearer to cast spells without any problems. The various skulls of, I presume, long-dead Nehekharan rulers are a really nice touch as well!

Naturally all of these descriptions are from the 4th edition Warhammer Armies: Undead book, which makes them even better and definitely not affiliated with the travesty that is the End Times.

I didn’t really have to do that much work with my Nagash, since he was mostly assembled by his previous owner. I just needed to fix a few broken parts here and there, mostly the spines on his back, as well as a single swirl of power near his feet, and that was it. Finally I glued him on a square base, because of course I had to do that. Even though he doesn’t have any rules in Warhammer: The Old World, I still want him on a proper base, and after he gets some paint slapped on his mighty frame, he’ll go into a nice glass cabinet, where I will be able to lovingly gaze at him from my office chair. Before I eventually buy myself a proper Zombie Dragon, I may even use him as one in TOW, who knows!

Anyway I just wanted to share my excitement with me finally treating the biggest, and most important, mini in my Vampire Counts army the right way. Even though gluing together some of the broken parts of Nagash was a pain in the ass, as the glue, for some strange reason, didn’t want to do its job properly, I am still very, very happy that I did him justice. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post – there are certain milestones in the life of every wargamer. Me finally finishing assembling my Nagash was one of them.

***Besides, I don’t want to think what would happen to me if I kept him partially assembled in his box any longer!***

As for the next blog post: I am now in the process of finishing “The Lord of the End Times” by Josh Reynolds, the last part of the End Times saga from Black Library. Next time I will write a huge review of EVERY single one of these books, as well as some final thoughts of mine regarding this whole, unfortunate event. Stay tuned.

Until next time!

Xathrodox86

P.S. All of the photos my Nagash model were taken by my wonderful, lovely wife.

Xathrodox86 reviews: “Beneath the Surface” by Michael Madsen

I’m going on a holiday in a couple of days, but before I set off towards the Caucasus mountains, here’s a quick review of a WFRP scenario!

More specifically a 2nd edition Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay scenario called “Beneath the Surface”. It was written by Michael Madsen (not the actor, no) but I only discovered that via the RPGGeek website. There are no credits included here whatsoever.

“Beneath the Surface” takes place in the aftermath of the Storm of Chaos in the small village of Elbing in Ostermark (even though I only learned about this by reading a small entry in an NPC profile). Of course the author suggests that the GM can place it anywhere within the Empire, as long as there’s a forest nearby. It has a non-linear structure but is kinda short at the same time. While I do appreciate some interesting side quests included in the PDF, the whole thing has a few elements that do not sit especially well with me.

First of all, and I am saying that as a non-native English speaker, the language used in this scenario is a mess. “Beneath the Surface” is from 2010 (thanks RPGGeek!) but even back then spell check tools existed. A few times I had no idea what I was even reading. Almost every sentence has at least a single spelling error which is too much even for me.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Onto the premise itself – strange things are taking place in the village of Elbing. The local horse merchant is not selling any horses, even though people can hear them in his stables. The local hunter insists that there’s a large, dangerous creature roaming the nearby woods. Perhaps it is responsible for the disappearance of a local child. And finally, and most importantly, the local priest of Sigmar has disappeared! Given the fact that he was the Village Elder, people are really worried. If the holy man won’t be found soon, a new Elder will need to be elected in a short time.

***It’s worth noting that Elbing doesn’t look as pleasant as the village shown on this art… (Fable Concept Art)***

Of course the truth is much uglier and darker than one might think. This is the Old World after all! Without spoiling too much, all I can say is that there are dark forces involved with the many problems of Elbing, including the undead and the seductive, eldritch powers of Chaos itself! It is up to the players to discover the truth, find out what happened to the priest and put the many horrors ravaging the village to the sword.

While Madsen states that his scenario is mostly open-ended, it is a very short one as well. Unless the PCs are incredibly dim or uninterested, they will quickly discover the first clues that will hopefully lead them towards the villains of this story. There are quite a few of them, and I must say that the main “big bad” is definitely the highlight of the whole adventure. The only thing I did not like about him was an ability that his kind, according to the lore of Warhammer Fantasy, should not possess. Again, I don’t want to say too much but it was clear to me that the author played rather loosely with the lore accuracy in this particular case.

The gathered ensemble of NPCs is pleasant enough, although none is truly memorable. There’s the usual innkeeper who knows everyone, the local hunter who insists that there is SOMETHING in the woods nearby, the local wise, old woman etc. While the non-playable characters are nothing to write home about, I like what Madsen did regarding their knowledge. Every single important denizen of Elbing and its surrounding has three tiers of information: public, private and secret. Given their disposition towards the PCs they might share some of what they know, everything or nothing at all. It is also easy to track their potential activities, thanks to these information tiers. That’s a really nice mechanic in my opinion.

The complexity of various plot points, both main and smaller ones, is not too big. Most parties should not have any problems with progressing the story, although a few of the side adventures will require some initiative and outgoing approach from the player characters. I don’t think that any WFRP party which spends most of their time in a tavern, waiting for another plot hook to come to them, will fare relatively well in this scenario.

