Go Back   EN World D&D / RPG News > General RPG Forums > General RPG Rules Discussion

General RPG Rules Discussion Discuss the rules of any game except D&D or Pathfinder, such as Arcana Evolved, Mutants & Masterminds, Star Wars Saga, d20 Modern, and the like.

Gamers Online Now: 906
140 members and 766 guests
Most users ever online was 4,029, 8th April 2009 at 05:04 PM.
Twitter Updates
Follow Morrus on Twitter

Follow us on Twitter!
Please Visit Our Sponsors
Latest Reviews
The Rite Preview
The Rite Review by Rite Publishing.

This product is 56 pages long and free. Cover, credits, intro and ToC take up 4 pages. I counted 17 pages of adds many of them for other Rite... [Read More]
Evocative City Sites Lorn's Entrepot (Abandoned Warehouse)
Evocative City Sites Lorn's Entrepot (Abandoned Warehouse) by Rite Publishing. I was given this product for the purposes of this review. This product is 47 pages long. Cover, Credits, two pages of... [Read More]
101 Feats
Feats 101 by Rite Publishing. I was given this product for the purposes of this review. I have not yet played using these feats my review is based on reading the feats and checking a few against... [Read More]
The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemtnal Chaos
The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos is a 4e D&D product describing some of the different planes in the 4e Cosmology. The book is a typical hard bound book that Wizards of the Coast... [Read More]
101 Magical Weapon Properties
First I would like to say I got the PDF free for purposes of this review.

This product is 25 pages long. 1 page for cover, 1 for credits, 1 OGL at the end and 1 page of weapon table... [Read More]
The world's premier fan community for Dungeons & Dragons news and more!
Older News | Newsletter | Subscribers Content | Subscribe | War of the Burning Sky™ |  SPACE FIGHT!™ Send me a scoop!
Guidelines
 
Share LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11th October 2009, 12:31 AM   #1 (permalink)
Winterborn
 
Votan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 612
Votan Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
Rolemaster

Is anybody still playing it? Is there any feedback on what are good starter adventures for this system?

I remember when Iron Crown Enterprises released their middle earth stuff and really enjoyed it. Sadly, this appears to be out of print (although the ICE website has other classic items for sale).

Our local group is debating experimenting with this as an alternative to pathfinder or 4E and it's been a long, long while . . .

[and even then it was mostly MERP]

Any ideas here?
Votan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11th October 2009, 04:35 AM   #2 (permalink)
Registered User
 
jdrakeh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sitting On It
Posts: 6,557
jdrakeh Orc Berserker (Lvl 4)
Send a message via MSN to jdrakeh
I bought all of the RMSS core books last year for Christmas and played a brief game, though was forced to sell most of my RPGs shortly thereafter (including Rolemaster). During that brief game, however, I found it an enjoyable alternative to D&D 4e that offered me more choices with a similar amount of crunch.
__________________
Spoiler:
jdrakeh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11th October 2009, 08:25 AM   #3 (permalink)
Registered User
 
Thanee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Germany
Posts: 23,103
Thanee Hobgoblin Soldier (Lvl 3)
You really have to have a thing for tables to enjoy it.

Bye
Thanee
__________________

“In our world, immortality is not for the living. The legend lives on!”
In Memoriam Dave Arneson († April 7th, 2009) & Gary Gygax († March 4th, 2008).


Wondering what the Dungeon Tiles are like? Take a look here (up to DU5 Sinister Woods).
Thanee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11th October 2009, 10:42 PM   #4 (permalink)
Winterborn
 
Votan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 612
Votan Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thanee View Post
You really have to have a thing for tables to enjoy it.

Bye
Thanee
True. But I'm losing patience with 3.5 edition because of the number of books. I lost my 3.5 library a couple of years ago during a move and the current environment makes replacing > 20 books frustrating. You'd think that this wouldn't be a problem but it can start to matter when there is a books "arms race".

It is true that limiting books can help but nobody is every happy with any actual proposed subset.

I've strongly considered Pathfinder. But Rolemaster had some very well designed supplements (that their middle earth stuff is out of print is almost criminal) and the system is available inexpensively. The company appears committed to supporting it.

