Rolemaster
| Rolemaster | |
|---|---|
| publication | |
| Author (s) | Terry K. Amthor, S. Coleman Charlton, Leonard Cook, Karl H. Fischer, Peter C. Fenlon Jr., Bruce R. Neidlinger |
| Original publisher | Iron Crown Enterprises |
| Original publication | 1982 (1980) |
| original language | English |
| German publisher |
Laurin / Queen Games current: Sun festivals ( 13 man ) |
| German publication | 1991/2007 |
| World and system | |
| genre | Fantasy |
| Game world | generic |
| Basic system | Rolemaster |
| Ascent | stages |
| cube | W100 |
Rolemaster is a fantasy - & - - Paper RPG Pen , which since 1980 American US from the game company Iron Crown Enterprises was developed. It consists only of the game mechanics and does not provide a ready-made game world , so that the game has a certain universal character within the fantasy genre. Rolemaster is considered to be one of the most extensive and detailed role-playing systems , which is why it is also jokingly referred to as "Rulemaster" or "Rollmaster".
Rolemaster rulebooks are classically divided into several individual thematic rulebooks, each of which ends in law in English . The book Arms Law is the set of rules for fighting with weapons, and Claw Law is the set of rules for unarmed combat, Character Law contains the rules for creating a game figure and its further development, and Spell Law the rules for the work of magic by the game figures.
Game mechanics
The basic rule system has essentially remained unchanged since the beginning of Rolemaster. It is based on a scale of values from 1 to 100, with 100 not always being the absolute maximum. Characters have ten attributes that represent innate physical and mental properties, but are relatively insignificant in the course of the game, as only a modification for the learnable properties (skills) is derived from them. In contrast to other role-playing games, changes to the attributes due to ethnicity (eleven, dwarf, human, etc.) are not assigned to the actual attribute, but are reflected directly on the bonus determined by the attribute using a table. Characters have a character class that is formative for the further development of the character, but not solely determining. When the character rises a level through experience gain, he receives a number of points to be allocated to skills, whereby the point costs for acquiring new skill levels depend on the character class.
Random results are determined exclusively with W100 , modified by the characteristics of the character and possibly by the difficulty and compared with a table, which depends on the type of interaction. But it always applies: the higher the result, the better. Successes are graded accordingly in the table, in earlier Rolemaster versions sometimes down to the individual point.
A simplified form of Rolemaster is MERS , the Middle-earth role-playing game that developed independently as an offshoot and offers very detailed Middle-earth source books. Further descendants of the Rolemaster game system are for example Space Master and Run out the Guns .
development
Rolemaster emerged from a project to provide an optional combat system for other role-playing games, especially AD&D , which was much more detailed in the evaluation of hits. Accordingly, in 1980 the first Rolemaster published was the Arms Law , followed directly by the Claw Law (for unarmed and claw-and-tooth fights).
Rolemaster I.
In 1981 the Spell Law followed , which could replace the rules for magic or for sorcery, whereby it initially consisted of three individual books in a box. In 1982 Arms Law & Claw Law came out together in one box, followed shortly after by Character Law , which introduced new rules for character creation and development. In the same year, the actually first edition of Rolemaster appeared as a box containing four booklets: the character Law , the Spell Law (now combined into one booklet) and the Arms Law & Claw Law (also combined into one booklet) as well as a game world description called The World of Vog Mur . In 1984 the Campaign Law also appeared , a guide to the development of game worlds.
Rolemaster II
In 1984 the new Campaign Law was merged into Character Law & Campaign Law and offered together with the revised versions of the Spell Law and the Arms Law & Claw Law as the 2nd edition of Rolemaster. The last new edition of Rolemaster II took place in 1989. In 1992, War Law Rules for Fighting Between Large Groups and Sea Law , a final Law book appeared in 1994 .
In 1985 ICE began to publish various additional books for Rolemaster, often simply numbered: Creatures & Treasures , 1985; -II, 1989 and -III, 1993. The Rolemaster Companion Books (dt. Rolemaster Companion or Companions ) appeared annually with new magic lists, character classes and optional additional rules up to number VII in the years 1986 to 1993 and additional companion books for special topics : Elemental Companion , 1989; Spell User's Companion , 1991; Alchemy Companion and Oriental Companion , 1992 and the Arms Companion , 1993.
