Topic: Is anyone else waiting for the next 2 books—and adventure— before playing RMU?

[kwickham]

I bought the Core Law book a few months ago.
So far, I've only glanced to see that the book does not have any creatures or stats for humanoid enemies.
I suppose I could do a non-spell caster battle royal player vs player, but that doesn't seem fun. Or make some humanoid non-caster enemies.
I'm waiting for Spell Law, Creature Law, and the first RMU adventure before reading it.

I do still have the beta stuff, but that stuff changed, right?
So...waiting period continues, I suppose.

[nash]

For people on the forums (and discord) Spell Law is probably all we need; monsters from the Beta's will suffice for us diehards.

For the general non-forum player... I would imagine you are exactly correct.

* nash refreshes Drive Thru and checks email for the directors briefing...

[Barner Cobblewood]

Yes.

[kwickham]

I did just grab two Beta tools that should help.
jdale's recently updated Random NPC Generator
and collaboration Character Sheet excel spreadsheet for RMU

I checked the tiny portal for other downloads but didn't see any.

[nightchilde]

Next two books, yes.

Adventure, not so much as I prefer to make my own.  :-)

[5th Knight of Xar]

For people on the forums (and discord) Spell Law is probably all we need; monsters from the Beta's will suffice for us diehards.

For the general non-forum player... I would imagine you are exactly correct.

* nash refreshes Drive Thru and checks email for the directors briefing...

I have a feeling something is happening very soon..

The director's briefing usually comes out around the 10th or so each month, Nicholas still has a week left of time to write it 😉

[lordmalachdrim]

Next two books, yes.

Adventure, not so much as I prefer to make my own.  :-)

Agreed.

[lordmalachdrim]

I have a feeling something is happening very soon..

The director's briefing usually comes out around the 10th or so each month, Nicholas still has a week left of time to write it 😉

Which version of soon/very soon are you talking about?
1) RoleMaster beta soon
2) Palladium Books soon
3) Kenzer and Company soon

[Hurin]

I have a feeling something is happening very soon..

The director's briefing usually comes out around the 10th or so each month, Nicholas still has a week left of time to write it 😉

Which version of soon/very soon are you talking about?
1) RoleMaster beta soon
2) Palladium Books soon
3) Kenzer and Company soon

Think you forgot to add:
4) Duke Nukem soon

[5th Knight of Xar]

I have a feeling something is happening very soon..

The director's briefing usually comes out around the 10th or so each month, Nicholas still has a week left of time to write it 😉

Which version of soon/very soon are you talking about?
1) RoleMaster beta soon
2) Palladium Books soon
3) Kenzer and Company soon

A version of very soon that's not in your fancy list.

[kwickham]

I mention waiting for a first adventure because—although RM has had Shadow World traditionally...How do I put this for non-traditionalists.

Okay, I noticed that RMU has at least 11 playable character races that are their IP names. Those names are not a direct part of SW.

For example, I hope to see some lore about the Gratar...more about the red Royal Gratar...fearsome Yellow Gratar...stealthy Grey Gratars...menacing Black Gratar... Who are the kings and queens, the royalty of the gratar? Where are their aquatic civilizations? And the Core mentions they may also dwell underground. Where are their underground dwellings?

I want to see more about a Core Law and future Creature Law lore—and world built around it.

Shadow World uses different named races and IP.

I'm hoping that ICE actually uses the 11 races and other IP creature names in their own IP fantasy or cross-genre world to build up lore around that IP—instead of falling back on the Shadow World...fallback. In that world, help explain the new game mechanics and spell differences that have changed. In that way, if they can keep control, their intellectual property can grow a bit more.

Just actually use the content of RMU and creatures in Creature Law for a default setting. This would mean supporting content already in the game system and mechanics.

If ICE has Shadow World IP control and wants to reuse it, then maybe change SW to fit with the RMU Core, Creature, Spell, and Treasure Law stuff.

[MisterK]

If ICE has Shadow World IP control and wants to reuse it, then maybe change SW to fit with the RMU Core, Creature, Spell, and Treasure Law stuff.

No.

Setting is more important than rules. If anything, the RMU rules should be hacked to fit the setting to a T (which the RM rules never quite did).

[nightchilde]

I have a feeling something is happening very soon..

The director's briefing usually comes out around the 10th or so each month, Nicholas still has a week left of time to write it 😉

Which version of soon/very soon are you talking about?
1) RoleMaster beta soon
2) Palladium Books soon
3) Kenzer and Company soon

Hopefully not "Far West soon."

[Cory Magel]

Simply waiting for hard-copies here. I really don't intended to replace RMSS with RMU, so I'm unconcerned about the timing of the books.

[Spectre771]

Simply waiting for hard-copies here. I really don't intended to replace RMSS with RMU, so I'm unconcerned about the timing of the books.

Ditto.  I'm still a die hard user of RM2 but I'll definitely buy the print copies of RMU.  Maybe another "red border" box set of the core books?

[katastrophe]

Cory and Specter,

What could be done to bring you over to RMU? What you state above is something I referenced earlier as RMU being a “bookshelf game”. Is there a point where you’d run RMU instead?

[kwickham]

If ICE has Shadow World IP control and wants to reuse it, then maybe change SW to fit with the RMU Core, Creature, Spell, and Treasure Law stuff.

No.

Setting is more important than rules.

Yes, setting is more important than rules. Rules are just names, things, and potential actions. Setting adds conflicts, issues, locations, structures, events, history, and lore—the description, specifics, and details of those potential names, and things.
Hence, the hopes for a RMU default world that fits.

If anything, the RMU rules should be hacked to fit the setting to a T (which the RM rules never quite did).

I suppose that is so, only if Shadow World writers and creators are quickly willing to adopt and use the new version. If not and nostalgic mentality prevails, then even Shadow World might become a relic of the past—ICE's legacy setting similar to "The World of Greyhawk", replaced by whatever their new setting similar to "Forgotten Realms" or "Eberron" becomes.

If some major SW writers and creators don't fill the void, then move on from it.

[kwickham]

The Cyradon refresh is ongoing and an additional setting book is being commissioned. It is probable that we will seek to make Cyradon work for both HARP and RMU.

I just noticed this part of the recent monthly briefing. Cyradon setting, it seems, has a head start.

[MisterK]

I suppose that is so, only if Shadow World writers and creators are quickly willing to adopt and use the new version. If not and nostalgic mentality prevails, then even Shadow World might become a relic of the past—ICE's legacy setting similar to "The World of Greyhawk", replaced by whatever their new setting similar to "Forgotten Realms" or "Eberron" becomes.

If some major SW writers and creators don't fill the void, then move on from it.

Or they could publish it system-agnostic. Less technical work, and more flexibility for the users since they can adapt it to their own system variant. Give a general idea of the power of the main NPCs (from "low power" to "world threat", for instance) and their area(s) of expertise, and there you go.

To be perfectly honest, with the exception of the Master Atlas racial stats and the extra spell lists, I've never used any technical information in any Shadow World product. I buy the books for contextual information only.

[katastrophe]

https://ironcrown.co.uk/ICEforums/index.php?topic=20387.0

That thread kinda answers your question, kinda. In other words, ICE’s definition of soon doesn’t exactly jibe with what I would call soon.