Review - Rolemaster RMSS/RMFRP
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2021
- Review and overview of Rolemaster Standard System (RMSS)/Fantasy Role Playing (RMFRP)
DriveThruRPG link: www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/p...
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Absolutely loved Rolemaster back in the day. I still have the 1984 blue box 2nd edition.
I've a video on that, too ;)
I'm one of those weirdo book rulebook readers. When I get a new rpg I sit down and open it and start reading at the 1st page and straight thru until I'm done. Then I make a second run thru and read the important parts. I'm with you on book layout as it concerns my desire for designers to lay their books out with simple and easy to follow character generation flow.
Rolemaster is my all time favorite system.
There's nothing wrong with being a weirdo!
I have stumbled upon your channel by luck and i am really glad I have. I have not thought about Rolemaster for years, I only played 2nd edition, and you have reawakened a desire to get it on the table. Cheers.
Give it a good dust-down and let it fly 🙂
I have the basic RMSS books. Sadly I don't think we ever played it, but I do remember using Gamemaster Law. I'm a visual type of person, and I love those McBride covers on many of the Iron Crown products. One day I may base a Rolemaster game around the fantasy world presented in those covers, maybe including some of the MERP covers as inspiration too.
Angus McBride was awesome, in his work for both ICE and Osprey. A much-missed artist.
I just found your video. It's one of the best reviews I've ever seen.
Thank-you :)
I remember trying to generate characters with RMSS character law with friends in my early teens.
It was...challenging to say the least.
We ended up just using the Crit and Fumble tables!
It can be... puzzling first time around :)
I am working my way through your gaming videos and I find them quite interesting with good detail. I would love to hear you go over GURPS and also do a comparative episode on which system you relay which system you find to do the best job for the various sections of RPGs, (such as combat, magic, character creation, and development stats, etc.). So many memories with these and I thank you for bringing them to the fore; wonderful times. Thank you!
Interesting idea, thank-you!
GURPS is coming, but not overly soon - see recent poll video. Weirdly, GURPS Traveller might wander in ahead of GURPS itself, to keep the Traveller release chronology intact.
I appreciate this review, I’ve been struggling with designing a skill system, mainly with general vs specific at the heart of my issue. Sounds like RMSS did a lot of work here.
Have you ever taken a look. at BRP? It might also give you some ideas.
That would be me. I read the book, then shelve it, and move on to the next shiny new book
Rolemaster is the game I always come back to. There is really nothing quite like it.
Given where it came from, it certainly has carved out its own special niche.
Good video. The the semi mess that is the RoleMaster edition history is crazy. I came in through HARP looking at Rolemaster for a couple of additional bits.
Thank-you! RM isn't as bad as some games for, as you put it, edition mess. But it's not the cleanest, either!
Which edition of HARP do you have? I have the version from 2003, or so and I know there's a newer edition but I'm not sure what differences exist, if any.
@@Tjrush-rm4jj In short, no idea. However, there are two that I know of - HARP (2003) and HARP Revised (2004). The PDF (I don't own a hardcopy) I have has copyright 2003/2004, so I'm assuming it's the revised version. I've never played it.
There's also an edition I've seen that has a copyright of 2003/2004/2011, which looks identical in content (not art), and would sort of make sense, tying in with ICE IP transferring from Mjolnir to Guild in 2011.
What the differences are between the 2003 and 2004 editions, however, I've no idea. Sorry I can't be of more help there.
@@Tjrush-rm4jj I think i have that same version I really like it. I grabbed most of the books for it. I think there are some changes in the newer stuff. I have Harp Sci Fi and I know that is a bit different.
@@jamesrickel3814 I have most of the books for it as well. It's a good system.
Oh Yes! Finalement a review of the best RPG
Enjoyed this video journey through a second chapter of the very excellent Rolemaster family of games. They remain favorites and I play any version of RM, MERP or HARP every chance I get. I do wish it was more popular with players today. Maybe RMU will provide the needed boost in player base if we ever see it hit the market in a final and published form. I certainly hope it wll.
