Review by GM Brad
“We sons of Grungni may have drunk deep from the bitter waters of misfortune, but we yet survive. Whilst a single Dwarf draws breath, we will fight the evils that assail us, and we will never, ever give up.“-Hengist Stonebelly, Dwarf Longbeard |
Ancient, venerable, honorable, strong, fading; these words that best explain the Dawi were highlighted in my review of the Dwarf Player’s Guide (here) last fall, and they are further supported with Lords of Stone and Steel. This second Dwarf focused publication from Cubicle 7 is geared directly at GMs and collectors, but would be a welcome addition to anyone who wanted to learn more of the Dawi. A foil to the Dwarf Player’s Guide, Lords focus on expanding the knowledge of the settings and realms of the Dwarfs completes a GMs arsenal for running an amazing Dawi focused campaigns in WFRP.
The Everlasting Realm Endures
“The tale of the Dwarfs is sorrowful. Their once great empire has been worn down by constant struggle…the achievements of the past are now mere memories…”
(Lords of Stone and Steel)
It is my opinion that the Dwarfs have one of the richest stories of sorrow in Warhammer. Coming in at just under 100 pages, Lords needed to be concise with this tragic history, setting the inspiration and tone for the adventures that can be built from this supplement. Divided into six sections, the first two “Karaz Ankor: The Ancient Empire of the Dwarfs” and “Karak Norn: Largest Hold of the Grey Mountains” comprise over half of the sourcebooks length, with expansive details to benefit any GM.
Keeping with the changes we have seen to more recent WFRP publications following the release of Imperium Maledictum, Lords brings the Patrons for GMs and players. I personally love this addition of aspects of the Patron system from Imperium to WFRP. A recurring struggle for GMs can be players finding their “why” for their character risking their life, and the Patron system helps to create this intrinsic hook or desire for players to justify their character heading off on an adventure that could result in their death or disfigurement.
When you think of big names for the Dawi, you likely think of the High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer; the Slayer King of Karak Kadrin, Ungrim Ironfist; of Belegor Ironhammer; Gotrek Gurnisson; and Malakai Makaisson. Lords gives us the details for Thorgrim, Ungrim, and Kazador Thunderhorn (King of Karak Azul) as potential patrons – one look at their stats and skills and it’s easy to see why they’re Kings of the Dawi, but more crucial than that are their detailed motivations as a Patron that can inspire adventures for your party.
Alongside the patron information, Lords expands on the Dwarf Player’s Guide overview of Dwarf culture and social structures by introducing information on The High King, Kings, Thanes, and information on the Council of Elders of the holds. While the overview is brief, the inclusion of notes on the Council, their roles, and the rivalries within can help savvy GMs create lasting events and memorable campaign moments. The bulk of the first section of Lords of Stone and Steel is the overview of the myriad Dwarf Holds across the Old World. Organized by geographic regions, each hold shares a bit of historical information as well as a snippet on the appearance of the hold and surrounds.
Lords of Stone and Steel includes a two page color map that, while not all inclusive, is perhaps the best look we’ve had in WFRP 4e of the size of the former empire of the Dwarfs. Listing active holds, fallen holds, Greenskin camps, Skaven lairs, and Dwarf outposts, it’s a tragic look into the losses the Dawi have suffered over the centuries as they slowly wane from the old world. These fallen holds are one of the best gems of Lords, ten distinct locations that would make for absolutely epic Dwarf campaigns or scenarios, should the right hook present itself to the players. Like the active holds before, each fallen hold has a short description that highlights what it was known for and brief details on the cause of the fall of the hold.
Karak Norn and the Grey Mountains
While Lords of Stone and Steel does a great job with overviewing the expansive realm of Karaz Ankor, it also serves as the only current tome that details a Dwarf hold with any detail. While we have Altdorf: Crown of the Empire, Middenheim: City of the White Wolf, and Salzenmund: City of Salt and Silver for overview of a few major Empire cities, Lords of Stone and Steel is currently the only sourcebook to have extensive details on a non-Empire city. While it would have been fitting to have an entire sourcebook on Karaz-a-Karak, seat of the High King and the most powerful hold of the Dwarfs, that may have severely limited the usefulness of Lords for GMs as it would truly be only useful for Dwarf campaigns. Instead, by focusing on the largest and most powerful hold in the Grey Mountains, Karak Norn, Cubicle 7 has positioned this supplement to benefit all GMs, as the hold could be tied into campaigns that span from the Border Princes to the Empire.
