Topic: Players Guide - Any use?

[Tolen]

I finally was able to place another order to start catching up with my RMSS collection, and got a reasonable deal on a handful of books.  While I was there, I saw the Players Guide listed. 

Anybody have this?  How much use do you (or did you) get from it?  Would it be a good way to show new players what it's all about?

[Ragmok]

I assume you mean this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Rolemaster-Player-Guide-Standard-System/dp/1558062408/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299445576&sr=8-1

If so, I wouldn't pay more than a couple dollars for it. It is, in my opinion, not good at all for introducing players to rolemaster. it is great because it has pre-built characters all the way to level 10, but as for actual rules, it does not explain much beyond the very simple, such as dice rolling conventions. It has a collection of charts, but with (if memory serves) little to no advice as to how to actually use them.

Ultimately I use it for players to have a copy of tables on hand and to have some characters ready to go when we don't feel like making characters.

[Tolen]

That's the one.  I didn't know it existed until I went to order some stuff from Noble Knight.

Not having seen it, I was curious.  Having some pre-gens though, might be useful at the very least.

[Tolen]

Well, it's true.  This book is mostly useless.  Not completely, mind you. 

The info for the pregens will make it easier to get new players in, because I prefer to hand them a pregen for their first few sessions anyway.  Saves me some work.  Extra copies of the charts are useful, but then again, I can make as many copies as I need with my all in one, if it comes to that.

The summary of the rules?  Well, I can do as good a job, with more detail in about the same amount of space.

But, I do think it was a step in the right direction.  It just needed refined more.  It could have summarised basic character creation, for one.  No need to skip a hefty part of the rules.  And perhaps better examples throughout."Wizard wants to cast a spell, he rolls this result - 76 and checks this table to see the effect." 

Something like this could be very useful, if polished and finished and done up right.