History TabletopGame / Zweihander

* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Why everyone, even Beastfolk who often reproduce by seducing the willing, hates Formor, and why they're the only Chaotic species that can't be a VillainProtagonist. Though this appears to be retconning and the Chaotic races don't feel any queasiness about rape.

* DarkerAndEdgier: By design, as shown in the page quote.

* AnythingThatMoves: The Grendel want your women. They also want some of your men... and the children. Plus the occasional farm animal (though the Grendel really don't like the offspring of that particular breeding).

-->'''''ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG''' is a bloodier, grimmer and grittier version of classic tabletop role-playing games you may already familiar with. The community calls this style of gaming the pathetic aesthetic, but we simply call it grim & perilous gaming.''
-->--[[https://grimandperilous.com/what-is-zweihander/ The official webpage]]

* GoingCosmic: The expansion book "[[http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/241561/Dark-Astral--ZWEIHANDER-Grim--Perilous-RPG?src=also_purchased Dark Astral]]" provides rules for science-fiction campaigns in the vein of ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'' and other ''Warhammer 40K'' role-playing games.

That is not criticism. The game competently executes its premise. If you want a one-book RPG that gives you the feel of old-school, insanely-lethal classic WFRP, Zweihander has you covered. Simply put, it is to Warhammer classic what games like Dungeon Crawl Classics are to early ''{{TableTopGame/DungeonsAndDragons}}''.

[[caption-width-right:350:''In the grim peril of medieval Europe you will roll peasants and die of cholera.'']]

Crowdfunded on ''{{Website/Kickstarter}}'' in summer 2016 and published in summer 2017, Zweihänder is a spiritual successor to ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay''. And "successor" may be generous; it is frequently considered a near-perfect clone of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Many concepts clearly mimic the better-known setting while writing around trademarks - see CaptainErsatz, below, for a very ''small'' sample of how much of the game is lifted straight from Warhammer. It goes beyond the creatures; you could easily introduce the game to a Warhammer fan by saying the Aetheric Winds are the Winds of Magic, the Princes of Chaos are the Chaos Gods, character generation is pretty much WFRP 2nd Edition, and gameplay is pretty much also WFRP 2nd Edition. The similarities are obvious and intentional, as when Zweihander was coming out, the fate of WFRP was not certain. Fantasy Flight Games had lost rights to Games Workshop's intellectual property and dropped the lines. Cubicle 7's revival had not been announced, so anyone wanting that experience could just pick up Zweihander and get it.

!!'''NOTE: all the tropes of WFRP's parent setting, TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}, apply here as well. '''

Crowdfunded on ''{{Website/Kickstarter}}'' in summer 2016 and published in summer 2017, Zweihänder is a spiritual successor to ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay''. And "successor" may be generous; it is frequently considered a near-perfect clone of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Many concepts clearly mimic the better-known setting while writing around trademarks - see CaptainErsatz, below, for a very ''small'' sample of how much of the game is lifted straight from Warhammer. It goes beyond the creatures; you could easily introduce the game to a Warhammer fan by saying the Aetheric Winds are the Winds of Magic, the Princes of Chaos are the Chaos Gods, character generation is pretty much WFRP 2nd Edition, and gameplay is pretty much also WFRP 2nd Edition. The similarities are obvious and intentional, as when Zweihander was coming out, the fate of WFRP was not certain. Fantasy Flight Games had lost rights to Games Workshop's intellectual property and dropped the lines. Cubicle 7's revival had not been announced, so anyone wanting a that experience could just pick up Zweihander and get it.

Zweihander is meant for low & dark fantasy campaigns. The creators state the book can be used to craft homebrew stories set in the works of Andrzej Sapkowski, George R.R. Martin, Glen Cook, Scott Lynch and other ‘grimdark’-inspired worlds - assuming you don't mind reworking things that clearly come from Games Workshop, such rolling up a rat catcher who knows about the secret ratmen of the sewers. Or you could play it exactly as written, which will give you a well-executed WFRPG-clone.

That is not criticism. The game competently executes its premise. If you want a one-book RPG that gives you the feel of old-school, insanely-lethal classic WFRP, Zweihander has you covered. Simply put, it is to Warhammer classic what games like Dungeon Crawl Classics are to early DungeonsAndDragons.

Crowdfunded on ''{{Website/Kickstarter}}'' in summer 2016 and published in summer 2017, Zweihänder is a spiritual successor to ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay''.

As advertised, it is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game, one where adventurers will:

* Live in a gritty, ‘realistic’ fantasy world
* Make morally grey decisions & enact vicious reprisals
* Uncover insidious plots & political intrigue
* Desperately fight in clandestine & open field combat
* Defend themselves from injuries, madness & mutations
* Take part in heart-pumping chase scenes
* Venture into the wilderness & survive its perils
* Encounter sanity-blasting creatures & their minions

Using the classical D100 system, with ZWEIHÄNDER RPG you will create grim characters, write perilous adventures and build low fantasy & dark fantasy campaigns. These rules are perfectly suitable to run Renaissance and medieval-styled adventures, too. You can also use this book to craft homebrew stories set in the works of Andrzej Sapkowski, George R.R. Martin, Glen Cook, Scott Lynch and other ‘grimdark’-inspired worlds.

This all-in-one game includes most of what you need to play: a character creation guide, game mastery rules and a bestiary brimming with creatures both fair & foul. All that’s left to gather are a few friends, pencils and a handful of dice.

ZWEIHÄNDER awaits, and the fate of your grim & perilous tale hangs in the balance!

* CrystalDragonJesus: The God-Emperor. Sigmund is a mix of Jesus Christ and [[TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay Sigmar]]. He was born from a virgin on a night with a twin-tailed comet. He also worked as a carpenter before finding a Dwarven relic warhammer that urged him to go slaughter evil and make a benevolent empire.

* MagicKnight: Dread Counts are the {{Expy}} of Warhammer's Chaos Lords. The Dread Counts take it up a notch though. To create a Dread Count, there needs to be a [[FusionDance black magic ritual that binds]] a Fell Knight (expy of a Chaos Warrior) and Havoc Summoner (expy of a Chaos Sorcerer. The Dread Count gets the combined abilities of both, but is even [[TheAce better than the original]].

* NighInvulnerable: Beware fighting monsters with the Accursed. Accursed means you're up against a supernatural creature that can only be harmed with magical weapons.

* EvilVirtues: All the Chaotic races, minus Formor, have some pretty positive cultural traits (Orx are brave and community-minded, Beastfolk loathe rape and accept outcastes, and Skrazzak [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas are utterly dedicated to their queens]]).

* {{Mutants}}: The presence of Moorcock-inspired Chaos mutants is a feature that set ZWEIHÄNDER and its contemporary WFRP apart from many other fantasy wargame/role-playing systems -- and here, they're given all the gory detail they deserve. Being a mutant means everything from being a complete cripple, to merely being an ugly human, to becoming a freak powerful enough to put most X-Men to shame, and everything in between.

* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Why everyone, even Beastfolk who often reproduce by seducing the willing, hates Formor, and why they're the only Chaotic species that can't be a VillainProtagonist.

* GoingCosmic: The expansion book "[[http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/241561/Dark-Astral--ZWEIHANDER-Grim--Perilous-RPG?src=also_purchased Dark Astral]]" provides rules for science-fiction campaigns in the vein of the ''TabletopGame/RoughTrader'' and other ''Warhammer 40K'' role-playing games.