Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is my first Amazon review...I usually can't be bothered with commenting on these things, but I do rely on the reviews of others to help me decide when I'm on the fence about a certain purchase...so, since I was so impressed with this product, I thought I'd share.
First off, I wouldn't call myself an FFG fanboy. I do, however, find that the quality of their products is consistently top-notch. As far as durability is concerned, I disagree with the previous reviewer's opinion on this. I don't feel that the packaging should drop the the rating that much. If you have already purchased the Core box set, the contents of this kit will fit in that box nicely. The first adventure module published and sold for this RPG (A Gathering Storm) is packaged exactly the same way as the GM toolkit. Also, the GM screen is worth the price of this kit alone. The artwork on it is amazing, there are all the rules summaries as well as a rules index on the GM side, and its not made of flimsy card. I did dock them slightly on durability due to the book being in soft-cover format.
Second, I am fairly new to RPG's. I played Dungeons and Dragons when I was about 12 years old, about 20 years ago now. I was drawn to this game because of the publisher's (Fantasy Flight Games) reputation and because of the world setting (I play Warhammer Fantasy Battles table top miniatures game by Games Workshop).
The pros...
-Great advice on creating original story arcs using classic story telling themes.
-Advice on story "hooks" (getting the players to bite).
-New concepts of Nemisis NPCs and NPC party sheets.
-Full color high quality printing and inspiring artwork.
-Pages of "alternate rules" suggestions on how to change up some of the core mechanics slightly to suit your groups' play style.
-Advice on new and helpful ways to use the "progress tracks" to aid in story development and .
-More standups.
-Awesome GM screen....man FFG knocked it out of the park with this one.
The cons...
-The book is about the size of one of the 4 books in the Core set (actually it's a little thin, more like the size of the tome of mysteries, or tome of Blessings), which is suitable for the price (esp. here on Amazon) but it left me wanting more, especially as a new GM.
-The book is soft cover, so wont stand up to abuse as much as a hardcover...though, to be fair, all the books in the core set and the one expansion adventure I picked up are the same. I think this just keeps them more affordable.
-I feel like this could have been included with the core set, perhaps as part of the "Tome of Adventure" but FFG is trying to make the most of their GW license here, and "expansion sets" are a big part of their business model.
Even if you are a veteran GM, the advice in this book could inspire you to step out of your established comfort zone and try a new story telling technique/formula. I think it's a great buy at Amazon.com as I purchased it at retail plus CA sales tax at my local game store. Amazon had not yet discounted this product when I decided to get it. Ultimately, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars due to how thin the book was. I think FFG could have packed a little more content in there for their suggested retail price.
Looking forward to the "Winds of Magic" expansion, hopefully Amazon will offer some sort of discount off of it's $50 price tag.
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FFGWHF05 Game Masters Toolkit Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Game by Fantasy Flight Games The Game Masters Toolkit for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is a valuable resource for both new and veteran Game Masters. The toolkit is filled with a number of helpful tools and adventure seeds for Game Masters to enhance their Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay games, as well as provides more advice and suggestions to help refine their GM skills and get the most out of the materials and rules provided with the game. Featuring a large two-sided screen with rule summaries and a wealth of information, the Game Masters Toolkit also includes punchboard with more NPC and creature standups and tokens, a variety of new location and item cards, and introduces organisation sheets to integrate into your game. Armed with the resources found in the Gamemaster+s Toolkit, a GM will always be ready for action!
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