Free OSR - Against the Darkmaster - Quickstart (RoleMaster/MERPS)

In the late '80s, one of the game systems I played (ran) was Rolemaster, although it was often merged with MERPS. Of course, we always used the critical tables from Rolemaster. Rolling a "66" was always magical. :)

Against the Darkmaster—Quickstart is priced at PWYW and is a love poem to the classic RoleMaster system. You know you want it :)

Return to the Classic Game of Fantasy Adventure!

Against the Darkmaster is an Epic Fantasy role-playing game of high adventures, eldritch magic, and heavy metal combat.

Inspired by the classic fantasy sagas and 80s fantasy movies, Against the Darkmaster is built for heroic action and intense, character driven campaigns.

The Against the Darkmaster Deluxe Quickstart Rules include everything you need to start playing. In fact, it could well be a full RPG! This beautifully illustrated 122-page PDF includes:

Character creation rules and options;

Detailed rules for travels, combat, and adventuring;

A complete magic system, with over 100 spells;

Attack tables and Critical Strikes;

Dozens of creatures for your heroes to face.

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Deal of the Day - Against the Darkmaster Core Rules

Remember Rolemaster? Consider Against the Darkmaster to be Rolemaster Remastered ;)

Today's Deal of the Day is Against the Darkmaster Core Rules. Normally 25 bucks in PDF, until tomorrow morning it is on sale for 5 bucks.

Against the Darkmaster is a tabletop Epic Fantasy roleplaying game of high adventure, heroic action, and heavy metal combat.

If you put together works like The Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time, sprinkled them with a bit of Labyrinth and Dragonslayer, and put everything in a blender together with a healthy dose of classic Heavy Metal, you’ll get a typical Against the Darkmaster game session.

Travel to distant lands, face terrible dangers, uncover ancient items of power, and gather the armies of the world under your banner to defeat the ultimate Evil.

A complete rule system, including:

• Unified d100-based action resolution mechanic
• Huge variety of character customization options
• Detailed travel mechanics for long overland adventures
• Flexible magic system with over 300 spells
• Tactical combat and brutal Critical Strikes
• Immersive rules for character driven adventures
• A Bestiary with over 60 fearsome creatures
• A full introductory campaign in three parts

 

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Deal of the Day - Against the Darkmaster Core Rules

What is Against the Darkmaster? According to the Against the Darkmster Quickstart Rules (available at PWYW pricing, so please, grab the Quickstart before plunking down your cash for the full rules):

Against the Darkmaster (abbreviated in VsD throughout) is a tabletop pen & paper role-playing game of high fantasy, epic adventures, eldritch magic, and heavy-metal combat.

What is Against the Darkmaster inspired from? As we mentioned above, VsD is an epic fantasy game first of all. As such, it draws its main inspiration from the classic works of the masters of the genre, from J.R.R. Tolkien to Ursula K. Le Guin, passing through the two Terrys (Brooks and Goodkind) and their followers, Weis & Hickman, Jordan, and Williams. Anyhow, these are only the original sources of inspiration.

Against the Darkmaster is also inspired by the great fantasy movies of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s and from the sword & sorcery genre. Think of The Lord of The Rings cartoon from Ralph Bakshi. Think of the cheap ‘80s barbarian movies. Think of the heartbreaker movies a whole generation was raised to: Dragonslayer, Krull, Labyrinth, Clash of the Titans, Legend.

Finally, think of VsD as a mix of all the above as seen through the eyes of a heavy metal music fan. And when we say “heavy metal”, we mean the original genre. The music of Malmsteen, Dio, Black Sabbath, Blind Guardian, Manowar, Iron Maiden. Lyrics and music bringing to life the very clash of steel versus steel, the power of elemental fire and thunder. These are all ingredients you will find in generous doses in the VsD recipe.

Why is it abbreviated VsD?  I'm guessing the original is in Italian, and that is the abbreviation from Italian. I could be wrong, so I'll be happy to correct it.

But really, WHAT IS Against the Darkmaster? For all intents and purposes, it is a clone of the Rolemaster rules. It never comes out and says to, but just looking at the cover, you can see the similarities.

I no longer desire to play rules as fiddly as Rolemaster, but for those that do, Against the Darkmaster Core Rules may be an excellent option. Normally 20 bucks in PDF, until tomorrow morning at 11 am Eastern, the rules are on sale for 10 bucks. Remember, the Quickstart Rules linked above are free.

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Kickstarter - Against the Darkmaster (Rolemaster Clone)

I was a fairly big fan of Rolemaster and MERP back in the early and mid-80s. There was just something about those critical tables that brough folks back to the table. With the Against the Darkmaster Kickstarter, what's old is new and Rolemaster gets cloned.

Heck, there is even a free Quickstart so you can check out the rules prior to backing. Against the Darkmaster Quickstart.

Against the Darkmaster is a traditional tabletop Epic Fantasy roleplaying game, inspired by great classic fantasy sagas and designed to bring heroic action and heavy metal combat to your table. 

If you put together works like The Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time, sprinkled them with a bit of Labyrinth and Dragonslayer, and put everything in a blender together with a healthy dose of classic Heavy Metal, you’ll get a typical Against the Darkmaster game session.

The game is built around a single simple underlying mechanics: you roll a d100, add your bonus, and confront the result on a table to see the outcome of your character’s actions. This makes the game quick and easy to master even for new players, without having to sacrifice detail. 

