I have used this program since it came out. I find it indispensable. I can’t imagine playing without it. Rolemaster can be chart heavy but other rpg’s are catching up to it. I want to say thank you for this video featuring this program as I think it would be very helpful especially for new players of the game. The author of this program is also looking for help in the continuation and updating so anyone with skills in programming could give him a shout out. Once again thank you for the video, Rolemaster is a great system that originally got a bad rap because of the many charts, even though you only use a few that are necessary for your characters.
Indispensable. Yes indeed. An excellent word to describe this tool. Out of interest what makes you say other RPGs are catching up in terms of their use of charts? What games are you thinking of? Do you think RM style "crunchy" games are making a come back?
I know that D&D and pathfinder both have made each version more complex even adding in critical hits. Of Course not to the level of IcE but still they seem to be moving closer to what Rolemaster was offering a long time ago, especially in character development. No I don’t think there is a resurgence in more games like Rolemaster, unless some VTT’s can make it more streamline. It takes more than a casual player to go through the grit of making a character. Most players want a fast character not a fully fleshed out one they can build and invest in. If you lose one it’s just as easy to roll up a new one. Not so easy in Rolemaster. At least my players are really invested in fleshing out their characters and playing them . They are not just a figure on the board. Probably going to get some negative feedback on some of my thoughts but they are mine 😊.
Hi Mark - yes fair call on the time it takes to make up an RM character and yes grit is also a good word. For sure a labour of love crating a new RM character :)
Hello there, Thank you very much for your videos, they are really useful and I am following your rolemaster campaign with interest... For the rolemaster combat minions, there is a way to save several fights, if we ever have several campaigns? Thank you and big hug from Québec!
Hello again Stefane ... thanks for the very kind words and great that you are getting use out of them. As a heads up more are coming about the game itself, rather than just Actual Plays. Watch this space 😊 In terms of your question RE Combat Minion yes there is but its a bit clunky and not ideal. Two ideas for you 1. If you go into the Minion settings (top right from memory) there is an option to to back up and save. You can copy the Minion details into say a word document for Campaign #1 and then include info from Campagin #2 and then swap as you need to. 2. The other idea, and what I do, is use a different browser for each different campaign - I have campaign #1 on say Chrome and #2 on MS Edge for example. I really love the Minion software. It has dramtically sped up my games but it does have flaws. Will answer your other question in a tick too. Hope that is helpful to you and a hearty grin and hug back to you from Auckland, New Zealand
I have been trying Rolemaster ERA electronic roleplaying assistant for RMU. It has crits and charts and moving maneouvers and direct spells + base spells and resistance rolls. The initiative tracker looks better in Combat Minion. But ERA lets players create characters so its all preloaded with the PC's. Have you tried it? RMU has new defense features Passive Dodge, Partial Dodge, Full Dodge(action) Adrenal Defense gives you your Partial Dodge to DB using a free action etc. Using Shields additional Passive Block to DB vs multiple attackers (Shield skill required to block the second+ attacker) , Partial Block 1/2 Shield skill to DB, Full Block. It seems to distinguish between melee attacks and Ranged. I thinks its 50% V ranged. Stuns are one of -25, -50 and -75. Attacker gets +20 V stunned. The defender may be Stunned with Fully parry but with Stun [-75] not giving much benefit from there parry etc.Waiting for ERA RMU to come out for Spell law though. MIssing the spells. It means you can move 50% and Partial Block or Partial Dodge for 50% to add quite a lot to your DB. Moving closer and defending yourself rather than attacking at -50%.
