FFG are bringing out WFRP 3rd edition next year, looks like they are taking a new approach to RPG's with cards, and new dice..
Looks like it could be really good..
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Quote
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is a new, exciting way to experience the popular Warhammer Fantasy setting. It is a grim world, constantly at war. As a hero, you will take up weapon, spell, or prayer and do your best to combat the might of enemies terrifying to behold. As the Game Master, you will make the lands of the Old World real as you craft the story, the people, creatures, and the mysteries the other players will encounter during their adventures.
Everything your group needs to begin its adventures in the Old World is included in the Core set. This Core set is an excellent way to bring new players into the fold, as well as to reward experienced roleplaying with new and exciting innovations.
4 comprehensive rule books provide all the knowledge you will need on the Old World
Over 30 Custom Dice give you unprecedented options for story-telling
Party sheets provide new skills and abilities to keep everyone engaged
30 different careers and 4 different races offer a multitude of character options
More than 300 cards keep you in the game, no need to look up skills or abilities
Three character keepers designed to hold everything your hero will need each session
Link (http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=93&enmi=Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay)
I'm going to be getting this system for the club, who is up for trying it out?
Definitely. Looks good. Perfect setting for it too! Just need some cold winter evenings, a bottle of port, and some ripe cheddar!
Hell yes, loved the old game!
Good, Seems like it's going to be very different from traditional RPG's combining cards, figures, dungeon layouts, all set in the best world we know...
Out end of October...
Also love port and ripe cheddar, so that sounds good too!
Gout city here we come!
First Campaign book coming soon
"A storm on the Horizon"
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Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of an exciting new campaign for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay! In The Gathering Storm, the heroes find themselves caught up in a furious storm of events while visiting a backwater town in the middle of the Reikland. Ancient secrets threaten to stir a long dormant evil and rain doom upon the unsuspecting town of Stromdorf.
The Gathering Storm is a complete campaign for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. The story centres around a series of bizarre events that bring the heroes face-to-face with dangerous enemies, moral dilemmas, and the raw fury of nature.
In addition to providing many sessions of exciting adventure, the campaign guide provides detailed information on the town of Stromdorf and a number of its odd citizens. Colourful maps bring Stromdorf and the surrounding region to life. This adventure also contains handouts, cards, components, and playing aids to help the GM manage the game.
The Gathering Storm has it all. Death. Misery. Peril. Suffering. Disaster. And that's just the weather.
Hmmm, just remembering the fluff is starting to get me interested......
Good good, will get the starter set just before Xmas, and read the rules over the holiday period....
Some musings on the future of WFB RPG 3rd ED....
Sifting Shadows
Looks good, when are you thinking of starting up the campaign?
In Jan, as soon as I get hold of the books, still not in UK yet...
I just skimmed through a copy at my mate's in Poland. Shiny stuff, but it seems full of unnecessary bling. Don't know, call me old fashioned or something, but does one really need a ton of tokens/stands or whatever they are, depicting trolls/orcs/various character professions etc? I always thought RPGs were all about imagination, this stuff seems to be killing it. Role play game for the playstation generation, at first glance.
Location cards? WTF? A card that tells you what 'an old dirt road' or 'abandoned shrine' (if I remember correctly) looks like?
Funny dice though. If the system is good, and this is what I'm being told, then all the above will be forgiven, but it looks dangerously close to being Descent with bit of a narrative.
And yes, I want to be the next MrGrumpy.
Still wanna try it out though, having spent many a night over the previous edition.
Problem with RPG's bart is as soon as you get big combats etc, you do end up needing figures, floorplans etc, so yes they do and have done ended up like a game of descent..
What they are trying to do with WFRPG which they also did with the last Ed of D&D is simplify it, cards, ref sheets etc, to try and bring it in with the boardgames, LCG's etc..
Some RPG's in the 80's got so complicated it was untrue....
We shall see how it plays, but there is and will be a lot more to it than just playing descent..(even though I look forward to that campaign starting as well...
I am hoping it is more than Descent (although it is a good game in itself) I remember a big part of the Enemy Within campaign was political intreague and problem solving, these were the parts of the game I enjoyed more than the formulaic combat mechanics, I hope the new game maintains this.
More on the upcoming campaign:
QuoteAs The Gathering Storm campaign for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay draws ever closer, I wanted to share more information about a key part of the adventure's campaign setting, the town of Stromdorf. The Gathering Storm includes more than a dozen pages of details about this town, from its humble roots to its rules and regulations, from its interesting environs to many of its quirky, unusual inhabitants.