So I am not sure but I wanted to get a feeling for what others thought about Rolemaster, now that the hobby has advanced many years, and what cool thigns might have been released for it that I missed (as I solely used the Middle Earth Material).
Votan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11th October 2009, 11:37 PM   #5 (permalink)
Ron
Registered User
 
Ron's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Posts: 593
Ron Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
Rolemaster is a fine game if you don't mind the overall slowness in resolving the action. Iron Crown [www.ironcrown.com] currently publishes two editions of the game: RMFRP and RMC. The former is a repackage of RMSS and I don't recommend it to anyone as the bookeeping is too intense and the character skill list grow completely out of control. The later is a repackage of RM2, with superior layout and organization and a re-write of the rules for clearness -- the rules were virtually unchanged from the second edition. Furthermore, RMC line also includes a book called Rolemaster Express (RMX), a cheap introduction to the system that might be sufficient for many players.

Regarding adventures, I've never played one from Iron Crown, but a couple of friends that actually tried said they weren't too impressive. That said, it was never difficult to adapt AD&D adventures to Rolemaster.
__________________
"This happens all the time. No matter how epic the battle, once begun, the thing sounds more or less like a bingo game: People shout out numbers and other people get excited about them."
DM of the Rings
Ron is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12th October 2009, 05:34 AM   #6 (permalink)
Registered User
 
jdrakeh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sitting On It
Posts: 6,557
jdrakeh Orc Berserker (Lvl 4)
Send a message via MSN to jdrakeh
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron View Post
Rolemaster is a fine game if you don't mind the overall slowness in resolving the action. Iron Crown [www.ironcrown.com] currently publishes two editions of the game: RMFRP and RMC.
The original RMSS books are also still available from ICE.
__________________
Spoiler:
jdrakeh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12th October 2009, 12:30 PM   #7 (permalink)
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 1
Topramesk Kobold Slinger (Lvl 1)
If you want to give it a try, Rolemaster Express (Rolemaster Classic "lite" version) includes a small pre-made adventure: Rolemaster Express PDF [6500P] - $3.75 : ICE Online Store

Not very impressing imho, but better than nothing
Topramesk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12th October 2009, 02:58 PM   #8 (permalink)
Registered User
 
Andor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Enterprise, Florida
Posts: 2,797
Andor Orc Berserker (Lvl 4)
Send a message via AIM to Andor
It's been a while since I played any Rolemaster. Yeah, charts are an issue, although they can make for very entertaining crits.

It can be fun (as almost any system can) with the right GM. I seem to recall that my character was an excellent mage, unless he tried to cast a spell from his actual class list, then he died. (3 times if I recall correctly.) Of course that may have had more to do with my dice luck than with the system, except that it's worth noting that you can roll a critical fumble and kill yourself with routine spellcasting.
__________________
-Andor

"Congratulations. You just invented 'negligent regicide.'" - Schlock Mercenary

Seeking a game in Florida.
Andor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12th October 2009, 03:42 PM   #9 (permalink)
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 83
Somebloke Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
Well it can go two ways.

If your DM does not have an instinctive knowledge of what tables to consult or (more importantly) when to stop with the complexity, it is an awful, grinding game that is frequently bogged down in life-or-death situations that require upwards of an hour (it really happened!) to resolve.

If your DM knows his stuff and (in my opinion) keeps to the more simple tables it is a good game, albeit one where you simply cannot plan ahead (one good/bad roll will utterly ruin you/give you a moment of awesome). If you want to capture the grit and chaos of real-life engagements then rolemaster is for you. And yes, I've played in a game where this happened.
Somebloke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12th October 2009, 04:23 PM   #10 (permalink)
Registered User
 
Filcher's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Acacia Park, after midnight
Posts: 814
Filcher Orc Berserker (Lvl 4)
I've been on a MERP bender lately (mostly due to nostalgia for Angus McBride). The old Rolemaster rules can go fast enough with a competent GM. But man ... invisible turtles still suck.

Edit: Though has anyone read the XP rules recently? Ludicrous.
__________________
ENworld OAF (Old-school Admirer of 4th edition)
Filcher is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12th October 2009, 06:06 PM   #11 (permalink)
Winterborn
 
Votan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 612
Votan Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Somebloke View Post
Well it can go two ways.