Hi there Stephen - nice one RE ERA electronic roleplaying assistant for RMU! To answer your question nope I haven't tried it and dammit ... ERA!! That was the one I was trying to remember, when I recorded, this video. I when I mention in the video "Fantasy Grounds ... and others" the "others" I was thinking of was ERA and just a sudden brain fade when filming! I haven't used ERA but I know people like it. I also really like the look and sound of RMU - I have an eariler copy of the public playtest and I liked what I saw. I liked there have been these core bugs in previous versions of RM and that this edition is trying to sort out. Ultimately though, for me, its a case of "Old Dog - New Tricks". I just like, and know, RM2/Classic really well and all of my very large library of ICE material and personal stuff I have developed is all RM2/Classic. I absoutely applaude the RM team and others for coming out with a new edition and great if it breathes new life into the RM system but for the meantime I'll be sticking to what I enjoy, which is afterall what the hobby is about, which is RM2/Classic. Fingers crossed for you and the rest of the community that the bring out ERA for Spell Law soon. Hey out of interest any either Rolemaster or generic RPG topics you would like to see a video on? I"m gonna do a "how to play" RM Classic at some point in the future. 🙂
Looks good. Shame about it not auto-tracking PP when spells are used, that would need fixing. What would make it even better would be if the players had their own access to the app (DM and Player specific client layouts). That would speed up combat even further since players would be able to decide on their action and set it up while waiting for their turn, only needing to press the Apply&Save button once it is their turn. With that implemented, the next improvement would be API access to VTT map systems (Roll20, FantasyGrounds, MapTools, etc...) to auto-measure for range and flanking and to assign status icons on the map. I been on and off trying to wrap my head around how to set up MapTools, RPGTools, etc... That is an Opensource suit of Virtual Tabletop tools that are meant to be interlinkable with each other and sync up between players and GM over network or internet. The problem with the Tools sytem is, one needs at least some programming skills to make it work and it is absolute minimalist. But with coding skills and it being OpenSource, it is possible to add features to it. There are some other OpenSource VTT that I still need to look at. I have a copy of ERA, but have not really used it yet. I need to play around with it, when/if I ever find a Rolemaster group (or if I ever find enough confidence to GM a game).
Hi StalasAiko - great! Pleased you like it. Yep the suggestions you make would all absolutely improve the software for sure. Some good news though - as mentioned in the video the Minion software was created some ~10ish years ago by a very nice Australian chap called David. He made the software as a bit of a side project I think and because he was passionate about RM. Time/life etc hasn't allowed him to advance the project any further but recently another RM fan has put his hand up to pick the project up - see the link below. His first priority is RMU which I guess is fair enough I just hope (really, really hope) that he doesn't forget about RM2/RMC!! 😬 Have a look at ironcrown.co.uk/ICEforums/index.php?topic=14077.msg244126#msg244126 It would be fantastic to have something like Minion API-ed into Roll20 for sure! I'm assuming you know but RMC and I think RMSS are already modules you can buy for Fantasy Grounds - check them out if you haven't seen them. Definately you should give GMing a go! I don't claim to be any massive expert but I have been doing for a while and if you would like any advice or any pointers (setup, tips on running a game, whatever etc) I'd be very happy to help. 🙂 Just shoot me an email (found in the About section on the channel). I'm in Auckland, New Zealand (GMT+12) in terms of figuring out a time to speak. I've seen ERA around for a while just never really had a serious play. Been keen on your thoughts. In terms of finding a group to play with as a couple of suggestions check out the Iron Crown Discord Channel and/or the ICE Reddit page. Another option is have a look at something like www.obsidianportal.com - there is a "find a group by system" option on the map and Rolemaster is one of the systems listed. BTW my own profile up there is www.obsidianportal.com/profile/GM_Chance Happy gaming and do be in touch if you would like either a chat or just swapping some emails RE GMing advice. I'm always keen to help other RM fans!
Thanks for the vid, been looking into the program for my games wondering how easy it worked - great overview! Also, what software are you using for the encounter map. It looks awesome! New to online gaming btw. Currently playing in a game on FG but looking to expand my options as a GM for future games.
Hi James - thanks for the kind words. 🙂The mapping software being used is Tabletop Simulator (TTS) which is what we use for our actual play games on the same channel. A great piece of kit - I made a video a few weeks back on it and a couple of other tools I use too - check it out at ua-cam.com/video/b1eCfT0hzjg/v-deo.html I'll be doing an indeepth video on all of these tools, including TTS, at some point in a few months. I really only got into online gaming, I suspect like a lot of people, at the start of the Covid pandemic and have just kinda stuck at it - I now have players in a different city so its the way to go. As much as gaming in person is the "gold standard"/preference there are lot of really great things about gaming online I think. I'm no expert in online gaming but happy to help with any questions you may have if I can. What flovour of Rolemaster do you play out of interest?
