Running Your First WFRP Session: Herding Cats Through Hell
The GM's Role: Part Director, Part Executioner
As a WFRP Game Master, you're not just running a game—you're orchestrating a dark comedy where the punchline is usually death. Your job is to create a world that feels alive, dangerous, and grimly hilarious while your players stumble through it making increasingly poor decisions. Think of yourself as a tour guide through a nightmare, but you're also selling tickets.
graph TD
A[GM Responsibilities] --> B[World Building]
A --> C[NPC Management]
A --> D[Rules Arbitration]
A --> E[Mood Setting]
B --> F[Make it Grim]
B --> G[Make it Perilous]
C --> H[Everyone is Suspicious]
C --> I[Most are Doomed]
D --> J[Know the Rules]
D --> K[Break them Wisely]
E --> L[Dark Humor]
E --> M[Creeping Dread]
L --> N[Players Laugh]
M --> O[Then They Scream]
Pre-Session Preparation: Planning for Disaster
Session Zero: Setting Expectations of Doom
The First Adventure: Start Small, End in Fire
Running Combat: Organized Brutality
graph LR
A[Combat Starts] --> B[Call for Initiative]
B --> C[Track Turn Order]
C --> D[Describe Scene]
D --> E[Player Turn]
E --> F{Action?}
F --> G[Roll Dice]
G --> H[Describe Result]
H --> I[Check Morale]
I --> J{Anyone Flee?}
J -->|Yes| K[Chase Scene]
J -->|No| L[Next Turn]
L --> E
K --> M[Combat Ends]
H --> N{Anyone Dead?}
N -->|Yes| M
N -->|No| L
NPC Voices: Making Everyone Memorable
Common GM Mistakes (We All Make Them)
Mistakes and How to Fix Them:
Being Too Lethal: Yes, WFRP is deadly, but TPK in session 1 isn't fun. Fudge rolls if needed.
Forgetting NPC Names: Keep a list. When blanking, use "Wilhelm" - every third person is named Wilhelm.
Railroad Too Hard: Players will ignore your plot. Have backup plans, not backup rails.
Forget the Humor: Grimdark without gallows humor is just depressing.
Rules Paralysis: When in doubt, call for a Challenging (+0) test and move on.
Monologuing Villains: Players will attack mid-speech. Let them.
Forgetting Conditions: Use tokens or notes to track who's Stunned, Bleeding, etc.
Perfect NPCs: Everyone should have flaws. Especially allies.
Handling Player Actions: When Plans Meet Players
Building Tension: The Slow Burn
Techniques for Building Dread:
Environmental Details: "The walls are covered in scratch marks at shoulder height"
NPC Behavior: "The usually chatty merchant won't make eye contact today"
Unexplained Events: "You find your inn room door slightly ajar"
Time Pressure: "The festival is tomorrow night. People keep mentioning it..."
False Normalcy: "Everything seems perfectly normal. Too normal."
Gradual Revelation: Start with missing cats, end with tentacle god
Use Their Backstories: That enemy from their past? They're in town.
Ending the Session: Always Leave Them Wanting More
Good Session Endings:
Cliffhanger: "As you open the door, you see..." *session ends*
Victory with Complications: "You've saved the merchant, but now the cult knows your names"
New Mystery: "In the cultist's pocket, you find a map to..."
Character Moment: End on roleplay, not just action
Safe Haven: Sometimes just let them rest at the inn
Post-Session:
Ask for feedback (what worked, what didn't)
Award XP (20-30 for survival, bonuses for good RP)
Note player actions for consequences next session
Update your campaign notes while memory is fresh
Your First Session Checklist
Before Players Arrive:
☐ Dice, pencils, and paper ready
☐ Character sheets (plus blanks for deaths)
☐ Rules references bookmarked
☐ Starting scene clear in your mind
☐ NPC names and personalities noted
☐ Combat encounters balanced (sort of)
☐ Backup plans for player chaos
☐ Snacks and drinks prepared
☐ Phone on silent
☐ Deep breath taken
"The best GMs are the ones who realize their job isn't to tell a story,
but to help the players tell theirs. Usually it ends badly. That's WFRP."
- Graeme Davis, WFRP Designer