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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Matrix Sorcica" data-source="post: 1673830" data-attributes="member: 3547">IMO, it's more like RM 2nd edition. But as far as I can tell, it's only similar in percentile open-ended dice, naming conventions and maneuvers. Well, this is not really correct, but while I recognise RM in HARP right away, it seems to me that HARP is a streamlined oiled relative of the clonky steam engine that is RM.I really love D&D, but some of my most memorable rpg'ing has come from the period when my group and I played RM a *lot*. So I finally gave in some days ago and bought the HARP pdf. And I'm pleased I did. I haven't put down the print-out since I bought it and I'm already mentally preparing for a HARP campaign, which will begin as soon as my current d20 campaign ends.So, what is great about it? And what is not so great about it?Praise first - HARP is exstremely flexible. It has levels, one of the things I like most in rpg systems as it both gives players a measure of achievement and the GM a measure of party and opponent power, and at the same time it is very much like a point buy game. The levels really just tell you when you can spend your points and how many you max can spend. Sounds like RM? Well, yes and no. In RM, you could only buy 2 ranks in a skill per level. It you ever wanted to be good at something, you had to start out at 1st lvl or you would be forever behind in skill development. Not so in HARP, where you can buy up a skill right away (up to max rank for a given lvl that is).Plus, in HARP no skills are cost prohibitive as in RM. The blurb for RM says that your character can develop any skill, but anyone who has played the game knows that no-one in their right mind spends the precious dev. points on a 6/15 skill!IMO HARP is more flexible than D&D, while keeping levels. Good. It has been critisized for being too and more complex than D&D. I disagree. Die mechanic is basically the same, you have the stable 'classes', hit points, feats/talents and AC/DB (more or less). I think that what makes many say that HARP is more complex than D&D is that HARP IMO contains more choices. In D&D you get your BAB and Saves, in HARP you have to choose which weapons and saves you want to be good at. Most classes in D&D don't have that many skill points to spend, making it easier to handle, in HARP there are more 'skill' points and so more consideration is needed.I haven't played the game yet so I have no idea how it all works out. Considering I actually got RM to work back in the day, I'm sure we'll have a blast with HARP.BUT!First of all, the GM section is inadequate. Considering HARPs XP system where the party is awarded after completing adventure goals, there's very little advice on designing adventures. Ther's some blah blah about estimating this and that, but really. Until you know the system, this is just not possible. Anyone knows that. And what about the poor novice GM? HARP needs an adventure design chapter and a way to estimate the threat of challenges. Something d20 excels at (how accurate d20 is, is another matter...).And please give us a NPC table lvls 1-20 like the DMG has! I already have tears in my eyes when I think of all the NPCs I will have to design and make on the fly in a new, skill intensive system  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f641.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":(" title="Frown    :("  data-smilie="3"data-shortname=":(" /> An NPC table would also make it much more easier to design those monsters that are not fighters that HARP keeps talking about. What skills does the various professions max out in? And why the hell does all monsters have 75 in all stats?!  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f615.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":confused:" title="Confused    :confused:"  data-smilie="5"data-shortname=":confused:" /> Why not a non stat bonus number? That way, I can add 5 here and 5 there is the party meets a particulary nasty orc. Now, I have to deduct 10 from most of the numbers if I want to create an 'ordinary' orc. Hopefully, Monsters: A Field Guide takes care of that...Also, an NPC table might tall us something about how much treasure/wealth characters are supposed to have at levels above 1st.And until it becomes second nature, it's a problem that you have to look at the maneuver table for quite some many things. I think a GM screen is a MUST for HARP. Thank you  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> Here's a couple of minor gripes and questions I've stumbled across after a couple of read throughs:Better stats give you more development points. I hated it in RM and I hate it in HARP. Players who roll high on their stats will forever (barring costly stat increase) be superior to players who rolled badly. Don't give me any 'yes, they are superior because they have an easier time learning stuff'. They are ALREADY better off because of stat bonuses! Don't reward them twice! That will be my first house rule.Why is base movement based on the quickness score and not the quickness bonus. Elves are much quicker than humans (+3 quick), yet even though a +3 can be something like a 15 point difference in stats, a human with quickness 99 is faster than a quickness 98 elf (barring height)? Another house rule.The armor reduction of DB due to quickness is badly explained. Only the paragraph about max. maneuver penalty for fitted armor says that the quickness gets reduced. Not so for any other instance. So even with my RM background I was unsure of what goes on. The example of the armor skill is lacking, as the fighter apparently has no stat bonus. It doesn't illustrate that min. maneuver penalty will always be there regardless of stats very well.Enough from me. I will soon be getting the rest of the pdfs. I'm really looking forward to running HARP. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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