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Cover/Jacket Text:

The essential tome for GMs!
How many players should I try to handle at one time? Will my game be more successful if I focus on political intrigue or on simple adventuring? How can I pull the characters from the jaws of death without it seeming contrived? How can I keep the "power" in my game from getting out of hand? If you have ever asked yourself any of these questions, then this reference book is for you!
Learn how to use Rolemaster to its fullest potential! Gamemaster Law provides a wealth of guidelines, tips, and details that a Gamemaster needs to run a Rolemaster game, or any other FRP game. The discussed topics will prove invaluable to GMs af all systems- group dynamics, player motivations, story presentation, world design, race generation, campaign evolution, game metabolism, story backdrops, and much more.
Delve into the mysteries of running a truly great campaign!

Table of Contents:

1.0 Welcome ............................................................................................. 4
Part I — Intangibles: Philosophies of Role Playing
2.0 The Group ......................................................................................... 8
2.1 The Players .................................................................................. 8
2.1.1 Participation ...................................................................... 8
2.1.2 Personality .......................................................................... 8
2.1.3 Why Are You Here? ........................................................ 9
2.1.4 Why Are They Here? ................................................... 10
2.1.5 Group Problems ............................................................ 11
2.1.6 Number of Players ........................................................ 12
2.2 Player Input .............................................................................. 12
2.3 House Rules ............................................................................. 13
3.0 Story Design ................................................................................... 14
3.1 The Nature of the Story ....................................................... 14
3.1.1 Scope ................................................................................ 14
3.1.2 Structure .......................................................................... 15
3.1.3 Mood ................................................................................ 17
3.1.4 Pacing .............................................................................. 17
3.2 Inspiration ................................................................................ 18
3.2.1 The Nature of Inspiration ........................................... 18
3.2.2 Inspiration versus Perspiration ................................... 19
3.2.3 Generating Inspiration ................................................. 19
3.2.4 When Inspiration Fails ................................................ 19
3.3 Existing Material ..................................................................... 20
3.3.1 Previous Stories ............................................................. 20
3.3.2 Unused Current Material ............................................ 20
3.3.3 Integrating Session Results ......................................... 20
3.4 Additional Sources .................................................................. 21
3.4.1 Books ............................................................................... 21
3.4.2 Music ............................................................................... 21
3.4.3 Movies .............................................................................. 21
3.4.4 Other Campaigns .......................................................... 21
3.4.5 Other Games .................................................................. 21
3.4.6 Player Input .................................................................... 21
3.5 Creating a Story ...................................................................... 22
3.5.1 How Much Preparation ............................................... 22
3.5.2 Story Tuning .................................................................. 23
3.5.3 Understanding Your Own Strengths ........................ 23
3.5.4 Understanding Your Own Limitations ..................... 24
3.6 Non-Player Characters ........................................................... 24
3.6.1 The Value of NPCs ...................................................... 24
3.6.2 Building an NPC ........................................................... 24
3.6.3 Final NPC Tuning ........................................................ 26
3.7 Creating Character Backgrounds ......................................... 27
3.7.1 The Character Concept ................................................ 27
3.7.2 The Capsule Approach ................................................ 27
3.7.3 The Collaborative Approach ....................................... 28
3.7.4 The Inclusionary Approach ........................................ 29
3.7.5 The Character and the Story ...................................... 29
4.0 Campaign Design .......................................................................... 31
4.1 The Nature of the Campaign ............................................... 31
4.1.1 Choosing Your Style ..................................................... 31
4.1.2 Applying This Material ................................................ 32
4.2 Story/Campaign Design Intergration ................................. 32
4.2.1 Identifying Vital Elements .......................................... 32
4.2.2 Determining the Boundaries ...................................... 33
4.2.3 Working for Consistency ............................................. 34
4.3 Building a World .................................................................... 34
4.3.1 Using Campaign Law ................................................... 34
4.3.2 Special Considerations ................................................. 37
4.3.3 Tuning to the Story ...................................................... 37
4.4 Creating Specifc Settings ...................................................... 38
4.4.1 Gathering the Concepts ............................................... 38
4.4.2 Breaking the Rules ........................................................ 39
5.0 Story Progression ........................................................................... 41
5.1 Tracking Session Events ....................................................... 41
5.1.1 Recording the Session .................................................. 41
5.1.2 Examining Player Reactions ....................................... 41
5.1.3 Examining Personal Reactions ................................... 42
5.1.4 Examining Story Success ............................................ 43
5.2 Integrating Session Events .................................................... 44
5.2.1 Maintaining the Story Chronology ........................... 44
5.2.2 Identifying Inconsistencies .......................................... 44
5.2.3 Checking the Visible Scope ......................................... 46
5.3 Metabolism ............................................................................... 46
5.3.1 The Nature of Metabolism ......................................... 46
5.3.2 The Argument for Control ......................................... 46
5.3.3 Techniques ...................................................................... 47
5.4 Retuning the Story ................................................................. 49
5.4.1 Examining Character Options .................................... 49
5.4.2 Examining Player Options .......................................... 50
5.4.3 Examining NPC Options ............................................ 51
5.4.4 Switching Directions Smoothly ................................. 52
5.4.5 Reestablishing Story Control ...................................... 53
5.5 Extrapolation ........................................................................... 54
