HârnMaster 3 pdf available free from CGI!

[Sky_Blue_Sue]

(I'd 2nd the bookmarks.) HarnMaster looks like an interesting system.

 

[Henry]

Wasn't it Kaptain Kantrip who used to hang out on the boards touting the awesomeness of Harnmaster? It'll be itneresting to finally check it out. This game was first published - what, sometime in the early 80's?

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

First Edition Harnmaster was published in 1986, second edition in 1996 and third edition last year.

Thats less rules amendments that most other systems of a similar age. I think that's becuase they got it pretty much right first time round. You, of course may disagree!

**GOM**

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

First Edition Harnmaster was published in 1986, second edition in 1996 and third edition last year.

Thats less rules amendments that most other systems of a similar age. I think that's becuase they got it pretty much right first time round. You, of course may disagree!

**GOM**

As I see it, HM is a sophisticated BRP variant with a lot of inspiration from Chivalry & Sorcery. It is building on the shoulders of giants.

It is certainly not for everyone, but it does what is intended quite well.

 

[DongMaster]

Wasn't it Kaptain Kantrip who used to hang out on the boards touting the awesomeness of Harnmaster? It'll be itneresting to finally check it out. This game was first published - what, sometime in the early 80's?

Ah yes it was, but mostly Hârn the setting (which dwarves HârnMaster), and then when he couldn't muster the strength to keep up with it all, he returned to D&D and Forgotten Realms (that IIRC he bashed quite badly on these boards). We know him over at the Hârn Forum as Agrikan Fury and I gotta admit, I have a soft spot for the fellow even if I never agree with him. He is what I would call a fresh breeze of chaos on anotherwise calm polite forum.

Ah... Those were the days...

 

[hrafnagud]

It seems I cannot hide from the DongMaster, even here on ENWorld...

Who let you out of your cage?

 

[Harlock]

I'm sorry to hear that you got a bad first impression Like many games, Harn has its fanatics and sometimes their enthusiasm and dedication comes across badly; it's not intentional. I hope you'll give it another try.

Do you happen to recall which introduction(s) on which site(s) in particular you found objectionable?

It would be this one.

From the tone of it, the fellow who wrote the introduction designed the game.

 

[SeRiAlExPeRiMeNtS]

You can download FATAL for free too!

(ok ok it´s a very BAD joke :-D)

 

[BryonD]

It would be this one.

From the tone of it, the fellow who wrote the introduction designed the game.

FWIW, I completely agree with you.

I am certain the there are many HarmMaster fans who just really like a highly complex system for modeling "realistic" behavior. Heck, when I was a kid I pretty much thought the Holy Grail of gaming was realism through detailed calculations.

But I am also convinced from repeated experience that there is also a significant portion of the system fans that get no small measure of satisfaction in the game from their ability to delude themselves into believing that playing it proves some clear superiority to other gamers and their inferior systems.

Just be amused and don't worry about it.

 

[Fedifensor]

You can find the author's version of events here:

http://www.crossby.ca/InformationUpdate.html

Basically, his version is that he invoked the termination clause in his contract with Columbia Games, and that should have taken effect - as of January 9th, CG has no right to publish or sell Harn products. Columbia appears to be ignoring the author since the two are in different countries (author in Canada, Columbia in US), figuring that the author can't afford cross-border litigation.

Just figured that since multiple people are posting CG's side, I should dig out the other side for comparison. Columbia Games itself, as far as I can tell, has made no mention of the dispute.

As far as the game itself, it's very interesting - though a bit "old-school" for many player's tastes. Though there are ways to build characters as point-based, it's obviously designed for the "roll stats and see what you get" crowd. I have to say that the combat system is perhaps the most realistic of any I've seen - you DON'T want to get into combat if you can avoid it.