WFRP 4e Enemy in the Shadows and GM Screen Preview

Published: June 4, 2020 12:00 PM /

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WFRP Enemy in the Shadows

"At the appointed time, we shall rise from our secret places and throw down the towns and cities of the Empire. Chaos will cover this land and we, the Chosen Servants, shall be exalted in HIS eyes. Hail to Tzeentch, Changer of the Ways! Njawrr-thakh Lzimbarr Tzeentch."

The opening of Cubicle 7's Enemy in the Shadows book makes me want to scoop up a warhammer and smite some foes of the Empire, and if doesn't fire that desire in you, then you should report to the Witch Hunters, for you a truly an enemy of all that is good and honorable.

Enemy in the Shadows is part 1 of the 5 part Enemy Within campaign for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition. The Enemy Within campaign was originally published in 1986 for the first edition of WFRP and received considerable acclaim as one of the best RPG campaigns ever written. Cubicle 7 is bringing the campaign back with a series of books.

In this article, we're going to look at the first part of the campaign, Enemy in the Shadows and the accompanying companion. We've also managed to get hold of the brand new WFRP Games Master's Screen and a WFRP dice tray to also show you in. We'll try to keep everything as spoiler-free as possible, but if you're a player interested in playing the Enemy Within Campaign, you should probably just skip down to the Dice Tray part and direct your Games Master to this article.

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WFRP Enemy in the Shadows

Enemy in the Shadows

Enemy in the Shadows includes the first 2 adventures in the Enemy Within campaign, starting with The Enemy Within adventure and then Shadows Over Bogenhafen adventure. These adventures are perfect for those starting their campaign in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay as they introduce a lot of the setting and themes for the system. Those coming from previous adventures or the Starter Set will settle in quickly. For anyone who might have played the original campaign, there are also a lot of optional elements that the GM can add, to change up the campaign and keep it fresh for those who have already experienced it.

As well as the adventure itself, each chapter contains background details and some illustrated NPCs. The first Appendix has a full guide to Bogenhafen, the main area in the second adventure, should your players want to explore more or you want to expand the campaign in that area.

The book finishes with some details for creating NPCs, Empire accents for GMs who like to add more flair to their games, and some new diseases and infections. Then there are several pages of well-illustrated maps and handouts for use in games.

To use the Enemy in the Shadows book, all players need is the Core WFRP rulebook and some dice.

WFRP Enemy in the Shadows Companion

Enemy in the Shadows Companion

The Enemy in the Shadows companion is a sourcebook that compliments the Adventure book, but it's not essential, and can also be used without the adventure book as the rules directly supplement the Core Rules, should GM's want to add the elements contained to their games.

The Companion includes a brief overview of the Empire, looking at the rulers of the various provinces, and some details on guilds and taxes, all detailed for the time of 2512 Imperial Calendar, where the Enemy Within is set. As there is some traveling in Enemy in the Shadows, it also includes details and rules for roads, mounts, and vehicles, including mounted combat. There's a focus on travel rules, including weather and encounters, and then some background on Road Wardens.

There's an alternative beginning to the Enemy in the Shadows adventure, and 16 very detailed NPC's for the characters to meet either along the way or to supplement the full adventure. The chapter on mutations includes some detailed background information and several mutation tables for the GM to roll up or allocate random mutations. 

For the GM, there is a look at a prominent cult for the Enemy Within, along with 2 small adventures and 2 detailed adventures that fit well with the campaign. For the players, there are new rules for the Cult Magus of Tzeentch career, if your party wants to dabble in those kinds of things.

WFRP GM's Screen

WFRP Games Master's Screen

The WFRP Games Master's Screen is a product of 2 parts. The first part, is the physical screen, with a gloriously dark and comedic illustration of an Old World city on one side, and handy tables and charts, mostly with rules summaries, but also a helpful Common Names table for help with names on the fly, on the other. 

The second part of the product is a short supplement with advice for GM's. It includes some general GM advice and tips, including running the game and what it means to be a GM and also some very detailed information on running adventures in the Old World and its themes.

There's a very well put together section on creating non-player characters and several charts for coming up with details on the fly, including the I Need A Job! chart for putting together the details of who, what, and why for adventures extremely quickly and a table of 50 random tavern encounters.

WFRP Dice Tray

WFRP Dice Tray

To stop the Chaos of dice rolling, and bring order to the table, Cubicle 7 have teamed up with All Rolled Up to produce some dice trays.

There are 3 designs for Cubicle 7's WFRP Dice Trays. Grim, which features the front cover of the Core Rulebook, Part of the Branches, and Red Skull. The dice have poppers that can be used to hold the trays flat for transportation, and when in use during gameplay, the corners clip together to form a bowl to keep your dice from screaming around everywhere when rolled. The material feels durable and it does a great job of staying on the table while your dice do the movement. 

WFRP Dice Tray

 

The On The Tabletop Team are planning to follow up on our WFRP Starter Set coverage by playing through the Enemy Within Campaign, so expect to read about our adventures on TechRaptor soon.

The Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay products used to produce this preview were provided by Cubicle 7.

 

Previews you can trust: To ensure you're getting a fair, accurate, and informed review, our experienced team spends a significant amount of time on everything we preview. Read more about how we review games and products.

 

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A Potts TechRaptor
| Senior Tabletop Writer

Adam is a Tabletop Specialist for TechRaptor. He started writing for TechRaptor in 2017 and took over as Tabletop Editor in 2019 and has since stood down… More about Adam