Regarding combat encounters: there aren’t many and those that are, are rather basic. Madsen didn’t specify the power level of the PCs intended for “Beneath the Surface”, but I’d say that a bunch of heroes in their first careers should do well enough against the dangers that will be thrown their way here. There are a few potentially risky Willpower tests, as well as some nasty rats carrying the Green Pox, which is honestly hardcore. Ok, there’s only like 10% for the player characters to contract it, if bitten, but still – it’s the Green Pox we’re talking about, one of the worst diseases in 2e, except maybe the Nurgle’s Rot itself. I would probably change it for some less-lethal illness to be honest.

***Although having a surprise Plaguebearers appearance would be… lovely. And deadly… but mostly lovely. Because Nurgle is all about love! (art by John Blanche)***

All in all I mostly enjoyed “Beneath the Surface”. While it has its share of problems, mostly spelling and the not-so-ideal open world approach among others, it is a fun and interesting scenario. It has a few sudden plot twists and surprising revelations along the way, and it takes place in Ostermark, a province that’s been criminally underused in WFRP, no matter the edition. The PDF document also includes a very well done map, an entire list of Elbing’s inhabitants (including Age, Occupation, Family and more) and a complex roster of the most important NPCs, together with their stats, Skills, Talents and the aforementioned information section. All of that is 100% excellent stuff. Michael Madsen did an overall solid job here and I would say that you should give it a try. You can find “Beneath the Surface” in my vast fan-made Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay collection here. Enjoy!

Until next time!

Xathrodox86

Role-playing Rants: The divisve matter of the Tiger Warriors of Grand Cathay

Well, they’re from Ind actually. That said they still stirred a lot of drama in the Warhammer community.

I love a good drama. It’s always entertaining to read and maybe get a laugh or two. The current one, mostly regarding Total War: Warhammer and Warhammer: The Old World, centers around the Tiger Warriors. These big cuddly fellas are causing quite a stir with their feline antics, soft fur and them being anthropomorphic cat-people who are not Chaos-aligned.

Oh yeah, you better believe it. We’re getting Beastmen who don’t obsess about wearing eight-pointed stars all the time. What a time to be alive!

***Not to mention they’re stylish as well! (art belongs to Warhammer Studio)***

Naturally this little article from the Warhammer Community caused quite a ruckus, just as this entry on the Creative Assembly blog. Both of them state clearly that A) the Tigermen of Cathay/Ind serve Zhao Ming, the Iron Dragon and a son of the Dragon Emperor, as mercenaries, and B) that they’ve been created by the Old Ones themselves! No Chaos shenanigans here, no serving the Great Four, nothing like that. As I mentioned before – the Tiger Men are on the side of justice, reason and harmony.

So naturally there are a lot of people who started hating on them to the point of being totally irrational. Arguments about “good Beastmen not fitting the game” and “World of Warcraft-like nonsense” are only some of the tamer, more polite ones flying on different Warhammer forums and message boards for the last week or so. Lots of panties are in a twist, let me tell ya.

As for me, what do I think about these feline fornicators? Do they add anything worthwhile to the lore of Warhammer Fantasy, or are they a bunch of Mary Sues, created for the ever-expanding crowd of furries and modern Dungeons & Dragons enthusiasts? Should they be in the game at all? Or rather games, given that they will probably eventually make their way to the Old World tabletop title.

I friggin’ love them, that’s what I think and feel. That’s my official stance on the matter.

This is Bhashiva, the female Tigerman who is the current White Tiger of the Tiger Warriors and a real badass! She is also known as the “Desert Tigress”, another really cool nickname! (art comes from the Creative Assembly blog)

Look, it’s very simple for me. I’m a huge Grand Cathay fan. I have a whole army of not-China in my house and the last wave of releases made me even more excited for them. I always enjoyed the lore of Cathay, even back in the day when it was very limited. I liked the mysticism, the fact that there was so little known about this nation and its people, and yet the snippets we were getting were full of interesting details. A powerful and mysterious Dragon Emperor, the Great Bastion which was obviously this worlds’ version of the Great Wall of China, the fact that they used animated stone statues of giant Temple Dogs and magically constructed Onyx Crowmen during war – these are only some of the fascinating lore elements associated with Grand Cathay.

Then there were rumors that this nation will appear in Total War: Warhammer III. I still remember lots of comments from not too bright people bitching about how they don’t fit the game. That it’s all about the Old World and nothing else. I found it hilarious that these same people didn’t have anything against High and Dark Elves, the Tomb Kings or the Lizardmen. However the moment anyone mentioned the Far East they were losing their cool. Completely absurd but also, sadly, completely not surprising when it comes to the fandom.

