Topic: Thanks ICE

[Thorbrin]

I finaly received my order from ICE today, a long wait that hopefully is going to be worth it
After almost 2 years of looking at the RMC products on this site, I broke and decided to take the plunge in early january. I ordered all the core RMC books in hard cover. Mostly I chose the hard cover versions in hopes of impressing my friends.
My gaming group is mostly die hard D&D but the recent dissapointment of 4th edition has caused us to start looking at other games. I hope to fill that void with RMC.
Over the next week I will be reading and exploring the new books. And I will be posting a review of the RMC books ASAP.
Happpy gaming !

[craggles]

Hardness is definitely a way of impressing your friends!

I assume you're new to the Rolemaster line - or is it just new to RM Classic? Either way, you've made the right choice!

...and Welcome.

[dutch206]

Mwuah-hah-ha!

Our evil plan is working.

 

[jolt]

Hardness is definitely a way of impressing your friends!

You made me throw up on the inside.

@Thorbrin (ignoring your first 26 posts)

Welcome to the boards!

4E is what brought me back to RM and introduced me to HARP.  Have fun!

jolt

[craggles]

You made me throw up on the inside.

I've been told I can have that effect on people. 

[Thorbrin]

 Hello so just going to give a quick over view of findings so far. Not a review yet, just what comes to mind looking at the new books.
I do have the old "Red RM2" books and all the companions, so I am fairly familiar with Rolemaster 2nd ed. I am not an "expert" by any means..lol But I have read the material a lot, and have been plotting a campaign using this material. I have been plotting this campaign since August of 2006, and finaly have decided to get it kick started with RMC.
Okay so the first thing that went through my head when I opened my box, was omg who chopped up the poor tree for all the confeti in the box..lol
I was suprised at the size/thickness of the books. Character Law seemed very thin indeed. The cover art on all four books(Character Law,Spell Law,Arms law and Creatures & Treasures) was well done. My favourite cover being Creatures & Treasures, the cover seemed to have more of a "story" to it.
Reading through the "Introduction" section of Character Law was a nice touch, reading the RMC teams thoughts on the project was a cool addition. It seems that modern RPG's dont do this any more and I find that kinda sad.
Reading through the rest of the book, I was very pleasantly surprised by the clarity of the rules. It is organized so much better then any book I have ever read by ICE. I also appreciate that the Font is a little larger, which makes the product much easier to read. My gaming group and I are getting old together and well some times its hard to read the small print  
From what I have read so far, it seems to have followed the vast majority of the rules that were found in RM2. There are some minor tweaks, here and there with some interesting optional rules scattered through out the book.
It was nice to see that ICE finaly included a clear and detailed summary of character creation with plenty of examples. I am sure the inclusion of this will make the game much more user friendly to new players. I tried looking at the book as some one who wasnt familiar with the system. And for the most part everything was very straight forward and simple to understand.
The art work that is scatterd through out the book was nice to see, and definitely made the book more appealing. I would say about half of the book has some sort of art piece on it. It is a different art style then what most veterans would be use to seeing in older books.
One of the things that appeals to me about Rolmaster is that I view it as a "tool kit", to be used in your game how you see fit. Use what you like, dont use what you dont like. There are plenty of rules that I plan on ignoring and several "house rules" I plan on using. But I am not going to get into that just yet.
The next book I plan on taking a look at will be Arms Law. Please stay tuned for more 
Happy gaming!

[Thorbrin]

Okay so I have had a chance to browse through Arms Law. And I must admit it didnt take long to go through this book. After a short "Introduction chapter" it quickly gets in to a summary of the combat mechanics of the game.
It was all very straight forward and familiar, from what I have read its identical to the RM2 version. The big difference being the method of initiative determination. The default method of 2d10+Qu stat mod and other modifiers seems to be a step in the right direction. One thing I did notice is that it states that there are many methods that can be used to determine Initiative, but the only one presented in the book is the "default" method.
Once again the variety of art pieces that were included in the book was a nice addition. I really love the picture on pg 4, this pretty much gives a "glimpse" in to the deadly nature of RM combat.
The weapon charts at the back of the book and of course the critical hit charts are all easy to read and will be seeing a lot use in the future 
Over all a "must have" book for the RMC system.
Back many years ago ICE "Arms Law" was actualy the first book that I ever owned from the Rolemaster line. I actualy purchased it from a used book shop in a small city in Canada. I  thought it was some sort of add on book for the AD&D game. This was when I was fairly new to RPG (mid 80's) and did not realize other game sytstems existed.
I remember reading through the critical hit descriptions and laughing or having a good chuckle over some of the "fumble" results. Its nice after all these years to still be able to have a laugh and chuckle when reading the same charts 20+ years later.
Well next on the list is RMC Spell Law, I am sure it will be an interesting read. And by looking at the book it looks like its going to take a bit to "glance through".
Happy Gaming!