The rain-drenched town of Stromdorf can serve as a convenient "story hub" for the events that transpire throughout The Gathering Storm, but the details and information can easily be used by a GM to help bring any town, village, or community in the Empire to life. Writers Dave Allen, Steve Darlington, Dylan Owen, Clive Oldfield, and Gary McBride helped create a fascinating story set in an interesting place that is unique and yet at the same time thoroughly Warhammer.
Stromdorf:
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QuoteAbout Stromdorf
StromdorfStromdorf is a small market town in the southern part of the Reikland, about one hundred and fifty miles from Altdorf as the raven flies. It is located near the confluence of three rivers, the Ober, Tranig, and Teufel, each flowing from the distant Grey Mountains into the shadows of the nearby Reikwald Forest. The area of marshy lowland and stony hills south of this confluence is known as the Fleuchtschussel, a wet land infamous and avoided as the stormiest place in Reikland; even in midsummer, grey clouds smother the sun in a sky angry with rain and lightning.
The town's population numbers fewer than seven hundred people. Neighbouring folk are puzzled that the entire population has not moved on to less damp climes before now, but there has been a settlement here before even Sigmar's time, and the people of Stromdorf have a profound sense of history and are proud of their town. They regard it as a mark of their tenacity that they survive in such an intemperate climate; however, other Reiklanders mock this outlook as proof of the townsfolks' inbred imbecility.
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QuoteStromdorf's inclement weather ensures few travellers tarry in the town, and hardly anyone settles there from elsewhere unless they have to. Thus, Stromdorf remains a backwater; it is an impoverished place when compared to the thriving settlements in the rest of the Reikland. It is no surprise that, like the sky that thunders above their heads, Stromdorfers are a stormy lot, quick to anger and difficult to placate. They complain bitterly about the smallest grievance, finding fault in everything except, oddly, the weather, which they habitually shrug off with heroic stoicism: "Come now, it's only a bit of rain!"
Economy
The River Teufel is Stromdorf's lifeline to the Ubersreik in the west and the Reik to the north, yet the town fails to capitalise on the river traffic that bypasses it. Travellers prefer to hurry past, eager to escape the drenching rain. It doesn't help that Stromdorf does not produce many goods to trade. Its low-lying farms eke out subsistent crops from the sodden fields, and the wool and meat from the hardy sheep pastured in the hills is of poor quality. Just enough produce is generated each month to keep the town from starving. Stromdorf used to rely heavily on its upland flocks for revenue, but a hundred years ago, goblin tribes drove most farmers from the hills.
However, the marshy climate and muddy waters of the rivers are an ideal breeding ground for the Reik eel, a large, voracious snakelike fish with razor sharp teeth. Its sleek body is muscular, and the flesh is flavourful. Many Stromdorfers fish for the eels, dredging the river with large nets. The eels are skinned, smoked, and barrelled, comprising one of the few regular exports of the town.
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QuoteAdministration
Phillip AdlerBurgomeister Phillip Adler has been the administrative head of Stromdorf for nearly a decade. Adler was appointed to the position by the von Jungfreuds, the prominent aristocrats in the region, hoping new blood would invigorate Stromdorf's negligible economy.
Phillip Adler is a self-made man, who made a fortune in the textile business in his native Ubersreik, and married a distant relative of the von Jungfreud noble family. From the start, the town council, a collection of older, gruff white beards, disapproved of an outsider managing their affairs – by tradition the burgomeister had always been one of their own.
Initially Adler proved popular, encouraging trade between Stromdorf and other parts of the Reikland. At the beginning of his tenure, revenue increased, but so did the taxes, now that the von Jungfreuds had their own man in charge.
However, Adler has become reclusive in recent months. He has shut himself away, barred visitors to the town hall, and has even dismissed his servants, living there alone. He conducts his affairs from behind closed doors, using the watch captain, Arno Kessler, as his intermediary. Kessler is a man of war, lacking the verbal finesse needed for politics, and his brusque manner has angered some of the locals he has to deal with. Recent events have made Adler unpopular – a few folk openly call for his replacement, arguing that his behavior is hurting business.
According to local gossip, Adler is in mourning for his wife, Else, who died shortly after he became burgomiester. Further enquiry reveals that this happened two years ago, long before he decided to shut himself away.