@@ofhorrorsandheroes I cut my teeth on RM2/Classic. My friends really preferred MERP though - so never got to play it as much as I wanted. Just joined a game a month ago on Fantasy Grounds, having fun even though the GM "fudges" the rules on the tactical round - he handles it more like D&D. Still it's great to be playing again. Looking forward to watching your other vids. 😊
@@jamescharles2655 Nice one mate! A fellow RM2/Classic fan! Excellent. 🙂 Great that you have tracked down a game on Fantasy grounds and you are enjoying playing again. Such a great hobby! For what its worth we run, as you may be able to see on the videos, Discord with me "projecting" Tabletop Simulator into Discord, Combat Minion & players run their own character sheet - seems to work okay. I would like to go "full noise" with setting up with characters inlcuded on Fantasy Grounds but I am pretty sure that with some of my players they would not be fans of the additional "admin" at the start to set up characters etc and then the learning curve of the system so think it will be Discord for the time being. Hope you continue to enjoy the future videos. Let me know if you have any requests of topics by the way, either of a Rolemaster or generic nature. Cheers and happy gaming🙂
Hi Brad - pretty simple fix in the end. The original developer very kindly took me through some troubleshooting steps … What worked for me was changing the security setting on the browser I was using resulting in the “s” from the address being removed (Ie worked but didn’t work) Hope that makes some kind of sense I suggest you try that in the first instance & please let me know how you get on. Cheers Chris
Hi there Big1975 - thanks for the subscription 😊 In terms of your question nope in our games all the players make their own attack rolls (usually via Discord) then tell me the result which I then include in the software. We did used to have players roll for imitative but decided to let the software roll that for everyone. We think it works pretty well. Suggest you check out some of our actual play videos to see how it works in practice. Happy gaming 😊
I have used this program since it came out. I find it indispensable. I can’t imagine playing without it. Rolemaster
can be chart heavy but other rpg’s are catching up to it.
I want to say thank you for this video featuring this program as I think it would be very helpful especially for new players of the game. The author of this program is also looking for help in the continuation and updating so anyone with skills in programming could give him a shout out. Once again thank you for the video, Rolemaster is a great system that originally got a bad rap because of the many charts, even though you only use a few that are necessary for your characters.
Indispensable. Yes indeed. An excellent word to describe this tool.
Out of interest what makes you say other RPGs are catching up in terms of their use of charts? What games are you thinking of?
Do you think RM style "crunchy" games are making a come back?
I know that D&D and pathfinder both have made each version more complex even adding in critical hits. Of Course not to the level of IcE but still they seem to be moving closer to what Rolemaster was offering a long time ago, especially in character development.
No I don’t think there is a resurgence in more games like Rolemaster, unless some VTT’s can make it more streamline. It takes more than a casual player to go through the grit of making a character. Most players want a fast character not a fully fleshed out one they can build and invest in. If you lose one it’s just as easy to roll up a new one. Not so easy in Rolemaster. At least my players are really invested in fleshing out their characters and playing them . They are not just a figure on the board.
Probably going to get some negative feedback on some of my thoughts but they are mine 😊.
Hi Mark - yes fair call on the time it takes to make up an RM character and yes grit is also a good word. For sure a labour of love crating a new RM character :)
Hello there, Thank you very much for your videos, they are really useful and I am following your rolemaster campaign with interest... For the rolemaster combat minions, there is a way to save several fights, if we ever have several campaigns? Thank you and big hug from Québec!
Hello again Stefane ... thanks for the very kind words and great that you are getting use out of them. As a heads up more are coming about the game itself, rather than just Actual Plays. Watch this space 😊
In terms of your question RE Combat Minion yes there is but its a bit clunky and not ideal. Two ideas for you
1. If you go into the Minion settings (top right from memory) there is an option to to back up and save. You can copy the Minion details into say a word document for Campaign #1 and then include info from Campagin #2 and then swap as you need to.
2. The other idea, and what I do, is use a different browser for each different campaign - I have campaign #1 on say Chrome and #2 on MS Edge for example.
I really love the Minion software. It has dramtically sped up my games but it does have flaws.
