Author Topic: How much do you customize your game ?  (Read 11078 times)

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Offline Dragonking11

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How much do you customize your game ?
« on: September 27, 2017, 07:13:03 AM »
Rolemaster (any editions) is quite complex and rules heavy, but is I think pretty well balanced overall. I mainly play RMSS though so I'm not that familiar with the other editions.

I try as much as possible to use the RAW but have some house rules of my own on some stuff regarding skills and combat. The bulk of my house rules concerns the integration of a battle map for my encounters. Rolemaster' rules are in fact really well suited for this but are unfortunately not really incorporated in the rulebooks. I understand that those were not really popular yet in the 90s.

Do you have a heavily customized ruleset of your own in your games ?

Offline Peter R

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2017, 11:54:32 AM »
It tends to be that if it isn't on a critical table then it is open to negotiation. Having said that, I have written my own critical tables so I am not sure I use anything that is RAW in my main game.
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Offline Jengada

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2017, 12:26:31 PM »
I use RM2 with a lot of home-brew rules. Most of those fall into two categories, (1) simplification/streamlining, or (2) cultural specializations. 
The latter is a matter of specialized skills for cultures, that I don't allow to other culture, or weapons, or spell lists. But the mechanics of how those skills, weapons, or lists work are almost always the same as others of their ilk.
There's a small set of rules I've imported from RMSS to fix or expand things I think RM2 was weak on.

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Offline Ecthelion

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2017, 01:02:12 PM »
Over the years we have accumulated a quite large set of house rules.

Offline RandalThor

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2017, 12:38:20 AM »
I guess I use a few, but not many, and those I do use I don't think are big departures/changes. So, ultimately, not much at all.
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Offline Dragonking11

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2017, 06:41:05 AM »
It tends to be that if it isn't on a critical table then it is open to negotiation. Having said that, I have written my own critical tables so I am not sure I use anything that is RAW in my main game.

What did you not like in the critical tables ? I suppose you rebalanced them your own way ?

Offline Spectre771

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2017, 07:59:45 AM »
We try to keep as close to RAW.  We add optional rules here and there, but those are also as-written from the books.  The big optional rule we use is simplified initiative.... this however may actually be house-ruled just a little.  Roll OE up or down + QU bonus - Modifiers.  Highest value goes first, then down the line.  I higher value player can defer action until later in the initiative chain.
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Offline Druss_the_Legend

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #7 on: September 28, 2017, 12:28:27 PM »
i have added many house rules.
1) i use a variation of the super fast combat system that delivers crits only on an open-ended roll. weapon damage is less than the actual system as given in the rules
2) ambush is similar but i allow the skill rank to increase he odds of crits
3) poisoned weapons use the weapons tables for purposes of effect, a letter result means the poison has penetrated the armour
4) i allow talents to be developed after starting level with a 4/* cost (similar to spell list development)> players get assigned a drawback to balance the new talent and the talent is gained at full level
5) we have 1/3 level development as well as 1/2 level advancement. this staggers the skills developed
6) weapon abilities are gained at higher skill ranks (12+) as well as a small increase in weapon damage. ST/ST/AG bonus is used to increase melee damage but this damage is 1/5 of the stat bonus. quality weapons increase damage slightly also (about 1/5 of bonus so +10 weapon adds +2 damage)
7) Initiative is rolled using 2d10 + 1/5 Qu mod.

Offline OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2017, 01:21:14 PM »
I wrote and use quite a lot of house rules, foremost related with magic, since I never quite agreed with how RM2 handles it (or, rather, with the paradigm with which on mind the magic system was written), and the only other significant one is about how to give out experience points since RM2 was written in the 80s where action and kills were more important than roleplay and storytelling.
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Offline Peter R

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2017, 02:54:04 PM »
It tends to be that if it isn't on a critical table then it is open to negotiation. Having said that, I have written my own critical tables so I am not sure I use anything that is RAW in my main game.

