Rolemaster Scenarios

The best thing about Rolemaster is that it was crafted for novel storytelling play (yes, I say novel as in Darkwalker on Moonshae or Hart's Hope or even A Darkness at Sethanon). Rolemaster characters are designed to be rich, strong, and alive. Whether it is Rolemaster Classic (1985-1989 edition); or Rolemaster the Standard System/Rolemaster Fantasy Roleplaying; you are participating in a living novel.

The combat system is as gritty as it gets because it is crafted for a Living Novel. So Rolemaster scenarios are actually the start of campaigns. Lets take a look at some to get our creativity flowing.

Invasion of the Orc Horde: simple, direct, and to the point. Take a horde of orcs and have it invade the Empire of Man. Orcs and Humans have been done in the Warcraft Universe. But if we take a look at the invasion through the eyes of characters and not through the eyes of a general ordering armies to march under the banner of the Humans or the Horde, you have lots of opportunities for roleplay. (In Lord of the Rings, Man was seen as a threat to the Dark Lord Sauron's power, so the Dark Lord mounted an army of orcs to destroy Gondor).

Lost City of Ophir: This is an Indiana Jones' type Scenario (Indiana Jones and the Lost City of Ophir!). The Player Characters are hired by an adventuring company to go explore a lost kingdom in the desert, jungle, or mountains and have them bring back any artifacts they find. The GM can go hog wild with this: competing adventuring companies (Belloque not withstanding), elaborate traps, hidden dangers, and monsters' lairs. Exploring an ancient ruin gives you an opportunity to relive the excitement of Indiana Jones, all seen through the eyes of a PC group!

Consequently, the scenario can be worked for Dungeons and Dragons, an Ancient Ruin is a dungeon after all. But it is the Roleplaying before you get the job, interviewing for the job, what the job is, getting there, meeting your competitors on the way, and finally getting in to get the Lost Gold Idol of Shakti or whatever. . . . and the consequences afterwords.

The D&D scenario usually starts like the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, get in, face the traps, get the idol, set off the traps in the process, get out, only to be accosted by a small army of gnolls and your competitor. And then lose your artifact to your competitor. "Alas, Doctor Jones, we see again that there is nothing you can get that I cannot take away."

Ladyhawke: This movie is a classic Werewolf story. By night, Nevaar is a wolf, and by day Isabel is a hawk. The two were damned by the Bishop of Aquilla to live as human beings either by day or by night, and as animals by day or by night. Although it too can be retooled for D&D, Rolemaster can be used to recreate the movie's passion. The player characters are represented by Nevarr and Mouse; with the NPCs as Isabel, the friar monk, the Bishop of Aquilla, and the captain of the Aquillan guard.

Tying the three together and you might get:

An Orc Horde is threatening the Empire of Tyrannus. The Empire of Tyrannus is ruled mostly by the Church, although the Kings ruled over small kingdoms in the Empire and were often competing with the Church for State power (this is often when nobles leave their lands to the Church or the State, and the Church would often use guilt to get what they want: while the State could use the lands to pass on to another feudal lord young and loyal to the State).

The Orc Horde are a bunch of barbaric neanderthals led by a competent leader. Their ancestral lands themselves are failing and the Empire of Tyrannus -- decadent, failing, decaying; is a source of gold, silver, and prosperity. The horde is Mid-Iron Age technology and they are going up against a kingdom of Crusades technology. But they have magic on their side: Shamanism, evil warlock magic, as well as axes and swords.

The City of Aquila is a city that is ruled mostly by the Bishop of Aquila. The bishop has his own guards and his own army. The City is a prime target for the barbarian Orc Horde and there were skirmishes and small battles between the armies of Tyrannus and the Orcs outside the city. However, in a twist of fate, the Bishop of Aquila had cursed the Captain with Lycanthropy and his lover (whom he had wanted) with therianropy (she changes into a Hawk). The captain his lover swore revenge and were never seen again.

With the Captain gone, Aquila doesn't have competent leadership. So the city hires a company of Adventurers to go to a lost ruin to find an artifact of great power, or a relic of faith to turn the tide against the invading heathen. The city hopes to use the artifact to turn the tide of battle, using firepower or faith to repel the Orc horde. The relic or artifact must be obtained before a competing kingdom, the City of Berlogue, obtains it since they are also facing invasion from an orc army.

That is where the PCs come in. :)

Rolemaster Rules Lite

Some time ago, I wondered if a really "rules lite" version of Rolemaster can be made. Using a reduced system of rules. Reduced: meaning a game friendly to gamers who are afraid of adding and subtracting numbers over 20 (YES, they exist!). A set of rules does EXIST already. This is the Lord of the Rings Adventure Game.

The rules were so stripped down that you are rolling regular dice against a target number instead of rolling on a table for hit and critical strike results. Again, ICE was ahead of its time. The concept of the target number was used in Shadowrun and other games before ICE, but you don't see target numbers come into vogue until the Legend of the Five Rings RPG. There is talk on the official rolemaster boards of Updating this product and making it available for gamers who are phobic of adding and subtracting numbers over 20. The game is simple enough for young children to get into Roleplaying. And I'm talking 5 to 8 year-olds. I say, "ICE has a new gateway product."

Rolemaster Classic a head of it's time

Rolemaster Classic for the Win! It seems that the new monks in D&D 4 are psionic based; according to playtest. Psionics, as you know, is the realm of the Mind. This came up before: in Rolemaster.

Rolemaster is a game that is very much ahead of its time. And according to Greywulf, a friend of mine, decades ahead of its time. Critical strikes in Arms Law was the driving force forward in selling Rolemaster. Although my favorite Arms Law is the 2003 RMFRP edition -- Arms Law is Ironcrown's biggest seller in the Rolemaster franchise. However, you may ask, what does Chartmaster or Rollmaster have to do with D&D 4? I'm GLAD you asked.

Rolemaster is one of the best Roleplaying games devised, if D&D 4 is catching up to it quickly enough (GURPS is of the same, if not higher quality). It divided the realms of power up into four areas: ARMS, CHANNELING, ESSENCE, and MENTALISM.

ARMS is your basic warrior, beat them up sort of crew.

Channeling is power from the Gods, or God, or whatever.

Essence is the Unified Energy Field (also God if you look at Energy Quantum Mechanically and draw similiarities from what Religion teaches).

Mentalism is drawing the Essence through your mind, once again, Power Creation (also God, again, but then . . . I'm Spiritual. I see God in everything).

In Rolemaster, mostly because of Star Wars influence than anything else; monks were associated with the Essence. This was called the Charltonian view. This is probably becuase monks would draw on the essence to cast their abilities. Terry Amthor (GREAT guy by the way) felt it was wrong for monks to draw on the Essence to power their abilities. He felt that monks, since they are more often associated with the East, would draw on Mentalism powers. This is called the Amthorian view.

Everyone may hail it, when D&D 4 monks come out, as a great LEAP forward that they are psionic. But, back in the 80s, when Rolemaster was taking shape, the people making Rolemaster did this long before WotC even had an inkling of doing it themselves. Rolemaster Classic is a game that is ahead of it's time.