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Author Topic: New Rolemaster Unified is out  (Read 6910 times)

Marchand

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New Rolemaster Unified is out
« on: December 03, 2022, 09:07:11 AM »
Just noticed the new Rolemaster is up on drivethru, pdf only for now but a PoD will come in a few weeks after they get a free proof read from the early adopters...

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/416633/Rolemaster-Core-Law-RMU?src=hottest_filtered

edit: to get the name of the damn game right.
« Last Edit: December 03, 2022, 09:10:50 AM by Marchand »
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RebelSky

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2022, 07:33:57 PM »
I never played original Rolemaster so this new version has my interest.

Marchand

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2022, 11:52:12 AM »
No preview, so I all I can judge the book on for now is its cover. Unfortunately, the cover is truly terrible.
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Angry Goblin

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2022, 05:28:37 AM »
Wow, so much nostalgic memories popping up! I checked it out in DriveThrough, one comment mentioned that the art is "baaaad", which does not exactly
evoke interest though. Then again, the art is obviously less important than the written content. Need to ponder on this whether to yay or nay.
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Angry Goblin

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2022, 05:30:07 AM »
I never played original Rolemaster so this new version has my interest.

Bro, you have no idea what you have missed! Hope you get a chance to rectify the miscalculation from your past!  ;D
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Brad

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #5 on: December 05, 2022, 09:36:35 AM »
So is this just Classic repackaged? At one time I had about four different versions of Rolemaster and got rid of all of them except my old boxed set, the one compatible with Spacemaster. What is a compelling reason to purchase this? I didn't like what they did with Classic, honestly; would have preferred a simple reprint of the 1985 boxed set.
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David Johansen

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #6 on: December 05, 2022, 09:50:38 AM »
This is a pretty complete rewrite and revamp.  It's pretty much not backward compatible.  I was on the revision committee at first but wasn't really happy with where it was going.  They did a very long playtest and rewrite so I can't really speak to where it's at now.  Leaner than RMSS at any rate.  RMC was by the second itteretion of ICE, this is by the third with none of the original people involved.
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Jason Coplen

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2022, 09:59:32 AM »
So is this just Classic repackaged? At one time I had about four different versions of Rolemaster and got rid of all of them except my old boxed set, the one compatible with Spacemaster. What is a compelling reason to purchase this? I didn't like what they did with Classic, honestly; would have preferred a simple reprint of the 1985 boxed set.

Damned you! I read that in Thomas Sowell's voice!  ;D

There's probably nothing compelling about it. The basics are the same. I'm slowly making my way through it. I never did get a ton into RoleMaster as a DM (maybe 2 sessions), but I've played it a bunch circa 1989-1993.
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Brad

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #8 on: December 05, 2022, 10:11:43 AM »
This is a pretty complete rewrite and revamp.  It's pretty much not backward compatible.  I was on the revision committee at first but wasn't really happy with where it was going.  They did a very long playtest and rewrite so I can't really speak to where it's at now.  Leaner than RMSS at any rate.  RMC was by the second itteretion of ICE, this is by the third with none of the original people involved.

RMSS...that is where I think it jumped the shark. I was super excited about it, got all the books, then decided it was not for me. Also, probably not interested in a game that has no connection to the original. I dunno, might check out the PDF anyway.

Damned you! I read that in Thomas Sowell's voice!  ;D

There's probably nothing compelling about it. The basics are the same. I'm slowly making my way through it. I never did get a ton into RoleMaster as a DM (maybe 2 sessions), but I've played it a bunch circa 1989-1993.

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Jason Coplen

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #9 on: December 05, 2022, 10:20:50 AM »
I don't think I played RMSS, but then I never did ask a bunch of questions about the game. I'm more of an "how do I roll and read the dice" type of player. 1d100+mods? I got it.

Warning: the art is hilariously bad. I don't think they had an art director of any sort. I do know I keep shaking my head when seeing the art. It's awful!

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Trond

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #10 on: December 05, 2022, 12:15:12 PM »
I don't think I played RMSS, but then I never did ask a bunch of questions about the game. I'm more of an "how do I roll and read the dice" type of player. 1d100+mods? I got it.

Warning: the art is hilariously bad. I don't think they had an art director of any sort. I do know I keep shaking my head when seeing the art. It's awful!