I agree that chargen and advancement issues are the most problematic/complex aspect of RM and one that stands in the way of it being better received.
It is a shame that more games haven't come through to the same level as D&D in recognition and sales. I am looking forward to RMU, but there's a big hill to climb if it's going to make an impact beyond those of us that already know about it.
@@WillyMuffinUK videos like yours should centertainly help to highlight the strengths and appeal of Rolemaster and other less known, but worthy systems. ;)
@@freddaniel5099 I very much hope so :)
I am the type to read all the rulebooks before character creation.
I'm glad there are those out there that do :)
BTW, since I don't have the books with me here; you remind me here of some of the good things about this game, including the weapon tables. Do you think that RMSS Arms Law would work well simply as an addition to RM 2nd ed?
Yes. Some of the notation has changed on the tables, and some elements have been tweaked, but the core remains the same.
(However, note that RMSS AL has some table typos that RM2 AL doesn't...)
I'd be curious to know what your favorite role playing game is that is set in a medieval (esque) setting. I know there are a lot of games sets in either modern day or in a sci-fi setting, but my favorite is always been medieval fantasy.
I have Role Master 2nd Ed. Love it. Do you think there are adventures/story companions that you would say are most compatible with Role Master 2nd Ed? While I know the rules well enough, I was always a player so it's difficult for me to know. Do you think the RM rules and mechanics are reasonably compatible with D&D?
That's a difficult one... It depends on what I'm trying to achieve with the setting. My own setting is sort of low-mid Medieval, and for that I use a homebrew based on a mix of concepts from RuneQuest, Rolemaster, D&D, and elsewhere.
If pushed, I'd say RuneQuest, or BRP in general. But even that isn't suitable for every Medieval-esque setting that can be conceived. Certainly not if you were going a high fantasy route.
Hi there, thanks for continuing the RM treatise. After watching your take on RM2 I have continued on to RMSS/RMFRP which the latest German version of the game is based on. Don't know if you have ever seen the German version and its layout/art style but it sure is prettier than the original ICE books. Thank you for this informative video. Compared to your first video (on RM2) the sound is a bit hollow on this one. Did you change the mic?
Quite possibly - I have played around a bit with mic options, especially over the first few of these videos.
Experimentation :)
@@WillyMuffinUK - Experimentation is good, I guess. ;) Quick-fire question: do you currently have a favourite fantasy rpg?
@@olafbuddenberg4787 Yes 😉
It's a hybrid drawn from/inspired by many different systems, and exists mostly in my head and within a bunch of notebooks accumulated over a span of time. But if I was pinned down to a published game, right here right now, it would be RuneQuest. But ask me again in a week or so, and that answer may be different.
@@WillyMuffinUK - I know exactly what you mean. My favourites are in a constant state of "shift". ;) But RQ... man, that is a good choice in my book.
Maybe you get down to writing up your "head game" one day. I'd be interested to be sure.
Awesome review! 😁 I love Rolemaster, it's probably the best RPG ever crafted.
It's certainly one of the best! I like too many of them to single out one to be the best :)
@@WillyMuffinUK Yeah. Of course! Your library is like mine.
I have heard the soon to be released "Against the Dark Master" is essentially a compilation of MERP+some Rolemaster extra stuff, heard about that? I would not mind getting myself a copy, by the sound of it.
Here I get a bit cynical again (see my comments regarding Stars Without Number on my Classic Traveller review video).
The OGL was a good thing, in that it gave people more freedom to create. Lots of good things have come out of the OGL.
On the other hand, the OGL is a bad thing, because it has been used a fair bit to reproduce older games - occasionally adding in a bit of clean-up and maybe a unique mechanic or two.
Where those older games are no longer in print, this has been a good thing. It has kept at least the play experience of those games alive. This was the case for games such as OSRIC and Swords & Wizardry (although there is an argument to be made that now the D&D editions they recreated are essentially back in print, is there a need for them anymore?)
Where use of the OGL really annoys me, though, is when it is used to more or less recreate a game that is not out of print. Such recreations are irrelevant, and ultimately serve to partially undermine the parent game. I view them in the same way as I view Chibson guitars - knock-offs, with just enough changed to discourage a legal battle.
