Ahh, brings back memories from the good old MERP and RM days when I was in my teens. MERP was my first tabletop RPG. I didn't even know what D&D was back then. It was pretty rough learning such a crunchy game as your first ever pen and paper RPG. I loved those critical tables. We also played the combat "wrong" because our dumb child brains didn't really get the rules about combat rounds and how they were supposed to be player rules as written with the percentage actions and so on.
I really appreciate you presenting all sorts of games on your channel with such a high quality production. While this particular game is 100% not my cup of tea, I find value in learning this fact, and not wasting my time or money looking any deeper into this system.
VsD is such a great game. It runs incredibly well. The whiff factor inherent to linear distributions is built into the skill system, making failure interesting and fun while moving the game forward. The d100 resolution system is straightforward, making it easy to wing it if you don't have the time to look up a particular rule. Just roll on the basic skill table and call it good, you won't break anything. Like any Rolemaster/MERP style games, the effort you put into it pays huge dividends. I was initially skeptical of the phase system for combat, but it works very well. I've found that it's faster in practice than rolling initiative. The rules for creating your own Darkmaster (BBEG) are quite frankly brilliant. While Rolemaster (RMSS) is my favourite rpg of all time, I'm really enjoying VsD. It has exceeded all my expectations at the table in every conceivable way. Go buy it.
I actually prefer fiddly mechanics for solo play. Especially when there are charts involved as they take some of the narrative effort off of me. I'm already having to come up with the narrative; I appreciate having a chart telling me what those combat rolls actually translate to.
Brother this was amazing, this should be a series, it helps so much for us who don't know the game to get a pretty good feeling how the combat works, Which for me is the most important part of any ttrpg... If the combat is not fun I wont even try it. Hopefully we see more of these kind of videos, brilliant idea.
So exciting to see this! I LOVE MERP and Against the Darkmaster! I would die if the next season used Against the Darkmaster, but somehow I feel like it would be too fiddly, lol.
27:45 You divide your parry between two opponents but, because you are applying that parry through the use of a shield, you may apply the parry amount (and the shield bonus) to all attacks from one facing, in this case the front. If the shield is a Target shield, it has a different bonus vs melee and missile, so more math 🙂 Excellent video. BTW, Black Jay could have aimed for up to four rounds before taking his first shot at a +40 to hit. As he was stealthy, he might have been able to get away with that.
My favorite VsD specific rules is that magic can attract the attention of the Darkmaster. That’s a nice flavor. Along the lines of this game, I’ve been having a good time running HARP (ICE) and I’m looking forward to giving the new Rolemaster Unified out to see how it works!
Super late for a comment, but Just wanted to say thanks for doing this video. As a serious solo player I have really come to dislike D20 systems and have been looking for a good fantasy d100 system that scratches the old school Thematic Tolkien/Heavy Metal/Sword and Sorcery itch I've been having. This is perfect and I decided to add it to my shelf. Great demonstration.
Giving those arm muscles a work out Trevor with that behemoth of a book! I use it and Weird Frontiers in my daily workout. I'm entering Mr RPG-Universe next year. Biceps the size of Bournemouth now! 😁
Those have to be the two most competent orcs in the history of fantasy gaming! And speaking of, I just wanted to say a personal thank you for introducing me to the world of solo rpg'ing and Mythic specifically. I must admit I had my doubts but the way it spins functional narratives out of seemingly thin air (with a little help from UNE, BOLD and a few online name generators) continues to astound me.
I love this video. Please do more like it (if you haven't already). I'm always curious about systems like this one, but don't have time to investigate them myself. It's great to learn it along with you.
Wonderful vid! Against The Darkmaster is such an interesting update and expansion on the old MERP system. I appreciate the extra setting customization options.
Great video! Love that you picked VsD specifically for this video. I also enjoy the optimizations that people perform in the comments. All this is extremely helpful to anyone interested in VsD. 😊
Thor have mercy, why on EARTH did they choose percentile dice for this system, lol. A d20 would have done almost the same thing with much more manageable numbers, lol. Regardless! Thanks for the video! Neat to see a game in action that I otherwise would NEVER be able to sell my players on (I mean, I don't think I can sell me on it either, lol) I also really appreciate how you don't get down on any particular game, and just stick to "this is how it works". You are a vehicle for many of these more obscure games to see the light of day. One day I hope to see you cover my game in this way! Lol
I had recently picked up this game and appreciate the walk through combat. Thumbs up to this type of video as a possible series, which could complement Sage's Corner?
It's still my favourite rpg of all time. My RMSS Core rules and Spell Law are starting to fall apart, but I managed to pick up near mint copies this year as backups. I'm currently running Against the Darkmaster and a friend is running a RMSS solo campaign for me. Good times.
I love Rolemaster. We're just in the middle of a campaign and it'll likely end in another 3 or 4 sessions. I'm considering a new system with a lot of adventure modules. Possibly Pathfinder 2e.
This sure brings back memories of way back when (late 80s) of playing Chartma... er, Rolemaster around my friend's kitchen table. Having stacks of books (3 of the core set along with several companion volumes - of which there were many), reams of photocopies of charts, many sheets of notes, misc minis (doing triple duty for various monsters), and often being confused of how the rules were actually supposed to work, but still having a blast. While a system like Rolemaster or Darkmaster is not my cup of tea anymore, watching this warmed my heart none the less. Good times we had.
