Break out the Bugmans, the Dwarfs are coming
Grognards and beardlings alike have reason to celebrate this newest release for Cubicle 7’s Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th edition. Long awaited, the Dwarf Player’s Guide is not only the newest release for WFRP, but also the first release for one of the two eldar races within the Warhammer setting.
The book itself is stunningly beautiful, 144 pages filled with gorgeous artwork as is standard for these releases, and the collectors edition is a piece of beauty. Aside from the physical appearance, the tome is a wonderful piece for GMs and players alike looking for more options for the Dawi, with one third of the book turned over to the expansion of rules for creating Dwarfen characters.
The writing and layout of the guide are very in line with what we have come to expect of Cubicle 7, with multiple sections within the book each having their own focal point. This guide in particular carries with it sections on Dwarfen History, tips for roleplaying as a Dawi, Dwarf character creation and careers, new weapons and armor, the Dwarfen “magic” of Runesmithing, and the Ancestor Gods themselves for Dwarfen priest characters.
As someone who loves lore and information on the setting, the opening pages of this book were fantastic, bringing forth some of the known items for Warhammer veterans for those newer to the IP. For anyone wishing to play as this race who focus on honoring the ancestors, knowing where your people came from can help give an extra layer of depth to your play.
All the history and fluff in this tome is dwarfed by the rule expansion for Dawi careers and characters (yes, this pun was required, and yes I will see myself out). New Dwarf specific skills and talents will give players the ability to feel more like a unique race rather than just a shorter human, and give GM’s even more scope of skills to impact their stories. These new skills and talents are supplemented with an expansion of Dwarf specific careers that give a great boost of options to Dawi players. Following the release of Up In Arms, human players had access to a wealth of new martial careers. For GMs looking to run a more “combat” or high status focused game, Up In Arms helped human players to rapidly outpace the Elves and Dwarfs in faction specific options with soldiers, Knights Panther, and others. This book rectifies that for the Dawi, adding in such venerated and known careers as Hammerers, Ironbreakers, and Runepriests – all well known and on par with the career expansion from Up In Arms.
The tome didn’t just add new careers – it also revamped the Kazak Ranger Career first detailed in Archives of the Empires: Volume 1 to better reflect the new talents and skills within. There are also career expansionist rules, giving new and Dawi specific options to careers originally listed in the WFRP Core Rulebook/Up In Arms including Soldiers, Miners, and even additional options for the always Dawi specific Slayer Career.
While Elves and men can both use the Winds of Magic, the Dawi refuse, the corrupting influence of Chaos being seen as too volatile and risky. Instead, a single clan of the people of Grugni empower runes through Runesmithing, capturing power similar to but different from traditional “magic”. Often also known as “Runic Magic” (though never call it that to a Dwarf), this tome includes an entire section on Runesmithing and the rules of the runes themselves. This is a crucial section for GMs and any players who pursue Runesmithing as a Dawi character, as it includes not only the list of all runes and what equipment can hold them, but also the unique rules that impact runes functionality. For instance, the Rule of Pride states that if two items within 100 yards have the same runic pattern, only the oldest item continues to benefit from their runes. These rules are important, helping to reflect the nature of the Dawi but also helping to ensure that runic items cannot overwhelm a GM’s campaign.
The Rating
Overall, the Dwarf Player’s Guide is non-essential but hugely beneficial to any game including Dwarf players. Don’t be a Wazzock, grab this tome if you intend to ever play a Dwarf-centric game in WFRP 4e.
Dead Suns Company rates the Dwarf Players Guide a 9.0/10, non-essential but hugely beneficial buy.
You can pick up your copy of the Dwarf Player’s Guide from Cubicle 7 here.
Product provided by Cubicle 7 for review.
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