QuoteA Brief Resurgence
Stromdorf experienced a brief renaissance during the first few years of Burgomeister Adler's tenure, as he used his influence with Ubersreik's Mercer's Guild to encourage more trade between the two towns. However, since Adler's "retirement" from public view, most outside merchants have lost interest in these ventures. It seems the only remaining profitable enterprise for distant traders and merchants is the import of dry timber and coal for fuel to Stromdorf, commodities which the sodden climate ensures are scarce in this locality.
Despite the challenges faced, the local tannery is an example of one business that continues to thrive. The tannery is operated by Marcel Gerber, Stromdorf's wealthiest burgher after Adler. Tanning is a filthy industry, and in many towns, tanneries are relegated to the outskirts. Not so in Stromdorf, whose people are eager for any employment, however noisome. The constant rain helps mitigate some of the stink produced by tanning procedures, but a foul aroma subtly pervades the town.
The town's one true luxury export, and the one thing it is known for apart from its wet weather, is its Thunderwater Ale, brewed by the Brenner family for generations, and sold to connoisseurs Empire-wide. Even dwarfs from nearby Karak Azgaraz have been known to make the pilgrimage to Stromdorf to tap a keg of the stuff, a potent brew with a distinctive peaty aftertaste.
Quote– Design Notes from Senior RPG Developer Jay Little
One of the exciting things about The Gathering Storm campaign is the fact that it's the first adventure product available for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. As such, I'm anticipating that it will be the first exposure to WFRP for a lot of people, and for many others, the next step into the Old World for PCs who completed the Eye for an Eye adventure included in the core set.
A Fearsome Beastman With this in mind, the expectations and excitement from fans and players are sure to be extremely high. I knew we had a daunting task on our hands – to develop and deliver a top notch adventure that provides a varied and intriguing look at the Warhammer Fantasy setting and life in the Empire, as well as showcases WFRP's mechanics and unique gameplay.
With the help of the talented team of developers and writers, we started by highlighting some of the key features we'd want to be sure to include in the adventure. In addition to some of the classic Warhammer Fantasy thematic elements, we wanted to be sure to cover new ground, and introduce some unexpected twists and turns along the way.
Without spoiling anything from the adventure, here are just a few of the design and thematic elements we knew we wanted to cover over the course of the campaign:
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Quote* Present a grimy, gritty environment to play around in
* Have a few encounters where things aren't quite what they seem
* Pose a few moral dilemmas and questions to the players and their PCs
* Include some of the quirks, oddities, and dark humour Warhammer is known for
* Provide a good blend of social, investigative, and combat encounters
* Have some interesting options for encounter resolution (there's often more than one way to skin a Skaven, so they say)
* Provide GMs with a lot of great resources to manage the game
* Make use of the tools and components in interesting and accessible ways
* Develop memorable NPCs and situations players would remember for years to come
* End the campaign with a bang
We had several more goals, as well, but this gives you a good idea of the foundation we laid out. In some ways, it seemed rather ambitious. But I wasn't going to accept anything less for The Gathering Storm.
Next, we started brainstorming ideas for a story that could fulfill these goals.
I already had a few concepts in mind, but things really took off when Steve Darlington, Dylan Owen, Dave Allen, and the other writers jumped in with additional details to flesh things out. Steve Darlington really helped shape and drive the over-arching plot and the spiderweb of story threads that are woven through the entire campaign. Dave Allen stepped up and tackled Stromdorf, taking the concept of a rain-soaked, bedraggled town in the middle of nowhere, and making it look, sound, feel (and unfortunately, even smell) just right as an "adventure hub" for the story. Dylan Owen helped develop how we would take Steve's over-arching story and break it down into different sections – a prologue to set the stage, several exciting chapters of escalating tension, a thrilling climax to the campaign's events, and an epilogue to tie up loose ends.
Then Clive Oldfield, Gary McBride, and Dylan each tackled different sections from the campaign to help mesh the interesting storylines to the overall plot, while ensuring each section was a fully realized, exciting adventure for the PCs to undertake. I relied heavily on Daniel Lovat Clark and Tim Uren to help continually refine the encounters, scenes, and stories. They also helped introduce GM sidebars and suggestions and developed the mechanics and rules that would make the adventures run smoothly and easy to manage.
I knew we were on the right track when the first batch of playtest reports came in. They were extremely positive, and included comments about how some of the players were completely expecting one thing, but the story ended up delivering something different. And that the players were faced with some really tough choices over the course of the adventure. Some groups relied on diplomacy. Others on swords and spells. Characters were horribly injured, some were killed, others driven insane. Mysteries were unravelled. And players were having a ton of fun.
