Topic: What do I need?

[Ramoran]

Okay, I'm considering starting up and RMFRPG campaign, and I need to know what I'll actually need as a game master.  Do I just need the rule books and arms and character law, or will I need the spell law books as well.  Also, are the pdfs actually 5800 pages long?  Because I'm going to need to print them, and I'll probably need to take the files somewhere else to print if that's the case.  Any help is much appreciated.

[Mr. Fixit]

5800 page PDFs? I dunno about that. They should be as long as the print versions, which are usually @250 pages or lower.
As far as what you need.
Core Rulebook-essential.
Character Law- almost essential, but a great book for detailed Character development. Plus, additional Professions and Training Packages that are really great to have.
School of Hard Knocks (Skill Companion)- almost essential for lower magic campaigns.  Some great combat Professions, like my fav. the Barbarian!
Spell Law Books- essential for High magic campaigns, otherwise you can stick to the spell lists given in the Core book.
Arms Law- not essential; you could stick with the combat tables in the core book-personally I use 10 Million Ways to Die for combat, but that's just personal preference
Races and Cultures- not essential, but interesting with many new Playable races.
Creatures and Monster- essential if you are going to be throwing a lot of non-human villains at your PCs
Gamemaster Law- def. not essential, but I always plug this book as it is a brilliant and fascinating read!

Hope that helps! Think you'll find it to be a great game after the initial learning curve! Good luck with the campaign, your players are gonna love it!

[Arioch]

To start playing, you need only the core RMFRP book.
- Arms Law gives you separate attack tables for every weapon, instead of general attack tables ("Broadsword" table instead of "1 handed Edged weapon" table), so it's completely optional.
- Character Law gives you extra professions, races, skills and background options. It's very cool, but if thi is your first RMFRP game, I suggest you to leave it for later, when you're acquainted with the core rules.
- Spell law books expand the spell lists of the core manual to the 50th level (in the core they stop at 10th) and also add some extra profession and attack table.

[Raf Blutaxt]

I think the idea they are 5800 pages long comes from 5800p which probably only means that it is the pdf version of 5800 Rolemaster FRP.

I personally would say that you don't need the Spell Law books at the beginning of a campaign unless your characters want to play some of the professions from Character Law because their base spell lists are only in the Spell Law books.
 

[windmarkbob]

Ditto what the god of chaos said.  RMFRP core rules is all you need to start.  You'll love the game so much, your next purchases will be, in order...

1. Character Law
2. Spell Laws (of mentalism, of channeling, of essence)
3. Arms Law
4. School of Hard Knocks
5. Creatures & Monsters
6. Treasure Companion
7. Races & Cultures

and at some point in there, you'll grab and love the Shadow World Master Atlas, the two Emer Books, Powers of Light and Darkness, and maybe Jaiman.

That's how I'd do it if I did it all over again knowing what I know now.

G'luck and enjoy!

[Raf Blutaxt]

This Question popps up so often that I wonder why there isn't a general "What to buy in which order for which system" document on the main page. Or maybe there is one and I've always missed it?

[yammahoper]

Well, because very few could agree on what order to buy!

For example, we have, but never use, School of Hard Knocks.  We have played for so long, no one needs to or wants to look up a skill and read about it.  In fact, my players would rather I simply adjudicate on the spot and not pick up a stinking book unless I have to.  Normally, I don't have to.

Meanwhile, the mechanics in Treasure Companion have become such a staple of my game world we have several copies, and I would put it forth on the list behind the spell laws and arms law (I bought Character Law for the reworked and much better balanced presentation of talents, with RMSS I have no use for anything else in it).

Besides, ICE wants you to buy it all.  And you will...you will...

lynn

[vroomfogle]

yamma, that's so very true!  To me Treasure Companion is one of the worst ICE books and never used.   School of Hard Knocks on the other hand, is used extensively for looking up modifiers for skills.

We can probably agree on the core books but other then that....

[David Johansen]

IMO

Rolemaster Standard System
Arms Law
Spell Law
Creatures and Monsters

If you just want to try it RMfrp is okay except that you haven't really tried it.

One great thing about RMfrp is that it doesn't have any type of monk in the book.  I can always get behind monkless fantasy.  Though I was thinking of doing a big naked greek pancration wrestler up as a monk...