I've been running VsD for a few months now. To make it run smoother I printed out all the attack charts, and spray mounted them on card. I also made tokens that summarise various conditions; Stun, Weary, Bruised, etc It's a great system, we're all enjoying it. The PC's are now lvl3, I'm surprised that no characters have died yet, but Drive Points have saved them a few times As a GM I love the way the Darkmasters are all unique. It's almost like a boardgame. You introduce your world, your Darkmaster has individual powers (eg. Maybe it's an evil queen that freezes the lands), specific spies, lieutenants, and even a weakness that might be the only way to defeat the Darkmaster. The PC's either win or lose, then you can move on to another world, another Darkmaster, a fresh campaign. I love it
I love how you show so many different systems. I still haven't found a system that I really love (currently using base mechanics of Pathfinder 2e with various rules of other systems thrown in) and I love watching your videos in hopes that I may find the one system that would be perfect for me!
Thanks Trevor, this brings me back memories of when we were much younger and playing MERP in those long afternoons after school... A trip down memory lane for me :-)
Excellent comparison to high level PF: two complex games -- different implementations. From running Rolemaster back in the 90s, I view "hits" more as stamina loss (that they return so quickly supports this view) unless there is a critical, and those typically happen at 100+ results. Thus, the bonus is the percentage chance of critting, or what most games today call hitting. So a +20 translates into roughly a 20% chance of critting or doing any meaningful damage.
Cool video! I like the concept of showing some of learning a system. I don't think this would be my standard group's cup of tea but I think the charts for where the hits land and extra effects are pretty neat.
I bought this based on your Library video and tried running it on a homebrew world I put together. I found it very cumbersome and it really took away from the more story focused aspect of the game. I love the book, though I don't know I'll ever use it. In the end I did a major customized overhaul of Dominion and that has worked like a charm.
Thanks for running this. MERP Was my introduction to role playing and Rolemaster still my favorite system by far. To keep combat moving, I use initiativeless combat. Everyone declares their actions, and then you resolve them in the order that makes the most sense. If someone is ready to shoot, and they are being charged, they get to shoot before their opponent closes on them, then the charge and melee attack is resolved. If there is a conflict, like two opponents in melee attacking, use the attack rolls to determine initiative, for example one rolls 60 the other a 91 add the 2 d10s together plus, usually Quickness bonus. So in this case 6+10=16 vs 9+1=10 before bonuses, you can add a difference for weapon length as well. In Rolemaster 3.0 RMSS the rounds are 10 seconds and all actions take a % of activity, so 10% is basically one second. Loading a shortbow is 40% (about a half action) so 4 seconds to load then they can shoot about mid round. Normally it's not particularly complicated unless there is a lot of moving and attacking or disengaging, and it's not hard to figure out.
Thank you very much for doing this. Excellent practice playthrough. It's clear that VsD is deadly, and this reminds me a lot of Rolemaster. I'd love to see you GM a game session as a practice playthrough with live players, adding more realistic gaming elements like spellcasting and some of the other combat mechanics. I'd also love to hear more from you about your impressions of the game's ruleset and playstyle. I own VsD but haven't bothered to try playing yet (no players, little free time).
Definitely one of the best ways of learning more combat-intensive systems, and enjoyable watching you run through systems like this despite the lack of narrative layer even compared to 5 Parsecs. Hope you're able to add this to your regular set of series.
This is a fantastic video. One, your enthusiasm for the subject makes it very watchable. Two, your explanations are clear and well spoken. Three, you go into enough detail that this is actually a very useful review for a viewer to use to determine whether to further explore or try Rolemaster. I've had Arms Law, Spell Law, and Claw Law (1984 editions) for years after picking them in a lot of used RPG items, but I've never played them. Now I might try to run a game. (My only Rolemaster-related experience was a little bit of MERP nearly 40 years ago!)
That was awesome man. Love that FPG concept as I do more or less the same myself! More of this, and with the same bravery to test interestingly complex systems!
So cool to see you go over this. I picked this up a couple of years ago and is on my shelf of shame. I really like this kind of "one off" video from you!
Really cool to see your process! I felt very silly the first time I did this but it is indeed a nice way to discover the mechanics ! And by the way, your "Sage's Library" series has really inspired me to get some TTRPGs, even if I don't play them all! Love your work
Very cool.... love the critical charts and I love the rules of the charts that if you're wearing armour on that part of the body that it takes the hit first and is damaged or destroyed, but noi armour means a serious wound. Really love that. :) Reminds me a bit of the Rolemaster critical tables (maybe those were way more involved, though). And yeh, in Solo probably not as fun with all the mechanics involved.
Thanks for this, it's great to see how things actually work on the table. From a solo perspective, I think I'll stick with games like Elder Scrolls Call to Arms or Lasting Tales. There's similar calculations and tactical considerations but less math. It's more like adding a modifier or die here, taking away a modifier number or die there. Similar 'feeling' of taking into account tactical aspects (cover, height advantage, conditions, etc) but as I said, less math. You can add the RPG element to those games and play narrative scenarios so I think I'm getting everything I want from those games.