For years I’ve been repeating the same opinion – Warhammer Fantasy focused way too much on a single region of the world. The Old World is fine, it’s cool, it’s interesting. Hell I’m a hardcore Empire enthusiast and Sigmar is my favorite fictional deity, but I also understand that there are other lands than just the domain of Karl Franz, the fair Bretonnia, icy Kislev, as well as Tilea and Estalia. I am also not talking about the well established places like Ulthuan, Naggaroth and, to a lesser extent, Araby. I always wanted more focus on Southlands, Ind, Nippon, Khuresh and, most of all, Cathay. There are entire cultures residing there, with their own customs, traditions, stories and unique traits. But, of course, they’re not not-Germans or not-French so I guess they don’t count, right?

Well, apparently this is not the case, as we see from the latest Warhammer Community and Creative Assembly blog articles. There’s potential there, new and untold stories waiting to be told, people to be fleshed out and developed, and I am all for it… even if some of those people have long, luxurious tails and like to purr constantly. The Tiger Men and their, admittedly still underdeveloped, lore are a step in the right direction. They bring something truly new to the game. They offer lots of fascinating opportunities for expanding the world of Warhammer Fantasy. Do the Imperials know about these “good” Beastmen? What do they think about them? Did their explorers and traders interact with them? What would happen if a military expedition from Grand Cathay, which included a contingent of these creatures, suddenly arrived in the Old World? Will they be attacked on sight, or will their presence make the people of the Empire and other, classical nations think twice before condemning every half-man/half-animal as a worshipper of Chaos?

The addition of Tiger Man to the world of Warhammer Fantasy can only be a good thing, at least in my books. Also remember that this isn’t the first time that they’ve been mentioned in lore. In the Beastmen army book for the 6th edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, as well as WFRP 2e’s “Tome of Corruption”, there’s mention of the Tigermen of Ind, noble but unpredictable creatures who sometimes protect, and sometimes prey, upon the local settlements.

***Here’s the official artwork from the “Tome of Corruption”, one of the best WFRP 2e books ever written!***

Similar mentions appear in the Rulebook for WFB 8th edition, Aaron Rosenberg’s “Warhammer: Day of the Daemon” novel and a couple other publications. What Creative Assembly did was just expand their lore, making it more fleshed out and interesting. For that they have my thanks and appreciation.

I also have a message to the rabid haters who think that this is the worst thing ever, and a clear sign that Warhammer Fantasy should remain dead and buried: give it a rest. What CA did is called “progress” and it’s a cool thing indeed. The fact that there are intelligent, non-Chaos Beastmen running around a single part of the Warhammer World, doesn’t mean that said world is coming to an end. It doesn’t remove anything from factions like the Empire, High Elves, Orcs and Goblins, Skaven and others. It’s just a cool, new addition to the lore, nothing more. Learn to accept and appreciate new things and maybe, you know, keep a more open mind. It’s a useful skill to have.

I also find it rather hilarious that so many people projecting sheer negativity towards the Tiger Warriors have absolutely nothing against the Skaven. I guess that sentient Ratmen who have access to laser weapons and genetic manipulation are less offensive than humanoid cat-people. Probably because “ThEY’rE nOT GOoD aND NoBLe”. Because Sigmar forbid if there’ll be at least a little bit of positivity in my grim and dark fantasy universe, right?

Oh, and there are also those numbnuts who don’t like them because they’re racist and hate anything Asia-related. To those “people” I have a single message: fuck you. I even read one moron’s mental diarrhea about Creative Assembly and Games Workshop empowering the “nation that presents an existential threat to our civilization”. I honestly think that being this stupid must be physically painful.

Damn, I haven’t used swear words on my blog for quite some time now. Guess I am really emotional about this whole “Tigermen” business. Or maybe I’m just a secret furry, who knows? I also didn’t want to ever mention real-world politics here, but… Well, sometimes it’s impossible not to, I guess. Which sucks as I really wanted to keep “It always rains in Nuln” free from this shit.

Anyway, I can’t wait for the Tiger Warriors to arrive in Total War: Warhammer III, and in the tabletop game as well! With some luck we’ll be also getting some tasty Crow-men in the future too! This is really a great time to be a Warhammer fan in general, and Grand Cathay enthusiast in particular!

***I certainly welcome our new Dragon overlords! (promotional art from Creative Assembly)***

Until next time and… watch out for those nasty hairballs!

Xathrodox86

In memoriam: Steven Darlington

I never thought that I’ll be writing a post like that at the beginning of 2026, but sadly here we are.

Yesterday I learned that Steven “Steve Dee” Darlington from Tin*Star Games has sadly passed away on 2nd January of 2026. Apparently it was due to some unforeseen heart problems.

I interviewed Steve for my blog back in 2022. He was one of the authors of the “Night’s Dark Masters” supplement for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd edition. He also created two additional semi-official bloodlines for WFRP: the Jade-Blooded and the Mahtmasi. Both of them are very interesting, especially the Cathay-based Jade-Blooded.

Aside from various RPGs, Steve worked on a lot of board games as well. Some of his more popular ones are “There’s Been A Murder” and “The Score”. I plan to grab the latter next month, and play it with my friends and family. He also taught other people how to make their own games, which was something truly admirable. It’s always great when industry veterans encourage other folk to try their strength at creating something unique. Steve wasn’t just a game designer – he was also a teacher.