We all want to be Thomas Sowell when we grow up.

As much as I may have tried to deny it when I was a teenager, the art was always important to me. I don't like this cover much (it actually seems to pander to teenagers more than the 80s versions), and if the internal art is bad too, and there's not much improvement to the rules, then I think I'll definitely pass on this. Interesting that RM is still around though. 

Jaeger

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #11 on: December 05, 2022, 01:15:05 PM »
Having only played a little MERP when I was younger - what does RM bring to the table (this version esp.) vs. other RPG's?
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SHARK

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #13 on: December 05, 2022, 02:21:28 PM »
Greetings!

Rolemaster! YAY!

I used to love Rolemaster. I DM'd Rolemaster for many years with my Thandor campaign world. I have the original edition of Rolemaster, as well as 2nd edition. All of the booksand the Rolemaster Companions. Then, I got everything for MERP. Then, I have all the books for RMSS, which was produced in the twilight years of ICE.

I suppose Rolemaster has essentially the same problems that eventually overwhelmed D&D 3E. That doesn't really surprise me though. Before the lead designer of D&D 3E created 3E with the others, he was a major designer for many years working at ICE. Of course, Rolemaster's main problem was the precise same set of problems that eventually swallowed D&D3E--there are endless spells, many books, many, many skills, and huge rules for everything and anything. The system's actual virtues become its own vice and defeat.

Character creation is laborious, which becomes a subtle problem and challenge for the campaign over time. Dying becomes a huge hassle. Creating NPC's? Yeah, they are only slightly less of a pain to make for the DM than player characters. Eventually, I grew to yearn for a simpler, faster system. I thought D&D 3E was that system, clearly with strong roots and inspiration from Rolemaster--and yet, 3E eventually had the same problems as Rolemaster.

I loved Rolemaster. It is thorough, complete, offering rules and sub-systems for anything you can imagine. It remains special to me. Rolemaster had exotic, uber powerful magic, that had many sources, many different magic styles, and awesome spell lists that composed of spells in flavoured "Spell Lists" that each list contained 50 different spells, from level 1 through level 50 in power. Spellcasting characters of course, could learn and master multiple such "Spell Lists". Rolemaster wrote the book so to speak on Critical Charts for Combat. Weapons and teeth and claws did awesome damage on very evocative, flavourful, and deadly combat charts. Characters could advance in character class virtually to any "level". Magic spells and magic items kept pace easily with Charcter Level advancement. Rolemaster monsters also easily kept pace in level, ability, and power. Such a powerful, beautifully thorough game system!

I don't know anything about the new Rolemaster. Hard to say what it would be like. I suppose though, if you change and alter the fundamental system, is it really still Rolemaster then? If you change too much, too radically, you don't have Rolemaster. You have a different game entirely. So, it would be interesting to look at.

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David Johansen

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Re: New Rolemaster Unified is out
« Reply #14 on: December 05, 2022, 02:29:13 PM »
What Rolemaster brings to the table is depth and the kind of play where you don't ignore a kobold with a butterknife just because you have enough hit points to take it.  There's always risk and you need to play that way.  At higher levels you might well perform like an anime character but one bad low open-ended roll and you could still die.  Magic is, weaker but more ubiquitous than it is in D&D.  Most player characters will start with a magic item or two.   A spell caster can cast a fair number of spells at first level but most of them are relatively weak.  There's a few like Sleep V and Jolts that can be combat winners but mostly magic-user types are going to be low key support at low levels.  That's okay because they can also be reasonably competent with a weapon or two.

One thing the new version tries to do is make combat against larger and smaller targets scale up and down a little better.  Which is good really though the large and super large critical tables tended to give you a chance against critters with hundreds of hit points.  They also tried to balance out the classes and races better and fill in the gaps in the spell lists.

As for the art, it's not Angus McBride, Angus McBride is dead so Rolemaster art will probably never reach that height again.  It's not really evocative or exciting and I'll always prefer black and white as I'm prone to actually printing stuff out. 

The main reason for the new edition is to draw all the rights and ownership back into a single unit.  They were a real mess after the bankrupcy.  Nicholas Caldwell of ICE 3.0 has done a great deal of work regaining the books that ICE 2.0 couldn't reprint or use because they didn't own the material.
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