Will answer your other question in a tick too.
Hope that is helpful to you and a hearty grin and hug back to you from Auckland, New Zealand
Very cool intro!
Thanks for the kind words
I have been trying Rolemaster ERA electronic roleplaying assistant for RMU. It has crits and charts and moving maneouvers and direct spells + base spells and resistance rolls. The initiative tracker looks better in Combat Minion. But ERA lets players create characters so its all preloaded with the PC's. Have you tried it? RMU has new defense features Passive Dodge, Partial Dodge, Full Dodge(action) Adrenal Defense gives you your Partial Dodge to DB using a free action etc. Using Shields additional Passive Block to DB vs multiple attackers (Shield skill required to block the second+ attacker) , Partial Block 1/2 Shield skill to DB, Full Block. It seems to distinguish between melee attacks and Ranged. I thinks its 50% V ranged. Stuns are one of -25, -50 and -75. Attacker gets +20 V stunned. The defender may be Stunned with Fully parry but with Stun [-75] not giving much benefit from there parry etc.Waiting for ERA RMU to come out for Spell law though. MIssing the spells. It means you can move 50% and Partial Block or Partial Dodge for 50% to add quite a lot to your DB. Moving closer and defending yourself rather than attacking at -50%.
Hi there Stephen - nice one RE ERA electronic roleplaying assistant for RMU!
To answer your question nope I haven't tried it and dammit ... ERA!! That was the one I was trying to remember, when I recorded, this video. I when I mention in the video "Fantasy Grounds ... and others" the "others" I was thinking of was ERA and just a sudden brain fade when filming! I haven't used ERA but I know people like it.
I also really like the look and sound of RMU - I have an eariler copy of the public playtest and I liked what I saw. I liked there have been these core bugs in previous versions of RM and that this edition is trying to sort out.
Ultimately though, for me, its a case of "Old Dog - New Tricks". I just like, and know, RM2/Classic really well and all of my very large library of ICE material and personal stuff I have developed is all RM2/Classic.
I absoutely applaude the RM team and others for coming out with a new edition and great if it breathes new life into the RM system but for the meantime I'll be sticking to what I enjoy, which is afterall what the hobby is about, which is RM2/Classic.
Fingers crossed for you and the rest of the community that the bring out ERA for Spell Law soon.
Hey out of interest any either Rolemaster or generic RPG topics you would like to see a video on? I"m gonna do a "how to play" RM Classic at some point in the future. 🙂
Looks good. Shame about it not auto-tracking PP when spells are used, that would need fixing.
What would make it even better would be if the players had their own access to the app (DM and Player specific client layouts). That would speed up combat even further since players would be able to decide on their action and set it up while waiting for their turn, only needing to press the Apply&Save button once it is their turn.
With that implemented, the next improvement would be API access to VTT map systems (Roll20, FantasyGrounds, MapTools, etc...) to auto-measure for range and flanking and to assign status icons on the map.
I been on and off trying to wrap my head around how to set up MapTools, RPGTools, etc... That is an Opensource suit of Virtual Tabletop tools that are meant to be interlinkable with each other and sync up between players and GM over network or internet. The problem with the Tools sytem is, one needs at least some programming skills to make it work and it is absolute minimalist. But with coding skills and it being OpenSource, it is possible to add features to it. There are some other OpenSource VTT that I still need to look at.
I have a copy of ERA, but have not really used it yet. I need to play around with it, when/if I ever find a Rolemaster group (or if I ever find enough confidence to GM a game).
Hi StalasAiko - great! Pleased you like it.
Yep the suggestions you make would all absolutely improve the software for sure. Some good news though - as mentioned in the video the Minion software was created some ~10ish years ago by a very nice Australian chap called David. He made the software as a bit of a side project I think and because he was passionate about RM.
Time/life etc hasn't allowed him to advance the project any further but recently another RM fan has put his hand up to pick the project up - see the link below. His first priority is RMU which I guess is fair enough I just hope (really, really hope) that he doesn't forget about RM2/RMC!! 😬
Have a look at ironcrown.co.uk/ICEforums/index.php?topic=14077.msg244126#msg244126
It would be fantastic to have something like Minion API-ed into Roll20 for sure! I'm assuming you know but RMC and I think RMSS are already modules you can buy for Fantasy Grounds - check them out if you haven't seen them.
