I’ve been learning a lot about Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Enemy Within campaign, and I really like adventures on boats. My questions about Death on the Reik:
Is this fun to GM or play with a new audience? That is, if you don’t have the benefit of nostalgia?
Is it easy to adapt to a non-Warhammer setting? If you aren’t specifically tied to the German-esque naming conventions, etc.?
Anybody have experience adapting Death on the Reik to a simpler or more modern system?
Any recommendation for other inland river-born or lake-born adventures?
(For context, I own the 1st edition PDF of Death on the Reik and have browsed through once with low detail. I also own and have read Volume 1 and 3 of the remastered Enemy Within modules.)
Just a quick note that Kriegsmesser and Lorn Song of the Bachelor were mentioned on Discord. I’ll let those commenters expand on their thoughts here, if they so choose.
The big recommendation I can give is Warlock! by Fire Ruby Designs . It’s a simple d20 system inspired by Advanced Fighting Fantasy! for grimdark fantasy. The creator made it exactly because he wanted to run The Enemy Within but didn’t liked the WFRP system.
Even tho it was birthed as Warhammer with the serial numbers filled off, its own setting is also pretty good, and the supplements and adventures are quite nice.
The people at Wandering DM’s have a playlist on their channel where they run this using an adapted version of ODND iirc. I don’t really know how they adapted it, since there seem to still be skills etc, but it seems to work well.
Talking about the remaster as it’s the only one I’ve read, and I adore the Enemy Within “Director’s Cut” (slash remaster).
Is this fun to GM or play with a new audience? That is, if you don’t have the benefit of nostalgia?
Absolutely. The Enemy Within Campaign is solid from go to whoa. People have really comitted to this product in a way that shows. Firstly, though, I’d recommend you make a REALLY clear decision where you want to end it. DotR has a fine ending on its own, but it REALLY wants to feed into Chapter 3.
The final scene is actually really great, and I think it could be an end to a campaign. WIll just need some tidying up of loose ends.
Is it easy to adapt to a non-Warhammer setting? If you aren’t specifically tied to the German-esque naming conventions, etc.?
Kind of. There are some base assumptions that you need though. The Reik isn’t actually the important part (Could just as easily be Death on the Grismeire…actually that sounds rad af), the important part is the Death bit. You need a setting where Chaos exists, where dark magic gathers. It doesn’t necessarily have to be low magic but it does need to have the idea that Power Corrupts, as the whole Enemy Within does. Specifically, Warpstone is prominent in DotR, and D&D doesn’t really have an analogue that’s nearly as engaging. Oh, also, almost all of the enemies are regular people, which is fine for WFRP, but in D&D where your fifth level wizard can obliterate matter with a wink, it might feel a little disingenous for the Captain of the Guard to survive his seventh fireball.
I personally would find it at odds with D&D, but think it’d be banger in a Lord of the Rings-framed system.
Anybody have experience adapting Death on the Reik to a simpler or more modern system?
I’ve not myself. I adapted Enemy in Shadows (the preceeding chapter) into Genesys. I gave away a lot more info than the text expected, which let them get ahead of the mystery in parts (and into more hot water). Modern games offer A LOT of player-forward information, and better forms of fiction interrogation than a -20 Gossip Test. For that reason some secrets might not be so secret. I’d be more inclined to play it using Perilous Wilds or a similar travel-focused system than something like Fellowship which abstracts a lot of travel and distance away.
Take extra care regarding that “too much information” thing. There are a few surprises that DotR ABSOLUTELY requires. To the point thatw would feel contrived without them.
Any recommendation for other inland river-born or lake-born adventures?
Sailors on the Starless Sea is a classic. Would recommend it for Lake adventures. Sorry, I’ll have a think about any others, but nothing is pinging my head rn. I 100% recommend Fever Swamp if Lake can include Swamp!
Swamps = yes, please! I’m currently using material from the Sunken City Omnibus with one of my Mork Borg groups. Wetlands in real life always seem mysterious and alien, so a great backdrop for fantasy adventure when it’s done well!