I wanted to share his last Patreon post that he made on the 31st December of 2025. It’s worth reading to discover just what kind of a passionate, fantastic person Steven Darlington really was.

You can find Tin*Star games here, while Steve’s BoardGameGeek profile can be found here. His entire portfolio can be found here.

His passing is tragic. We lost a talented writer, games creator and a passionate man who wanted to share his love of games with others. He will be missed.

Until next time.

Xathrodox86

Xathrodox86 reviews: “A Day at the Races” by Mike Hall

First scenario review of 2026 and it’s all about the need for speed! Let’s go!

I love short Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay adventures. Mostly because I like to use them in between chapters of longer campaigns that I ran so often as a Gamemaster. Mike Hall’s “A Day at the Races” is a perfect example of just such a scenario – it’s short, funny, straight to the point, and can potentially work well as an interlude during a longer campaign.

***Excellent, minimalistic cover. I love it! (art by Dani Hall)***

Written for the 2nd edition of WFRP, and set somewhere in rural Empire at an unspecified time, it focuses on… racing. Shocking, I know. Although given that this is WFRP it’s not just any boring horse racing. No, no – we are talking about fast carts, cut-throat tactics, big money and some intense drama.

Also Mike Hall was totally inspired by the classic “Wacky Races” cartoon from Hanna-Barbera. I am not even kidding. You’ll see for yourselves.

Anyway the main gist of the scenario is simple. The PCs arrive at a small village of Eisfeld. There they learn of the annual Eisfeld-Cursdorf cart race. The price for winning it is rather enticing, since 20 Gold Crowns is a fortune according to WFRP 2nd edition. Not only that, but there are also some tasty betting opportunities, which can make the winners even more rich! Naturally that kind of wealth, not to mention the high competitiveness factor, tends to bring out the worst from people (and non-humans) involved…

Our heroes can, and should, attempt to participate in the race. A night before they will meet their rivals: Richard “Dick” Dar Steadly and his Mutt Leigh, Penny Grube-Halt, Pieter Perfekt and the Underhill Mob.

Yes, really. I told you that Hall is apparently a huge “Wacky Races” fan. I totally approve by the way.

***I grew up on this cartoon, as well as on many other classics. Good times! (art taken from IMDB)***

The next day it’s racing time… and that’s about it. The entire adventure consists of only two “acts”. The day before the race, and the competition itself. I told you that this scenario was a quick one, which is not surprising, given that it’s only 12 pages-long.

Of course the main focus is on the racing itself. The author created a very easy and intuitive scale which the GM can use to track the position of every contestant. It reminds me slightly of the similar mechanic from the excellent “The Temple of Tepok”, an adventure which I reviewed last year. There are also some scripted encounters along the way, which are unavoidable, but which also spice things up quite a bit. Without spoiling too much, let’s just say that Players who are more combat-oriented, should have some fun while participating in “A Day at the Races”…

I really don’t want to write too much about this scenario because it’s super short. Like “a single session” short. Again, that’s not a complaint from me, quite the opposite in fact! Mike never pretends that his work is some massive epic with Chaos Cults or the Skaven planning to take over the Empire. It’s a great, fun little adventure, ideal for a single afternoon gaming session with friends. It is very linear, however, and there are quite a few scripted events which feel kinda ham-fisted at times. The author makes it perfectly clear when the PCs HAVE to do something, and there’s no escaping that. Also, during the pre-race night at the local inn, I felt that some of the potential NPC interactions felt… kinda forced. Especially the one with Penelope Pit…, errr, I mean – Penny.

Although it needs to be said that the NPCs in “A Day at the Races” are all very well described, especially for such a compact adventure. I like that the other racers clearly possess character traits of their cartoon-based inspirations. It’s a very nice, little detail in my opinion.

That said, I don’t think that any of the aforementioned, ostensibly critical, remarks actually detract from the overall quality of this module. I had lots of fun reading through it, and I will surely enjoy GMing out one day. Hopefully my Players will do as well. You can find “A Day at the Races” here, in my WFRP fan-made collection. Enjoy!

Until next time!

Xathrodox86

P.S. All of the artwork for this adventure was done by Dani Hall and it is very lovely. It perfectly captures the obvious “Wacky Races” inspiration for Mike’s scenario. Good stuff.

New year, new army: A brief look at my upcoming Grand Cathay for The Old World

I’ve been waiting years for this to happen – Cathay finally arriving on the tabletop was a dream come true for me!

The title is slightly misleading – I started Grand Cathay at the end of 2025. I decided to make a deep dive into this new faction for my beloved Warhammer: The Old World, and so I grabbed the Battalion, Miao Ying, a Sky Lantern and, finally, a majestic Cathayan Sentinel! Oh and I bought their Arcane Journal and dice set as well!

