Long story short - the players forced the cult's hand in 'Eye for an Eye' by stealing the demon-summoning book (they don't know that, though). This resulted in Lord Whatshisname being gravely wounded and a lot of the innocent staff being killed. The players took down most of the cult, and those that tried to run away were (probably) taken by the beastmen - I actually had the Librarian and some of the evil servants leave the gates open, allowing for a group of beastmen to infiltrate (which the players took care of). Now - two out of my three players are close to KO'd, Lord Whatshisnuts is stable but critical (and can't talk - cult leader cut out his tongue), they've rounded up the remaining guards (who were sleeping most of the time) and are ready to pack both coaches and head for the nearest village. Since we didn't get to run the demon scene, I wanted to make the beastmen attack more dynamic/harrowing, especially since one of the players is still carrying the painting. So I ended last session with the players and the rest leaving the manor as multiple war horns sound out from the forest. I want to run a 'flight-through-the-woods' type deal, since two players are trained in Ride and we haven't gotten to use that yet. So I was just wondering if others have cinematic (that is, quick-and-dirty) rules/tips for this type of scenario. I want to make it exciting enough that they feel like they've done something, but not so exciting that I run the very real risk of TPK. I was thinking a progress track for the beastmen, to show how close they are to catching up/overwhelming the party, coupled with another tracker for the player's horses (stamina/health/whatever) - successful Ride checks widen the distance and don't tire the horses out as much. I don't really know, though. Wow. That wasn't short at all. Thanks in advance. -wunduhbear

So we're playing for the first time tomorrow night, and I had some kinda specific questions. The party ability on the Party Sheet for 'Intrepid Explorers' says something like 'Characters may use fortune points from their personal supply to perform manoeuvres during encounter mode.' Seems straight forward but I just want to clarify: Does this mean characters may use fortune points for a free manoeuvre, or am I missing something about how fortune points/manoeuvres interact? So, basically, is a free move NOT something a fortune point does regularly? Secondly, social-to-combat (and vice versa) initiative: Some character abilities give bonuses when combat/social initiative is rolled. What happens if (most likely when) a 'social' encounter devolves into a 'combat' encounter? I can't really see it happening the other way around as often, but the question still remains if I should have them re-roll initiative. Or should I let someone who has that bonus get a free move or something? How are you guys handling this? Follow-up, am I mistaken in thinking that the above transition would be a good point for a rally? Thanks up front. Really excited to play.

Hey all. So, I was a GM in the heady days of yore - actually not long ago at all to some of you I'm sure; I purchased the Basic AD&D Kit about a month before 3e was released, got caught up in that frothing mess of hype, then gradually moved toward games like FUDGE/FATE and one awesome month playing Nobilis ... and then college happened and there was no time ... - Anyway, I'm getting back in the game! (Get it!? That was awful. But I won't apologize.) I'm really excited to run WFRP - I was in my Friendly Neighborhood Gaming Store where there were some people playing. I asked a question about the dice and then BAM, I got that old-style feeling of excitement - I knew I had to run a game. Finding a mechanic that DOESN'T get in the way of storytelling was always a big thing for me - to find one that (can) actively enhance RP is pretty cool. Best part is, I've convinced (tricked? conned?) my girlfriend into playing - All I had to do was show that lapsed board-gamer the box and she went, "Oh, bits!" Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself - I'll likely be asking for advice in the next couple of days. -wunduhbear