Awesome video! You got it mostly right except for a couple of notes... When Black Jay is struck by the orc and critted, he gets stunned. Stun applies immediately so the archer orc should have had a +20 to his next shot. That would have been the perfect occasion to use a Drive Point to reroll that Crit at a one level lower severity... Furthermore, when fully attacking, characters get a +10 to their CMB, I think you forgot to apply it a couple of times. Other than that, super smooth demonstration!
Great video, great game. My favorite combat system Besides Harnmaster (3rd edition), the latter also has a lot to offer (16 hit zones) and generally feel the 3 edition as pretty "simple" just like Against the darkmaster the game is "front heavy" but once you understand the basics the rest goes relatively quickly, and being organized is the most important thing in the game (if you want a good flow takes place).
I'm a bit torn. I love the granularity the system seems to allow, but hate the list of bonuses and penalties that go into each roll (which also keeps me away from D&D 3e and Pathfinder). As a simulationist I find those critical charts amazing. You thought a gorget looked stupid so you didn't take it? Well now you're dead! Exceptional. Maybe I can pluck those out to throw in another system. Keep up the great work, Trevor. It's a lot of fun exploring these systems with you.
This definitely more for someone into number crunchy games. Seems fun but it's a lot! I need to catch up on your Five Parsecs series. I think i left off on ep 4. As always youre the man, Trevor! Keep posting ^_^
Good to note for online players that some absolute legend of a boffin recently added a fully scripted sheet for Darkmaster to Roll20. Since I like to have a few beers when I'm GMing, this game would be completely outside my mental capabilities after the first 30 minutes in person🤣
To speed up the math in this game you can use the HARP optional rule of "Drunkard's Rule" - In order to cut down on the amount of calculations made during the game, a GM may elect to round various numbers (skill bonuses, rolls, results, etc.) to the nearest value of 5 before adding or subtracting.
They should have just abandoned the d100, divided everything by 5, and used a d20 instead. You don't really benefit from this level of granularity in actual play.
Always a pleasure to watch your video. Clearly, this kind of rpg is not a good option for a one shot. You can appreciate the flavour of the mechanic if you take the time to dive in
As a Rolemaster retroclones it does a pretty good job. Love this format. Way different than sages library bc we see the game in action. What's the next? 😊
Like you all back in the day, we also did away with the phases, it was too fiddly back then and MERP was easier than RoleMaster itself. We weren't even kids as an excuse but were working adults. lol Great video review! As an aside I don't really like the verbiage of "half action". Something like Action, Free Action or Minor Action, fine. The whole Half and Full just rubs me wrong as less clear in my opinion. If I were to run AtDM I'd probably get rid of the whole phases like we did with MERP back in the 1980s and clean up the Actions a bit. The whole phase economy as you show with forgetting that Black Jay was stunned so that he couldn't cause the stun on the orc shows just how fiddly phases can make the game. Imagine this with four to six players, ugh. Its the same issue that RuneQuest has and why a lot of us did away with the phases in that game as well. The only time we used weapon range/length was in the case of ties on initiative, to break the tie as I recall. The longer weapon user got to go first, simpler to break the tie. Anything to speed up game play rounds with multiple players. This of course before we consider how often the players can't be bothered to truly learn the mechanics, putting keeping track of everything on the GM, which I ran into quite often. Which could make the time taken to run a combat a true slog and which would cause the players to lose focus/interest often. I mean I love combat and interesting combat systems but there is a playability line that can easily be crossed. Once that happen it becomes slow and cumbersome.
I hear there is a copycat of this game that was made decades earlier called MERP. LOL Srsly: I'm glad that even after I.C.E. lost the LOTR license, someone else picked it up and moved it forward. Great explanation of how it works!
There is also a module in fantasy grounds for rolemaster that do all the math and it also automaticaly look on the weapons and critical tables. The best is that that you can enter your values rolled in the table on real dice, THIS is huge, hopes it help you becauwe it turns the game very fast!
Hey Trevor, I had a question. Would it be possible to review basic fantasy. Such as your doing here to maybe help understand the game myself. Also love all your series of games.
Almost forgot! Please check and do a review of Lightmaster , a free RPG that is a D20 Rolemaster clone, its great, quick , free in DriveTRPG and its very good. Two books, Rules and tables, and the layout and style is great! Thanks!
So I know you said that you thought making a video creating character would be kind of boring, but would you be able to? I would definitely be interested, because this game seems really fun, but character creation is a bit of a hurdle.
How can Black Jay use his Attack Bonus for his parry when he hasn't drawn a sword yet? Just asking. I'm also not sure if you can parry a missile attack. Or shooting into melee? Still a wonderful video. Thanks for that. As an old Rolemaster and Merp player and game master the game does scratch an itch for me.... ;)
I always enjoy looking at the range of, and capability of a space. "What if" drives my exploration as much as the need for more flips in the pages across their description within the context of their space. I am always looking for how does this system provide a use for me, and for what spaces and formats does it support, can it support. I do a similar process to the "desolate plane" idea you use. It has layers. First nothing is used as obstacles in the path of interaction. I don't even just focus on combat. Simply what points of interaction are possible in the space, and what is their range. Then I look at each aspect there of. When combat is reached I start with nothing, then add in the layers individually to make sure that the system took a look at each properly at and to the range I require for the formats and locations of play that I am going to utilize in my own spaces. In that breakdown I can then address or develop out any needs that the space has or is lacking, while still becoming familiar with its workings. "Take the time to make the time" I always say in that instance as I prep or prepare usage there of. Love it. Love the process. It's all part of the job to gain the rewards of what you gain from the space known proper and being used proper. To all things measure. Great work as usual.