***Not a bad haul, if I say so myself!***

My lovely wife actually helped me start this whole ordeal by gifting me ten Jade Lancers on my 39th birthday in October. These were the first Cathayan minis that I ever owned. Later she grabbed the wonderful Gate Masters of the Celestial Cities set for me, for Christmas. Before that the only commanders I had for the army were Miao Ying and the Lord Magistrate from the Sky Lantern box. The Gatemasters are glorious, full of character and intricate details. They’re definitely one of my favorite Cathayan miniatures released to date.

***Here we can see their from the front…***

Currently I am finishing assembling the last models for my Vampire Counts. They’re awesome to play in TOW. Even though they are a Legacy Army List, the general quality of their rules is very high… yes, even after removing the Regeneration save for crumbling! To be 100% honest I never understood why they introduced that rule in the first place and I’m actually glad that it’s gone, after the last errata.

As much as I enjoyed playing the VC last year, I also still need to finish my Empire. When I’m done with the spooky skelies, it’s time for me to assemble my Steam Tank, a trio of Demigryph Knights, some Witch Hunters and, finally, add a whole lotta bits to my already existing models. Swords, pistols, daggers, pouches etc. – I have a lot of trinkets to glue onto my existing miniatures. Oh, and there’s still a bunch of Frostgrave minis that I need to assemble. These will make some fine Free Company Militia. Seriously, if you want some cheap Imperial or Bretonnians, you can’t go wrong with Frostgrave.

Not to mention that I also have a couple of old Mordheimers to take care of. I found out that most of them work well as unit sergeants for Imperial State Troop units. I already glued all of the models from the Undead Warband for my Vampire Counts. Even though I was never a huge fan of von Carsteins, their Mordheim miniatures are simply gorgeous, done in a style that reminds me of the Hammer horror movies from the 1950s-1970s.

Only when I’m done with the Empire and the Living Dead, will I start working on my Nan-Gau Cathayan army. Hopefully it’ll be soon, at the end of February at the latest. I am generally rather quick when it comes to assembling models, which is something that always had a calming effect on my nerves. Given the current state of the world, a rather stressful job, and a little kid in the house, Sigmar knows that I could use any stress relief that I can get.

***Fortunately collecting and assembling little plastic men definitely helps!***

I’ve written this post mostly to remind myself of my, not so large (yet!), backlog of miniatures that I need to take care of. I don’t like gazing at closed boxes full of, let’s be honest, expensive stuff, which are slowly collecting dust. I love Warhammer, I love building armies, customising them, and fielding them on the table. I don’t enjoy passing by my hobby space everyday, and looking at my ever-growing pile of shame.

Next post will be a WFRP scenario review. I have a bunch of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay adventures that I want to write about in 2026. This will be the first one and trust me – it’s really good.

Until next time!

Xathrodox86

Xathrodox86 reviews: “Portrait of my Undying Lady” by Gordon Rennie

First review of 2026 and it’s a Black Library story. What can I say – I’m a sucker for good Warhammer fiction.

SPOILERS AHEAD! You have been warned.

I read “Portrait of my Undying Lady” last year, in the “Tales of the Old World” anthology. It can also be found in the 21st issue of the venerable “Inferno!” magazine and the “Lords of Valour” anthology. Written by Gordon Rennie, it tells a tale of Giovanni Gottio, a Tilean painter who’s seemingly down on his luck. One day he’s approached by a man working for the beautiful and mysterious Lady Khemalla, a rich noblewoman living in an abandoned villa in the hills above Trantio. She wishes to commission a painting of herself. However there’s a catch – she’s a Vampire of the Lahmian Sisterhood, a trusted servant of Neferata! Khemalla wants to be painted “as she is”, without any sugar coating. But will the Tilean truly dare to show her inner darkness, or will he decide to present her as a perfect being, not wishing to incur her immortal wrath?

***She definitely looks like someone that you do NOT wish to cross! (art taken from the issue 21 of “Inferno!”)***

Rennie knows his stuff when depicting Vampires in the Warhammer universe. Khemalla, while being a Lahmian, is 100% terrifying and… monstrous. That said, the author does a great job of only hinting to us about her true nature, making the reader feel uncomfortable and uneasy when reading about her. The dread and menace that she emanates are almost palpable at times, but, thankfully, are also not overt and vulgar. Khemalla is no Strigoi after all! It is a nice change to read about one of the Lahmian Sisterhood who, despite being a beautiful and elegant woman, is, without a shadow of a doubt, a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”. Way too often are Lahmians described as polite, charming people, with very little of their true nature as Vampires being focused on. A good example is the Ulrika trilogy by Nathan Long. While a decent series of books, it only focuses on Queen Neferata’s progeny’s talents for spying, statecraft and subterfuge. Gordon Rennie goes beyond these obvious traits, something for which I am very grateful. I like my Vampires complex, with extra focus being placed on their bestial natures. What can I say – being a huge Vampire: The Masquerade fan means that my preferences for all things bloodthirsty are rather complex.

