What is Rolemaster?

[Mystic Muse]

I was just reading an update of one of my usual comics (Weregeek) and they brought up a system called Rolemaster in it.

Can anybody tell me what the system is about? The author doesn't seem to like it (Or at least the character thinks it's horrible) but I don't really know anything about it. I might have seen it mentioned on here once or twice but that's about it.

[Mojo_Rat]

Rolemaster is a fantasy game that is known for needing a calculus degree to understand.

It has some good points it is a very detailed game With alot of debth mechanically.

The problem though is it is extremely chart heavy, everything involves charts. You attack a chart, you hit a chart, oh you did well enough to crit? another chart etc.

In the hands of a very organized Dm who knows wha the is doing it can be alot of fun. However in the hands of most people its slow and possibly confusing.

When i was young i played a game called MERP middle earth role playing which is basically Rolemaster lite and was alot easier to understand.

because of the contract for merp the company that produced rolemaster got the right to use alot of middle earth themed stuff and it permeates the over all theme of the game. though not in a bad way its just obvious once you know its there.

But the charts for rolemaster usually put people off or cause grown men to weep :)

[Deth Muncher]

Rolemaster, when I played it, stuck me as a very nostalgic kind of playing game. I dunno, I like D&D and all, but Rolemaster...struck me as just being good. S'weird. I highly recommend it.

But yes, I second the chart thing. SO MANY GORRAM CHARTS.

[Killer Angel]

But yes, I second the chart thing. SO MANY GORRAM CHARTS.

There was an old pun, that you can find even a chart regarding "damage for wearing small shoes".

[Comet]

Back in the day everyone used to call it "Rulemonster" around here.

[lesser_minion]

Please don't use the word 'calculus' to scare people. Simple analytical calculus is not hard to understand.

In any event, Rolemaster is a roleplaying game with something of a reputation for being obsessively detailed and table-heavy.

Everything is resolved with d100 + modifiers, looked up on a table, so the game is actually fairly easy to play -- however, you could be bogged down by relentless table lookups.

Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolemaster

[Escheton]

Sounds awesome for pbp but a hassle for tabletop.

[lesser_minion]

Sounds awesome for pbp but a hassle for tabletop.

I imagine it would be a complete snap for wave/unite/irc/im/maptools/dc/whatever as well. A few bots or scripts and you'd be away.

[Matthew]

Yeah, that actually might be true. I had a lot of difficulty even with Middle Earth Roleplaying (which used a light version of Role Master). It is sometimes affectionately referred to as "Roll Master" or "Chart Master", but was basically envisioned as a more gritty alternative to D&D.

[Gnaeus]

It runs surprisingly well with an experienced GM. I mean, most of the time, your characters are relying on a few spells or weapons, so you just photocopy the charts you use all the time and have them at hand.

Pros:
Dozens of Classes

Huge flexibility in character creation

Lots of realism in combat. An axe will give you different results than a sword. The agile, unarmored guy will get hit less than the guy in plate mail, but if he gets hit it will hurt more.

A supremely detailed critical hit system. If you want a game that provides descriptions like "You bury your axe in his upper shoulder, severing a major artery. Opponent collapses to the ground stunned and dies in 2-8 rounds from shock and blood loss." Rolemaster is great.

Cons:
Slow character creation.

Realistic combat system means that characters can easily die if a mook gets a lucky crit. (Then spend the next few hours making a new character)

Steep learning curve and somewhat slow to play.

[Escheton]

So, can one just buy this at any hobbyshop?
Sound good, wanna try it.

[Snowstorm]

I've been meaning to find a copy of the main rulebook ever since the guys over at RPGMp3.com did an audio podcast of their campaign. It's quite entertaining!

[Somebloke]

For our group it is about tripping over an imaginary dead turtle and seeing your entire group wiped out as a result of a cascade of critical fumbles.

Awesome times. But get the rules-light(er) version and make sure you have a DM that is flexible (cause a fight or scene can very quickly go horribly wrong or right) and oragnized.

[BobVosh]

We had a copy or two at most of the FLGS in the area. Shouldn't be a hard find.

Character creation can be a mixture of hilarious and tedious at times. All in all it feels like a much more in depth D&D 2nd ed to me, I liked it reasonably well.

[OldFart]

Rolemaster, as mentioned above, is very detailed. As in, "too much of a good thing." As if the charts aren't bad enough, the skill system compounds the issue. There are hundreds of skills -hundreds. There's a skill for tying one's shoes. That's not hyperbole. It's called Knot Mastery. No, really.

True story, from the last time I played role master: I took my turn in combat. Then I went out for pizza. Not "went out and got a pizza" but sat down in the restaurant, ordered, waited for pizza to be made, ate it, left, and returned to the game - in time for my next attack on the following round. I think the reason it was the last time I played Rolemaster is self-explanatory.

[dsmiles]

Cons:

Realistic combat system means that characters can easily die if a mook gets a lucky crit. (Then spend the next few hours making a new character)

I'm not really seeing that as a con. I happen to like a grittier, more realistic feel to combat. It's combat, people get hurt, people die.

[Matthew]

So, can one just buy this at any hobbyshop? Sound good, wanna try it.

You certainly can, and you can also get the basic pdf for $5: Role Master Classic (http://shop.ironcrown.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=40_42&products_id=304).

[Gnaeus]

So, can one just buy this at any hobbyshop?
Sound good, wanna try it.

http://www.ironcrown.com

My recommendation: Either buy Middle Earth Role Playing (on EBAY, it is out of print because ICE no longer has the IP) or HARP (High Adventure Role Playing, which I suspect is a reprinting of the old MERP rules with the proprietary stuff removed).

When you understand that, buy Arms Law and Spell Law (Spell law is now apparently subdivided into 3 books), and incorporate them.

Then move to full Rolemaster.


I'm not really seeing that as a con. I happen to like a grittier, more realistic feel to combat. It's combat, people get hurt, people die.

Its a much different feel. I like death in combat. I hate spending 2 hours making a character then dying in the first fight because an orc rolled well.

[valadil]

It runs surprisingly well with an experienced GM. I mean, most of the time, your characters are relying on a few spells or weapons, so you just photocopy the charts you use all the time and have them at hand.


I wonder how it would run if you gave those charts to the appropriate players. I never played RM (we couldn't defeat the character creation process), but in MERP dramatic readings of critical hits were always a good time. It might be more fun if players got to look that stuff up for themselves and it would keep the GM from spending too much time flipping through pages of charts.


So, can one just buy this at any hobbyshop?
Sound good, wanna try it.

In the last 10 years I've seen the RM core book exactly once. It's at the Hobby Bunker in Malden, MA for $35. Just order it online.

[dsmiles]

I never played RM (we couldn't defeat the character creation process), but in MERP dramatic readings of critical hits were always a good time.

Reading critical hits and critical fumbles is a highlight in ANY game. Always a good time.


Also @Gnaeus: That's exactly what HARP is.