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From: req@snow.UUCP (Russell Quin)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Rolemaster
Message-ID: <315@snow.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-Jan-85 14:59:59 EST
Article-I.D.: snow.315
Posted: Fri Jan 11 14:59:59 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 14-Jan-85 04:48:41 EST
Organization: Computer Science Department, Warwick University, UK
Lines: 95

A few replies, and those who stated how long they'd been running the system
have been using it for some time -- probably long enough for first
impressions to have been ousted... not long enough for a retrospective look
at a campaign, of course. So here is a summary/review, as promised. Most
people's impressions were favourable.

1)  Presentation:	The layout of the books is unhelpful; an index would
have been appreciated, and as the reviewer in The Dragon pointed out, the
tables are in a somewhat unexpected order.
	Scenarios are printed in a tiny (around 6pt) typeface which is a real
strain to read.  On the whole, however, it's certainly not the worst I've
seen, and the mail replies tend to agree that it is certainly useable with a
bit of practice, although it is ``quite difficult to learn straight off.''
	Perhaps it isn't really fair to compare other systems with TSR[TM]'s
layout, but it's difficult not to.  News of a new Rolemaster edition in a
different format means that the situation may well improve.

2)  Combat:	Possibly the most controversial aspect of the system. Replies
vary tremendously.  An example:
> I *like* the combat system a lot. I think that by combining it with the
> wound and healing system in the game you get a much more "realistic" sort of
> combat. In a recent knife fight in an alley the players came out with an arm
> wound (serious), a chest wound (minor) and a broken tendon (a botched attempt
> at a martial art strike).
The combat is table-driven: there is a table for each weapon, with a different
column for each type of opponent's armour [a total of 20 types]. An open-ended
dice roll with added and/or subtracted modifiers
gives a column in the table determining if a hit was made, what the damage was,
and whether a critical was scored. Criticals involve one of the Critical tables;
a roll is made giving further damage to specified locations [broken arm etc].

The main criticisms of the approach are that it's hard to alter a table [but
you can always use a different one -- there are certainly enough provided!] and
that you can never get to remember all the ``to hit'' scores [cf. Basic D&D]/
The advantages seem to be:-
	it's fairly fast
	it's simple to use, although you do need enough copies of the tables
to give 1/player, really
	the comprehensive modifiers allow for GM's judgement in a simple and
intuitive manner -- important for fast running -- and are all summarised in a
table somewhere. I know 'cos I found it.
	it provides a certain amount of detail -- more than AD&D, less than RQ!
I guess it's a very individual thing, but there are notes about compatibility
with AD&D in the back, so you could revert if you really wanted... You could
also use Rolemaster's combat with AD&D.

3) The Skill System:	I've presented the skill system as being separate, but
it is really quite well integrated.  There are character classes, but the ONLY
difference they make is how much it ``costs'' to develop each skill.  It is
easy to add new skills, and the class system means that characters are
individual.  Skills improve on going up an (overall) level; a detailed
experience points table suggests what to award points for, including ``idea
points'' and bonuses for doing things first time round -- the first Orc is
worth much, much more than the fourteenth! -- without too much [for me] book-
keeping.
	The manoeuvre table is a good idea, giving success/failure percentage
depending on the relative difficulty and the ubiquitous modifiers:
> The manoeuvre table is also a good idea, but difficult to use sometimes.
The problem lies in allocating a difficulty [routine,easy,difficult,absurd etc]
to a task. Results include -- outstanding success, all nearby foes stunned..
or you can fall and hurt yourself, ending in a coma for weeks or even years.

4)  Campaign Law:	This volume is sold separately. The first half relates
to starting up and running a campaign in general, including world design etc.,
and is well worthwhile.  The second half includes an example ``campaign world'',
Vog Mur. More on that below.

5) Modules:	These are NOT for the beginning GM. They are not modules in the
TSR[TM] sense; they are detailed are descriptions.  In tiny print.  The layout
could be better:
> A lot of work has obviously gone into it, but it's not really my cup of tea.
> Perhaps that's why my campaign is set in an Eastern/Arabian background rather
> than anything else.
The modules play far more slowly than most others I've seen. One comment was
> I've been using Rolemaster for about a year ... the campaign is starting to
> progress nicely.

6) Other Comments:
> ... starts characters out too rich for my likings..

> ... hard for AD&D types to learn, easier for others, since it doesn't reduce
> fantasy life to quite the cut-and-dried flavour of the "Other System".
[I'm not sure I agree about that... ]

> I *like* ... combining [the combat system] with the wound and healing system.

My own view is that it can provide a detailed atmosphere but requires a good
deal of work on the GM's part.  The modules don't seem worthwhile (maybe they
are cheaper in the US ?), but Campaign Law is a must, and worth looking at even
if you don't intend to use Rolemaster.
Further comments more than welcome.
	Russell Quin
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