Combined action and effects from singular dice rolls narrows probability at the effect of a wider range in shorter duration. This roll determines the range in one motion. It can however impact the variability of probability to individualized components effecting directly and more dominantly success and fail to some instances. A good way to explore that is to take the time to evaluate the range of the charts individually and then paired together. You can take combined spaces like this and break them apart increasing the range of probability should you find the measure lacking for success and fail, or its range is too dramatic and haphazard. Again with measure. Have fun exploring the space.
Instruction is never a thing that they do. Its always nice to take the time to instruct a space for those needing instruction. Another aspect I too enjoy.
A lot of these and this process I like to explore solo primarily first, then explore that with the players in the first stages of session zero. When the first session begins we have that play range in place and we continue that process until I notice the space smoothing out and mechanics blending into the background. At that point I then layer in any other additional ways the space can be explored. Pieces required and pieces expanding. I find the space gets its full use for a longer duration of sustained play if durational play is the reason to explore the space. Conventions and special events are also a great place to explore spaces and systems like this in this way. Less restrictive space with less pressure to the space.
Is this a hint to the next series? I mean don't get me wrong, I love 5pfh but I also feel like it's either almost done or something... and I'm severely curious to see what's next
Love content like this from you. I'll be honest, the group play - though I understand them being side content - is just not that entertaining to me. Group play shows really shine when they are all friends and have on screen dynamics between each other. Chemistry is vital to shows like Dimension 20 & Critical Role. Your solo play content is really fun for different reasons all together. You make it fun because of what a character you are (jeez will this show my inner fanboy or what?), and that we get to see you work out the narrative outcomes of your session. Having you wax poetic on your fondness for older systems you've played in your Sage's Library is great content also, though having you go through more in depth like this is a nice companion piece to that I think. Anyway, that's my two cents that nobody asked for, love your channel.
Thanks for a fun and informative play-through of a simple battle. The system offers a lot of opportunities for tactical combat and could be great fun with a few players and opponents. But as a GM I get a slight anxiety attack thinking about playing it with 5 to 6 players and an equivalent number of opponents. One battle alone would take up the entire game session if you’re not very very deep into the rules.
Biggest combat I had in Merp/Rolemaster was 6 players vs 23 bandits. That was epic!!! I think 20 participants should be the max for most groups, though.
I do like the look and feel of this game, however given your sample combat it seems like it would be very easy to fall into a stun-spiral of death. Which for a player killing an enemy would be fun, but I think very frustrating for a player to get hacked to death while stunned and not able to really do anything about it. Yes, it is probably more realistic, but not necessarily more fun. Maybe there are rules, or things you can do to mitigate this.
I agree. Though keep in mind, you have other people helping you if you're playing with friends (or solo and with companions). This showcase demonstrated how risky and difficult is to engage multiple opponents alone. Some games either directly empower PCs or offer alternative rules to change the balance of the game in a way that favors PCs vs many enemies. Death spiral games are universally punishing if you can't share the pain around or have someone to cover you.
Mmmmmh, love Merp!! vsDarkmaster has too many modern rules like wealth levels and hero path for my liking. Made my standard Ranger „Damrod“ but decided not to play it and stick to Rolemaster/Merp.
Ahh, brings back memories from the good old MERP and RM days when I was in my teens. MERP was my first tabletop RPG. I didn't even know what D&D was back then. It was pretty rough learning such a crunchy game as your first ever pen and paper RPG. I loved those critical tables. We also played the combat "wrong" because our dumb child brains didn't really get the rules about combat rounds and how they were supposed to be player rules as written with the percentage actions and so on.
I really appreciate you presenting all sorts of games on your channel with such a high quality production. While this particular game is 100% not my cup of tea, I find value in learning this fact, and not wasting my time or money looking any deeper into this system.
You know you've played MERP when you keep thinking of bracers as "arm greaves" 😉.
VsD is such a great game. It runs incredibly well. The whiff factor inherent to linear distributions is built into the skill system, making failure interesting and fun while moving the game forward. The d100 resolution system is straightforward, making it easy to wing it if you don't have the time to look up a particular rule. Just roll on the basic skill table and call it good, you won't break anything. Like any Rolemaster/MERP style games, the effort you put into it pays huge dividends. I was initially skeptical of the phase system for combat, but it works very well. I've found that it's faster in practice than rolling initiative. The rules for creating your own Darkmaster (BBEG) are quite frankly brilliant. While Rolemaster (RMSS) is my favourite rpg of all time, I'm really enjoying VsD. It has exceeded all my expectations at the table in every conceivable way. Go buy it.
Ork lives matter! Black Jay gets stunned but no stun applied, Ork gets stunned and he eats the whole shuhbang!
I actually prefer fiddly mechanics for solo play. Especially when there are charts involved as they take some of the narrative effort off of me. I'm already having to come up with the narrative; I appreciate having a chart telling me what those combat rolls actually translate to.
Brother this was amazing, this should be a series, it helps so much for us who don't know the game to get a pretty good feeling how the combat works, Which for me is the most important part of any ttrpg... If the combat is not fun I wont even try it.
Hopefully we see more of these kind of videos, brilliant idea.
