Rolemaster is a fantasy-based role playing game set in medieval
times. At least, that’s what a majority of players equate their
game era to. To most, it is a time of fantasy, a time when magic
and elves roamed the land; when dragons flew through the skies and
either terrorized villages or imparted their knowledge to those
brave enough to seek them out. Rolemaster is high fantasy at its
best.
The creators of Rolemaster is ICE, Iron Crown Enterprises. They made the
Middle Earth Role Playing game (MERP to us old timers) and have
successfully carved a niche in the gaming world. Currently there
are three editions of Rolemaster (known as RMFRP, or Rolemaster
Fantasy Role Playing) and a fourth edition (the RMSS or Rolemaster
Standard System). There is not much difference between the 2d and
the 3d editions save for a bit of new artwork and packaging. The
companion books for RMFRP can be used for the RMSS with a little
bit of work and vice versa. We have integrated the Spell Law from
the RMSS with RMFRP with no problem, as well as a few other books.
Training packages and such can be converted as well.
We currently play the 2d edition of Rolemaster as we find it to be
a very realistic and flexible system. It can be a little cumbersome
to first time GM’s, but it can be learned very quickly and once you
play it, there is no alternative. Even though D&D came first,
we consider it a step back when compared to Rolemaster.
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