[markc]

Thorbrin,
 Just for your info many people say the most improved book is RMC SL.
MDC

[Culdraug]

Hi, folks! Good to see others sooo into Rolemaster. What specifically do you like better than D&D? For me personally it is the fact that rules make more sense. It is a fantasy game but that doesn't mean it has to arbitrarily make decisions.

[Thorbrin]

Okay so I finaly made it through RMC Spell Law, and I have to say this is an impressive book.  I really do love the RMC new format. The books are so much easier to read then the older "RM2" version IMHO .
I took my time going through this particular book, and pretty much read it cover to cover. I even took the time to actualy read through most of the Spell Lists(which is impressive, I never have really taken the time to do that before..lol). I really do like that the Spell Lists are "One List" per page, this makes it so much easier to read.
Mechanicly its "RM2" with all of its quirks and benefits. There is a good selection of "optional" rules to help GM's make RMC his/her own. Regretfully I did not see any optional rules dealing with Channelling users being allowed to use "metal armour" , but I can use an old rule from RM2 to cover that.
I will definitely be using "Optional Rule 2.2 Non Random Spell Aquisition by Individual Spells" rule for sure, personaly I think this particular rule is a god send. I just feel that this gives starting "caster" pcs a little more flexability and helps to ensure they will actualy be "useful".
I have also taken the time to glance through the last of the four core RMC books "Creatures & Treasures". This book was also a pleasent read. Although it did hold no real surprises for me. It was basicly the old book, with much better art.
One thing that I kinda laughed at was the "Vampiric Bunny", I have never noticed that monster before. I actualy checked the old C&T and sure enough there it was staring right back at me.
Speaking of animals, I think the Rolemaster line is the only game system that I have ever seen that has detailed info on a large selection of normal animals in the core "Monster Book". I am still not sure if that is a good thing. A part of me feels that this space would of been more useful detailing something a little more "exciting" but maybe thats just my D&D roots showing.
My over all impressions of the RMC line of books is very good indeed. I am glad to have finally taken the plunge and purchased these books. Over all I was very pleased with the new format and the presentation of the RMC line.
My gaming group fell for the "Hard cover Ploy". At our scheduled weekly D&D game I layed a trap on the table by placing the RMC books in the centre for all to see.
They were impressed and were actualy shocked to see that these were "Rolemaster" books. They started asking questions, which I was more then happy to answer. Before I new it they began talking about character concepts.
So far three of the players have generated characters:
1)High Elf Warrior Mage(from RM2 Companion 2)
2)Ldiyva(feline) Monk(Essence monk btw)
3)Human Montebanc(from RM2 Companion 3)
I will let you know how this turns out, we will start by playing RMC one week a month instead of D&D, eventualy I hope to play RMC more frequently.
Well thanks for reading, happing gaming!

[dutch206]

Just curious, but what campaign setting are you using?

[Thorbrin]

Hello Dutch, I am a long time fan of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting and will be using it. I have always loved the detail and the atmosphere of that particular game "world".
I do realize that its not for every one but it definitely works for me and my gaming group.
It is going to be based within a certain "Dragon Kingdom" located in the Heart of the setting. That nation is recovering from a war with a large Orc Horde that actualy conquered most of the Realm. The game takes place as the forces of "good" struggle" to reclaim the land from remnants of the Evil horde.
Should be a interesting ride

[Ido Tamir]

What specifically do you like better than D&D?

Well, I'm running a D&D campaign set in Eberron - which is a very magic rich environment.