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QuoteAs more playtest reports came in, we were able to fine tune the pacing and details and make sure the final product would include the tools and resources a GM would want to have on hand while running the game.To reflect this, The Gathering Storm box includes:
* 80-page full colour, perfect bound campaign book
* 13 action cards
* 13 location cards
* 10 item cards
* 8 condition cards
* 5 miscast cards
* 6 wound cards
* 6 talent cards
* 3 insanity cards
* 6 full colour reference sheets (maps & player handouts)
* 2 storm tracking sheets
* 23 NPC and enemy standups
* Tracking tokens
So where did all the design, writing, playtesting, feedback, and fine-tuning lead us? To The Gathering Storm, an exciting, accessible campaign for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, an adventure I'm hoping you and your friends will remember and talk about for years to come. Like it says on the back of the box: The Gathering Storm has it all. Death. Misery. Peril. Suffering. Disaster. And that's just the weather.
Looking good, I have to say I like the line; social, investigative and combat encounters.
If there are too many combat encounters it just become monotonous and boring for me.
oh i can't wait! when we breaking this baby out?
When Ol has read it
Quote from: Veldemere on January 25, 2010, 04:40:08 pm
When Ol has read it
After this wknd, I am going to really motor through it and we will have an intro session at the club mid Feb...
Quote from: fatolaf on January 28, 2010, 01:30:30 pm
After this wknd, I am going to really motor through it and we will have an intro session at the club mid Feb...
Get on with it, Dinsdale!
4 bloody rulebooks mate, lots to read....
Well, what are you doing wasting your time on here? Get reading boy!
I'm guessing the long train journey to sheffield will help!
Yep, no one is allowed to talk to him until he has read the books!
gonna be a long weekend then!
Quote from: Veldemere on January 29, 2010, 08:07:52 am
Yep, no one is allowed to talk to him until he has read the books!
Good plan....
bit of an epic fail from Ol on the reading side of it this weekend :spank:
Ummmm.....Yep
More info on the setting for the campaign...
QuoteThe Gathering Storm is officially "on the boat" and headed our way from the printers. With the campaign adventure set close at hand, I wanted to share a bit more information about Stromdorf, which is situated in arguably the rainiest place in the Empire. In an earlier diary, I shared some details about what goes in within Stromdorf's walls. In this diary, we'll take a closer look at the region around Stromdorf.
The Surrounding Lands
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Stromdorf And Its EnvironsNorth of Stromdorf lies the Reikwald, a wall of forest on the horizon. To the south lies the Fleuchtschussel, where farmers scratch a living from waterlogged lowlands and bleak hills, the Grey Mountains glowering in the distance. The closest towns are Ubersreik, forty miles west, and Auerswald, twenty five miles north, which can both be reached by road or along the River Teufel. Nuln lies about a hundred and forty miles east along a dangerous overland route.
Roads
The road from Ubersreik follows the Teufel north to Auerswald and beyond, bypassing Stormdorf. Given the unreliability of the roads, no coaching lines have regularly scheduled runs to Stromdorf. There is little traffic eastwards; the lonely road to Nuln skirts the Reikwald, stretching through the haunts of bandits, beastmen, and goblins. Few roadwardens patrol this road. South of Stromdorf, farmers are sometimes forced to use pack animals to carry their produce into market rather than wagons when the rains have turned the dirt roads to little more than muddy strips.
Rivers
Stromdorf lies near the confluence of three rivers, the wide Teufel, the angry Ober, and the lazy Tranig.
Some say the Teufel's reddish tint is caused by blood flowing from a never-ending battle between dwarfs and goblins, fought at its source in the mountains near Ubersreik. It flows north passing Auerswald and Grunburg, until it hits the Reik at Castle Reikguard a little more than 100 miles from Stromdorf.
A rickety bridge spans the river about a mile west of Stromdorf. A half mile to the south, the Tranig meets the Teufel near Stromdorf's Garden of Morr. The Tranig winds lazily from the foothills of the Grey Mountains. No fish live in its black depths, and it is known as Morr's Stream. Its only crossing point is at a cascade known as Frothing Ford, where boulders behind the waterfall provide stepping stones. Here the local town hero Stichelm won a famous victory against invaders.
The Ober roars from a lake high in the Grey Mountains. It disappears into swampland before re-emerging as a gushing torrent a few miles east of Stromdorf, where an old wooden bridge crosses it.
A Narrow BridgeMost journeys from Ubersreik are done by river, and inns dot every dozen miles or so along the Teufel. Roadwardens patrol the banks, guarding against bandits.
