written by carl sargent, james wallis
published by hogshead publishing
$16.95

It is back. Perhaps the most difficult adventure ever writ en has been re-released in a new edition with a new introductory adventure. What is back, you ask? Power Behind the Throne for Warhammer Fantasy.

Power Behind the Throne is the third installment of the classic campaign The Enemy Within. The campaign centers around the forces of Chaos, specifically The Cult of the Purple Hand anc A I their attempt to take over the Empire. The cult's ploys are subtle, and the majority of the population is unaware that anything is going on.

Power Behind the Throne involves the PCs as they uncover a sinister plot in the city of Middenheim. Soon they are embroiled into an investigation that will lead them to a surprising source of corruption. If Successful the players will uncover a web of deceit that threatens the very well being of the city. The master- mind behind this plan is Karl-Heinz Wasmeir.

Wastneir is the leader of the cult in Middenheim, and his plans once successful, will deliver the city directly into his hands. Once a wizard, Wasmeir changed careers and within ten years became one of the three Law Lords to the Graf of Middenheim. Wasmeir promoted cult members into high ranking city positions, and by doing so gave himself control of the city. All was going well until the second wife of Graf Boris died.

Graf lapsed into a feeble state and became dependent upon his court to pass laws. Wasmeir deducted that if he could control the court he would in fact control the Graf and in turn the city of Middenheirn. So by using murder, blackmail, kidnapping, and even hypnotism, Wasmeir has done just that. By using his influence he indirectly passed a new tax on Dwarfs, Wizards, and Priests. Some were concerned by this, but the majority of the population was unaffected. As a result, tensions are running high in the city, and many have left the region before the first payment is due; when the Carnival has ended.

The Carnival is a huge event; one that causes the city too nearly shut down. Imagine Mardi Gras, and then you have some idea to the size of this event. For one week the city in effect shuts down and parties. Wasmeir is using the distraction of the Carnival to put the final piece of his plan into action. That piece will see the current Graf killed, and replaced with a loyal doppelganger.

The player's will be thrown into the action as soon as they enter the city. They will hear the growing discontent over the new taxes; the deeper they investigate, the more clues they will uncover. But, the investigation will prove difficult as most of the city's attention is diverted by the Carnival or the citizens are simply too afraid to talk.

There are over 22 major NPCs and numerous minor ones that may know what is going on. With this many NPCs a GM will quickly become lost. Thankfully there are enough aids to help. First, each of the major NPC's have a card that summarizes their motivations. The cards derail where they will be each day during the Carnival.

To keep track of all the events there is a Master Attraction Chart that details what happens and when. Yet even with all of this a GM may still be overwhelmed, and a novice GM may get lost. This is no exaggeration, if you plan on running this adventure a GM needs to have a full understanding of what is going on. The preparation time is high if you want to run Power Behind the Throne successfully; this adventure can not be run on the fly.

This is the third part of The Enemy Within Campaign and what sets this adventure apart from the original release is a new adventure Carrion Up the Reik. This new adventure bridges the gap between Death up the Reik and Power Behind the Throne. In the original version a GM would have to get the players to the city but nothing existed to explain how. Short of using a chain to drag the PC's to the city, a GM would be hard press to get them there. Carrion serves as the means to get the players to Middenheim and into the plot. Carrion is a cleverly written little adventure. It adds to the background and ties into the campaign very well. There is even a small tie to The Oldenhaller Contract which is found in the WFRP rulebook. James Wallis has written a very tight and interesting adventure that does not detract from the overall plot of the main adventure.

As far as the adventure itself, it remains the same as the original release. The Carnival is filled with role playing opportunities and will entertain both the players and GM. The humor that is associated with WFRP is still intact as well (the Elf ice skater Torvyll Undean is an example). Yet the bulk of this adventure will have the PC's rote-playing and not rolt-playing. If ran right, the GM shouldn't have to touch any dice until the end.

I don't want to give away the plot, but this is an adventure that needs to be read and needs to be played. You will not find this many well detailed NPC's in other products, nor will you find an event like the Carnival in other places. The strength behind Power Behind the Throne is the detail of the plot. However this strength is also the weakness of the adventure - not enough help is given to the GM. Yes the charts and NPC cards are good, but there is no guidance on how to run or pace this adventure. There are numerous plots and schemes in motions, and I can see a novice GM getting bogged down in all the details and losing track on the goal at hand: save the city.

The other problem with this adventure is the player's motivation. If this is played as part of The Enemy Within campaign the players will be coming to Middenheim to track down Gotthard von Wittgensten. Yet this goal is dropped as soon as the PC's enter the city. What if the player's do not care about the new taxes? There is no provision for this, and the entire structure of the adventure hinges on the players looking into the new taxes and what is going on in the city. More importantly, what happens if the players fail in stopping Weismeir? There is nothing given that explains the ramifications of this.

With these faults in mind, I still like the adventure - this is a classic, that has not diminished with age. The adventure is tightly paced, very well written, and if ran right will be a rewarding experience for both the player and GM. Carrion Up the Reik is equally good, and helps bridge the gap between the events in Death Up the Reik and Power Behind the Throne. Even if you do not play WFRP you may want to check this adventure out - there's a lot here that any GM can use for their own campaign.