I also really like Khemalla’s reason for commissioning so many portraits of herself. As a Vampire she’s unable to see her own reflection, and thus can only view her own visage via the work of others. She’s afraid that if she’d forgotten how she looks, she would eventually go mad. It’s a really nice touch on the author’s part, emphasising that there’s a tiny bit of humanity even in the oldest of the bloodsucking monsters of the night, and that many of them will go the extra mile to make sure that it won’t die out completely.

“Portrait of my Undying Lady” is a great read not only because of Khemalla, but also (if not mostly) due to its main hero. Giovanni Gottio is such an ordinary, unassuming protagonist that it would be hard to find someone more common and mundane. He’s no Felix Jaeger or Brunner the Bounty Hunter. He is a short, washed out painter who, at the beginning of the story, believes that other people don’t want to hire his services because he only paints the truth, and not the idealised visions that they wish to see. It’s a very refreshing thing to read about a flawed man who’s no fighter, doesn’t carry a magic sword, and is not fighting Orcs, Chaos Warriors or Skaven on a daily basis. Giovanni is very “human”, which makes him relatable and likeable. Again, huge props to Gordon Rennie for creating such a grounded and at the same time interesting hero… if he can even be called that!

The story itself is not overly long, clocking in at ten pages, but the entire plot is very engaging and fascinating, easily making “Portrait of my Undying Lady” feel much lengthier, which is a good thing. It doesn’t overstay its welcome and is a perfect afternoon read if you’re down for some horror-themed Warhammer adventure, with art and immortality being the main focus of the story. There’s virtually no action here, no clashing of swords or casting of spells. There is however a tragic tale of keeping one’s humanity and sanity from disintegrating completely. The question of if it’s better to describe someone in an idealistic, but not completely honest way, is the main plot point of the story, and the final answer was surprising, at least to me. Gordon Rennie managed to create a clever and thoughtful tale that is only ten pages long. That in itself is impressive and I highly recommend that you read “Portrait of my Undying Lady”. It truly is one of those rare Black Library gems that are certainly worth experiencing.

As for any potential criticisms? I don’t really have any. This is one of those stories that are nigh on perfect to me. That’s why I enjoyed it so much and I hope that you will as well.

Until next time!

Xathrodox86

2025: A year in review

2026 is already here and so it’s time for me to take a look at my life and hobby endeavors in 2025.

Did a post like this one at the end of 2024, so why not make one at the beginning of 2026? I wanted to make a quick summary of all my hobby-related activities in 2025, as well as some major life changes.

The biggest change in my daily life was the birth of my daughter, Amelia. She’s now almost a year old and I completely lost my head for her. She’s the sweetest and cutest little pumpkin on this planet, and everytime she smiles the world gets a little brighter. Given what’s currently happening all around the globe, having this tiny human be a spark of pure joy is a godsend.

Obviously her arrival slightly changed my hobby schedule and gaming time, at least for the first few months. Now it’s mostly back on track, and I continue to run games and enjoy some tabletop Horus Heresy and Warhammer: The Old World from time to time. Not as much as I used to do, but I don’t mind. She’s 100% worth it.

Ok, now let’s get to some hobby-related stuff, shall we?

When it came to RPGs I mostly stayed in the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay lane. In my Roll20 group I finished my fan-made demi-campaign called “Crimson Shades of Altdorf”, which started as an impromptu scenario. It was a real blast and I loved seeing my players save Altdorf from a massive Dark Elf invasion. After that we switched to the “Ill Met in Bögenhafen” adventure, which was written by Chris Pramas and Robert J. Schwalb. It can be found in the 2e’s sourcebook “Sigmar’s Heirs: A Guide to the Empire”, and is seriously worth checking out. While ostensibly easy and rather straight forward, it ended with my players losing their hard-won inn in Altdorf, and deciding to travel to Lustria, to earn some riches! That’s when we switched to the fantastic scenario called “The Temple of Tepok”. It was written by Pip Hamilton and is a true gem in the world of fan-made WFRP material. I reviewed it not too long ago, and I highly recommend trying it out, especially if you’re a Lizardmen fan.

***How can you not love the Lizardmen? They’re just jawsome!***

In my second IRL/Roll20 group I played in a friend’s Kislev campaign, which sadly had to be ended prematurely. That’s where I went back to GMing, with my first ever playthrough of “The Temple of Tepok” (the aforementioned one was actually the second time when I ran it). My players loved it, and after finishing it I ran John Foody’s “Eternal Guard”, a short, horror-themed scenario in Marienburg. From there we ended our 2025 WFRP endeavors with “The Tears of Myrmidia” by Brian Gillatt and Paul Mackintosh, a very well written adventure set (mostly) in Araby, one of my favorite locations in the entire Warhammer Fantasy setting. I still need to write a review of this module…

Interestingly enough, these last two scenarios came from the venerable “Warpstone”. Anyone remembers this independed, WFRP-focused magazine?

Oh and I even enjoyed some “Vampire: The Masquerade” as a player. Loved RPing a Toreador that was 100% rude and crude, rather than a refined and pretentious fop. Creating such detailed, unique characters is really one of my favorite things about Classic World of Darkness.