ICE also brought out various genre books that adapted the system to special settings: Robin Hood , 1987; Mythic Greece , 1988; Vikings , 1989; Pirates , Mythic Egypt and Dark Space (a crossover with Space Master released in 1985 ), 1990; Outlaw (a western setting and also a crossover with Space Master), 1991; Time Riders (time travel, one final crossover with Space Master), 1992; At Rapiers Point , 1993 and finally Arabian Nights , 1994.
Further developments
In 1995 the Rolemaster Standard Rules (RMSS) were published, which pursues a universal approach in that many non-fantasy skills are also described in the set of rules. The character Law & Campaign Law was split into a Players Guide and a GM Guide . A later edition of the books was provided with a loose, easy-to-tear adhesive binding and three-point perforation so that it could be stapled in a folder as a collection of pages and later expanded. By 1998, the rules were restructured, some new additional books in the form of "Law" and "Companion" books, as well as a few new genre books followed.
Rolemaster Fantasy Roleplaying (RMFRP) has also been available since 1999 , which explicitly suspends the RMSS rule system for fantasy role-playing games. The latest product in the Rolemaster series has been the Rolemaster Classic (RMC) since 2006. This is a further development of the still popular Rolemaster II rules. With Rolemaster Express (RMX) (2007) , it also offers a simplified entry-level system that can be gradually expanded with RMC. Corresponding to the "Classic" designation, it also goes back to the original naming of the individual books, so that they now have the addition of "Law" again.
German version
Starting in 1991, the basic rules of Rolemaster II and the first three of the Companions (German almanacs ) were first translated into German by Laurin , until she went bankrupt in 1993, and later by Queen Games . In 1997 Queen Games attempted a second edition, but only two "Creatures & Monsters" volumes were published. From 1998 to 2006 there was no German licensee of ICE products.
Since 2006 there is again a German licensee and Rolemaster was published on July 7th, 2007 by 13Mann Verlags- und Großhandelsgesellschaft mbH in cooperation with Sonnenfeste GbR . The official game world of this German Rolemaster edition is Aborea , in front of which all adventures that have been published since 2007 are located.
Rules and adventures published so far for the German RMFRP:
| plant | Art | Publication date |
|---|---|---|
| Basic rules ( GRW ) | Set of rules | July 7, 2007 |
| Combat Manual ( KHB ) | Set of rules | October 18, 2007 |
| Magic Book ( ZB ) | Set of rules | December 5, 2007 |
| Character Manual ( CHB ) | Set of rules | October 23, 2008 |
| Extension of Leitmagie ( ELM ) | Set of rules | October 21, 2009 |
| Game leader screen | Game master help | October 18, 2007 |
| Creatures & Monsters | Game master help | December 15, 2010 |
| Guide for game masters | Game master help | October 19, 2011 |
| Elisera (TA 1) | adventure | October 18, 2007 |
| Hero of the Old Days (TB 1) | adventure | March 21, 2008 |
| Trolls! (TA 2) | adventure | July 2010 |
| The bleeding god (TA 3) | adventure | July 2010 |
| The Monster of Leet (TA 4) | adventure | April 2011 |
| The cold death (TA 5) | adventure | May 2013 |
Web links
- DRoSI entry for Rolemaster
- 13Mann - The official website for the German Rolemaster
- A character generator for RMFRP (German and English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Brent Knorr: The Evolution of Arms Law. (PDF (2 MB)) Accessed July 14, 2011 (English).
- ↑ Rolemaster First Edition. Product List. Retrieved July 14, 2011 .
- ↑ Rolemaster Second Edition. Product List. Retrieved July 14, 2011 .
- ↑ Rolemaster Standard System. Product List. Retrieved July 14, 2011 .
- ↑ Rolemaster Fantasy Roleplaying. Product List. Retrieved July 14, 2011 .
- ↑ Rolemaster Classic. Product List. Retrieved July 14, 2011 .
- ^ Rolemaster Express. Product List. Retrieved July 14, 2011 .
- ↑ Rolemaster license for Germany goes to solar festivals. In: openPR.de. October 14, 2006, accessed July 15, 2011 .
- ↑ Press release: RPG specialist dealers wanted. (PDF (300KB)) May 15, 2007, accessed July 15, 2011 .