Great vidéo, great way to "feel" a game without the need of reading a book or looking 12 hours of actual play. I want more ! :)
So exciting to see this! I LOVE MERP and Against the Darkmaster! I would die if the next season used Against the Darkmaster, but somehow I feel like it would be too fiddly, lol.
27:45 You divide your parry between two opponents but, because you are applying that parry through the use of a shield, you may apply the parry amount (and the shield bonus) to all attacks from one facing, in this case the front. If the shield is a Target shield, it has a different bonus vs melee and missile, so more math 🙂
Excellent video.
BTW, Black Jay could have aimed for up to four rounds before taking his first shot at a +40 to hit. As he was stealthy, he might have been able to get away with that.
My favorite VsD specific rules is that magic can attract the attention of the Darkmaster. That’s a nice flavor.
Along the lines of this game, I’ve been having a good time running HARP (ICE) and I’m looking forward to giving the new Rolemaster Unified out to see how it works!
Trevor teaches himself almost the same way I do, he uses a featureless grey plain with an orc, I use a goblin. LOL
...poor him (the orc, or goblin).
The book has so many call backs to Merp in the artwork, its great, love the presentation!
Super late for a comment, but Just wanted to say thanks for doing this video. As a serious solo player I have really come to dislike D20 systems and have been looking for a good fantasy d100 system that scratches the old school Thematic Tolkien/Heavy Metal/Sword and Sorcery itch I've been having. This is perfect and I decided to add it to my shelf. Great demonstration.
Giving those arm muscles a work out Trevor with that behemoth of a book! I use it and Weird Frontiers in my daily workout. I'm entering Mr RPG-Universe next year. Biceps the size of Bournemouth now! 😁
Those have to be the two most competent orcs in the history of fantasy gaming! And speaking of, I just wanted to say a personal thank you for introducing me to the world of solo rpg'ing and Mythic specifically. I must admit I had my doubts but the way it spins functional narratives out of seemingly thin air (with a little help from UNE, BOLD and a few online name generators) continues to astound me.
I love this video. Please do more like it (if you haven't already). I'm always curious about systems like this one, but don't have time to investigate them myself. It's great to learn it along with you.
Wonderful vid! Against The Darkmaster is such an interesting update and expansion on the old MERP system. I appreciate the extra setting customization options.
Great video! Love that you picked VsD specifically for this video. I also enjoy the optimizations that people perform in the comments. All this is extremely helpful to anyone interested in VsD. 😊
Thor have mercy, why on EARTH did they choose percentile dice for this system, lol. A d20 would have done almost the same thing with much more manageable numbers, lol. Regardless! Thanks for the video! Neat to see a game in action that I otherwise would NEVER be able to sell my players on (I mean, I don't think I can sell me on it either, lol)
I also really appreciate how you don't get down on any particular game, and just stick to "this is how it works". You are a vehicle for many of these more obscure games to see the light of day.
One day I hope to see you cover my game in this way! Lol
I had recently picked up this game and appreciate the walk through combat. Thumbs up to this type of video as a possible series, which could complement Sage's Corner?
Rolemaster was my to-go system back in the early 90s.
...
I can't even imagine using it today... 😅
It's still my favourite rpg of all time. My RMSS Core rules and Spell Law are starting to fall apart, but I managed to pick up near mint copies this year as backups. I'm currently running Against the Darkmaster and a friend is running a RMSS solo campaign for me. Good times.
I love Rolemaster. We're just in the middle of a campaign and it'll likely end in another 3 or 4 sessions. I'm considering a new system with a lot of adventure modules. Possibly Pathfinder 2e.
Fantastic video @MeMyselfandDieRPG glad you enjoyed the game!
You forgot that he’s still in cover verses the arrow. 26:44
excellent presentation - even with the mistakes - shows how a typical battle might go and what might be forgotten in actual gameplay.
This sure brings back memories of way back when (late 80s) of playing Chartma... er, Rolemaster around my friend's kitchen table. Having stacks of books (3 of the core set along with several companion volumes - of which there were many), reams of photocopies of charts, many sheets of notes, misc minis (doing triple duty for various monsters), and often being confused of how the rules were actually supposed to work, but still having a blast. While a system like Rolemaster or Darkmaster is not my cup of tea anymore, watching this warmed my heart none the less. Good times we had.
I've been running VsD for a few months now. To make it run smoother I printed out all the attack charts, and spray mounted them on card. I also made tokens that summarise various conditions; Stun, Weary, Bruised, etc
It's a great system, we're all enjoying it. The PC's are now lvl3, I'm surprised that no characters have died yet, but Drive Points have saved them a few times
As a GM I love the way the Darkmasters are all unique. It's almost like a boardgame. You introduce your world, your Darkmaster has individual powers (eg. Maybe it's an evil queen that freezes the lands), specific spies, lieutenants, and even a weakness that might be the only way to defeat the Darkmaster. The PC's either win or lose, then you can move on to another world, another Darkmaster, a fresh campaign. I love it
I love how you show so many different systems. I still haven't found a system that I really love (currently using base mechanics of Pathfinder 2e with various rules of other systems thrown in) and I love watching your videos in hopes that I may find the one system that would be perfect for me!
