Current versions of HARP/Rolemaster and Runequest - anyone playing them? any advice?

[tylerthehobo]

Say, in another thread I started about games with an "old school" feel (or at least a re-release of an old school game), I asked about RuneQuest and HARP. We got off on some tangents - rightly so, and well explored - about C&C and other games.

But, my curiosity keeps coming back to the Mongoose flavor of Runequest, and the HARP version of Rolemaster that are currently being supported.

Is anyone playing these regularly, and do you have any feeback? I have an intro PDF for each, and have been weighing the rules against one another, and am hoping on running a game of one or the other soon for my friends, most of whom started playing in the late 70s / early 80s, during the heyday of our hobby.

 

[pedr]

I've not played Rolemaster, and haven't really been a fan of BRP when I've played the various flavours of it over time, but spending time on UK-based forums and talking with UK based gamers suggests that Runequest is very popular over here.

You might find good discussion of it at UK Role Players - one of the moderators is involved with Sceptune Press who are publishing RQ supplements, for instance, and some of our cons have a very RQ/BRP (+ lots and lots of CoC) feel!

 

[Aus_Snow]

Is HARP currently supported? I thought that line ended a while ago, and Rolemaster started up again, more or less in its place I suppose.

But I don't know for sure. One thing I'm nearly certain of is that Rolemaster is back in print and being supported, either way.

As far as experience with either one goes, I can't help you there. But I did play some old Rolemaster, years ago, as well as MERP. Apparently (again, not sure) the new version/edition has simply been cleaned up. Based on that assumption, I'd say it could be a fun game, certainly.

 

[CapnZapp]

ICE has made at least four major errors in regards to HARP and RM:
1) not playtesting and balancing the game. As far as I could gather from forum commentary, they weren't even concerned about the gaping imbalances in the game!
2) including far too many alternative subsystems
3) not focusing their limited resources on ONE game line, whether that is HARP or one of the RM incarnations, and permanently terminating all the rest.
4) wasting time developing a game world on their own even though they know everybody uses ICE's game either to play in Middle-Earth or in a homebrew campaign.

So the lack of success for HARP does not surprise me. Shame really, I like the MERP-ish rules very much and would have loved a resurgence in popularity for the system.