Outlying Areas
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Within Stromdorf's immediate vicinity are the mill and wharfs, the Stromdorf ferry, and the town's cemetery.
The Stromdorf Ferry
On the west bank of the churning Ober, just north of Stromdorf, a large raft is tethered to a wooden quay, an iron bell hanging from a post nearby. Another quay and bell are on the opposite bank. An empty ramshackle hut stands on the west bank, a rook squatting on a perch by the door, appraising visitors with beady eyes. The ferryman can usually be found drinking at the Thunderwater Inn in Stromdorf.
The Mill & Wharf
The mill is situated a mile north of Stromdorf, where the Ober meets the Teufel. A waterwheel turns lazily alongside an old thatched building of wood and plaster. Nearby is a stable for the mill's donkeys and a barn to store flour sacks. Eel nets hang in the water. Near the mill is a rundown wharf, which is rarely used.
The Garden of Morr
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Morr's GardenStromdorf's cemetery, surrounded by a tall, forbidding wall, can be found where Morr's Stream meets the Teufel. It is situated far from town so that should the dead be stirred by dark magic – as it did nearly five centuries ago – the townsfolk will be safe from them.
From the Reikland Gate, a narrow coffin track leads to the Garden of Morr, cutting across fields until it reaches the Tranig, which must be crossed by a small wherry. Stromdorf's dead make their last journey along this path.
The cemetery attracts ferocious tempests. Local legend claims that the rain has never stopped falling over the Garden since the time of Stichelm's burial there. It is said that the gods weep inconsolably over the grave of this brave hero.
Lowlands
To the south of Stromdorf, a large, low-lying flood plain nestles between the Teufel and the Ober, with the Tranig flowing slowly in-between. During the winter, the rivers regularly burst their banks, covering this plain in rich, peaty sediment. As a consequence, farmers take advantage of fertile soil throughout the rest of the year. Farmsteads dot this heavily cultivated region. East of the Tranig are fields of vegetables and cereal crops, as well as hops destined for the town's brewery.
Much of the land around the Ober is unfarmable – an eerie landscape of sucking slough and twisted trees known as the Oberslecht.
To the west of the Tranig, cattle graze in watermeadows, a hardy, short-horned breed inured to the wet summers and biting winters. The land rises dramatically to form the Blitzfelsen Hills, but before then, the only piece of high ground is Tempest Knap, a high mound topped by ancient ruins.
The Obserslecht
A great, brown morass of sharp rushes and peat moss extends for many miles southeast of Stromdorf. Clumps of stunted trees and twisted thickets rise from the swampland. The clouds gather blackly over the marshes, rain spattering the mud and lightning splitting the sky.
In those rare moments when the storms abate, it is eerily quiet – no birdsong; only the low drone of the ravenous midges that swarm over the quagmire. Sometimes, at night, the silence is broken by the bark of a mysterious creature, and maybe an answering howl. There are stories of a race of wild half-men living deep in the marsh, but no one dares enter the Oberslecht to corroborate the tales.
The fringes of the Oberslecht provide those living nearby with a few meagre opportunities. Peat is cut from the bog and used as fertiliser and fuel for fires. Some impoverished folk search the edge of the mire for meagre lumps of bog iron which bring in a few extra pennies at Stromdorf market. A brave few head into the Oberslecht to collect eels and other animals that live in the bog, such as frogs, snails, crayfish, and catfish, or to harvest cloudberries. Thunderwater ale includes these delicious berries in its brewing process.
However, even traipsing around the fringes of the Oberslecht is not without its dangers. Areas of deep mud have sucked victims to their doom, and the mire is home to many wild animals and poisonous plants. If a person goes inexplicably missing in Stromdorf, he or she is said to have 'Married Mistress Oberslecht.'
Tempest Knap
This lonely hill dominates the flat landscape all around it. About 150 feet high, crumbling stone walls and a broken pillar crown its summit. The hill seems to be a frequent target of lightning, and the hillside is slick and muddy from the unrelenting rain.
Local lore speaks of the anger of the gods destroying the once-proud tower that stood on the hill, divine vengeance for the hubris of the evil sorcerer who once dwelt there. It is said that the gods still vent their fury on the ruins, hence the constant storms. The ruins have a haunted reputation, and no one dares explore them.
Is this released yet? It says preorder on the shop.
Quote from: Workslave on March 18, 2010, 01:39:37 pm
Is this released yet? It says preorder on the shop.
