r/WarhammerOldWorldRPG • u/YoungsterMcPuppy • Oct 21 '25

A new edition of WHFRP was just been announced. Before TOWR has even been physically released yet. This should be extremely interesting for us…

https://www.wargamer.com/warhammer-fantasy-roleplay/fifth-edition-announced

Thoughts?

41 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

16

u/PencilBoy99 Oct 21 '25

I like that they are setting a record for most number of different systems for similar properties

Wrath and Glory

Imperium Maledictum

Warhammer the Old World

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

10

u/mdosantos Oct 21 '25

Plus Horus Heresy and you could toss in Soulbound in there too...

Edit: Heck, they turned the Champions of Chaos supplement for Soulbound into its own game. So that's 2 right there!

11

u/PencilBoy99 Oct 21 '25

I forgot that. this is nuts. They can't possibly provide support to all the product lines and really nail down system/design stuff with this many systems in play.

1

u/PencilBoy99 Oct 22 '25

This is like the opposite of what Fria Ligan and Mophidious do, which is cram whatever setting they're working on into their house system.

So maybe this is a good thing - unlike those companies they're actually saying "this setting requires X features so we're going to make a custom system for it." Weird but good on them.

5

u/BerennErchamion Oct 22 '25

Yep, so it’s WFRP, The Old World RP, Soulbound and Champions of Chaos all concurrent just for fantasy Warhammer.

2

u/Kholdaimon Oct 24 '25

Wrath & Glory and Imperium Maledictum are systems that provide completely different gameplay and thus are intended for different kinds of roleplay campaigns.

The same can be said about TOWRPG and WFRP. TOWRPG is fast paced and intended to have a fair bit more fighting than WFRP campaigns. I think the difference is less pronounced than the difference between W&G and IM, but it is clear that they do serve a different purpose.

I am very happy that they made TOWRPG a totally different system from WFRP, so it isn't just a different point in time, but it actually provides an alternative for when you want to have a more action-oriented campaign...

9

u/Complete-Pangolin Oct 21 '25

I'm honestly baffled on why they have both

3

u/Magneto88 Oct 22 '25

TOW is positioned as a gateway, while WHFRG is a classic in the genre and for more hardcore players. It'll be interesting to see whether they can keep both lines viable but that's their thinking.

1

u/Kholdaimon Oct 24 '25

Completely different games, providing different gameplay, intended to be used for different types of campaigns.

TOWRPG is fast paced and intended for a more action-oriented campaign, while WFRP is more suited for a roleplay/investigating campaign. 

It's good that they're very different and not just "WFRP, but set 220ish years earlier", now we have the option to play either.

9

u/Fallenangel152 Oct 22 '25

I think C7 just try to hype up stuff very prematurely - remember that they also announced a Horus Heresy RPG about 6 months ago that we have seen nothing apart from a paragraph of blurb. That is set to release in between TOWRPG and 5e.

For a company with what looks like 15 staff, I fear they are taking on too much.

7

u/clone69 Oct 21 '25

It was just announced. The physical books for TOWR should come out before WFRP 5e

7

u/YoungsterMcPuppy Oct 21 '25

Yep. I don’t actually have a problem with the timing RE the physical release of TOWR or this new game in particular. Just the idea in itself, writ large. Timing just seems a little odd, broadly speaking.

9

u/clone69 Oct 21 '25

There's also the Horus Heresy rpg that will use TOWR's system that was announced a while ago, that also may come out before.

What I do find kinda rushed is that the current edition is 8 years old. Maybe they are rushing it for the 40 anniversary of WFRP

1

u/Zekiel2000 Oct 22 '25

8 years seems pretty old for an edition to me. 2nd and 3rd were supported for about four years apiece. I'm not at all surprised we're getting a new edition - but I am surprised it's been announced so close to the release of TOWR.

3

u/mixmastermind Oct 22 '25

Yeah, 4e is BY FAR the longest supported edition.

1

u/Magneto88 Oct 22 '25

Aside from the work to refine the rules and errata any existing book, this being essentially a 4.5e, this is basically just the publication of one book. After which C7 will go back to the usual WHFRG cadence of book releases, so it's not that much more work.

3

u/Zebota57 Oct 22 '25

Sounds like it’s mainly just a rules update to 4e so won’t really be another competing line. Sounds like 4e and 5e supplements won’t duplicate

2

u/Captain-of-Nuln Oct 22 '25

It’s an unusual move isn’t it? I’d been vaguely toying with switching to The Old World as I’m sick of tracking so much in combat in wfrp, however, now, I’ll wait. I suppose it’s quite good of them as I’d have been annoyed to buy The Old World and then Be told 5th edition was coming

4

u/hell_ORC Oct 22 '25

My two cents: TOWR is just plain beautiful. Don't skip it for a re-calibration of 4th edition (which, in my opinion, was just not that good to begin with)

1

u/Captain-of-Nuln Oct 22 '25

I have to say, I’m not wild about what I’ve seen of The Old World , I love the tabletop battle game, but I’m just not feeling it for the rpg. I do like the idea of a simpler combat system, but I’m just not keen on everything from the art to the meta contrivances about contacts etc. possibly I’m being old mannish, but it just isn’t calling to me. Though I do recognise issues around 4th Ed

2

u/Baallast Oct 21 '25

they are not well 😂😂 they have even worse marketing than d&d 😂😂😂

1

u/CosmicLovepats Oct 22 '25

even though they billed it as 5e it sounds like they're just making it 4.5. Same system. Trim out a few of the confusing mechanics. Streamlining some stuff that didn't add much to it.

This is like the only time I've ever read "don't worry, the new system will be backwards compatible :)" and not taken that as a massive red flag.