This is how I view SWON, and also how I view Against the Darkmaster. They hardly even hide their knock-off status - compare the title font used for the Against the Darkmaster rulebook with that of 1st/2nd Rolemaster.
Yes, an argument can be made in favour of Darkmaster being based on the out of print MERP rules, but all that means (from a rules perepective) is "Rolemaster Lite" - of which, variants already exist (Rolemaster Express, for example).
What truly made MERP fantastic was the attention to detail of its supplements. Darkmaster obviously does not have a Lord of the Rings license to bring in there.
So, for me, Darkmaster - like SWON, is in the bin of knock-offs made by people that have little respect for the original games, their creators, and their publishers.
Apologies for the rant, but it is something I feel quite strongly about.
@@WillyMuffinUK - WoW! I respect your opinion and you're certainly not wrong on some points. But otherwise I strongly disagree. SWON is probably the best OSR sci-fi game there is. Especially the re-vamped new edition. There's so much more to it than just "being a Traveller knock-off". True, it is strongly inspired by it but I can get much more out of it. Heck, you could even use SWON with your Traveller game for creating sandbox milieux.
@@olafbuddenberg4787 I retracted my statement about SWON. I got it confused with Cepheus for a moment there!
@@WillyMuffinUK - Oh, alright. Now I need to check out Cepheus to see what you meant. Never heard of it. ;)
@@olafbuddenberg4787 It's basically the Classic Traveller system extracted into an OGL.
Love rolemaster, I have the 2nd edition and all companions and all the rmss books except spell law and arms law and gamemaster law.
What is your favorite
See other comment :)
What is your opinion of their Creatures & Monsters book. I found it incredibly bad. Is it useful during play?
Bad in what way?
The RMSS book is pretty much an edited compilation of the old Creatures & Treasures books, without the treasures. During play - sure, you can find the stats of the creatures you need reasonably quickly. Personally, I prefer to create my own table of stats for the monsters needed, especially where variations are used. That table then becomes much more useful in play.
If you find the way stats are set out difficult to read - yes, so did I when I first started with RM. But it gets easier once you get used to them.
@@WillyMuffinUK You and I understand how anteaters actually appear as. RMSS simply writes "creature with its elongated snouts". Actually, their appearance with their "tube" snouts and its very long tongue would give its most unique characteristic. Throughout the book, for me, it is difficult to imagine how creatures appear as. Even better, put some money into black/white or color drawings especially for the fantasy creatures.
@@wade616 Ah, like the Monster Manual did for AD&D.
The thing is... I just make up the ones I'm not sure about. I don't think it really matters - I'd go for the number of monsters over the pictures.
But - I wouldn't complain if it went the Monster Manual route, either.
Hi!
What do you think about the new system, the RMU? Is it a suitable system for a new player?
Best regards!
I'm still absorbing RMU - once the Creatures & Treasures (or equivalent) volume is out, I'll do a full review - but at the moment, for me, it's an incomplete game.
Which, to that end, I wouldn't say RMU was the right route for new players at this time. Instead, I'd suggest Rolemaster Fantasy Role-playing (RMFRP), or HARP Fantasy. It's fairly easy to move to RMU from either of those, once it's all there.
Rolemaster Standard System (RMSS) had a set titled The Basics, which had enough from each of its core books to start playing. You might be able to find a cheap copy of that somewhere. It was a good starter set for RM.
Thank you for your detailed reply@@WillyMuffinUK
@@agrorocker You're welcome - I hope it helped.
What is your favorite version of rolemaster?
My favourite is RM2, with a bunch of house rules and options thrown at it. I do like RMSS, but it does get too bogged down in some areas.
Hey Willy, Are you a gm or a player? I would love to play RMSS.
I dream of being a player, but rarely have the opportunity to step out from behind the referee's screen.
@@WillyMuffinUK I know that feeling. I wish my english talking was less robotic so I could be a GM; I am a GM in french though and never a player which is sad. Everybody can be a gm, it is fun but most of the players are scared to try to create a game.