‘You have little hope of being found innocent if you plead not guilty, as you were involved in the riot. Rather, we will make a “no contest” plea, admitting neither guilt, nor claiming total innocence, though we will hotly deny killing Fosten.’ Osanna grins at this. ‘Generally heavy fees and hard labour in the Grey Mountains would be the minimum sentence with such a plea, but I have some sway with the court, and I know they have been requested to support the Watch in these trying times, as it is severely depleted…’ – WFRP Starter Set, The Adventure Book, p. 15

Continuing recaps of our long drawn-out Enemy Within campaign. Game summaries and narrative interludes in black text; behind-the-GM-screen commentary and context in the green boxes.

Link to Session 1 – “To Market, To Market”

Our adventurers’ third full day in the fortress city of Ubersreik is highlighted by a trial, an unusual sentence, and drunken shenanigans on Wizard’s Way.

Last out of their jail cell in the morning, the quartet is hauled before a judge and indicted for starting a riot, general violence, and two counts of murder (the knife-wielding thug threatening the young girl and Fosten the Fiery).

Surprisingly, prominent lawyer Osanna Winandus has been hired to represent the party. Apparently, the young girl who was saved by the party’s timely, albeit bloody, involvement at the Marktplatz is the daughter of an important merchant family in town, the Karstadt-Stampfs. Osanna advises them to plead no contest and, after being questioned individually by the judge, they do just that.

A great GM trick for new campaigns, especially with new players (or players with limited experience with rpg’s) is to force a bit of monologue. “Introduce yourselves to one another” or “tell me again how you all know each other” is the simple default way of getting your players talking, but it’s a bit more fun, and more natural in a way, if the game’s narrative prompts a different opportunity.

Here, each of the characters was put on the spot to explain to the court who he was, where he was from, and what business — other than starting a violent riot — he had in Ubersreik.

“Karl Hungus. Care to explain how an erstwhile merchant such as yourself came to develop such an adroit use of the dagger..?

“Kristoff Krowe. You’re a long way from Altdorf. And an even longer distance from the sea. Explain to the court, if you could, how your career path led you to violence in the streets of Ubersreik?

“Beaufort Phett. I don’t suppose you’d care to explain how your business in Ubersreik was served by destroying our Marktplatz?

“And… Godabert Tougan, is it? Bit of an odd name, yeah? Of course, you seem to be a bit of an odd fellow… where are you from again?”

Godabert was the one I really wanted to put on the spot. This player had come up with the most intricate and interesting background, which included a fake name that he had given himself to avoid trouble in his hometown, a little village just outside Stimmigen.

The party is sentenced to a maximum of three years working for the watch. Given the current political turmoil in Ubersreik, and the rising animosity against the “occupying” Altdorfers, the town watch needs all the help it can get.

From the courthouse, the party is led back to The Precinct to meet first with Watch Captain Andrea Pfeiffer and then with their commanding officer, Sergeant Rudi Klumpenklug. They are given light leather armor (stinky) and told to meet Rudi later that evening at The Raspy Raven to discuss their duties, which begin on the morrow.

On the way back to The Red Moon Inn, Godabert takes advantage of his new constabulary status and buys some arrows at Reiniger’s Outfitters. They stop at the Bridge House to post a letter to Jekel care of the Sprinthof coaching inn: “Following leads on Heske Glazer and the Karstadts. Send money.”

The striking fortress-town of Ubersreik is situated between the gloomy Grey Mountains and the depths of the Reikwald Forest. The town guards the Grey Lady Pass through to Bretonnia, and is one of the busiest trading centres of the Empire. A mighty, Dwarf-built bridge that spans the red waters of the River Teufel stands at its centre. This impressive crossing connects important trade roads from across the Empire and beyond. – WFRP 4th ed. Starter Set, The Adventure Book

Continuing recaps of our long drawn-out Enemy Within campaign. Game summaries and narrative interludes in black text; behind-the-GM-screen commentary and context in the green boxes.

Link to Session 0 – “Let Me Buy You a Drink”

Our budding adventurers, each responding to a similar invitation by the mysterious stranger, gather at the Sprinthof Coaching Inn, just outside Auerswald. The stranger, who now identifies himself as Jekel Schroeder, is in the company of a massive Kislevite missing his left ear and a stout, armored dwarf.

Godabert is the last of the four adventurers to arrive, a wisp of a young man dressed in meager attire but somehow in possession of a bulging money purse. God emphasizes his fashionably late arrival with a stool flourish that takes a tragic turn. He tumbles to the ground and spills a bag full of rocks all over the table and onto the tavern floor.

Prior to this first in-person setting, Godabert informed me that he was going to lurk about until all parties had arrived, and he was going to fill up his money purse with stones, so as to always have a supply of improvised ballistic projectiles.

I can’t remember exactly what this initial skill test was… or why I called for it… I just know that this represented our group’s first exposure to the fumble mechanic. Godabert’s first impression was hilarious on many levels, and opened our gaming in what I kept emphasizing as a “grim and perilous world” in perfect fashion.

Jekel explains that he chose each of the adventurers for a specific reason, assembling a party of mercenary investigators uniquely suited to the mission at hand.

The group is being hired to travel to Ubersreik, and locate Lena Bauer, an apprentice Bright Order wizard and member of minor noble family in Altdorf.

Inns and taverns are a distraction from the misery of existence for many citizens of the Empire, and an entertaining diversion for many more. They can often be places where political agitators do their work to whip up sentiment against the authorities, or where witch hunters prowl for rumours of the unnatural. Con artists and robbers also ply their trade amongst the inebriated unwary, although there is also some honest respite to be had, and the scribe is right about the pickled trotter. – WFRP, 4th edition Core Rulebook

Today marks the two-year anniversary of what very well could be, if Sigmar allows, the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay campaign that I play for the rest of my life.

As mentioned in previous posts, I got back into the ttrpg hobby after decades on ice, and, after an ill-fated trio of 3rd-edition WFRP sessions, news broke of Cubicle 7’s fourth edition. Plans were hatched, long-lost first-edition tomes were reacquired on eBay, and I promised my fledgling gang of adventurers that, even if this new publisher didn’t release an adaptation, I was going to run them through the greatest rpg campaign ever written.

The Enemy Within.

We’re still going, with our 22nd session scheduled for tomorrow night, and the gang has almost arrived in Bögenhafen. The lengthy delay will make more sense as I recap two years’ worth of introductory scenarios, side-quests, and an unnecessarily complicated master timeline (that I have since become wise enough to rein in). Game summaries and narrative interludes in black text; behind-the-GM-screen commentary and context in the green boxes.

Let’s start with those session zero character-creation meetings, and the narrative hooks that were crafted alongside my players.