Response to TheGM's HARP question

[Rasyr]

Okay, maybe we should take this offline, but why does HARP feel like a poorly done "RM Light"? (poorly done as in "not light", not poorly done as in "sucks") Is this by design?

HARP was never intended to be any sort of "RM Lite", nor do I consider it to be such. It is a lighter system than RM, and it is based on many of the core concepts from RM, but many of those core concepts were rethought and redesigned from the ground up. HARP was designed to be as compatible as possible with RM, though.

What we wanted was a system that belonged to ICE/Rolemaster family of games, yet at the same time was its own independent system. One with less overhead, and less "baggage" than RM had acquired over the years.

If folks liked HARP, they could stay with it and enjoy it. If they wanted something with more detail, they could then move on up to Rolemaster, and there would not be much of a learning curve in doing so.

All in all, I think that we met all of the design goals that we had for HARP, and that we turned out a pretty good game. It is not perfect, mind you, but then again, neither is ANY other system.

 

[Turanil]

If they wanted something with more detail, they could then move on up to Rolemaster.

Does this game still exist? I mean, is still published?

 

[Rasyr]

Yes, Rolemaster still exists and is still published.

 

[Turanil]

Could you give some link to it? (I googled and found nothing.) Thanks.

 

[SWBaxter]

Could you give some link to it? (I googled and found nothing.) Thanks.

Well, Iron Crown's website might be a good place to start:

http://www.ironcrown.com/

 

[greywulf]

Hey! don't knock HARP. I'm GM'ing my first HARP game tomorrow night, and looking forward to it immensely. The character generation is gorgeous - like a cross between d20 and RM, and the players have had a whale of a time with it, creating those non-archetypal characters that are so hard to get right in d20. We've run through a few sample combats and find it the perfect balance between cinematic "swashbuckling" and realism. In other words, it's hitting that sweet spot dang on.

Whoever posted that it sucks needs to roll on the Smackdown Critical Table

 

[Rasyr]

ROFLMAO Greywulf!!!!

 

[TheGM]

Hey! don't knock HARP. I'm GM'ing my first HARP game tomorrow night, and looking forward to it immensely. The character generation is gorgeous - like a cross between d20 and RM, and the players have had a whale of a time with it, creating those non-archetypal characters that are so hard to get right in d20. We've run through a few sample combats and find it the perfect balance between cinematic "swashbuckling" and realism. In other words, it's hitting that sweet spot dang on.

Whoever posted that it sucks needs to roll on the Smackdown Critical Table

Who me?

I actually like the game, but since I play RMFRP (only game I'm a player in), it feels like someone tried to simplify RM and, while they were successful, it's not as simplified as it could be.

I own all the HARP books, just don't know that I'd ever run a campaign. At that point I'd develop one in RM

 

[greywulf]

I agree, it could be a much simpler system, though to my mind that would be the wrong way to go. There are far too many "simple" games out there right now. It's refreshing to find one that's straightforward to play yet still treats it's players like adults

I love Rolemaster too. This from the Character Law & Campaign Law days. I loved the detail, the herbs list, the skills system from RMC II, the whole shebang. I loved that Swink the Killer Ferret got a credit in the books.

If I was going to start a new canpaign and wanted that level of detail that Rolemaster provides, I'd be inclined to use HARP as the foundations though. It's far more cohesive form the start, and that's a Good Thing.

Besides, I've got two kinds of players around me now - those that dig Rolemaster and who played it during the Old Days, and the newer players who've cut their teeth on AD&D (young whippersnappers!) and d20. HARP is a terrific way to get the two together.

One of the newer players has commented that it's the first time he's been able to generate a real lightly armoured fighter without feeling like he's just a rogue without Sneak attack or a naked sub-optimal Fighter. I think it's fair comment, and praise for HARP rather than a criticism of d20.

 

[TheGM]

I can see why you'd do that, and bringing the two groups together is a good use for it.

But once you know the RMFRP rules (I loved the detail in the original "Law" series, but RMFRP is a much more solid system), you may as well use them. There's honestly so much overlap in mind-set between that and D&D 3.5 that I am still frequently amazed.