Saturday, 23 April 2011
Skaven...
I had a chat with some friends today. Two said to me: "S is for Skaven."
Yes. Skaven starts with an S. However, I wanted something obscure, and oh: I have a problem with Skaven.
Frankly, this race of perfidious "ratmen" in WFRP, from 1e through 2e, don't fit in the fiction presented: the ratmen manipulate powerful and influential men to promote the idea that the Skaven don't exist and to ostracize those that seek to prove they do.
The problem with this is that while clans of Skaven, being organized by clans if you did not know, specialize in subterfuge and assassinations, the body politic of Skaven are fairly open. Entire cities in the fiction are documented as being run over by Skaven, both in Bretonnia and points south. Moreover, every bordering nation-state seems to acknowledge the existence openly. Thus diplomatically the Empire cannot support the "lie" proposed in the fiction. This alone would simply make it to implausible for those in power to continue the lie.
While some may argue it unfair to draw WFB into the discussion, I disagree. In WFB, Skaven exist on the battle field. The Skaven participated in the Storm of Chaos. And while the "Under Empire" was expanded in the Storm of Chaos, it is well established in the fiction that Valten was assassinated by the Skaven (though I will stipulate in such a way as to create an air of deniability). And another clan detonated a warpstone bomb in the Fauschlag--sorry, "the Ulricsberg"--of Middenheim. These events are established as canon in WFRP 2e, thus not unfair fodder for the debate. General and foot soldier alike will have returned from battles facing the ratmen.
I don't think Skaven work as established. Though they are a great threat to PCs. In the shadows, but not unknown.
So I admit to the use of Skaven in my WFRP campaigns though I do not adhere to the canon in as much as using the "X-File" like nature of the Skaven's existence. I instead allow the PCs to laugh at the deniers. Openly.
Yes. Skaven starts with an S. However, I wanted something obscure, and oh: I have a problem with Skaven.
Frankly, this race of perfidious "ratmen" in WFRP, from 1e through 2e, don't fit in the fiction presented: the ratmen manipulate powerful and influential men to promote the idea that the Skaven don't exist and to ostracize those that seek to prove they do.
The problem with this is that while clans of Skaven, being organized by clans if you did not know, specialize in subterfuge and assassinations, the body politic of Skaven are fairly open. Entire cities in the fiction are documented as being run over by Skaven, both in Bretonnia and points south. Moreover, every bordering nation-state seems to acknowledge the existence openly. Thus diplomatically the Empire cannot support the "lie" proposed in the fiction. This alone would simply make it to implausible for those in power to continue the lie.
While some may argue it unfair to draw WFB into the discussion, I disagree. In WFB, Skaven exist on the battle field. The Skaven participated in the Storm of Chaos. And while the "Under Empire" was expanded in the Storm of Chaos, it is well established in the fiction that Valten was assassinated by the Skaven (though I will stipulate in such a way as to create an air of deniability). And another clan detonated a warpstone bomb in the Fauschlag--sorry, "the Ulricsberg"--of Middenheim. These events are established as canon in WFRP 2e, thus not unfair fodder for the debate. General and foot soldier alike will have returned from battles facing the ratmen.
I don't think Skaven work as established. Though they are a great threat to PCs. In the shadows, but not unknown.
So I admit to the use of Skaven in my WFRP campaigns though I do not adhere to the canon in as much as using the "X-File" like nature of the Skaven's existence. I instead allow the PCs to laugh at the deniers. Openly.
Posted by at 1:19 AM in d10
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