If the core setting of WFRP (ie the old world/empire) didn't have that funky medieval Europe/Germanic vibe, would it be as popular? Would it be as atmospheric?

It would depend on what else you did with it.  The rules alone do create a certain kind of feel to the game regardless of the setting they are in.  But if the setting doesn't mesh well with the rules then it wouldn't.  But that's the same with any rules/setting combination.  If they support each other your going to create a rich compelling atmosphere.  If they are at odds with each other they'll fail.

WFRP 2e has a good system (fixing a lot of the problems 1e had); but certainly its very tied to the setting. You'd have to do some serious changes (namely, all the careers) if you wanted to go with something other than the gritty renaissance/wars-of-religion-era European feel.

I don't feel the "german" part of it was particularly essential; you could just as easily have set Warhammer in renaissance era England or the Italian states or Poland or pretty much any other part of civilized Europe.

RPGPundit

Obviously you don't play up the beer and sausages angle of the campaign sufficiently

Personally WFRP is very specific to Warhammer's setting.  I guess if you totally re-wrote the careers and magic system it could be ported over but I'm not sure it would be worth the bother.

Well, to me the real deal of the setting is that its not about "germans" per se, its about the grime and general scumminess of the 15th-17th centuries; undoubtedly as a kind of European response to the idealized visions the American RPGs created of this same period-context in their RPG settings.

Its not really all that "german" anyways, not in any authentic sense; its very clearly British, with the Empire being more about British stereotypes of the continentals mixed with some very thinly-veiled british cultural humour.

Or put in other terms, I don't think a group of German gamers would have ended up creating the WFRP Old World if they'd come up with Warhammer.  Their version of the Empire would have looked a lot different.

RPGPundit

its fair to say that WHFRP 1st edition was as close to a fantasy version of Call of Cthulhu, i.e. the horror of chaos being barely inches away from the normalcy of "modern" life.

has that since changed?

Not so much.

So what changed? I was under the impression that 2nd ed used the same background.

It's basically the same setting only it's moved forward in time until after a massive war.  Humanity has one and chaos was pushed back.  But there are still pockets of beastmen and chaos and other evilness lurking about.  Skaven still exist in the sewers etc...  Where I think they did a better job IMO is in distinguishing that while the general people live under the fear of what could happen it's seldom something they'll directly encounter.  Unlike the players who are likely to encounter that kind of horror regularly.  For example the common perception for the world is that skaven don't really exist.

The whole "skaven denial" thing being one of the dumber aspects of the setting, given how present the skaven are.

RPGPundit

Quote from: kryyst;282028It's basically the same setting only it's moved forward in time until after a massive war.  Humanity has one and chaos was pushed back.  But there are still pockets of beastmen and chaos and other evilness lurking about.  Skaven still exist in the sewers etc...  Where I think they did a better job IMO is in distinguishing that while the general people live under the fear of what could happen it's seldom something they'll directly encounter.  Unlike the players who are likely to encounter that kind of horror regularly.  For example the common perception for the world is that skaven don't really exist.

kinda sounds like the difference between Call of Cthulhu and Cthuolhutech.

Quote from: RPGPundit;282113The whole "skaven denial" thing being one of the dumber aspects of the setting, given how present the skaven are.

Yeah, I prefer to downplay the links to the wargame (such as skipping over the whole Storm of Chaos bit) since the skaven denial thing really, really doesn't work in the same gameworld as the one where entire skaven armies take to the field of battle...

Quote from: RPGPundit;282113The whole "skaven denial" thing being one of the dumber aspects of the setting, given how present the skaven are.

RPGPundit

I personally like it for flavor.  But then again I generally downplay most of the truely nasty shit as far as the gen pop is concerned.  They know there is evil lurky stuff out there some have seen it or knows someone who's seen it.  But the gen pop doesn't really know the names for the stuff.  They just know there is evil lurky shit and that's why they stay inside their protected cities.  The city defenders would have a better knowledge as would stage coach drivers, bandits etc....

But typically speaking if you are a normal person you are pretty safe from all the chaos bits.  You continue you miserable existence oblivious to the chaos effects going on all around you.  About the only think common people would typically be exposed to and understand about are mutations.