First what it is (according to 'them')

QuoteWhat do Circus Freaks, Bog Octopi and Star Signs have in common? They're all inside the WFRP Companion! Designed as a toolbox to enhance your game and spawn countless new adventures, the WFRP Companion is an excellent resource for both players and GMs alike. Inside this volume you'll find 15 diverse articles, including:

* A detailed look at life on the Empire's Waterways, including statistics for the Keel and Reikaak, new careers like the Riverwarden and Stevedore, and much more.
* A disturbing look into the seedy life of the Old World Carnivals.
* Extensive rules for trade and commerce in the Empire.
* Setting overviews for Sartosa, the City of Pirates, and Tobaro, City of Fools.
* An overview of Old World Astrology.
* An examination of Old World Medicine, including it's history and new rules for surgery and treatment.
* Write-ups of exciting new adventure sites like Gugnir's Weapon Shop, the Arena Inn, and the Cock and Bucket.
* An overview of the Imperial Gunnery School, including its history, customs and key NPCs.
* Details on a new threat to the Empire: the Cult of Illumination.
* An expansion of the Old World Bestiary that contains over a dozen new monsters like the Bog Octopus, Bloodsedge and the dreaded Patchwork Man.

The WFRP Companion is a perfect complement to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay that makes the Old World that much more grim and perilous.

One deviation from past books is that this one is soft cover, something I was surprised to see.  But it's also at a lesser price then their hardbacks and the binding seems good so I'll let that pass.
 
This book is similar in nature to that of Sigmar's Heirs and for an experienced GM that wants just more flavor for their world this is a much more useful book.  The Carny section is a nice read.  Not rules heavy and left me with a devilish grin.  Mostly it focuses on well Carny's for good and bad and gives some very fun little ways to introduce a lighter element to your players.  Though this is the Old World so behind it all there is usually something more sinister.   It leave the chapter with a few detailed traveling shows that would be great plot seeds for a pick up game or a nice diversion to a bigger quest.  Though in my case a certain player [cough]Northcott[/cough] would probably look to that diversion as another Holy Crusade and entirely change the scope of the campaign Smiley
 
The astrology setting has some use if you want to get a better feel for flushing out a character but generally it's just filler.
 
The trade, commerce, and Medicine sections are fantastic.  They are way better then what was put down in the Arms and Equipment guide and really are the core rules to how Money changes hand throughout the empire.  I mean they are seriously detailed you could take the rules here and turn them into a Sid Meir's style strategy game.  They are fantastic.  The medicine section is wonderfully detailed into all the bits of nastiness that make surgery with rusty instruments come to life.  They also have some fun new diseases and ailments and dubious cures to go along.  Great read.
 
We also have sections on Cool places to visit.  The gun powder academy, bars, inns, fighting pits etc... Very colourfull locations that can be used as presented in the book or dropped into pretty much anywhere you see fit.  They are great places to form adventures around and create a lot of opportunities for a GM with writers block.
 
The details on the waterways and people that defend them is well done and gives enough detail to flush those areas out without becoming boring.
 
But for me the real joy were the sections on Sartosa and Tobaro.  Sartosa is the city of pirates and it's fantastic.  It's right out of every pirate movie, novel ever written it's a perfect place to plan a campaign around.  Tobaro is much the same fools paradise.  Two of the best settings I've seen yet.  Just full of life they could easily devote an entire book to each of these two places and still you'd want more.  They bring colour to an otherwise grim setting.  Plus they are set some what apart from the typical old world places so a GM that wants to take a campaign in a nother direction has the freedom to branch out and not be trapped by the typical Old World canon.  Both settings give a general layout of the cities; movers and shakers; and of course some nice plot hooks.  
 
The last part of the book adds more to the Bestiary.  It's done in the same fashion as the normal Bestiary by giving 'Expert' opinions on the contents and then the game statistics required.  Many of the monsters here are tied to the contents of the book so if sea fairing is something you wanted to do you can now fill it with some real terrors.
 
Through all of the book there are plot points, interesting side stories, new careers and some interesting detailed characters.  All in all I was very impressed with the amount of detail in this book.  It really is a good Companion to have.  It's not a book I'll always be turning to but when I'm stumped for ideas or just want a quick fun place to drop in I'll certainly turn to this.
 
I know I sound like a fanboy for WFRP and I admit I am.  But it's not because I'm just blindly devoted to the setting and material it's because they've consistently been putting out high quality stuff both in content and production values.  They have managed with every supplement to flush out more and more of the world and yet they haven't fallen into a typical RPG trap of over shadowing older books with newer,  cooler stuff.

Hi Kryyst, glad you liked the Companion.