Definately you should give GMing a go!
I don't claim to be any massive expert but I have been doing for a while and if you would like any advice or any pointers (setup, tips on running a game, whatever etc) I'd be very happy to help. 🙂 Just shoot me an email (found in the About section on the channel). I'm in Auckland, New Zealand (GMT+12) in terms of figuring out a time to speak.
I've seen ERA around for a while just never really had a serious play. Been keen on your thoughts.
In terms of finding a group to play with as a couple of suggestions check out the Iron Crown Discord Channel and/or the ICE Reddit page. Another option is have a look at something like www.obsidianportal.com - there is a "find a group by system" option on the map and Rolemaster is one of the systems listed. BTW my own profile up there is www.obsidianportal.com/profile/GM_Chance
Happy gaming and do be in touch if you would like either a chat or just swapping some emails RE GMing advice. I'm always keen to help other RM fans!
Thanks for the vid, been looking into the program for my games wondering how easy it worked - great overview! Also, what software are you using for the encounter map. It looks awesome! New to online gaming btw. Currently playing in a game on FG but looking to expand my options as a GM for future games.
Hi James - thanks for the kind words. 🙂The mapping software being used is Tabletop Simulator (TTS) which is what we use for our actual play games on the same channel. A great piece of kit - I made a video a few weeks back on it and a couple of other tools I use too - check it out at ua-cam.com/video/b1eCfT0hzjg/v-deo.html
I'll be doing an indeepth video on all of these tools, including TTS, at some point in a few months.
I really only got into online gaming, I suspect like a lot of people, at the start of the Covid pandemic and have just kinda stuck at it - I now have players in a different city so its the way to go. As much as gaming in person is the "gold standard"/preference there are lot of really great things about gaming online I think.
I'm no expert in online gaming but happy to help with any questions you may have if I can.
What flovour of Rolemaster do you play out of interest?
@@ofhorrorsandheroes I cut my teeth on RM2/Classic. My friends really preferred MERP though - so never got to play it as much as I wanted. Just joined a game a month ago on Fantasy Grounds, having fun even though the GM "fudges" the rules on the tactical round - he handles it more like D&D. Still it's great to be playing again. Looking forward to watching your other vids. 😊
@@jamescharles2655 Nice one mate! A fellow RM2/Classic fan! Excellent. 🙂
Great that you have tracked down a game on Fantasy grounds and you are enjoying playing again. Such a great hobby!
For what its worth we run, as you may be able to see on the videos, Discord with me "projecting" Tabletop Simulator into Discord, Combat Minion & players run their own character sheet - seems to work okay.
I would like to go "full noise" with setting up with characters inlcuded on Fantasy Grounds but I am pretty sure that with some of my players they would not be fans of the additional "admin" at the start to set up characters etc and then the learning curve of the system so think it will be Discord for the time being.
Hope you continue to enjoy the future videos. Let me know if you have any requests of topics by the way, either of a Rolemaster or generic nature.
Cheers and happy gaming🙂
how did you fix the https issue? I am having the same issue and have noticed that others are too.
Hi Brad - pretty simple fix in the end.
The original developer very kindly took me through some troubleshooting steps …
What worked for me was changing the security setting on the browser I was using resulting in the “s” from the address being removed (Ie worked but didn’t work)
Hope that makes some kind of sense
I suggest you try that in the first instance & please let me know how you get on.
Cheers
Chris
If the gm is the only one to have the software, the gm rolls the attacks for everyone?
Hi there Big1975 - thanks for the subscription 😊
In terms of your question nope in our games all the players make their own attack rolls (usually via Discord) then tell me the result which I then include in the software.
We did used to have players roll for imitative but decided to let the software roll that for everyone.
We think it works pretty well. Suggest you check out some of our actual play videos to see how it works in practice.
Happy gaming 😊
The wolf was injured to the point, being out of the fight. You forgot to implement it.
Great thanks for the heads up. What did you think of the video?
@@ofhorrorsandheroes good demonstration