If your DM does not have an instinctive knowledge of what tables to consult or (more importantly) when to stop with the complexity, it is an awful, grinding game that is frequently bogged down in life-or-death situations that require upwards of an hour (it really happened!) to resolve.

If your DM knows his stuff and (in my opinion) keeps to the more simple tables it is a good game, albeit one where you simply cannot plan ahead (one good/bad roll will utterly ruin you/give you a moment of awesome). If you want to capture the grit and chaos of real-life engagements then rolemaster is for you. And yes, I've played in a game where this happened.
At the moment, my 3.5E group is houseruling in this level of complexity, anyway, so there doesn't seem to be a great deal of penalty for going to a more complex system (the House rules packet grew to > 200 pages).

So I am happy if we can acheive the design goals of a system with complexity but fewer total rules to memorize.

But the point about the need for system mastery on the part of the DM is an exceedingly good one and worth putting some thought into.
Votan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12th October 2009, 06:07 PM   #12 (permalink)
Winterborn
 
Votan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 612
Votan Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Filcher View Post
I've been on a MERP bender lately (mostly due to nostalgia for Angus McBride). The old Rolemaster rules can go fast enough with a competent GM. But man ... invisible turtles still suck.

Edit: Though has anyone read the XP rules recently? Ludicrous.
What is the issue with the XP rules?

I thought that ICE did some amazingly well done supplements for middle earth, back in the day, and they stand up really well to modern gamaing material.
Votan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12th October 2009, 07:17 PM   #13 (permalink)
Squirrelly Dad
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Louisville KY
Posts: 1,506
SSquirrel Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
Send a message via AIM to SSquirrel Send a message via Yahoo to SSquirrel
Core book, talent law, arms law, the various schools of magic books if you have someone who really wants to focus on casting...there are tons of books available. I always played RM w/someone who had all of those books already and had reinforced his hole punching, sheared off the sides and put everything into binders. Put all the class kits into one section for ease of character creation. Still took 4 hours to teach someone how to make a character if they had never played before, altho once my friends developed their spreadsheet that was cut down o 90 minutes.

Play was reasonably fast once you made it past chargen, but many people got frustrated just trying to make a character. Of course after I hadn't played it in a couple of years I sat down and made a character, then decided I wanted to make a 2nd and had it done in a half hour, including talents and everything.
__________________
Hagen

Ptolusmus was August 5th, 2006
Ptolus #364
SSquirrel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12th October 2009, 09:44 PM   #14 (permalink)
Registered User
 
Andor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Enterprise, Florida
Posts: 2,797
Andor Orc Berserker (Lvl 4)
Send a message via AIM to Andor
Quote:
Originally Posted by Filcher View Post
I've been on a MERP bender lately (mostly due to nostalgia for Angus McBride). The old Rolemaster rules can go fast enough with a competent GM. But man ... invisible turtles still suck.
You mock the unseen, imaginary, deceased turtle? You are very confused.
__________________
-Andor

"Congratulations. You just invented 'negligent regicide.'" - Schlock Mercenary

Seeking a game in Florida.
Andor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13th October 2009, 12:51 AM   #15 (permalink)
Rel
I'm a Moderator. RAWR!
 
Rel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: NC
Posts: 10,218
Rel Hobgoblin Soldier (Lvl 3)
I used to do some writing for ICE (I co-wrote the RMSS book The Essence Companion and helped playtest and proofread Castles & Ruins) and it was my gaming group's system of choice for nearly a dozen years. I've played a LOT of Rolemaster over the years.

The game will always have a place in my heart but I've gotta say that my tastes have evolved away from the chart-heavy realism that Rolemaster has as a core design feature. Combat (for us) was always slow and frequently deadly (or else required fudging to keep it from being so deadly).

Over the years we noticed that our games became much more about diplomacy and political intrigue and less about combat. At the time we thought it was because we were becoming "more mature roleplayers". But ultimately I think it was because the combat part of the game had become cumbersome for us.

We adopted 3e D&D like a breath of fresh air and haven't looked back. But we did enjoy many a fun and memorable campaign with RM back in the day.

My advice for anybody running an RM game would be for the GM to let the players help them as much as possible. Make sure you make copies of the weapon tables so that you don't have to flip through that book. Make copies of all Spell Lists known by any of the players. If you know that you're going to need certain skills then make copies of those charts too and have them handy.

