Author Topic: Question regarding RMFRP, or RMC for a new game.  (Read 1498 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Jenkyna

  • Seeker of Wisdom
  • **
  • Posts: 274
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Question regarding RMFRP, or RMC for a new game.
« on: December 01, 2017, 12:38:39 AM »
I am returning to ICE games after a long hiatus from running RPGs. I'm looking at running a sci-fi game with some friends, and originally I was going to use Traveller for that game. As I starting thinking more and more about what I want to do with this group long term I realized I was eventually going to end up using RM to run a Middle Earth game too.

Just to be clear I have all of the books, or darn near all of the books, ICE ever put out starting from back in the early 80s excluding HARP and the Cyradon material. I kept buying them even after I stopped playing games and running games in the mid 90s. If I am missing anything it's some of the more recent Shadow World material, and I will likely rectify that fairly soon. Terry seems to have been busy, and I am looking forward to seeing what he has been working on. It's not a question of what to buy it's a question of which of the rulesets that I have would be the smartest choice for my players.

Long and the short of it is once I realized I'd be using RM for other games I concluded it was a bad idea to use Traveller for the sci-fi game since that would be new the group too. I don't want to get them used to one thing, and then switch to another that is very very different.

So initially I was thinking MERP with RM rules and a Spacemaster Campaign on the side means using Rolemaster Classic over RMFRP. I am wondering where that leaves me with respect to RMU though? Is it going to be more like RMC or more like RMFRP? How hard will it be to covert the MERP source material to RMU?

I'm used to the ICE systems being so analogous to each other that it's easy to integrate or convert things from one rules system to another, Spacemaster was practically just a Sci-Fi Companion for RM to my recollection, but I want to make it as easy on this group as I can. Some of them are serious into tabletops, and will devour just about anything. Some of them are much more causal, and just want to roll the dice and have an idea if they rolled poorly or well.

Offline Peter R

  • Navigator
  • ***
  • Posts: 1,850
  • OIC Points +480/-480
    • Rolemaster Blog
Re: Question regarding RMFRP, or RMC for a new game.
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2017, 02:45:41 AM »
In my opinion RMU is most like HARP on steriods. So HARP/ HARP SF may be the way forward for you.
Rolemasterblog http://www.rolemasterblog.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/RolemasterBlog
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rolemasterblog/

Spectre771 A couple of weeks ago, I disemboweled one of my PCs with a...

Offline jdale

  • RMU Dev Team
  • ****
  • Posts: 7,099
  • OIC Points +25/-25
Re: Question regarding RMFRP, or RMC for a new game.
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2017, 09:14:12 AM »
RMU is more similar to RMC in some ways, e.g. how skills are purchased (it does not keep RMSS's skill categories or the different progressions), more similar to RMSS/RMFRP in others (e.g. how spells are developed), and in some cases diverges from both (e.g. skill resolution is streamlined especially for moving maneuvers, the armor system has been changed).

It's been a long time since I played MERP but I think it is probably most similar to RMC in terms of where typical stat bonuses and skill bonuses are for the characters, which means the least conversion. RMSS/RMFRP or RMU might require reworking stats. I think it's quicker to make a character in RMU than RMSS/RMFRP. Of course, RMU isn't out yet.

HARP has a simpler character creation system than any of these, but changes more and you might end up needing to modify how you handle realms, professions, races, etc.
System and Line Editor for Rolemaster

Offline Jenkyna

  • Seeker of Wisdom
  • **
  • Posts: 274
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Question regarding RMFRP, or RMC for a new game.
« Reply #3 on: December 01, 2017, 10:59:25 AM »
In my opinion RMU is most like HARP on steriods. So HARP/ HARP SF may be the way forward for you.

Picking up Harp isn't really an ideal option, but thank you.

RMU is more similar to RMC in some ways, e.g. how skills are purchased (it does not keep RMSS's skill categories or the different progressions), more similar to RMSS/RMFRP in others (e.g. how spells are developed), and in some cases diverges from both (e.g. skill resolution is streamlined especially for moving maneuvers, the armor system has been changed).

Interesting, and it sounds like I can use either one, but RMC might be better. The one drawback to RMC is only companion I is pdf at this point. I have them all in the bound versions, but I hate to open them. Even new the bindings were never all that solid, and I originally bought them all in the early 90s.

It's been a long time since I played MERP but I think it is probably most similar to RMC in terms of where typical stat bonuses and skill bonuses are for the characters, which means the least conversion.

MERP should need no conversion for RMC afaik. They provide RM stats/professions for everything right alongside the MERP stats.

Offline jdale

  • RMU Dev Team
  • ****
  • Posts: 7,099
  • OIC Points +25/-25
Re: Question regarding RMFRP, or RMC for a new game.
« Reply #4 on: December 01, 2017, 01:52:37 PM »
RMC is largely a reorganization of RM2, which is what those stats would have been for, so if there are RM stats in there already, yeah, that's what you're looking at. RMSS/RMFRP expanded the skill list (to encompass almost everything from all the companions) and added categories. The biggest change in terms of stats is that profession bonuses are all up-front at 1st level, not accumulating per level as in RM2/RMC. That means low level characters will tend to have higher skill bonuses. Also, RMSS/RMFRP's training package likewise give a boost to low level characters. Higher level characters will show fewer differences. In these regards, RMU is more like RMC.
System and Line Editor for Rolemaster

Offline Jenkyna

  • Seeker of Wisdom
  • **
  • Posts: 274
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Question regarding RMFRP, or RMC for a new game.
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2017, 11:14:28 PM »
RMC is largely a reorganization of RM2, which is what those stats would have been for, so if there are RM stats in there already, yeah, that's what you're looking at. RMSS/RMFRP expanded the skill list (to encompass almost everything from all the companions) and added categories. The biggest change in terms of stats is that profession bonuses are all up-front at 1st level, not accumulating per level as in RM2/RMC. That means low level characters will tend to have higher skill bonuses. Also, RMSS/RMFRP's training package likewise give a boost to low level characters. Higher level characters will show fewer differences. In these regards, RMU is more like RMC.

I'll read Character Law from both of them and see what I think. The lack of pdf companions is kind of a drag for classic, but I get that republishing those isn't simple. Besides I would kind of like to see ICE move forward with settings as a higher priority than reprinting older works. One of the things I see as a step in the right direction is the new Shadow World material, and bringing the Imperium back into active development in Spacemaster.