When I think about Rolemaster, I like to distinguish between rules and detail.
The numerous weapon, critical, and maneuver tables, the spell lists, the professions, the more exotic charts, all those things I consider detail - not rules.
Rolemaster is a game tremendeously rich on detail; this in my view is a unique and wonderful thing about Rolemaster.
The extensive use of tables and charts also holds the potential for a realistic, yet very rules light game.
I believe boawk said it well about Rolemaster combat:
it is realistic, easily used (essentially, roll dice and do a table lookup), and very, very cool compared to alternative combat systems.But Rolemaster does have rules, and while most of the time they function well once you have studied and practiced with them, many of the rules can also be burdensome.
The rules and optional rules were written by many different authors, and are distributed among many books and supplements.
The potential for streamlining of the rules should be considerable, both game mechanically and with regards to organisation and presentation.
My suggestion for a new product would be a Rolemaster rulebook that deals exclusively with the game rules, and not with detail.
It should be inclusive in scope and should cover the following rules areas:
- Dice rolling
- Stats
- Skill structure
- Character creation, experience and leveling
- Encumbrance, movement, and armor
- Maneuvers and skill rolls
- Casting spells, realms, power points, resistance rolls
- Weapons, attacking and defending
- Tactical round
- Strategic environments
- Hits, injuries, illness, death, and healing
Ideally such a book should be generic and compatible with detail (tables, charts, professions, etc.) found in any current or previous version of Rolemaster.
