Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #382576 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 127 pages

Synopsis
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP or WHFRP) is a roleplaying system created by Games Workshop. It is set in the Old World, which bears some resemblance to late medieval / renaissance Europe. The world is threatened by the forces of Chaos. The major power in the Old World is the Empire, in which most of the adventures are located. The Empire itself is a country full of intrigue, conspiracies, and dark plots.

Customer Reviews

Puts a bit more flavour in the game
Just purchased the 'Old World Aromoury'.
Although not as usful as the 'Bestiary', I think it offers sufficient new material that was not already covered by the core bookto add more detail and flavour to the game. Although the book is called 'Armoury', arms and armour only make up for about a third of the book.

The first chapter starts off with the different kinds of coins used throughout the world, trading within the Epire and bordering states, and taxes. Details like 'Ear Tax' or 'Belt tax' certainly offer some nice ideas to make the game a bit more lively.
Chapter II is all on armour, including some symbols and exotic mail to give the game a bit more detial
Chapter III is on weapons, but seems to offer little more than the core book.
Chapter IV describes gunpowder, and offers a few additional rules for bombs etc.
Chapter V: General equipment hosts lots of usefull items and their prices that the GM may offer the group, all a bit more extended than the core book.
I found chapter VI the most interesting adventure-wise, introducing new draughts, poisons, charms and religious stuff, and of course a list of replacement limbs.
VII shows vehicles and transport animals, as well as combat rules related to them.
If a hero would ever want to retire and start a business, chapter VII may be usefull. Otherwise this chapter makes some usefull background material.
Chapter IX shows stats and job descriptions of various hired hands, from a mere servant to a mercenary wizard. May come in handy to decide if a bribe offers a bit of a lure compared to someone's income, and if the players are not overly rewarded for a job.
Finally, chapter X describes treasures such as rare coins and gems.
The appendix offers a very handy overview of all reference tables.

Artwork and all are up to the standards of other WFRP 2nd edition books. I can imagine that some would be disappointed that the book does not offer too many new hooks compared to the core book.

In conclusion I would not call this a necessary book to have for playing WFRP, I think it will be especially handy when constructing your own adventures, as it offers quite some details not covered by the core book. It contains just the details that add that little extra flavour to the game world.

a useful expansion
In light of the section in the 1st edition of WFRP dedicated arms and equipment, this supplement for WFRP2 is a great deal better. For a start the equipment lists are longer and better explained, even if there is some space wasted on common sense descriptions e.g. what a basket looks like.
I found the best bits of the book are the sections on renting/buying property, hiring henchmen and the section dealing with miscelanious items such as false limbs. this gives the game added depth, and lots of ideas for GMs!
I noticed however that lots of the items in this book are also in the core book. Although a lot of information has been regurgitated in this one it is undoubtedly useful, keeping all the relevant info in one place.
overall this is a good expansion; detailed and comprehensive with lots of extra information and cool little touches.

Complex Codex
If you like the mechanics of you're Warhammer Fantasy Role Play world highly detailed and you demand more colour and depth at your disposal, look no further than the end of your precious jewel-encrusted fingers!
This is an exhaustive and often useful compendium with regard to equipment of all kinds, including food & drink, potions and draughts, weapons, armour and coinage, animals and of course encumbrance.

O.W.A. also enriches a game with further rules on combat, and new rules and ideas for henchmen hiring, businesses & services, wages & taxation, travel, and healing, with evocative notes given on a fair range of well researched and historically "accurate" tools, fashions, customs, and the like.

O.W.A. is generally helpful with regard to all types of barter, and will likely prove invaluable in the hands of all GMs who personify the phrases: "the devil is in the detail" and "presentation is 9/10ths of a successful sale".
It concludes with much needed appendices of reference tables at the back.

More in the way of rare and magical items would have been good; though these are covered elsewhere (as in Realms of Sorcery for example), they wouldn't have been out of place here.
Likewise, the inclusion of a new adventure and much less in the way of minor spelling and printing errors might have made this an essential 5 star purchase.