***There are very few things that I dislike about the Classic World of Darkness. It is, after all, my favorite fictional setting of all time!***

With my third group, which actually is the first and oldest one chronologically, we finished a Classic World of Darkness “Project Twilight” chronicle and returned to our old playthrough of “The Enemy Within”, the OG one. Sadly we only played it for a couple of months, before real life obligations forced us to halt our meeting for the foreseeable future.

I only bought a single TTRPG-related product in 2025, which was a Nuwisha sourcebook for the classic Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Here’s hoping that in 2026 I’ll expand my role-playing collection much, much more.

***A very interesting tome. I love those Classic World of Darkness books so much!***

As for the tabletop wargaming experience things have slowed quite a bit for me. I did play some Horus Heresy 2.0 and 3.0, and I really enjoy the new edition of the game. 2.0 was, in my opinion, the worst iteration of the game to date. 3.0 is much better, if slightly too simplified in some areas. Still it’s an improvement over the second edition, a game that I will definitely not remember fondly or with any sympathy (even though I played a lot of it!).

I really got massively into Warhammer: The Old World though! Not only did I greatly expand my Vampire Counts, but I also started collecting Grand Cathay, one of my favorite factions in the game. For many years I dreamed of the day when Games Workshop would eventually release Cathay as a fully playable, standalone faction, and here it is. The minis are gorgeous, assembling them is great fun, and I can’t wait to field them on the table.

***I took a real deep dive into the Empire of the Celestial Dragon!***

I also played some 2 vs 2 games during my Autumn RPG/tabletop trip with a bunch of friends. I can safely say that Warhammer: The Old World is one of my favorite games that GW ever made, much better than the final two editions of Warhammer Fantasy Battle. I probably still prefer WFB 6th edition, if for the nostalgia factor alone, but WTOW is a magnificent title, really well made, reasonably balanced and with rules that are relatively easy to master. Good stuff.

Oh and I got some Demigryph Knights for my long-neglected Empire of Man army, which I still need to test in Warhammer: The Old World. After all, it was my first major fantasy force that I started to collect as an adult, all the way back in 2014.

I also enjoyed quite a bit of video gaming. First of all, I finally finished the “Mass Effect” trilogy! After years of hearing about it, reading about it and being told by my friends how good it is, I gave it a shot in June and… finished the entire thing in early September. I played the Legendary Edition on Steam, of course, and what an experience that was! Despite having one of the worst endings in any media fiction that I witnessed, it was a true masterpiece, an epic saga that I was very happy to finish all the way. I sincerely hope that Mass Effect 5 will expand upon Shepard’s story, and that maybe it’ll give us a proper explanation on how part three canonically ended.

Hopefully not with any of those stupid “choose your favorite color” resolutions. How could they screw the finale to such a magnificent tale so much?

***That was one of the best gaming experiences of my whole life!***

After finishing the entire “Mass Effect” saga, I jumped straight into the first “Dragon Age”. While a very well made game, I can’t muster the same levels of enthusiasm that I had for the ‘”ME” trilogy. Perhaps it’s the general fantasy genre fatigue that I’ve been feeling lately, or maybe it’s the mechanics (they are rather… archaic) – I don’t know. I will certainly finish it, but won’t be starting part 2 anytime soon after that.

I also watched quite a few TV shows and movies which worked well as inspiration for my WFRP games. Among them were Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood”, “Warcraft: The Beginning”, “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”, “The Great Wall” with Matt Damon and the entire “Castlevania” series on Netflix, including “Nocturne”. I enjoyed most of them, especially “Robin Hood” left a lasting impression on me. It’s one hell of a movie and I highly recommend watching it, especially if you’re massive history buffs like me. Come to think of it, I should probably write a review of it in the near future…

***Seriously, this is such a good flick. It’s rather long but totally worth the time to watch it from beginning to end!***

Finally we get to my blog, which turned 11 years old in the Autumn of last year! 2025 was the year of the reviews. I did a bunch of them, including the aforementioned “The Temple of Tepok” and “Eternal Guard”. I squeezed a couple of Black Library reviews, and I even wrote my thoughts on Zack Snyder’s cult classic, the epic “300”! I wrote my thoughts on the new “Warhammer: The Old World” RPG by Cubicle 7, a game that I eventually plan to try out someday.

I also conducted an interview with Zekiel from “Ill Met by Morsslieb”, one of the best Warhammer-related blogs currently on the web. He did an interview with me, back in 2024 so it was only natural that I’d return the favor. Chatting with him was truly delightful and I sincerely hope that we’ll be able to collaborate on some cool projects in the future.

***Zekiel’s work is truly inspiring. Definitely give it a look, you won’t be dissapointed!***

There were a couple other cool things, like the “Elector Counts” Card Game review, but mostly I focused on the unofficial WFRP scenarios’ reviews, since that is something that both me and my readers (the majority of them at least) find most interesting.