What did you not like in the critical tables ? I suppose you rebalanced them your own way ?

We have been playing do long that my players know the tables. So I rewrote them to freshen them up. Some days I use the official ones, dome days my alternatives.
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Offline Druss_the_Legend

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2017, 12:42:18 AM »
I wrote and use quite a lot of house rules, foremost related with magic, since I never quite agreed with how RM2 handles it (or, rather, with the paradigm with which on mind the magic system was written), and the only other significant one is about how to give out experience points since RM2 was written in the 80s where action and kills were more important than roleplay and storytelling.

what rule changes did u make to spell system?

Offline Cory Magel

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2017, 07:27:50 PM »
I've modified...

Experience (none) and Leveling (when I say).
Everyone gets a set, flat amount of Development Points.
How Profession Bonuses (smaller up front bonus) + Everyman, Occupational, and Restricted skills work (bonus or penalty per rank developed).
How the round works (declarations, actions, movement in combat).
Created a form of weapon specialization.
How multiple attacks work.
How shields work.
How instant spells work.
How adrenal skills work.

Then I've converted from RM2 or created new Professions and/or Spell Lists.
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Offline Druss_the_Legend

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #12 on: September 29, 2017, 11:18:56 PM »
I've modified...

Experience (none) and Leveling (when I say).
Everyone gets a set, flat amount of Development Points.
How Profession Bonuses (smaller up front bonus) + Everyman, Occupational, and Restricted skills work (bonus or penalty per rank developed).
How the round works (declarations, actions, movement in combat).
Created a form of weapon specialization.
How multiple attacks work.
How shields work.
How instant spells work.
How adrenal skills work.

Then I've converted from RM2 or created new Professions and/or Spell Lists.

thats a lot of work.

interested in what u have done with...
How the round works (declarations, actions, movement in combat).

Offline Cory Magel

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #13 on: September 30, 2017, 01:08:45 AM »
I have worked up a simplified round and am also in the process of creating a second-by-second system.  I wouldn't call the second-by-second more complex, but it looks that way on paper.  Not done with it however, so here's the simplified version...

Step 1.) Roll initiative using 1d10+Average of Stats Bonuses.

The bonus to an initiative roll for physical actions (including movement) is calculated by taking the average of the characters Quickness, Agility and Intuition stat bonuses

The bonus to an initiative roll for mental actions are the average of Reasoning, Memory and Self Discipline.

Step 2.) Movement.

The combatant with the worst initiative is called upon to take their movement action first, however combatants with a higher initiative can choose to react to the movement of those with a lower initiative.

This is in order to simulate the advantage a combatant would have in winning the initiative.  They are able to either move first to block a passage for example, or react to others movement and adjust theirs accordingly.

So, characters with the worst, or lowest, initiative will take their movement first unless someone chooses to react to that movement.  They can move as little or as much as they want, but obviously no further than the character can move in a given round.

Most characters can move roughly ten feet per second at a full run.  This translates to one, five foot, hex 5% action used.  Obviously a character must have enough action left to perform whatever actions they intend to after movement (potentially with the appropriate penalty due to minimum action percentage needed to perform that action).

Step 3.) Declarations.

Players now declare their characters actions.  Basically, anything other than movement, which has already occurred, needs to be declared at this point.  The only exception to this are Instantaneous actions.  For example, all of the following would be declared at this point: Attack Actions, Moving Maneuvers, Shield allocation, and Parry / Attack OB allocation

Step 4.) Action Resolution.

Actions are resolved in the order of the character with the best, highest, initiative to the worst, lowest, initiative.  Characters can chose to delay their action and continue it later in reaction to another, slower characters, action.

For example, a character may wish to interrupt another character while in the process of taking their action (as opposed to merely trying to stop it in the first place).