Not out yet, expected UK release date is May/June...
It was delayed due to printing quality issues.
Thats a shame.
Are there any other good adventures available that arent just hack and slash? Im looking to use it in a 4e D&D game, so will convert it (easy enough) but all the WOTC stuff is pants.
Pretty much any of the third ed stuff. A Day Late, A Shilling Short is the intro adventure that went up on the FFG site, it's pretty good and is social based with a nice smattering of combat. An Eye for an Eye in the GMs book was also a great mix of social and combat. They do a good job of mixing both aspects to be honest. Can't speak to Gathering Storm but the adventure coming after it is one of the best I have ever played, and the social side of it is fantastic.
Sneak Peak at the Winds of Magic Expansion
QuoteAs discussed in my previous designer diary the Colleges of Magic have a significant impact on the Empire – it's a powerful cultural influence. But beyond that, magic adds a layer of fantasy and fascination to the setting. Magic and its study also lends itself to the exploration of interesting locations, peoples, and organisations.
For a roleplaying game, magic provides a Game Master with a number of great adventure hooks built around these people, places, and things – even if there is no wizard character in the party. This designer diary takes a closer look at some of these points of interest, as well as includes a downloadable two page spread from one of the Winds of Magic books.
Winds of MagicAltdorf, Home of the Colleges of Magic
Why is the hub of magical activity, experimentation and progress for the entire Old World, located exactly in one of its most populous cities? Do the Colleges need the common folk around? Of course not. They would much rather go about their business without the staring in the streets, and the apprentices getting beaten up by thugs, and the occasional stoning or burning. Why not build Colleges far from the madding commoners in locations steeped in the appropriate wind?
Well, for sure there were ancient settlements on the site of Altdorf many years ago. It is known that dwarf fortresses were nearby and elven towers had been built there over the previous millennia. Rumours around Altdorf go so far as to hint that the Celestial College is built upon an ancient elven tower. It is academical consensus that during the War of Vengeance, battles were fought over this very scrap of land.
Certainly, too, any Jade Wizard will point out that many a leyline converges upon the Jade College in the city. And it is well known, the Wind of Light which is drawn to the city and which powers the machinations of the Light College cannot be matched in intensity anywhere within a thousand miles. It is said that the Amethyst wind collects not just about the graveyards and historical catacombs of Altdorf, but also around forgotten battlefields and burial mounds much more ancient. Perhaps other Colleges have good and apparently secret reasons to base themselves here.
Are the Colleges here just because Altdorf was here first, or is Altdorf itself only here because one day it would become the home of Imperial magic? That is an oft-debated topic by a number of wizards and scholars.
The Colleges & the Outside World
The Colleges attempt to hide their interactions with the outside world to varying degrees. In general, the more it relies on the outside world, the more a College does to blur its relationships.
Many local grocers and tradesmen support the Colleges, supplying them with innumerable goods and services, although many do not even realise they are doing so.
A quality vintner might not realise that the Bretonnian wine he delivers regularly to a sleepy livery stable actually finds its way onto the high table of the Gold College. Or an innocent sausage maker would never dream that the blood sausage he supplies to the scriveners at the back of the Amethyst College is regularly used in some of that order's most powerful rituals.
And so too, in this way, are the Colleges often visited by professionals and adventurers. A clerk requiring a signature upon a title deed might find himself at Frau von Miggins' pie shop meeting with a wizard, little knowing he is already within the College of the Celestial Order itself. Or a gang of sell-swords might return from negotiating a contract with the proprietor of a corner delicatessen, never suspecting they have been in and out of the College of Light and met with a Master Wizard.
Magic LaboratoryOn the other hand, when it suits them, the Colleges make it clear where the goods and services they purchase end up. Every year the Colleges spend hundreds of gold coins on general upkeep and supplies, a good proportion of which goes to locals. So even though they are feared and not trusted, those who earn their livelihood in support of the Colleges are not so foolish enough to jeopardise such a thing.
Other Points of Interest
The Winds of Magic book is full of new background information, rules, adventure ideas, and advice on integrating magic and wizards into your games. Here's a look at the content breakdown from the Table of Contents:
* Chapter One: The Roots of Magic
* Chapter Two: The Great Colleges
* Chapter Three: College Hierarchy
* Chapter Four: Exotic Magic Disciplines
* Chapter Five: Expanded Magic Rules
* Chapter Six: Playing a Wizard
Nice article about the upcoming players guide (http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=1633) from FFG, with downloadable ref sections available now...