''Something Rotten in Kislev'' is a supplement published by
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group (often abbreviated as GW) is a British manufacturer of miniature wargames, based in Nottingham, England. Its best-known products are ''Warhammer (game), Warhammer'' and ''Warhammer 40,000''.
Founded in 1975 by John Peake ...
in 1988 as the fifth installment of ''
The Enemy Within Campaign
''The Enemy Within'' campaign (abbreviated to TEW) is a series of adventures for ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' where hidden powers of Chaos plot the destruction of the Empire. It was originally published by Games Workshop in the late 1980s. Prais ...
'' created for the fantasy role-playing game ''
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' or ''Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play'' (abbreviated to ''WFRP'' or ''WHFRP'') is a role-playing game set in the ''Warhammer Fantasy (setting), Warhammer Fantasy'' setting, published by Games Workshop or its licensee ...
''. Although it received good critical reception, there were complaints that this product did not match the previous four installements in tone, and in a later edition of the campaign, ''Something Rotten in Kislev'' was replaced.
Description
''Something Rotten in Kislev'' is the fifth part of ''The Enemy Within'' campaign, and picks up where the previous supplement, ''
Power Behind the Throne
The phrase "power behind the throne" refers to a person or group that is understood to ''de facto'' wield the power of a high-ranking official (originally, and hence the name, a monarch), or whose support must be maintained to continue in office. ...
'', ends. The
player characters
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
are sent by the Graf of Middenheim to give aid to the Tsar of the Kislev. After a 10-page introduction to Kislev, the balance of the book is broken into three linked adventures:
# "The Child Beast": The characters are sent to the village of Voltsara to deal with attacks from beastmen, and must negoiate with animistic spirits to discern the true nature of the beastmen.
# "Death on Vacation": The characters are sent to the colony of Chernozavrta, which is being besieged by tribesmen, who are in turn being besieged by a hobgoblin army. The characters must negotiate with the hobgoblins and find a way past the tribesmen in order to enter the colony, which is filled with undead. Once the characters discover the truth of the situation, they must then find a way to escape.
# "The Champions of Death": The characters are sent to investigate strange happenings in the city of Bolgasgrad, where the undead walk the streets.
The book includes two removable cardstock maps.
Publication history
The six-part campaign ''The Enemy Within'', designed for the fantasy role-playing game ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'', was published between 1986 and 1989. The fifth installment, ''Something Rotten in Kislev'', was a 144-page hardcover book written by
Ken Rolston
Ken Rolston is an American computer game and role-playing game designer best known for his work with West End Games and on the computer game series ''The Elder Scrolls''.
Tabletop role-playing games
Ken Rolston began working as a professional g ...
with contributions by
Graeme Davis. Cover art was by Richard Dolan and interior art was by
Paul Bonner, Ian Cooke,
Martin McKenna,
Tim Pollard and Maz Shepherd.
It was released in 1988.
In 1995,
Hogshead Publishing
Hogshead Publishing was a British game company that produced role-playing games and game supplements.
History
In October 1994, James Wallis founded Hogshead Publishing, a company which specialised in role-playing and storytelling games. Wallis ba ...
acquired the license to ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' and published an updated version of the series as six hardcover books.
In 2017,
Cubicle 7
Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd is an Ireland, Irish games company that creates and publishes tabletop games. Best known for its ''Doctor Who'' and ''Lord of the Rings'' games, Cubicle 7 offers titles covering a range of licensed and self-developed p ...
acquired the license for ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'', and in 2019, began publishing a Director's Cut of the campaign for the fourth edition of the game. There had been complaints that ''Something Rotten in Kislev'' did not match the tone of the preceding adventures,
and Cubicle 7 replaced it with ''The Horned Rat'', created by
Graeme Davis, with contributions by
Dave Allen, Mac Dara Mac Donnacha,
Chris Handley, Andy Law, Elaine Lithgow,
TS Luikart,
Pádraig Murphy, Clive Oldfield, Dylan Owen, Ciarán O'Brien, Síne Quinn, Anthony Ragan, and Simon Wileman.
Reception
In the November 1989 edition of ''
Dragon
A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
'' (Issue 151),
called this "a real treat, in both visual presentation and quality of adventure material." Bambra thought the content was very good, commenting, "The adventures are rich in color and staging tips. Dialogue is used to good effect to handle character interaction with NPCs by depicting their speech patterns and mannerisms." Bambra noted that this product "is geared toward interactive roleplaying and problem solving. It contains its fair share of combat, but the interaction with NPCs makes it really special. While suitably dark and dismal, it also has its humorous moments as the adventurers deal with dangerous nature spirits, proud but superstitious nomads, petty nobles, and a necromancer with a social conscience." Bambra concluded with a positive recommendation, saying, "''Something Rotten in Kislev'' is one of the best adventures that I've seen in a long time. It scores high in every department, and the graphics are superb. Even if you have no interest in ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'', check this one out; you won't be disappointed. Many of its elements can be easily used in other roleplaying games. In short, it's a classic."
In his 1990 book ''
The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games
''The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' is a book written by Rick Swan and published by St. Martin's Press in 1990 that explains role-playing games and provides reviews of those that were on the market at the time.
Contents
''The Complete G ...
'', game critic
Rick Swan
Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR.
His work for TSR, mostly for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', appeared from 1989 to 1995.
Swan also wrote '' The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin' ...
called this "a brilliant series of linked adventures that blends humor, high adventure, and interpersonal relationships; a state-of-the-art fantasy supplement."
Swan rated this #7 on his list of "The Ten Best Role-Playing Adventures."
In his 1991 book ''Heroic Worlds'', game historian
Lawrence Schick
Lawrence Schick is a game designer and writer associated with role-playing games.
Early life and education
Schick attended Kent State University in Ohio.
Career
Schick, as the head of design and development at TSR, brought aboard Tom Moldvay ...
called this "the ultimate zombie adventure as the heroes confront way too many dead guys in the Russianesque city of Kislev."
In his 2023 book ''Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground'', RPG historian Stu Horvath noted that ''Something Rotten in Kislev'' was "a tonal digression ... It is worth noting that Cubicle 7's lush, 10-volume modernization of the campaign (2020-2022) completely replaces ''Kislev''."
Awards
''Something Rotten in Kislev'' was a finalist for a ''
Games International
''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1 ...
'' Award in the category "Best Role-playing Game of 1989."
References
{{Warhammer Fantasy
Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1988
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay adventures