The hardest part (for me as a GM) is to keep in mind the capabilities of the PCs.
Even in 6th level, they are capabale of remarkable feats. Read thoughts, invisibility,
sneaky and telepatically linked familiars, and the major issue - a cross bow bolt is just not a threat anymore.

I actually had one player saying "Well, 5 bolts hitting me is 5d6 damage plus some bonus - I can take it" which made me very upset (of course I didn't say anything until after the game).

Rolemaster keeps my players on edge EVERY combat (and even on non-combat encounters). Also IMHO it is more mature and realistic system.

[dutch206]

What specifically do you like better than D&D?

Well, I'm running a D&D campaign set in Eberron - which is a very magic rich environment.

The hardest part (for me as a GM) is to keep in mind the capabilities of the PCs.
Even in 6th level, they are capabale of remarkable feats. Read thoughts, invisibility,
sneaky and telepatically linked familiars, and the major issue - a cross bow bolt is just not a threat anymore.

I actually had one player saying "Well, 5 bolts hitting me is 5d6 damage plus some bonus - I can take it" which made me very upset (of course I didn't say anything until after the game).

Rolemaster keeps my players on edge EVERY combat (and even on non-combat encounters). Also IMHO it is more mature and realistic system.

If you like Eberron, you should slide over to the ICE Store page and check out Shadow World.

[Ido Tamir]

Honestly - I don't really like Eberron. The players really wanted to explore it so I converted my RM campaign.

I usually run a setting I wrote myself...But my first rule of thumb as a GM is having fun, and if the players really want another setting - who am I to stop them  ?

[Wōdwulf Seaxaning]

Instead of create a new 'Thanx' thread I'll post here. I just got my RMX order woot! I love what I've read so far . Now I just have to save up for the core RMC books & the SW Master Atlas 4th ed.

[Thorbrin]

Hello every one, I finaly got a chance to play our first game of RMC today.
The first hour of the game went to character creation and a brief explenation of rules...and some campaign info.
We ended up with the following characters:
1) 1/2 Elf/male Cleric of Nature (Animals & Beasts)
2) Ldiyva/male Monk
3) Wood Elf/male Fighter (archer)
4) Dwarf/male Fighter
Character creation went fairly smoothly , and it only took a little explenation for the guys to get a hang of the basic "mechanics".
Our group of Apprentice adventurers got a taste of the combat system with a group of Kobold Ambushers.
The combat was fast and furious and the group seemed to really enjoy some of the critical results.
I think it was a pleasent surprise to my players, they were making "Rule master" jokes ...before the game started. Commenting on the amount of tables, the silly math etc etc
But about hour in to the game, I noticed a change in all of them. And at the end they were all very eager and looking forward to the next game
We will be playing once every two weeks, alternating with our "main" game.
Happy gaming!

[Mordenkainen]

I think it was a pleasent surprise to my players, they were making "Rule master" jokes ...before the game started. Commenting on the amount of tables, the silly math etc etc
But about hour in to the game, I noticed a change in all of them. And at the end they were all very eager and looking forward to the next game

Awesome! 

[yammahoper]

Hello every one, I finaly got a chance to play our first game of RMC today.
The first hour of the game went to character creation and a brief explenation of rules...and some campaign info.
We ended up with the following characters:
1) 1/2 Elf/male Cleric of Nature (Animals & Beasts)
2) Ldiyva/male Monk
3) Wood Elf/male Fighter (archer)
4) Dwarf/male Fighter
Character creation went fairly smoothly , and it only took a little explenation for the guys to get a hang of the basic "mechanics".
Our group of Apprentice adventurers got a taste of the combat system with a group of Kobold Ambushers.
The combat was fast and furious and the group seemed to really enjoy some of the critical results.
I think it was a pleasent surprise to my players, they were making "Rule master" jokes ...before the game started. Commenting on the amount of tables, the silly math etc etc
But about hour in to the game, I noticed a change in all of them. And at the end they were all very eager and looking forward to the next game
We will be playing once every two weeks, alternating with our "main" game.
Happy gaming!

There are no "congratulation points", so i gave ya an idea point instead.  Very cool to hear the exploits of a new group.