More dwarfs? Yup! The Dwarf Player’s Guide (my review here) is just as it says- it’s for Players; Lords of Stone and Steel is really the dwarf book for GMs. That’s not to say there’s nothing for Players in here, there is tons of info on the lore of dwarfs and ways to flesh out roleplaying dwarfs, but this book is really meant to give the GM options.

Short and Stout

Starting with an overview of dwarven culture and their empire, Karaz Ankor as they call it, it doesn’t give much more deep-dive than this. Dwarven government, religion, and day-to-day life is discussed in-depth. One of my favorite parts is the inclusion of stats and images of many characters important to the dwarfs, like High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer, King Ungrim Ironfist, and even the infamous Gotrek and Felix!

Whether you’re playing a dwarf-centric campaign, or your party is visiting a dwarf hold, there’s so much here to make it a living, breathing place. Virtually every known (and some lost) holds are given at least a brief description, with others very fleshed out. A very nice, two page map (I believe it’s the one from the 8th Edition WFB Dwarf army book) shows where many of these holds can be found in the mountains of the Old World and beyond, including the Badlands.

The gazetteer is fun, showing the populations, exports, and military strength of all the described holds. Did you know that nearly a million dwarfs live in their capital- Karaz-a-Karak?!

The Royal Treatment

20,000 dwarfs call the largest hold of the Grey Mountains, Karak Norn, home. Lead by King Brokk Ironpick and Queen Thurma, Karak Norn is known for its silver deposits, other metals, and the new site of Bugman’s Brewery. Karak Norn gets an entire chapter, over 25 pages, of details featuring TWO maps, nine statted NPCs, and tons of descriptions and lore.

The best part of going into detail for a hold like this is that any of the descriptions here could be placed wherever you need them. Jumping into a hold in the north, in a Norsca campaign? Steal some descriptions of rooms and areas that fit your story. Need a detailed runesmithy? Got you covered, want some ideas for a trophy hoard, good to go. These sourcebooks are just that, a source for you to use in your own games, whether your in Karak Norn or somewhere else.

The Way Is Shut

A dwarf-centric book wouldn’t be complete without a hefty amount of underground-ness. Luckily, there’s an whole chapter on new rules for traveling underground. I love the new Delve system, that adds detail, variety, and interest in travel- something Cubicle 7 excels at. Similar to Uncharted Journeys and their travel rules in Broken Weave, there are tables and charts for the GM to spice up going from one place to the next. Encounters, conditions, even Endeavors are explained here, making traveling through Karaz Ankor is more exciting than “After two days you reach Karaz-a-Karak.”

Building off of the new underground Endeavors, dwarf culture and life are explored more with descriptions of time between adventures. Even more Endeavors, Karak Events, rules for brewing ales, and becoming a Slayer highlight the non-combat side of dwarf life.

It’s a Tough Life, but Some Dwarf Has to Live It

The last two chapters focus on campaigning with dwarfs and their antagonists. Hooks for dwarf politicking, trade, grudges, and conflicts give GMs tons of ideas for situations to throw their players into.

Specifics on many Holds, and how campaigns can play differently in each really highlights the culture of dwarfs and how they aren’t cookie-cutter characters. The Holds, and the dwarfs that live there, have different wants, needs, traditions, and relationships with others.

I especially love the details on how the dwarfs get along (or don’t) with the humans of the Empire. We have a lot of information on this already from Archives of the Empire: Vol. 1 and the Dwarf Player’s Guide, but like the rest of this book, the details here are more for the GM to use to give life to their world and NPCs. We also get a hefty few pages of rules and suggestions on using and completing Grudges for your PC dwarfs.

A few (of my favorite) NPCs are included here. None other than the infamous Gotrek and Felix!

I was so excited to see these two included in the book, with full stat blocks (as a taste, Gotrek has a Melee (Basic) of 135!!!). Felix is my all-time favorite Warhammer character, so much that my son is named after him! This was the cherry on top of tools for GMs, even if I never actually use them in a game.

Oh, there’s a small bestiary here as well- Gorgers, Magma Dragons, and Rogue Idol of Gork (Or possibly Mork)- which has an amazing image!

The final chapter focuses on something truly necessary for a good dwarf campaign- Skaven!

Again, we have a ton of Skaven info throughout other WFRP books, but here we get something a bit new- Clan Pestilens! Along with a hook for a Skaven-centric adventure (or even a campaign) we get a large addition to the Skaven bestiary. Plague Monks, Clan Morbidus Clanrats (a Pestilens splinter Clan), Plague Rats, and a few named characters- Warlord Blistrox Blyte, and Hes the Contaminator- Bringer of the Word. This section is presented like the publications on warbands we’ve seen before (like Corsairs of Captain Flariel). More enemies, more options= more fun for the GM!

Is it Worth My Time, Manling?

If you’re a Player, honestly probably not, unless you just like to collect for the lore and awesome artwork. If you’re a GM, hell yeah. I’ll be honest- I was skeptical when they announced a second dwarf book, but this one being GM-centric makes it worth it, and gives a ton of inspiration, whether you’re running a dwarf campaign or not. I give it 4.5/5 Beard Baubles (half a point off for not being as useful for everyone).

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