Thanks Trevor, this brings me back memories of when we were much younger and playing MERP in those long afternoons after school... A trip down memory lane for me :-)
Excellent comparison to high level PF: two complex games -- different implementations. From running Rolemaster back in the 90s, I view "hits" more as stamina loss (that they return so quickly supports this view) unless there is a critical, and those typically happen at 100+ results. Thus, the bonus is the percentage chance of critting, or what most games today call hitting. So a +20 translates into roughly a 20% chance of critting or doing any meaningful damage.
That cover art 🤩
Cool video! I like the concept of showing some of learning a system. I don't think this would be my standard group's cup of tea but I think the charts for where the hits land and extra effects are pretty neat.
I bought this based on your Library video and tried running it on a homebrew world I put together. I found it very cumbersome and it really took away from the more story focused aspect of the game. I love the book, though I don't know I'll ever use it.
In the end I did a major customized overhaul of Dominion and that has worked like a charm.
Thanks for running this. MERP Was my introduction to role playing and Rolemaster still my favorite system by far. To keep combat moving, I use initiativeless combat. Everyone declares their actions, and then you resolve them in the order that makes the most sense. If someone is ready to shoot, and they are being charged, they get to shoot before their opponent closes on them, then the charge and melee attack is resolved. If there is a conflict, like two opponents in melee attacking, use the attack rolls to determine initiative, for example one rolls 60 the other a 91 add the 2 d10s together plus, usually Quickness bonus. So in this case 6+10=16 vs 9+1=10 before bonuses, you can add a difference for weapon length as well.
In Rolemaster 3.0 RMSS the rounds are 10 seconds and all actions take a % of activity, so 10% is basically one second. Loading a shortbow is 40% (about a half action) so 4 seconds to load then they can shoot about mid round.
Normally it's not particularly complicated unless there is a lot of moving and attacking or disengaging, and it's not hard to figure out.
Thank you very much for doing this. Excellent practice playthrough. It's clear that VsD is deadly, and this reminds me a lot of Rolemaster. I'd love to see you GM a game session as a practice playthrough with live players, adding more realistic gaming elements like spellcasting and some of the other combat mechanics. I'd also love to hear more from you about your impressions of the game's ruleset and playstyle. I own VsD but haven't bothered to try playing yet (no players, little free time).
Definitely one of the best ways of learning more combat-intensive systems, and enjoyable watching you run through systems like this despite the lack of narrative layer even compared to 5 Parsecs. Hope you're able to add this to your regular set of series.
This is a fantastic video. One, your enthusiasm for the subject makes it very watchable. Two, your explanations are clear and well spoken. Three, you go into enough detail that this is actually a very useful review for a viewer to use to determine whether to further explore or try Rolemaster. I've had Arms Law, Spell Law, and Claw Law (1984 editions) for years after picking them in a lot of used RPG items, but I've never played them. Now I might try to run a game. (My only Rolemaster-related experience was a little bit of MERP nearly 40 years ago!)
Excellent channel. I've played MERP and Iron Crown Enterprises' other offerings when they were new. Great review. Subscribed.
14:20 loading a crossbow takes 2 rounds. That's why my Sindarin Rogue dumped it after a few sessions and picked up a bow!
That was awesome man. Love that FPG concept as I do more or less the same myself! More of this, and with the same bravery to test interestingly complex systems!
I remember playing Role-Master years ago. And all the crazy criticals you could get. We called Role-Master (MERPS) "ChartMaster". :D
Great vid man. love Chartmaster
Hope you do a Solo campaign with this
So cool to see you go over this. I picked this up a couple of years ago and is on my shelf of shame. I really like this kind of "one off" video from you!
Really cool to see your process! I felt very silly the first time I did this but it is indeed a nice way to discover the mechanics !
And by the way, your "Sage's Library" series has really inspired me to get some TTRPGs, even if I don't play them all!
Love your work
Very cool.... love the critical charts and I love the rules of the charts that if you're wearing armour on that part of the body that it takes the hit first and is damaged or destroyed, but noi armour means a serious wound. Really love that. :)
Reminds me a bit of the Rolemaster critical tables (maybe those were way more involved, though).
And yeh, in Solo probably not as fun with all the mechanics involved.
Awesome, the adventure in the core rulebook is really fun!
This is a cool system. It seems pretty realistic as a portrayal of combat and the things you need to think about in the moments.
That was a great review, ty.
Thanks for this, it's great to see how things actually work on the table. From a solo perspective, I think I'll stick with games like Elder Scrolls Call to Arms or Lasting Tales. There's similar calculations and tactical considerations but less math. It's more like adding a modifier or die here, taking away a modifier number or die there. Similar 'feeling' of taking into account tactical aspects (cover, height advantage, conditions, etc) but as I said, less math. You can add the RPG element to those games and play narrative scenarios so I think I'm getting everything I want from those games.
Awesome video! You got it mostly right except for a couple of notes...
When Black Jay is struck by the orc and critted, he gets stunned. Stun applies immediately so the archer orc should have had a +20 to his next shot. That would have been the perfect occasion to use a Drive Point to reroll that Crit at a one level lower severity...
Furthermore, when fully attacking, characters get a +10 to their CMB, I think you forgot to apply it a couple of times.
Other than that, super smooth demonstration!
Loved MERPs and it’s nice to see a successor.
BTW where did you get those orc minis? They look great!
Thanks for this video, I love this game!
Great video, great game.