The second largest section in Lords of Stone and Steel, the details on Karak Norn are extensive enough to be beneficial, yet save enough space to allow for GMs to add their own flair. This section contains two maps: one of the overland of Karak Norn, showing the roads, outposts, and waystations that allow access to the hold; and a cross section map (left) of the hold proper. Cubicle 7 never skimp on detail, and Lords section on Karak Norn is no exception to the norm. Within this section, you can find a wealth of information on the different deeps, gates, halls, and temples of the Karak.
When I envision Dwarf holds, my mind strays to the cinematic depictions of Moria and Erebor from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. As someone who loves to have some realism and grounding in games, Cubicle 7 thrives with the visually inspired descriptions of the holds Deeps and halls, as well as its almost maze like format.
While the depth of detail is absolutely top tier work, I was surprised at the lack of adventure hooks on both the fallen holds and Karak Norn. Cubicle 7 historically provides many different hooks in their sourcebooks, and Lords would have benefitted from a few more options, though this is truly a minor quibble. My personal suspicion is that due to the lost holds and Karak Norn being predominantly a descriptive overview of each hold, with fewer NPCs described, Cubicle 7 were left with less quest/hook “anchors” that could be utilized.
The Danger of the Deeps
“Ach, Manling, you have some inkling of how far we have fallen. The days of our glory are behind us. Once we created all this. Now we huddle in a few shrunken cities and wait for the end of the world. The day of the Dwarf has gone, never to return. We crawl like maggots through the work of elder days and the glory of what once was ours mocks us today.”
-Gotrek Gurnisson, Slayer
(Trollslayer by William King)
What Dwarf source book would be complete without rules for adventuring underground? Following in the footsteps of Deft Steps, Light Fingers with the wilderness adventuring rules and Sea of Claws for seafaring rules, Lords of Stone and Steel brings us our first look at rules for adventuring underground. With sample distances of certain routes, Lords gives us rules for tunneling, tunnel conditions, delving endeavors, and more. The enclosed spaces of tunnels and cave fighting make for harrowing combat. With tips for using the impacts of integrity, visibility, and space in underground conflict, the section on underground combat is an excellent addition that can help further highlight to players the importance of carrying weapons with different reach lengths.
Lords also brings us some of the most impactful downtime rules for parties that attempt to stay within a Karak. Dwarfs are notorious for not allowing non Dwarfs within Karaks, except in unique or extreme circumstances. Dwarf specific endeavors and Karak events can make a downtime spent in a Karak a unique event for your party, but the manlings might grumble. However, while some players might scoff at the inability for non-Dwarfs to take an Endeavor while within a Dwarf hold, this rings as a perfect nuance within this setting where Dwarf players can find themselves with different restrictions in cities of the Empire.
Dwarf-Focused Campaigns makes up the fifth chapter of Lords of Stone and Steel, and the third longest chapter in the book. While I had remarked that the first two sections missed in adventure hooks, this chapter bridges that gap in the first two pages. With high level notes and hook themes on politics, conflicts, grudges, trade, and some specific Karaks, there is a wealth of information for GMs to unpack for use. This is also our first look at the details of the Ungdrin Ankor, the Great Underway, crafted generations ago as part of the Golden Age to connect all of the Karaks. I love the idea of an adventure spanning some travel through the Great Underway to a lost hold and the risk that could hold for the party.
To put the proverbial bow on Lords of Stone and Steel, Cubicle 7 has provided rules and guidelines for including both Oaths and Grudges in games. As major drivers of Dwarf society in Warhammer, it is great to see some guidelines and background on these to help better implement them into your game.
Kill kill Dwarf Thing, yes yes!
If politicking and guarding trade caravans isn’t the campaign you are looking for, Lords of Stone and Steel brings the potential for unrestricted violence to your games. With rules on Felix Jaeger, Gotrek Gurnisson, Magma Dragons, the Ogre Gorger, and my favorite the Rogue Idol of Gork (or Mork!), Lords adds a few high risk enemies into the GM pool of big bads to pull from.
However, if you’re looking for something a bit more sinister to fill your adventures in the dark, Lords expands on the information we receive in The Enemy Within: The Horned Rat and The Horned Rat Companion for our furry, rat like friends the Skaven. Specifically, Cubicle 7 has provided the framework and necessary information for an entire campaign set in and around Karak Norn against the Skaven of Clan Morbidus.
To prevent any spoilers for non-GMs reading, all I will say is that the framework here could make for a great Dwarf game, or even serve as the opener for a longer campaign.
Is it Gromril, or is it Lead?
Lords of Stone and Steel shines like the Gromril the Dwarfs seek and is an absolute must snag for all GM’s and collectors. You can pick up your copy from Cubicle 7 here.
Rating: 9.6/10
Product provided by Cubicle 7 to Dead Suns Company for review. Links for purchase do not provide financial compensation to Dead Suns Company.