You can find some free additional content for the Trade article on the BI site. There's a cargo manifest sheet, a couple of new careers and Lores for priests of Ranald (in his dealer aspect) and Handrich. These spells complement the trading rules that myself and Jude wrote for the book

EDIT: Links added

http://www.blackindustries.com/?template=WH&content=fanmaterial

http://www.blackindustries.com/?template=WH&content=gamingaids

Anyone who is interested in Warhammer should have a quick look at my blog.  Someone unearthed a critical article written by Stephen Baxter about the role played by Games Workshop and the warhammer franchises in the history of british Sci-fi.

I'd dig up the link but I can't be bothered and frankly, I like the hits ;-)

Everyone knows about Kim Newman's WHF novels but how about Charles Stross, Stephen Baxter and Terry Pratchett?

Quote from: One Horse TownHi Kryyst, glad you liked the Companion.

You can find some free additional content for the Trade article on the BI site. There's a cargo manifest sheet, a couple of new careers and Lores for priests of Ranald (in his dealer aspect) and Handrich. These spells complement the trading rules that myself and Jude wrote for the book

Yeah I've seen those, looked at them and filed them away for later.  Great work overall.

Quote from: kryystFirst what it is (according to 'them')
What do Circus Freaks, Bog Octopi and Star Signs have in common? They're all inside the WFRP Companion!

:win: Sold! I'd put all that in Mordheim and have a blast.

You say "Tobaro is a fool's paradise"... in what sense? I mean, Sartosa is "city of pirates", cool, everyone gets an idea of what that's like just by the line.  But Tobaro is "city of fools"... fucked if I know what that's supposed to be!  And yet you chose to elaborate more on the latter and nothing on the former...

RPGPundit

Quote from: Mr. AnalyticalEveryone knows about Kim Newman's WHF novels but how about Charles Stross, Stephen Baxter and Terry Pratchett?

Pah!

QuoteTwo of the yeses were from Garry Kilworth and Brian Stableford, who were endearingly honest about their motives: 'Your letter arrived on the same day as my bank statement,' said Garry. The third yes came from Terry Pratchett (!): 'What a delightful world, with many original touches. In Robert Robinson's telling phrase, it looks as though the writers learned the language in a hurry in order to sell beads to the natives. But provided no one expects me to take it as seriously as it clearly takes itself, count me in as interested at least as far as knowing what the "usual rates" in this case are.' In a later note Terry wrote, 'I feel a bit like King Herod being invited to write the newsletter for the Bethlehem Playground Association.'

In the end, though, this venture failed when the draft contract proved unacceptable to the writers involved; GW evidently still hadn't got the hang of the business they were trying to enter — and Terry Pratchett never would write for GW.

TP almost wrote for GW.

I just got the Companion through the post yesterday and it looks good. Love the bestiary at the back especially since it brings back some faves from 1st edition.

I'm loving WFRP right now.

Quote from: RPGPunditYou say "Tobaro is a fool's paradise"... in what sense? I mean, Sartosa is "city of pirates", cool, everyone gets an idea of what that's like just by the line.  But Tobaro is "city of fools"... fucked if I know what that's supposed to be!  And yet you chose to elaborate more on the latter and nothing on the former...

RPGPundit

It's their blurbage - I jut cut and pasted that part.  But to elaborate.  Tobaro is similar to Sartosa in terms of overall feel.  The fools bit seems to come in in the general personalities of the people that willing reside there.  The city is a terrible place to live.  It's built around a volcano buildings are built on stilts projecting from the rock face and a common mode of transportation are basket elevators and zip ropes.  One of the most common means of death is simply being drunk and falling to your doom.  Getting in and off the island requires navigating some of the most dangerous waters in the old world.  Basically the premise is that you'd have to be a fool to live there.

Ok, so why the fuck do people live there, then? What's the appeal? Why would players go there?

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPunditOk, so why the fuck do people live there, then? What's the appeal? Why would players go there?

RPGPundit

People live there because there is a lot of money to be made.  Players go there because they a) Want to share in that fat loot b) have bastard GM's.

Quote from: kryystPeople live there because there is a lot of money to be made.  Players go there because they a) Want to share in that fat loot b) have bastard GM's.

AH ok, something you missed here... in what way is there a lot of money to be made?

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPunditAH ok, something you missed here... in what way is there a lot of money to be made?

RPGPundit

It's a protected haven so it's a great place for pirate, smugglers and the like to hang out, similar to Sartosa in that respect.  There are Merchant houses and rumors of great tunnels beneath the place with untold riches.  So you want some dungeneering no problem, political intrigue no problem, just a place to hide out and lay low - no problem.

Ok, thanks!

RPGPundit