My favorite combat system Besides Harnmaster (3rd edition), the latter also has a lot to offer (16 hit zones) and generally feel the 3 edition as pretty "simple" just like Against the darkmaster the game is "front heavy" but once you understand the basics the rest goes relatively quickly, and being organized is the most important thing in the game (if you want a good flow takes place).
Awesome video man love this kind of video!! System for Next season of mmd? 😅
I'm a bit torn. I love the granularity the system seems to allow, but hate the list of bonuses and penalties that go into each roll (which also keeps me away from D&D 3e and Pathfinder). As a simulationist I find those critical charts amazing. You thought a gorget looked stupid so you didn't take it? Well now you're dead! Exceptional. Maybe I can pluck those out to throw in another system.
Keep up the great work, Trevor. It's a lot of fun exploring these systems with you.
I think it's great you do this kind of video, but, oh boy, what a convoluted system! I do not miss the 80's :D
This definitely more for someone into number crunchy games. Seems fun but it's a lot! I need to catch up on your Five Parsecs series. I think i left off on ep 4.
As always youre the man, Trevor! Keep posting ^_^
See the thumbnail... think that looks so much like the old ICE cover art... about the first thing I hear is 'MERP"... OK, throwback time :-)
Pre cursor to season 4. So looking g forward for it
Good to note for online players that some absolute legend of a boffin recently added a fully scripted sheet for Darkmaster to Roll20. Since I like to have a few beers when I'm GMing, this game would be completely outside my mental capabilities after the first 30 minutes in person🤣
Love this system! Glad you’re giving it some attention.
That was great! Would love to see you learn the current version of Hackmaster combat. (That and Harnmaster are my favorite systems.)
Superb taste. I hacked (heh) Hackmaster's initiative system onto HM, since it's just so fun and engaging
@@maikilangiolo That's a great idea!
To speed up the math in this game you can use the HARP optional rule of "Drunkard's Rule" - In order to cut down on the amount of calculations made during the game, a GM may elect to round various numbers (skill bonuses, rolls, results, etc.) to the nearest value of 5 before adding or subtracting.
They should have just abandoned the d100, divided everything by 5, and used a d20 instead. You don't really benefit from this level of granularity in actual play.
@@antieverything1 There is another Rolemaster retroclone that does exactly that called Lightmaster. It's a great game.
great run down, excellent
This was really interesting. Thanks Trevor fir sharing this with us.
Always a pleasure to watch your video. Clearly, this kind of rpg is not a good option for a one shot. You can appreciate the flavour of the mechanic if you take the time to dive in
As a Rolemaster retroclones it does a pretty good job. Love this format. Way different than sages library bc we see the game in action. What's the next? 😊
So much Maths! 😅 Not personaly a game for me but still enjoyed watching you try it out and helps me know what does/doesnt work for me.
Great Demo, thanks for making me want to learn how to play another new game lol
Like you all back in the day, we also did away with the phases, it was too fiddly back then and MERP was easier than RoleMaster itself. We weren't even kids as an excuse but were working adults. lol Great video review! As an aside I don't really like the verbiage of "half action". Something like Action, Free Action or Minor Action, fine. The whole Half and Full just rubs me wrong as less clear in my opinion. If I were to run AtDM I'd probably get rid of the whole phases like we did with MERP back in the 1980s and clean up the Actions a bit.
The whole phase economy as you show with forgetting that Black Jay was stunned so that he couldn't cause the stun on the orc shows just how fiddly phases can make the game. Imagine this with four to six players, ugh. Its the same issue that RuneQuest has and why a lot of us did away with the phases in that game as well. The only time we used weapon range/length was in the case of ties on initiative, to break the tie as I recall. The longer weapon user got to go first, simpler to break the tie.
Anything to speed up game play rounds with multiple players. This of course before we consider how often the players can't be bothered to truly learn the mechanics, putting keeping track of everything on the GM, which I ran into quite often. Which could make the time taken to run a combat a true slog and which would cause the players to lose focus/interest often. I mean I love combat and interesting combat systems but there is a playability line that can easily be crossed. Once that happen it becomes slow and cumbersome.
I hear there is a copycat of this game that was made decades earlier called MERP. LOL
Srsly:
I'm glad that even after I.C.E. lost the LOTR license, someone else picked it up and moved it forward.
Great explanation of how it works!
I love your Chanel. I hope yo continue with this series
There is also a module in fantasy grounds for rolemaster that do all the math and it also automaticaly look on the weapons and critical tables.
The best is that that you can enter your values rolled in the table on real dice, THIS is huge, hopes it help you becauwe it turns the game very fast!
Hey Trevor, I had a question. Would it be possible to review basic fantasy. Such as your doing here to maybe help understand the game myself. Also love all your series of games.
Almost forgot! Please check and do a review of Lightmaster , a free RPG that is a D20 Rolemaster clone, its great, quick , free in DriveTRPG and its very good. Two books, Rules and tables, and the layout and style is great! Thanks!
Season one theme for the opening
Those bracers....good gear choice!
So I know you said that you thought making a video creating character would be kind of boring, but would you be able to? I would definitely be interested, because this game seems really fun, but character creation is a bit of a hurdle.
