Kannik
Legend
Have you played or run the Rolemaster/Spacemaster system? Did you play one of its offshoots such as MERP or Cyberspace? If so, what did you think of it?
Rolemaster and Spacemaster by Iron Crown Enterprises are complex and intricate RPGs that cover the fantasy and sci-fi genres, respectively. The games use percentile dice as their base, and while perhaps best known for their very colourful critical tables*, the games are filled with tables throughout, from character creation to action resolution to attack matrixes (one per category of weapon and with an unusual way of handling/modelling armour) to charts galore.
Rolemaster was first introduced in 1980, Spacemaster in 1985, and both had several revisions over the years (including under new owners after the original ICE went bankrupt in the early 2000s). The base systems were also used in simplified forms for other ICE games, including Middle Earth Role Playing (playing in the Lord of the Rings) and Cyberspace (a cyberpunk game). Also, for Spacemaster, two tactical hex-based combat games were released: Star Strike and Armored Assault.
This post is a continuation (with permission/blessing) of @CleverNickName's “Grade the…” series! As they noted in the previous threads, “the D20 System is the undeniable favorite for tabletop RPGs today, but there are plenty of options out there for those who don't like D20 or might be looking for something different. My goal in these little surveys is to highlight the different systems and options available to tabletop fans...not bash on anyone's favorites.”
So! If you’ve played in one of the “Masters”, I’d like to hear about your experiences. Which one(s) did you play, and what did you like or dislike about it? If you haven’t played, was there something that dissuaded you from giving it a try?
And as before, just for fun the responses will be used to give the system a “grade.”
* Type E Impact Critical 100: Blast annihilates foe’s entire skeleton. Foe is reduced to a gelatinous pulp. Try a spatula.
Grade: C+
Of those who voted, 100% have heard of it and 78% have played it.
Of those who have played it: 17% love it, 32% like it, 28% are lukewarm, 20% dislike it, and 3% hate it.
Previous entries:
Grading the Cypher System
Grading the Pathfinder 2E (D20) System
Grading the Savage Worlds System
Grading the Fate/Fate Core System
Grading the Modiphius 2d20 System
Grading the GURPS System
Grading the Powered by the Apocalypse System
Grading the D6 System
Grading the Hero System
Grading the Storyteller System
Grading the Megaversal/Palladium System
Grading the Basic Role-Playing System
Grading the SAGA System
Grading the Warhammer 40K RPG System
Rolemaster and Spacemaster by Iron Crown Enterprises are complex and intricate RPGs that cover the fantasy and sci-fi genres, respectively. The games use percentile dice as their base, and while perhaps best known for their very colourful critical tables*, the games are filled with tables throughout, from character creation to action resolution to attack matrixes (one per category of weapon and with an unusual way of handling/modelling armour) to charts galore.
Rolemaster was first introduced in 1980, Spacemaster in 1985, and both had several revisions over the years (including under new owners after the original ICE went bankrupt in the early 2000s). The base systems were also used in simplified forms for other ICE games, including Middle Earth Role Playing (playing in the Lord of the Rings) and Cyberspace (a cyberpunk game). Also, for Spacemaster, two tactical hex-based combat games were released: Star Strike and Armored Assault.
This post is a continuation (with permission/blessing) of @CleverNickName's “Grade the…” series! As they noted in the previous threads, “the D20 System is the undeniable favorite for tabletop RPGs today, but there are plenty of options out there for those who don't like D20 or might be looking for something different. My goal in these little surveys is to highlight the different systems and options available to tabletop fans...not bash on anyone's favorites.”
So! If you’ve played in one of the “Masters”, I’d like to hear about your experiences. Which one(s) did you play, and what did you like or dislike about it? If you haven’t played, was there something that dissuaded you from giving it a try?
And as before, just for fun the responses will be used to give the system a “grade.”

* Type E Impact Critical 100: Blast annihilates foe’s entire skeleton. Foe is reduced to a gelatinous pulp. Try a spatula.
Grade: C+
Of those who voted, 100% have heard of it and 78% have played it.
Of those who have played it: 17% love it, 32% like it, 28% are lukewarm, 20% dislike it, and 3% hate it.
Previous entries:
Grading the Cypher System
Grading the Pathfinder 2E (D20) System
Grading the Savage Worlds System
Grading the Fate/Fate Core System
Grading the Modiphius 2d20 System
Grading the GURPS System
Grading the Powered by the Apocalypse System
Grading the D6 System
Grading the Hero System
Grading the Storyteller System
Grading the Megaversal/Palladium System
Grading the Basic Role-Playing System
Grading the SAGA System
Grading the Warhammer 40K RPG System
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