If making mental actions (spell casting for example) you can use your In/Me stats averaged for an initiative modifier at this point with original init roll.
- Cory Magel

Game design priority: Fun > Balance > Realism (greater than > less than).
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Offline Druss_the_Legend

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #14 on: September 30, 2017, 01:32:55 AM »
I have worked up a simplified round and am also in the process of creating a second-by-second system.  I wouldn't call the second-by-second more complex, but it looks that way on paper.  Not done with it however, so here's the simplified version...

Step 1.) Roll initiative using 1d10+Average of Stats Bonuses.

The bonus to an initiative roll for physical actions (including movement) is calculated by taking the average of the characters Quickness, Agility and Intuition stat bonuses

The bonus to an initiative roll for mental actions are the average of Reasoning, Memory and Self Discipline.

Step 2.) Movement.

The combatant with the worst initiative is called upon to take their movement action first, however combatants with a higher initiative can choose to react to the movement of those with a lower initiative.

This is in order to simulate the advantage a combatant would have in winning the initiative.  They are able to either move first to block a passage for example, or react to others movement and adjust theirs accordingly.

So, characters with the worst, or lowest, initiative will take their movement first unless someone chooses to react to that movement.  They can move as little or as much as they want, but obviously no further than the character can move in a given round.

Most characters can move roughly ten feet per second at a full run.  This translates to one, five foot, hex 5% action used.  Obviously a character must have enough action left to perform whatever actions they intend to after movement (potentially with the appropriate penalty due to minimum action percentage needed to perform that action).

Step 3.) Declarations.

Players now declare their characters actions.  Basically, anything other than movement, which has already occurred, needs to be declared at this point.  The only exception to this are Instantaneous actions.  For example, all of the following would be declared at this point: Attack Actions, Moving Maneuvers, Shield allocation, and Parry / Attack OB allocation

Step 4.) Action Resolution.

Actions are resolved in the order of the character with the best, highest, initiative to the worst, lowest, initiative.  Characters can chose to delay their action and continue it later in reaction to another, slower characters, action.

For example, a character may wish to interrupt another character while in the process of taking their action (as opposed to merely trying to stop it in the first place).

If making mental actions (spell casting for example) you can use your In/Me stats averaged for an initiative modifier at this point with original init roll.

so instantaneous spells that r prepped and ready go on the casters initiative?

Offline Cory Magel

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #15 on: September 30, 2017, 02:16:33 AM »
Here's more of it...

Related Rules...

Instantaneous Actions.
Instantaneous actions are exactly, that… instantaneous.  They do not automatically require declaration and they do not impact any of the characters other actions negatively.

Snap and Deliberate Equivalent Actions.
Making a “snap” action simulates attempting to perform your action quicker by sacrificing effectiveness in your action.  A “snap” action will add +2 to your initiative, but give a -20% penalty to your action.
Making a “deliberate” action simulates attempting to perform an action more skillfully by taking ones time in performing it.  A “deliberate” action will impose a -2 penalty to your initiative total, but will provide a +10% bonus to your action.

OVER-CASTING SPELLS
-   You can overpay when casting a spell to raise its effective level. This means if you cast an “Open Locks” spell on a magic lock that is 4th level but use 10 PP to do it instead of the normal four, then the lock you are casting it on would resist against a 10th level spell instead of a 4th. You cannot overcast beyond your level (meaning you would need to be 10th level to spend 10 points on a 4th level spell).

INSTANT SPELLS
-   Instant spells take no percentage of action.
-   Instant spells do not count towards the One Spell Per Round rule, with the exception of offensives spells.
-   You can cast as many defensive instants as you like each round.
     o   Instants cannot be stacked for more effect on the same ‘target’.
-   Instant spells need not be declared if…
     o   You are not in melee combat.
     o   You are targeting your current foe or an action that foe is performing.
     o   You are in melee combat and roll a successful Situational Awareness: Combat check.

ADRENAL SKILLS:
-   Non-passive Adrenal Maneuvers require 10% activity to perform unless otherwise specified.
-   Only one non-passive Adrenal Maneuver can be performed in a given round.
-   Non-passive Adrenal Maneuvers that are performed undeclared penalize the next action by 10%
-   Adrenal Defense is passive in nature once the stance has been assumed and does not require a percentage of activity for the remainder of the current engagement.

