RoleMaster

Roleplaying

Complexity	High
Cost	Expensive
Players	2-8
Producer	Iron Crown Enterprises
Type	Fantasy

Premise

Fantasy Roleplaying with a Tolkien MiddleEarth slant

Review

Not a roleplaying system for the faint hearted, and I wouldn't recommend a newbie GM to try and use this system. That having been said, this system can easily be used to generate very complex adventures and campaigns, some of which run for years. I have had some wonderful times playing and running RM games.

Unlike lesser FRPs RM offers a vast array of skills, spells and professions and has a pretty complex (but comprehensive) combat system. Generating characters can take some time but since many people manage to keep their characters for years it's not too bad a burden.

The main burden is on the GMs. RM lends itself to using multiple GMs and I recommend that you do this for anything that is not trivial or for large groups. Because things can take some time to resolve, having a second GM can allow the game to proceed at a faster pace, and allows larger groups to split up and exploit the richness of the campaign (or get killed whichever comes first). A second GM can also assist in combats, which are always complex no matter what the system. If you have only 1 DM I suggest that you only play small or medium size groups. If you have six or more players I strongly recommend a second GM.

The reason for all this complexity of course is to better simulate reality (an interesting concept in a FRP). RM and its expansions provide a very rich and deep system which most players will never exhaust. RM's connection with MiddleEarth also means that players can exercise their fantasies in LOTR type adventures.

Tips for GMs

Be ruthless with the rules - discard any you don't agree with
Be willing to merge multiple skills into one (i.e. Perception)
Prepare your scenarios well. Players have more scope to be creative and will be!
Don't try and run RM with a large number of players with only 1 GM
Designing and printing your own forms can make life a lot easier
Give the more complex characters with more complex rules to experienced players - it'll keep 'em busy :)

Rating

Depth of Play	Excellent	It doesn't get any deeper than this
Ease of Play	OK	Requires a savvy GM
Production Quality	Good	Quality varies from offering to offering.
Rule Book	Good	Too many to count
Value for Money	Very Good	Plenty of rules for your money
Overall	Good	Needs a lot of effort, but you can reap the benefits

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