There is a reason why most of us prefer WFRP’s combat system to Rolemaster’s. It is simple, quick and deadly. In fact, WFRP is probably the best compromise possible between realism and playability. And yet, as straightforward as it seems, running combat poses certain difficulties for a GM. First of all, combat remains the most time-consuming and rule-heavy part of role-playing, even in WFRP. Lots of characteristics, dice rolls and calculations are involved (just think of the rules for Strike to Stun), as well as keeping track of almost every second of game time and the positions and movement of several PCs and NPCs. Thus running a short skirmish between the PCs and a handful of skaven can easily consume half an hour of your playing time. On the other hand, your players may become bored by the sullen routine of attack rolls, dodges and critical hits, because WFRP’s combat system does not seem to present many options. At worst, combat may become a mere game-within-the-game, consisting of dice rolls, maths and munchkin tactics, which has nothing to do with role-playing any more. As a GM, you want to avoid that. The aim of this article is to give you a few ideas of how to keep your players interested in combat.

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I came across this topic when browsing through the Warhammer forums of FFG and found it a very interesting topic. We all know the situation when the PCs encounter a group of monsters and a battle starts. Some of the PCs are involved directly in hand-to-hand combat while others try to support them by firing with bows, crossbow or guns at the enemy. The WFRP rulebook p. 130 states that a character firing into melee suffers a -20% Ballistic Skill penalty.  But what happens when a shooter misses? Does his missile just miss or could it actually hit another combatant in the melee?

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