How can Black Jay use his Attack Bonus for his parry when he hasn't drawn a sword yet? Just asking. I'm also not sure if you can parry a missile attack. Or shooting into melee? Still a wonderful video. Thanks for that. As an old Rolemaster and Merp player and game master the game does scratch an itch for me.... ;)
he could use half OB and a dodge in my games
I would love to see Western Hero or Fantasy Hero on your channel using Hero System 6th edition. Not much on YT for that…
I always enjoy looking at the range of, and capability of a space. "What if" drives my exploration as much as the need for more flips in the pages across their description within the context of their space. I am always looking for how does this system provide a use for me, and for what spaces and formats does it support, can it support. I do a similar process to the "desolate plane" idea you use. It has layers. First nothing is used as obstacles in the path of interaction. I don't even just focus on combat. Simply what points of interaction are possible in the space, and what is their range. Then I look at each aspect there of. When combat is reached I start with nothing, then add in the layers individually to make sure that the system took a look at each properly at and to the range I require for the formats and locations of play that I am going to utilize in my own spaces. In that breakdown I can then address or develop out any needs that the space has or is lacking, while still becoming familiar with its workings. "Take the time to make the time" I always say in that instance as I prep or prepare usage there of. Love it. Love the process. It's all part of the job to gain the rewards of what you gain from the space known proper and being used proper. To all things measure. Great work as usual.
Combined action and effects from singular dice rolls narrows probability at the effect of a wider range in shorter duration. This roll determines the range in one motion. It can however impact the variability of probability to individualized components effecting directly and more dominantly success and fail to some instances. A good way to explore that is to take the time to evaluate the range of the charts individually and then paired together. You can take combined spaces like this and break them apart increasing the range of probability should you find the measure lacking for success and fail, or its range is too dramatic and haphazard. Again with measure. Have fun exploring the space.
Instruction is never a thing that they do. Its always nice to take the time to instruct a space for those needing instruction. Another aspect I too enjoy.
A lot of these and this process I like to explore solo primarily first, then explore that with the players in the first stages of session zero. When the first session begins we have that play range in place and we continue that process until I notice the space smoothing out and mechanics blending into the background. At that point I then layer in any other additional ways the space can be explored. Pieces required and pieces expanding. I find the space gets its full use for a longer duration of sustained play if durational play is the reason to explore the space. Conventions and special events are also a great place to explore spaces and systems like this in this way. Less restrictive space with less pressure to the space.
Great review, go for Rolemaster Classic, its awesome!
Hi Trevor, I'm trying to learn this game by running it solo. Might not be the ideal Solo, but it seems like a good way to get proficient.
Is this a hint to the next series? I mean don't get me wrong, I love 5pfh but I also feel like it's either almost done or something... and I'm severely curious to see what's next
Love content like this from you. I'll be honest, the group play - though I understand them being side content - is just not that entertaining to me. Group play shows really shine when they are all friends and have on screen dynamics between each other. Chemistry is vital to shows like Dimension 20 & Critical Role. Your solo play content is really fun for different reasons all together. You make it fun because of what a character you are (jeez will this show my inner fanboy or what?), and that we get to see you work out the narrative outcomes of your session.
Having you wax poetic on your fondness for older systems you've played in your Sage's Library is great content also, though having you go through more in depth like this is a nice companion piece to that I think. Anyway, that's my two cents that nobody asked for, love your channel.
Wow, that seems painful as heck. I'm not convinced that the Rolemaster heritage rules actually delivers flavour to justify all the fiddly rules.
Luckily black Jay had his +1 ring of unstunnability on.
I don't think this game is for me, but I hope you make more videos like this one in the future.
I'll play lol. I miss MERPS/Rolemaster.
Thanks for a fun and informative play-through of a simple battle. The system offers a lot of opportunities for tactical combat and could be great fun with a few players and opponents. But as a GM I get a slight anxiety attack thinking about playing it with 5 to 6 players and an equivalent number of opponents. One battle alone would take up the entire game session if you’re not very very deep into the rules.
Biggest combat I had in Merp/Rolemaster was 6 players vs 23 bandits. That was epic!!! I think 20 participants should be the max for most groups, though.
May I ask what type of cameras you use for these videos? You have great image quality.
Oooh, is this possibly the next system you will use for the next Me, Myself, and DIe season? :o
Holy buckets, a calculator!?!?!?! what is that?
I do like the look and feel of this game, however given your sample combat it seems like it would be very easy to fall into a stun-spiral of death. Which for a player killing an enemy would be fun, but I think very frustrating for a player to get hacked to death while stunned and not able to really do anything about it. Yes, it is probably more realistic, but not necessarily more fun. Maybe there are rules, or things you can do to mitigate this.
I agree. Though keep in mind, you have other people helping you if you're playing with friends (or solo and with companions). This showcase demonstrated how risky and difficult is to engage multiple opponents alone. Some games either directly empower PCs or offer alternative rules to change the balance of the game in a way that favors PCs vs many enemies. Death spiral games are universally punishing if you can't share the pain around or have someone to cover you.
Well thats as smooth as two chairs chained together rolling down a flight of stairs.
I would play this with a group only if everyone who wanted to play ran a few solo games to really engrain the crunch.
what about line of sight rules
Very Crunchy, I forgot how tedious Merp was. Haven't played since the early 90's
Mmmmmh, love Merp!!
vsDarkmaster has too many modern rules like wealth levels and hero path for my liking.
Made my standard Ranger „Damrod“ but decided not to play it and stick to Rolemaster/Merp.