So there it is – my 2025 retrospective… or a year in review, if you will. Despite being a rather wild ride with the little one, it was still a very productive time for me, hobby-wise. I will write about my 2026 “roadmap” soon, since there will be a few changes in my standard role-playing repertoire and scheduling. That said, I didn’t want to write about these things in my first post of 2026, especially one in which I reminisce of last year’s endeavors. This whole article would end up being just too damn long.

Happy 2026 everyone and… until next time!

Xathrodox86

Xathrodox86 reviews: “Molti’s Falcon” by Hectorius

The last post of 2025 – let’s make it memorable, shall we?

What better way to achieve this than by writing a review of a scenario created by Hectorius. His impressive array of fan-made WFRP supplements is long and distinguished, and “Molti’s Falcon” is another excellent example of why he’s one of my favorite Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay creators. You can check two of my previous reviews of his work here and here.

“Molti’s Falcon”, a WFRP 2nd edition scenario, takes the players into the post-war Middenland, right after the conclusion of the Storm of Chaos. The author even suggests using this adventure as an intro for the classic “Paths of the Damned” campaign, instead of the official “Through the Drakwald”, which can be found in the 2e rulebook. While this is a definitely interesting idea, the structure and scale of “Molti’s Falcon” makes it better as a standalone experience, or as an interlude between chapters of a larger campaign.

***The scenario’s cover and tagline are both pretty epic!***

Obviously there will be slight spoilers ahead.

Devised for Player Characters in their first careers, it focuses on… well, quite many things! I am not kidding, this is one plot-heavy scenario. High Elves, Dwarfs, the Undead, Skaven, Mutants, Beastmen, Tzeentchian Daemons, senile, alcoholic Grey Wizards and more – “Molti’s Falcon” sure includes A LOT of elements from the world of Warhammer Fantasy. Sometimes I had a feeling that there were perhaps a bit too many of them packed into the 46 pages of this adventure, but in the end I think that Hectorius did a perfect job of integrating them into his work.

The plot seems relatively simple at a first glance. Our heroes have been hired in Middenheim to escort Tatharic, a haughty High Elf, to a nearby small hamlet of Falkenheim Manor, where he wishes to hire a guide that will take him to a place very special to his ancient family, the House of the Obsidian Pinion. Somewhere in the Middle Mountains he wishes to scatter the ashes of his grandfather, who spent his youth there. Or at least that’s what he claims…

From the very beginning the PCs are thrust into a huge intrigue whose roots date back to the apocalyptic War of Vengeance, or “War of the Beard” as it is known to the Elves of Warhammer World. Tatharic has a much more sinister reason for travelling to the Middle Mountains, than the one he ostensibly presented to the party and their companions. Ancient elven Kiths, old, forgotten gods, and sinister rituals will soon plague the PCs’ lives, as they move ever closer to their final destination.

Despite being a relatively short scenario, “Molti’s Falcon” is, as I mentioned before, a very complex work. This is undoubtedly one of its strong suits, even if it requires the gamemaster to be very careful and meticulous when it comes to running this module. Having lots of extra notes is a must, especially for all the myriad NPCs that have been included on the pages of this adventure. I kid you not – there are 21 pages dedicated only to various non-playable characters’ profiles… and “Molti’s Falcon”, as I mentioned before, is 46 pages-long. The amount of work that Hectorius put into character creation, their personalities, motivations and unique traits, is more than impressive. I love the “Dirty Little Secret” system that he included here. Each of the NPCs has, to put it plainly, some sort of secret. While not necessarily dangerous or deadly, it can nonetheless mean trouble for said non-playable character, if it ever sees the light of day. Such a simple yet effective writing trick. I love it.

When it comes to combat encounters this module shouldn’t really pose any major threat to the party, especially since they’ll be supported by a small, yet well-armed and armored, escort of Middenheim soldiery. There’s a single tougher enemy that the PCs can encounter at the very end of the scenario, but it’s a solitary threat. Together with their NPC allies they shouldn’t have any trouble defeating that monster.

***Even though its statline is impressive!***

There’s a single new Talent and a new healing spell introduced at the very end of the document. Both are interesting and quite useful for both players and gamemasters. Hectorius also used one of the excellent Gitzman maps showing the general area around Middenheim, including the western Middle Mountains where the bulk of the scenario takes place. Since I’m a sucker for all things Gitzman-related this was definitely a plus for me.

I can only recommend playing “Molti’s Falcon” as it is, despite the massive amount of lore crammed onto its pages, a damn good adventure. Hectorius never fails to deliver a high quality WFRP product, and this one is no different. You can download it from my huge Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay fan-made collection here. Also here’s a reminder that I will update it in the first half of 2026. At least that’s the plan, since it’ll require a lot of work from me, but I haven’t done any updates for it for the past few years, and I’ve amassed a lot of new fan-created WFRP content since then. I will surely let y’all know when I’ll eventually do it, you can count on that.

Oh and if you’re wondering if the scenario actually has any Raymond Chandler-inspired elements in it… you’ll have to check out for yourselves!