Topic: Question about game versions

[Ramoran]

What's up, guys?  I've been playing a spacemaster game for a few months now.  The game master sort of created his own world and plot, but it uses space master rules.  Anyway, I can tell by the box and condition of the books that the version he's running is pretty old.  I've been thinking about getting some books and starting either a Rolemaster campaign or a Spacemaster campaign.  I notice there seem to be at least two to four versions of Rolemaster, but only one of Spacemaster.  Have there been any major changes to the Spacemaster system since the version I'm playing (guessing it's from the eighties or nineties)?

[ob1knorrb]

There are three versions of Spacemaster, SM1, SM2 and SPAM, the one you are playing is probably SM2.  There isn't much difference between SM1 and SM2, but it did change quite abit between SM2 and SPAM (Spacemaster Privateers).  There are two major areas of change, the first is in the Campaign setting, and the second is in the Skill System.  SPAM goes to the same Category and Skill system that the two latest versions of Rolemaster have.  The earlier versions of Spacemaster don't have a category system and overall have a smaller list of skills.
More information on the individual products from each version can be found at:
http://www.icewebring.com/ice-products/spacemaster-first-edition/
http://www.icewebring.com/ice-products/space-master-second-edition/
http://www.icewebring.com/ice-products/spacemaster-privateers/

[Ramoran]

Okay.  When I run a campaign, I generally create my world and setting from the ground up, so I'm mainly interested in differences in rules.  As far as rules and skillsets go, would you say more people prefer privateers or earlier versions of the game?

[David Johansen]

The differences I listed in the Rolemaster thread stand.

However Spacemaster: Privateers is a different matter.  It got a hasty reorganization during the old ICE's bankrupcy and the books aren't very well organized as a result.  The vehicles book in particular is a bit of a mess but the equipment manual and robotics manual more than make up for it.

It also got a new setting that isn't very flexible / open.  A fixed race set and a major war dominate the setting.  I think the setting would have come off better with a slightly different presentation.  Many people's complaints don't go much beyond the fact that it's got dog and cat people, but the races are also highly specialized and a bit too pigeon-holed.

I personaly have a very strong preference for the Privateers version of the rules and don't mind the setting.  The skill category system makes adding in all the skills needed for an sf game much easier than just having a huge skill cost table. The talent system makes it easier to create balanced races.  The excellent psychic rules, weapon type critical hit tables (SM2 uses puncture crits for guns and heat crits for energy weapons instead of having actual ballistic, laser, blaster, and plasma tables) and robot rules are just the icing on the cake.

[Ramoran]

I see.  Still, if I chose to expend the effort, could I use the rules from SM:P to create an entirely new campaign setting, or is the setting too ingrained in the game?  I can create a whole new set of races if necessary, I just want to know which system will end up being more flexible and playable for a game master who likes to world-build.

[yammahoper]

The setting provided is easily discarded and your own adapted.

lynn

[Togaras]

You can play with the SM:P rules in every setting, recently I even found a weapon sheet for StarTrek Weapons.

[Dark Mistress]

As others have said you can use SPAM rules and make your own setting. The skills is the biggest change but there was a few other changes such as a crits already listed and the weapon pages since types of armor changed and a few other minor rules that escape me at the moment.

Personally in our group when we play SM we use a mix of SM2 and SPAM. There are a few things we feel SM2 did better and a few things SPAM did better. So we pick and choose the rules.

[David Johansen]

One of mine, The Covenant Generation" can be found on The Guild Companion, March 2003 maybe?  I can't quite remember.

I'm doing one from scratch on another thread here but it's not very far along.

[Monteblanco]

I see.  Still, if I chose to expend the effort, could I use the rules from SM:P to create an entirely new campaign setting, or is the setting too ingrained in the game?  I can create a whole new set of races if necessary, I just want to know which system will end up being more flexible and playable for a game master who likes to world-build.

It would be easy to use any edition of Spacemaster in a homebrew setting. The main difference between SPAM and SM1/2 is the level of detail regarding skills. Both SM1 and 2 are detailed regarding skills, as they share the same engine with RM1/2, which currently powers RMC and RMX. However, SPAM shares rules with RMSS/RMFRP, in which there are hundred of skills divided in dozen of categories, and you have to track them all, as points brought in the categories will help individual skills and so on. If you like details, SM1/2 is perhaps you game. If you're thrilled with the idea of several pages long character sheet to bookkeep your skills, then I would recommend you to go with SPAM.

Despite all my negativeness toward the skill rules, there are several small points in which SPAM did better, including armour categories and profession bonuses. If you know the system pretty well, you can probably borrow those things from SPAM to SM2 without much trouble. In fact, many options were ported from RMSS/FRP to RMC.

Both editions are available as pdf files, although only SPAM is currently in print. However, it is fairly easy to get an old copy of SM2 at e-Bay or online game sellers.