Reading – Warhammer Character Folio

NOTE: This is another one of my older reviews. Some of you may have read this about five years ago when I first posted it online.

Why, you’re no doubt asking, would I bother to write a review of this product when I’ve already reviewed the Dark Heresy Character Folio, which is essentially the exact same product; I’m not entirely sure why I’m writing this, except for possibly the fact that my mind is in a “slow” zone and writing something short (and almost mindless) – something I can complete relatively quickly – should be good for my soul. You see, it’s NaNoWriMo time and my novel has already hit a wall. Anyway, you don’t really care about that, so let’s take a look at the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay* Character Folio.

What is it?

Like the Dark Heresy* Character Folio, this is a small (approximately 6”x8.5”) booklet of 24-pages. Unfortunately, despite the fact that it is intended that players write in this booklet the glossy pages do not cooperate very well with pencils. Rather than go into an involved explanation of how you should simply photocopy the pages of this booklet (in order to solve its problems), I’ll instead refer you to my Dark Heresy Character Folio review.

With that out of the way, I’ll switch off what’s left of the active portion of my brain and hammer out a brief sentence or two on each page in the booklet.

• The inside front cover presents random tables for creating your character’s personal heraldry. It’s cute, and the front cover includes a space for you to draw your personal heraldry once it’s rolled, but it’s little more than filler material.
• One page in the booklet is used to record information about your character’s race, career, the campaign name, and assorted personal details (including distinguishing marks, star sign, and number of siblings).
• One page for your character’s personality, a sketch, and likes and dislikes.
• Two pages for noting your character’s history.
• A single page for information about the rest of your party. The best idea on this page is the “Behind their back, you’d say:” section for each member of your party. “Dear Diary, the dwarf said the strangest thing today . . .”
• Two pages for notes on your current career, listing any completed careers, and planning future careers.
• One page for tracking insanities and diseases.
• One page with space for battle scars (including space to write down how the scar was gained) and mutations.
• A two-page combat section, where you can write down your character’s statistics (including weapon and armor information and experience totals). An “Action Summary” list also appears on this spread.
• Two pages for skills.
• One page for listing talents
• Two pages for listing your character’s trappings and recording information about his finances (if any).
• One page for the character’s businesses and holdings. Do so many Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay* characters run their own businesses that an entire page was needed for business information?
• A single (cramped) space for mounts, familiars, and henchmen.
• One page with space to record information on what creatures you’ve killed.
• One page for recording your character’s interactions with magic (including a curse checklist that refers to Realms of Sorcery*).
• A two-page spell grimoire with space for known rituals.
• One page to properly record the details of your character’s death and how he spent his fate points (before he died, naturally).
• The last page is intended for “Memorable Gaming Quotes.” You could also call this your “Notes” page.
• The inside back cover is a table titled “Foretelling of Doom” and the credits and copyright information.

Do you need this?

No, you don’t. Just like the Dark Heresy* Character Folio, this particular product is unnecessary and can be easily replaced with a stack of paper. If you happen to own a copy of the Character Folio, though, you’ll no doubt get the best use out of it if you hit a photocopier before writing in the booklet. But do not go out of your way to track down a copy of this supplement – especially since it is out-of-print and selling for more than its original cover price – but if you happen to stumble across a copy, and feel like parting with $7, then it’s an okay enough purchase.

In short, it’s neither good nor bad.