Good luck and have fun.
__________________
I killed Gary Gygax's Gelatinous Cube and all I got was some slimy mule bones.
Running Commentary on Rel's 4e Campaign
"I would rather have my characters die in a world where my choices mattered than survive in one where they didn't." - ExploderWizard
Rel is offline   Reply With Quote


Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


And yet another word from our sponsors
Community Supporter Subscriptions

LATEST EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FOR SUBSCRIBERS



Visit Our Sponsors
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.0.1

All times are GMT +1. The time now is 06:26 AM.


Site Contents © 2008 ENWorld
PHP Ajax Multimedia Web Framework © 2008 Digital Media Graphix
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2010, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.2.0

"Vault Data" powered by VaultWiki v2.5.1.
Copyright © 2008 - 2010, Cracked Egg Studios.
diabetic desserts recipes recipes Diabetic Soups Holiday Pizza Recipes Popcorn Recipes Recipes For Microwave Pasta Recipes Casserole Recipes Chili Recipes Curry Recipes Crockpot Recipes Apples Recipes Bread Recipes Vegetarian Recipes Vegetable recipes Desserts Recipes Appetizers Ethnic Recipes Meat Dishes Barbecue Recipes Sauces Recipes Marinade Recipes Low Fat Recipes Frugal Gourmet Kitchen Classics Recipes On The Grill Cook Books Seafood Recipes Cajun Recipes Breads Low Fat Low Fat Breads Bread Machine Recipes Yeast Breads Quick Breads Fat Free Vegetarian Salad Recipes Eggplant Recipes Radish Recipes Tomato Recipes Jalapeno Recipes Potato Recipes Lettuce Recipes Cabbage Recipes Beans Ambrosia Recipes Biscotti Recipes Desserts Low Fat Cookie Recipes Cheesecake Recipes Cake Recipes Pie Recipes Muffin Recipes Custard Recipes Best Appetizers Appetizers Low Fat Salsa Recipes Dip Recipes International Recipes Afghan Recipes Alaska Recipes French Recipes German Recipes Greek Recipes Italian Recipes Spanish Recipes Thai Recipes Korean Recipes Chinese Recipes Mexican Recipes Indian Recipes Beef Recipes Pork Pork & Ham Pork Butts Pork Chop Recipes Pork Ribs Rulled Pork Poultry Recipes Stews Recipes Ground Beef Barbecue Grill Barbecue Smoker All Purpose Sauce BBQ Sauce Barbecue Sauce Carolina BBQ Sauce Pickle Recipes Marinades Smoking Low Fat Appetizers & Dips Low Fat Breakfast Low Fat Cakes Low Fat Cheesecakes Low Fat Cookies Low Fat Desserts Low Fat Fish & Seafood Low Fat Meats Low Fat Pasta Low Fat Pies Low Fat Salads Low Fat Sandwiches Low Fat Sauces & Condiments Low Fat Sides Low Fat Soups Low Fat Vegetarian Baker's Dozen Taste of Home Recipe Book Bon Appetit Cookbook Blacktie Cookbook Buster Cook Book Cookbook USA Cook Book Cook Book Sara's Cookbook Sara's Cookbook Appetizers and Dips Poultry recipes Diabetic recipes Holiday recipes Miscellaneous recipes 110 recipes 1986 Usenet cookbook 2900 recipes Cyberrealm recipes Great sysops of world Specialty recipes Ceideburg recipes Cheese recipes Chili recipes Fruits recipes Garlic recipes Great chefs of NY Londontowne recipes Raisins recipes Recipes for kids US Food Vegetarian recipes Bread recipes Drinks Meat Dishes Brisket recipes Caribou recipes Chicken recipes Filet mignons recipes Pork recipes Swordfish recipes Turkey recipes Pasta recipes Uncategorized recipes Ethnic recipes Canada recipes English recipes Ethiopia recipes Germany recipes Greece recipes Mexican recipes Philippines recipes Welsh recipes Microwave recipes Soups recipes Vegetable recipes Asparagus recipes Barley recipes Brown rice recipes Lentil recipes Mushrooms recipes Salads recipes Wild rice Desserts recipes Cakes recipes Chocolate recipes Cookies recipes Ice cream recipes