Discussion of HARP (as requested by PirateCat)

[Teflon Billy]

I'm arriving a little late to the discussion, but I am about to start running HARP for my oldest and her friends.

It seems a damnsight simpler than D&D, but still maintains the flavor of D&D that they are familiar with/attracted by.

So I am in the midst of converting my first game world (From 1982!) over to HARP...going smoothly if I do say so myself.

 

[Rasyr]

Teflon Billy - that sounds really cool! Let me know how it goes, will you?

 

[Staffan]

* Stat level modifiers are more granulate in HARP. MERP uses multiples of 5 vs HARP 1 though both are +5 at 75 but at 100 HARP is +10 while MERP is +25 so scaling is different.
* HARP Skills use the sum of two Attributes while MERP uses the one.

The reason HARP has smaller bonuses for attributes is that each skill uses two of them. In older versions of Rolemaster, they used the same ability scale as in MERP (or rather, the other way around). Then they made Rolemaster Standard System, and made each skill based on three stats (though in some cases one stat could appear more than once, for example most melee weapons were ST/ST/AG), and instead of averaging the stat modifiers they used smaller stat mods in the first place.

* Merp gets profession bonuses to skills while HARP makes it easier to buy skill ranks.

Also, in MERP you get a number of skill ranks per skill category based on your profession. A fighter gets something like 5 ranks in weapon skills and maybe 2 in stealth skills. A scout instead gets 2 ranks in weapon skills and 5 in stealth skills (no guarantee that the numbers are correct, but the idea is). You can also move ranks from one category to another, at a loss - I think it's 2:1.

 

[Belegbeth]

I managed to get a look at the MERP rulebook and heres the comparison:

* More skills in HARP but otherwise a 1-1 mapping of skills, Armour is different though.
* Skill ranks are largely the same, at least at lower levels. Higher levels might be different
* Stat level modifiers are more granulate in HARP. MERP uses multiples of 5 vs HARP 1 though both are +5 at 75 but at 100 HARP is +10 while MERP is +25 so scaling is different.
* HARP Skills use the sum of two Attributes while MERP uses the one.
* Merp gets profession bonuses to skills while HARP makes it easier to buy skill ranks.
* Body Development is quite different from Endurance so hit points are at a different scale.

Personally I think that the skill ranks are fairly compatible and so moving them over on the fly would not be too much of a problem. Magic is very different though.

I'd say that conversion would be easy but non-trivial.

Thanks for the info! Hmmm ... so HARP is compatible with 3rd edition Rolemaster (the RMSS), and MERP is compatible with 2nd editions, then.

Anyway, conversion looks a lot trickier than I had hoped. Oh well.

 

[Rasyr]

Actually, HARP is more compatible with RM2, at least in how skills are handled.

In RMSS/FRP you have skill categories, which you purchase ranks in, and then individual skills in those categories that you also purchase ranks in, and then the skill bonus is the combination of the category and skill bonus added together. Cost for each rank is determined by the cost of the category.

In RM2, you have a lot of individual skills, each of which have 2 stats that apply to it (which are averaged rather than added). These skills are divded into categories, but these categories are just a method of classification. Costs are determined for each individual skill.

In HARP, you have individual skills, divided into categories, which is used for classification (and cost is based upon category - all skills in the cat cost the same), but you do not buy ranks in the category.

So, in effect, HARP contains elements of both versions, but in its own mixture.

As for converting, if it is for NPCs, or creatures, why bother? The skill bonuses are all percentile in nature, so they are compatible straight out. Using a slightly different method of to determine the skill bonuses is not going to make much of a difference. Personally, I think that RM2, RMSS/FRP, and HARP characters could all be run side-by-side with little hassle.

Just compare the total bonus of one character of a given level with those of another from the other system. figure out the rough difference between the two and just apply a generalized bonus to all skills in the system with the lower bonuses on average.

The only thing you would really have to convert would be armor/DB. Since HARP works differently than RM in this respect, a conversion would be needed, but it is still simple. If using the HARP combat system, just look at the armor, figure the equivalent in HARP and apply the proper bonus to DB. Going the other direction, subtract the armor bonus from DB, and determine the equivalent DB.

I once played a character using an alternate skill system presented in RMCVI alongside normal RM2 characters. It was a little weaker in some spots and a little stronger in others, but on the whole it averaged out. It worked just fine and dandy, with no hassles.

 

[Rasyr]

For those who might be interested, sometime this week, we will be posting several variations of the critical tables from HARP to the HARP website - http://www.harphq.com - including the original critical tables (which were more deadly than the current ones), and a copy of the current critical tables with the number ranges set to reflect somebody using a d20 or 2d10 when playing HARP (i.e. taking and dividing all by 5 and rounding off before play, and then just using the indicated dice types accordingly).

 

[Ron]

Rasyr, I'm still waiting for my hardcover copy, but congratulations anyway for the multiple ENnies nominations received by ICE and Harp in particular.

 

[Rasyr]

Rasyr, I'm still waiting for my hardcover copy, but congratulations anyway for the multiple ENnies nominations received by ICE and Harp in particular.

We are still waiting for the hardcovers from the printer as well. -sigh-

Thanks for the congrats!

Oh! In regards to the crit tables that I mentioned that are set up with number in the d20/2d10 ranges, I am going to do a whole document for using HARP in that manner.