I have been roleplaying for around 17 years. I have played many many games but my groups default fantasy game has always been D&D. Over the past 5 years we have played it exclusively and over that time we have found more and more limitations with the system and the style of play that D&D promotes, and with the announcement of 4th edition it is the straw that broke the camels back. So to cut a long story short, I am looking for another fantasy RPG to take its place.
You know, you sound like my group. We played D&D starting in 6th/7th Grade and continued to until a year or two after High School Graduation. Like you we started to feel more and more limited by D&D and wanted something with more detail and scope. After effectively 'splitting up' and searching each on our own (and we took like 6-9months to do this) I came back to the group with MERP... they were sold on the basics, we ran a couple test combat sessions and that resulted in the first game fully run with ICE materials (MERP). We had in the past, used some of the RM2 materials to add on to D&D and didn't realize it until a little later.
As a funny aside, ironically enough the place I did my research was at Wizards of the Coast. They had a big lobby at their headquarters that had a RPG library in it, so I spend a couple days up there looking through all the various systems.
Why should I choose Rolemaster as my groups Fantasy RPG. Sell it too me, give me what makes it great and why you guys still play and love it?
Because a Fireball doesn't do a range of 6d6 in damage. It does: 24 points of damage and a 'C' crit that results in 8 more points of damage and your shield is on fire. Take 3 burning points per round until you drop it or put it out.
Because the Paladin, Ranger, Cleric, and any other class that falls into that spell group don't select spells from the same damn pool. They each have a customized set of six spell lists with around 25 spells each.
Because I don't have to be a Fighter/Theif, I can be a Rogue. I don't have to be a Fighter/Mage, I can be a Warrior Mage. I don't have to be a Thief/Mage, I can be a Dabbler. Whatever cross-breed you can think of, it probably exists as a single class within Rolemaster.
Because I choose when I get better with my sword and when I learn a spell.
Because my mage can pick up a dang sword and learn how to swing it if he really wants to.
How long should I go on?
Are there rules that are not as polished as others and stand out during game play?
Exhaustion. It's rare to find a Rolemaster user that likes then let alone actually uses them.
Something that is important (really in any game though) is make sure you're players are on the ball. If and when you start a game pose the question of how people setup their characters, what they have the GM track and the players track, etc. There are some very helpful things that each player can do to make the game move along quicker apart from just plain old paying attention.
How does Rolemaster compare to other classic RPG's which have been re-released like Runequest?
Rolemaster has had it's share of re-releases, but really it comes down to two versions that are fairly compatible. Enough so that once you've learned the basics of both versions you can pretty much convert things over by 'eyeballing' them. You don't need a conversion chart on hand.
And last but not least if I choose Rolemaster which books are a must purchase and the bit that confuses me is do I go RM classic or RMFRPG? (I think that?s the correct acronym)
There's the question of the decade. The real choice is RM2/RMC or RMSS/RMFRP. Once you decide which of those to go with then you need to ask which books. There are fans of both that will give you their opinions of which is better or worse or which is supported more or less and so on.
I'm an RMSS fan, but that's because it's what I have almost always used (and even written for). If I had 'grown up' played RM2 I'd probably prefer it and would have been back-converting things I liked in RMSS.
At this point, I personally think it's a toss up. I have a sneaking suspicion that RMClassic is probably the easiest one to pick up and learn right now, while RMSS/RMFRP have the most total materials available.
Thank you in advance for your time guys in helping me out.
No problem at all, ask all the questions you want... even the ones you think we'll think are silly. We love former D&D players (at least the ones that don't come in here posting "Rulemaster sucks! Look at all those charts! Geez, you need a science calculator to play that game!").
