Topic: The Rolemaster Classic Combat Companion

[Onirim]

Hi people,

I possess the Combat Companion, but I never used it.
After a long break, I want to play again at Rolemaster (I opted for RMC over RM2 this time), and I wondering if I'll use the Combat Companion armor by the piece, combat styles and combat charts system or not.
If I choose to do that, it will be difficult to move backward

So I'm need your guidance It's a good combat system ? Have it a perverse effect I don't see when I read it ? It's better than the classical combat system ?

Thanks !

[Puin]

Hi Onirim,

I'm eager to read answers to your post.
We also own the RMC-CoCo but my group are to fond of RM2 and too lazy to give RMC-CoCo a try.

We use RMC, as it revisited some things of RM2, but we don't go for to "radical" new rules, although I would like to.
I tried to GM HARP for them but it didn't go well. They found it too diferent!! They are smart guys , but lazy to changes   

So lets see what people that use it say 'bout CoCo.

[Peter R]

There is one major drawback to the condensed combat system and that is that the same criticals come around again and again very frequently.

I got around this by making alternative critical tables, keeping the net effect and location the same but changing the descriptive text.

The big gain is that you can run an entire combat from a single page with no flipping back and forth from combat table to critical and then from weapon to weapon.

I love the weapon specific critical tables.

My custom tables were only needed for the most common weapons, as you can easily have entire fights where everyone has some sort of sword so they are all using the same 24 criticals. After just a couple of fights the same things start to repeat.

[Voriig Kye]

We tried the combat tables for a campaign or two, but the only benefit was simplified table lookup. After a while the results got repetitive (and they never got around to making specific supplements for individual weapons). Once you use software to solve the combats, it makes no sense to use CC attack tables instead of the normal Arms Law tables.

Armor by the piece requires a bit more work than your normal armor rules, but it's only when changing pieces after loot is obtained, so we've kept it for most of our adventures.

Now, regarding the combat styles. Once we tried it, all players loved it. They felt that RM will never be the same, now their characters can have interesting, complex and personalized styles.
They like creating particular styles, watching the enemies combine techniques, and most of all it gives spell users a chance at some decent OB once they level up a bit.
Last campaign we used RMU, so we didn't use RMC CC Combat Styles, for the first time in years, and they were complaining about it during every single combat for the whole campaign.
My players' opinion of RMU is "I don't care, just make sure to add Combat Styles like we had with CC".

[Peter R]

My players love the styles as well, they had no strong feeling about piecemeal armour and no one really bothers with it now.

We tried and dismissed the combat software as not for our group.

[Hurin]

How do styles work in the CC?  Can anyone give the quick lowdown? Being an RM2 guy, I never got the CC.

[netbat]

How do styles work in the CC?  Can anyone give the quick lowdown? Being an RM2 guy, I never got the CC.

Styles from CC allow you to incorporate different maneuvers and benefits into your skill with a weapon. Things like two weapon combat, increased DB(i.e 1.5x the amount you use to parry), increase initiative, increased OB based on a complimentary skill, can all be added to the style(which increases the DP cost of the skill) the style skill replaces weapon skills entirely. I use it in RMSS and have completely eliminated the combat maneuver category and skills since with a few house rules they are all incorporated into the styles.
My players love the styles, although we do not use the attack tables or revised armor rules.

[Peter R]

As netbat says. I will add that every profession had a base cost for each of four basic combat skills: melee, ranged, martial arts and Directed spells. Then there was a menu of options such as added attack improved parry, faster (increase to initiative). These options replaced most of the combat skills from RoCo2 such as two weapon combo, reverse strike, iai strike, disarm and so on. You mix and match the options you want from the menu of choices and then cross reference the cost of the options with the base cost of the combat skill to find the actual DP cost for each rank in that style.

Here is an example from the book.
WHIP FIGHTER STYLE
Legends tell of the occasional adventurer, who uses a long whip as their weapon. These adventurers were so good that it often seemed as if any whip in their hands were like a living creature. The Whip Fighter style is often considered unique in that it actually incorporated Specific Maneuvers from many different types of fighting, thanks to the versatility of the weapon.

Unlike many other melee weapons, the attacks that are made with a whip can be performed at a small range, one that is equal to the length of the whip being used. Thus a Whip Fighter who is wielding a 10’ long whip may make his attacks at a range of 10’. The downside to this is that the character may not make any attacks with the whip is the target is closer than half of the length of the whip.

Elements: Individual Weapon Focus (whip) (2), Additional Attacks (2), Additional Foes (1), Agile Defense (2), Basic Swing (0), Basic Grapple (0), 4 Known Maneuvers (4)
Available Maneuvers: Defensive Strike (1), Disarm (1), Fast Strike (1), Feint (1), Grab (1), Grappling Disarm (1), Killing Strike (1), Legsweep (1), Martial Grab (1), Offensive Strike (1), Reverse Stroke (1), Sacrifice Disarm (1), Sacrifice Strike (1)

Total Style Point Value: 11

If you were a fighter your base melee skill cost is 1/5 so we would cross reference that with the total style point value  of 11 to get a skill cost of 3/8.

The CC offers 20 plus pages of options for building styles so you can build just about any combat style you can imagine if you are prepared to pay the DP cost of the final skill.

[Voriig Kye]

Also, there are additional rules in the RMC Express Additions #8, don't forget those, they add more "magical" possibilities.

[Nightblade42]

Like the others, I've only used the Combat Styles (going back to RM2's Arms Companion (which is RM2's version of CC)).  I missed the additional options in EA#8, thanks for that Vorigg!  I'll have to check them out.  I always used them mixed with the basic Combat Skills system.  For me, some cultures & some factions had their own unique styles, but the common people only had the usual skills avaialble through AL&CL and RoCoII.  I found this has added depth to my cultures and the many organizations that populate my world of Nytheun.

The Armor By The Piece rules seemed to change combat too much for me (I guess I've never really had any personal issues with the Core AL&CL combat system), but I could see using them if you wanted another level of realism.  I mean we all remember the slogan, right? "Get real!  Get Rolemaster!"    Those rules seem to be made to fulfill the spirit of that old RM2 slogan 

Nightblade ->--

[Hurin]

Thanks for the explanation guys. One last question: what does the element 'Additional Attacks' do?

I see now why JDale was thinking about adding fighting styles to RMU by means of talents.

[Nightblade42]

Thanks for the explanation guys. One last question: what does the element 'Additional Attacks' do?

I see now why JDale was thinking about adding fighting styles to RMU by means of talents.

According to RMC CC the Additional Attacks options essentially give a weapon style the use of Two Weapon Combo - either for a weapon group or a specific weapon (p.58).

Nightblade ->--

[Hurin]

According to RMC CC the Additional Attacks options essentially give a weapon style the use of Two Weapon Combo - either for a weapon group or a specific weapon (p.58).

Ah, I see; thanks Nightblade.

[Onirim]

Thanks for your answers, guys :-)

[Onirim]

Sadly the Express Addition 8 cannot be buy nor found on internet now
I regret do not have buyed it some years ago

[terefang]

Sadly the Express Addition 8 cannot be buy nor found on internet now
I regret do not have buyed it some years ago

No, you are right "RMX Express Additions 8 [2008].pdf" cannot be legally bought on the internet.

[netbat]

There are some additional combat style options in a couple of the guild companion articles as well.