Therefore a character utilizing Adrenal Defence could still make an Adrenal Strength maneuver, however a character could not perform Adrenal Strength and Adrenal Speed in the same round.

DUAL ATTACKS
Dual Attacks are when a character is using a weapon that can effectively be used to attack with more than one point. The Quarterstaff, Three Section Staff, and some “Pole” weapons are good examples.  Dual Attacks are commonly the result of Fighting Styles.

MULTIPLE ATTACKS
Multiple Attacks are when a character has specialized in a weapon to the degree that they can effectively make more than one attack per attack action.  This is simulated by increased base damage, secondary and potentially even tertiary criticals.  Multiple Attacks are commonly the result of Weapon Specialization in a specific weapon.  (Note: Characters may not specialize in more than two specific weapons).

TWO-WEAPON COMBO
-   Off hand with the same weapon must be developed as a separate skill unless the player has the Ambidexterity talent.
-   Using two weapons of the same length longer then a short sword (roughly 2 feet) will result in a -10 penalty on the secondary weapon.
-   The two attacks can be split between two opponents with a -20 penalty to both.
-   When Parrying the OB used to do so applies to both weapons (and foes if split).
-   For ease and speed of game combat both attacks are resolved at the same time. This is resolved as one attack action (60%-100% activity) and a Bladeturn spell would apply to both swings.

SHIELDS
-   Shield bonuses can be applied to all foes within the characters forward arc (hex immediately in front of and the two to either side of it).
-   If the character is focusing all of his or her shielding attention towards a single ranged attacker the character gains +10DB against that attacker.
-   If it has been trained in as a weapon you can make a Shield Bash attempt and still use the shield defensively, however you will be using Two-Weapon Combo rules to accomplish this.
-   A small buckler can be used with a two-handed weapon, however is useless against ranged attacks unless the character possess a skill which allows for missile parries (and is only effective when actively using that skill).
-   DB = Buckler +5 / Small Shield +10 / Medium Shield +15 / Large Shield +20 / Target Shield +25
- Cory Magel

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Offline Dragonking11

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #16 on: September 30, 2017, 08:53:47 PM »
@Cory

Wow you seem to have tuned all the major rules from the books.

Have you tried playtesting RMU ?

Does RMU includes some of your tuning as RAW ?

Offline Cory Magel

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #17 on: October 01, 2017, 02:22:41 AM »
There are some thing very core to RMU that I don't particularly like.  Besides, when you've already created your own version of RM, customized to how you like it, why start over with a version that has less material out?  I'm sure that's part of why so many never left RM2.
- Cory Magel

Game design priority: Fun > Balance > Realism (greater than > less than).
(Channeling Companion, RMQ 1 & 2, and various Guild Companion articles author).

"The only thing I know about adults is that they are obsolete children." - Dr Seuss

Offline Dragonking11

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #18 on: October 01, 2017, 06:54:30 AM »
There are some thing very core to RMU that I don't particularly like.  Besides, when you've already created your own version of RM, customized to how you like it, why start over with a version that has less material out?  I'm sure that's part of why so many never left RM2.

I understand your point and think you are probably right about people not "upgrading" to the next editions. Unfortunately for ICE as they need the revenues.

ICE really needs to get more players to RM as most of the long time players will probably never leave their current system

Offline Cory Magel

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Re: How much do you customize your game ?
« Reply #19 on: October 01, 2017, 11:01:24 AM »
Aye, I could say a lot about the history/future of RM as I see it, but I don't want to derail the thread. ;)
- Cory Magel

Game design priority: Fun > Balance > Realism (greater than > less than).
(Channeling Companion, RMQ 1 & 2, and various Guild Companion articles author).

"The only thing I know about adults is that they are obsolete children." - Dr Seuss