With 12 different Kins, 13 Cultures, 6 Vocations, and dozens of different Background Options, Against the Darkmaster doesn’t just let you make the character you want; it also helps you create a hero that will feel as if it sprang straight out of the pages of an Epic Fantasy Saga! 

19 bucks for the PDF. 55 for the Print plus PDF

The Hobbit, Rolemaster, Angmar and Aging Eyes

I saw The Hobbit last week. I thought it was really good, but not awe inspiring. Not sure why. Maybe my expectations were too high. In any case, it inspired me to dig out my old Rolemaster Boxed Set (I'm guessing 2nd edition, as it is copyright 80/84).

Anyhow, I wanted to break it out, because I was pretty sure I had Angmar, Land of the Witch King, which was referenced in the Hobbit, inside the box. Sure enough, it was there.

I peeked inside to look at the maps. I always loved the maps in the old ICE modules. Excellent maps, a nice drawing of the Witch King's "castle".

Then I looked at some of the typeface, and I had to put the bad boy back. My eyes aren't what they used to be.

Damn 40s! Next thing you know I'll be wearing bifocals!

Typesetting has certainly improved over the tears.

(Unified) Rolemaster Public Playtest is Now Live!

I really wish I could post a screen shot of the Rolemaster Beta Character Law book, but that would probably violate the NDA. So, I guess you'll have to go and download it and the Spell Law beta yourself. You do need to have a forum account at the Iron Crown website. Takes less than 2 minutes to create one.

What's the catch? There isn't one. The download is free and easy and linked within the Iron Crown forums. Read it and play it if you can. I always enjoyed the Rolemaster System, even if I tended to forget half the modifiers ;)

I must say, it was much easier to sign up for this and get my materials than it was the D&D Next playtest ;)

What is the Difference Between HARP and Rolemaster?

I always really liked Rolemaster... as a player.  I just could never find someone willing to GM it.  In the end, I would find myself running a MERP / Rolemaster combo of sorts.  Always fun.  Always full of improvisations, as my fluency with Rolemaster was never quiet where it should have been.

Back when ICE was still a publishing company (in some form) I picked up a fairly complete collection of HARP books.  HARP, High Adventure Role Playing, was also published by ICE, and to my inexperienced eyes, seems damn close, if not identical, to Rolemaster.

What are the major differences between the two?  Is HARP closer to Rolemaster Express than the full Rolemaster rules?  (Rolemaster Express was a nice consolidation of the RM rules).

Should I keep this stuff handy, or pack it away with the bulk of my RPG stuff?  Space is definitely at a premium.

As an aside, I can find the HARP Sci-Fi RPG at RPGNow, but not HARP itself.  Is it a dead system these days?

Rolemaster Classic Ruleset for FG2 is Released

Here's the post from the FantasyGrounds.com website:

Rolemaster Classic Ruleset Now For Sale!

Digital Adventures, LLC and Iron Crown Enterprises present the Rolemaster Ruleset for Fantasy Grounds II! Nearly two years in the making, this ruleset features some of the most innovative Fantasy Grounds programming to date, giving both Game Masters and Players all the tools they need to enjoy this classic RPG online. In addition to including the full text for the Character Law, Arms Law, Spell Law, and Creatures & Treasures remakes of the original game, the Rolemaster Class Ruleset for Fantasy Grounds II features fully automated combat and spell effects resolution! This automation allows for quick play online, or around your local gaming table.

The CEO of Iron Crown, Bruce Neidlinger has been a driving force in seeing this project come to fruition. "ICE is delighted with this electronic conversion of Rolemaster Classic to be played online using Fantasy Grounds II. This abmitious project brings the full Rolemaster experience to the Internet, with its automated combat allowing for speedy play with your friends all around the world! This is exactly the product we have been waiting for!"

The following is included in the Rolemaster Classic Ruleset:

• The complete text of the core Rolemaster Classic rules: Arms Law; Spell Law; Character Law; and Creatures and Treasures.

• Fully automated look-up for combat and spell rolls: resolve attacks and spell results in just a few clicks.

• Resolve critical strikes and spell effects, plus fumbles and spell failures with ease.

• Includes 30 individual weapon attack tables, seven spell attack tables, and dozens of criticals and fumbles.

• Includes more than 2,000 spell descriptions, across 162 spell lists, and three realms of power.

• Rules for 20 character professions, including 15 spell-casting professions, and over five dozen skills from which to choose.

• Descriptions and stats for hundreds of monsters, animals and fantasy races, including Dragons, Demons, Elementals and Giants.

• Hordes of treasure, both sparkling and magical, with guidelines for generating the treasures to go with your monsters.

• Supports optional rules to add depth and flavor to your RoleMaster campaign.

• Drag and drop weapons, skills and spells directly onto your character sheet from the core rule books.

• Automate the combat sequence, with a fully-featured combat tracker linked to graphical battle maps.

• Play this much-loved role-playing game with remote friends all over the world, old and new.

The Rolemaster Classic Ruleset for Fantasy Grounds II will be available available at Digital Adventures Online Store (http://www.digitaladventures.net/catalog/), the Fantasy Grounds Store https://www.fantasygrounds.com/store/), and any One Book Shelf affiliate for the price of $20.00. ::end quote::

I'll be picking this up before the week is out, even if its just to play with the tables. Screw C&C... I want to get into a RoleMaster game now! heh

The Call of Cthulhu rulest rocked. If nothing else I'll run a oneshot with my MMORPG/ Old Face to Face group around Halloween.