I'm curious.
:hmm:

I used to play MERP/RM2 back in the day, but wouldn't want anything as 'rules heavy' as RM2 these days (MERP-level of heaviness is okay).

I have the free HARP lite pdf, and it looks pretty good.  But I'm not sure how they would play out in practice.

I am also curious.  I had bad experiences with MERP, but they were all DM-related.  I think the rules weren't good in practice (TRY to do what Boromir did at the end of Fellowship in a MERP game), but the rules were at least a fun read and fun to tinker with.  I love complex character creation rules (just not for NPCs).

Greetings!

I think HARP is ICE's last gasp at remaining a game company. I used to play Rolemaster, and somehow, they failed to support it properly, screwed up their funding, and died. Though they've been bought out and somewhat resurrected, I'd bet they will never be as popular as they once were. Strategically, I think they had a strong opportunity between 1992-2000, but fumbled it.

From what I've seen of HARP, while there are some neat changes, it seems a case of "too little, too late."

In my local game store, they have a box with about half a dozen old Rolemaster products, and 1 or 2 HARP products.

It's been the same for over a year. The existing product hasn't moved, and no new product has come in.

Kinda sad to see the demise of a game company I once thought had secured a fairly strong--though samll--niche in the indutry. I liked Rolemaster, but between ICE's lack of focus and support, D&D 3E, and the dissolution of the company, has destroyed them and their capacity to really make any meaningful contributions to the gaming industry.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

As SHARK says, HARP seems like an attempt by ICE to revive itself in the RPG market. It's a damned neat little game, which essentially cleaned up the old RM/MERP system and made it more accessible. It's too bad it didn't do any better than it did. Still, it's out there, and maybe it'll eventually grow a bigger player-base.

Huh.  I didn't realise that HARP failed to sell well.  The rulebook seems like a good deal.  I like 'all-in-one' books.

I know that a few supplements have been released for it (a monsters book, an advanced combat book, a magic book).

Did it just fail to distinguish itself adequately from 3e?

Also, has anyone here played the game?  If so, how did it feel in practice, in contrast to (say) 3e D&D?  Or Rolemaster?

EDIT: fixed typo

I'm running a campaign right now.  It's also worth noting that HARP is ICE's best-seller, though what that amounts to is beyond me.  It does seem that ICE believes it has sold tolerably well, and It's been mentioned on the ICE boards that HARP is a way to make money so they can also support their other lines...including a RM revision in the very earliest stages of planning.

As to HARP itself, it's a nice system.  It doesn't have the overwhelming level of detail present in Rolemaster, but it should be recognizable to fans of that game.  There are 3 different options on combat, ranging from a very simplified crit chart, to more of a Hack N' Slash style, to a crit system a bit more approximate to that in Rolemaster (though still not as deep).

If you've read HARP Lite, you'll have seen skill resolution is the same--with the nice added steps of not having to do all the figuring for skill categories and skills during character creation.

As far as relating with D&D, it's a nice alternative, though I can't say either game is superior to the other in any definitive way.  For me, HARP tends to plays a little quicker, and I enjoy the crit charts I'm using, but character generation takes a bit longer than I'd like.  Skill/task resolution is also fast, and there are a lot of system options for building the sort of character you want, via a combination of Professions (sort of your base class, giving you certain perks, free skill ranks in pertinent issues, etc.), Background/Culture (supplying you with free skills from adolescence), Training Packages (a nice way to pick up a subset of skills), and independent point-buy for other Skills, Talents, Special Items, etc.  If, for some reason, you dislike D&D but want to use a rules-medium system, I'd recommend this (or perhaps the Epic RPG) as an excellent alternative.  Me?  I used HARP on the initial premise of I loved Rolemaster (and those anything's-possible open-endded percentiles), but was working with a group of rookies I didn't have time to properly introduce to the game.  HARP seemed to be a good compromise for that, and it's been enjoyable.

I don't doubt HARP did relatively well. It's just too bad it didn't do any better than it did. It would be nice to see several alternatives to D&D take a bigger bite of market share.

Quote from: ColonelHardissonI don't doubt HARP did relatively well. It's just too bad it didn't do any better than it did. It would be nice to see several alternatives to D&D take a bigger bite of market share.

Yeah, I guess it all comes down to "relatively".  What can be a sucess for a smaller RPG company can be barely a blip on the bigger radar at large.

Thanks, Zachary.  I might actually give HARP a look (depending on how much it costs).  I'm always up for at least looking at new systems -- especially crunchy ones.  

Quote from: CyberzombieThanks, Zachary.  I might actually give HARP a look (depending on how much it costs).  I'm always up for at least looking at new systems -- especially crunchy ones.  

I think they're still running the d20 for HARP promo--ah, here it is.  Might take the edge off if you have some d20 stuff you don't use anymore.

Quote from: Zachary The FirstI think they're still running the d20 for HARP promo--ah, here it is.  Might take the edge off if you have some d20 stuff you don't use anymore.

It would be the most useful thing the Creature Catalog (or whatever that stupid Necromancer book was called) had ever done for me.  :heh:

I might just do it.  

Quote from: CyberzombieIt would be the most useful thing the Creature Catalog (or whatever that stupid Necromancer book was called) had ever done for me.  :heh:

I might just do it.  

Yep.  I picked up my first copy from Noble Knight, but a friend of mine got rid of his Lords of Madness that way. :heh:  It's not like we don't all have some regrettable purchases/outright stinkers befouling our bookshelves. :flush:

Quote from: Cyberzombie....  I might actually give HARP a look (depending on how much it costs).  I'm always up for at least looking at new systems -- especially crunchy ones.  

You can get the 'HARP lite' rules for free here:
http://www.harphq.com/free_downloads/3000L_HarpLite.pdf

Quote from: AkrasiaYou can get the 'HARP lite' rules for free here:
http://www.harphq.com/free_downloads/3000L_HarpLite.pdf

How "lite" are we talking here?  It's not a game I'm actually likely to play.  I'd want to see the down and dirty of the mechanics of the system and most "lite" things intentionally (and justifiably) don't include much or any of that.

Quote from: CyberzombieHow "lite" are we talking here?  It's not a game I'm actually likely to play.  I'd want to see the down and dirty of the mechanics of the system and most "lite" things intentionally (and justifiably) don't include much or any of that.

Well, it's 96 pages (about half as long as the real book IIRC), so it covers all the basics and then some.  The "Lite" version is enough to run a campaign with, I would say.  You are missing some classes, skills, spells, etc, but the system itself is pretty much all there.