5.5.1 Checking the Actual Scope ......................................... 54
5.5.2 Developing Future Stories .......................................... 55
6.0 Campaign Progression .................................................................. 56
6.1 Integrating Session Events .................................................... 56
6.1.1 The Importance of Maintence ................................... 56
6.1.2 Identifying Setting Changes ........................................ 56
6.2 Updating the Campaign ........................................................ 56
6.2.1 The Art of Triage ......................................................... 56
6.2.2 Taking Cues from the Story ....................................... 57
6.2.3 Taking Cues from the Players .................................... 58
6.2.4 Maintaining the Campaign Chronology ................... 58
6.3 Extrapolation ........................................................................... 58
6.3.1 Developing New Settings ............................................ 58
7.0 The Session .................................................................................... 59
7.1 The Cast .................................................................................... 59
7.1.1 Final Character Preparation ....................................... 59
7.1.2 Final Player Preparation .............................................. 59
7.2 Beginning Your Game ........................................................... 59
7.2.1 The Gaming Environment .......................................... 59
7.2.2 Organization ................................................................... 61
7.3 Group Control ......................................................................... 61
7.3.1 Requirements ................................................................. 61
7.3.2 Problems .......................................................................... 61
7.3.3 Solutions .......................................................................... 61
7.3.4 Conclusions ..................................................................... 62
7.4 The Session .............................................................................. 62
7.4.1 Subjective Perspective .................................................. 62
7.4.2 Communication ............................................................. 64
7.4.3 Protocols and Etiquettes .............................................. 65
7.4.4 Masking ........................................................................... 68
7.4.5 Scenes and Events ......................................................... 69
7.4.6 The Other Senses .......................................................... 71
7.5 Rules versus Role Playing ..................................................... 72
7.5.1 Is There an Incompatibility ........................................ 72
7.5.2 Building a Framework ................................................. 72
7.5.3 The Atmospher of Trust ............................................. 72
7.5.4 When to Drop the Rules ............................................. 72
8.0 Special Environments ................................................................... 73
8.1 Tournaments ............................................................................ 73
8.1.1 The Time Factor ........................................................... 73
8.1.2 Designing Encounters .................................................. 74
8.1.3 Writing it all Down ...................................................... 74
8.1.4 Characters ....................................................................... 74
8.1.5 The Hands on Experience .......................................... 75
81.6 Know Your Space .......................................................... 75
8.1.7 Scoring ............................................................................. 76
8.1.8 Running the Game ........................................................ 77
8.2 Online Gaming ........................................................................ 77
8.2.1 The Advantages ............................................................. 77
8.2.2 The Disadvantages ........................................................ 77
8.2.3 Adjusting to the Format .............................................. 78
8.2.4 A Final Note .................................................................. 78
Part II — Tangibles: Rolemaster Mechanics
9.0 Molding the System .................................................................... 81
9.1 Game Effects of Statistics and Probability ....................... 81
9.1.1 Dice Rolls ....................................................................... 81
9.1.2 Character Points ............................................................ 82
9.1.3 Initiative .......................................................................... 82
9.1.4 Weapon Breakage .......................................................... 82
9.1.5 Skill Bonuses .................................................................. 83
9.2 Training Packages ................................................................... 83
9.2.1 Appropriate to the Setting .......................................... 84
9.2.2 Adjusting Costs .............................................................. 84
9.2.3 Creating New Training Packages .............................. 84
9.3 Races .......................................................................................... 86
9.4 Professions ................................................................................ 86
9.5 Talents and Flaws ................................................................... 86
9.6 Skills .......................................................................................... 86
9.7 House Rules ............................................................................. 86
10.0 Illusions and Invisibility ........................................................... 87
10.1 Invisibility ............................................................................... 87
10.1.1 Area Affected ............................................................... 87
10.1.2 Duration ........................................................................ 87
10.2 Illusions ................................................................................... 88
10.2.1 Nature of Illusions ...................................................... 88
10.2.2 Illusion Mastery .......................................................... 88
10.2.3 Movement and Illusions ............................................ 88
10.2.4 Illusions of Phantasms ............................................... 88
11.0 Diseases and Poisons ................................................................ 89
11.1 Diseases ................................................................................... 89
11.1.1 Special Recovery Notes ............................................. 90
11.1.2 Disease Descriptions .................................................. 92
11.2 Poisons .................................................................................... 93
11.2.1 Time to Effect ............................................................. 93
11.2.2 Area Affected ............................................................... 93
11.2.3 Poison Descriptions .................................................... 93
12.0 Economics, Commerce, & Trading ....................................... 95
12.1 Economics .............................................................................. 95
12.1.1 Choosing a System ..................................................... 95
12.1.2 The Effects of Wealth ............................................... 95
12.1.3 Coinage Standards ...................................................... 95
12.2 Commerce and Trading ...................................................... 96
12.3 The Simple Commerce System ......................................... 96
12.4 Purchase and Resale ............................................................ 97
12.4.1 Purchasing an Item .................................................... 97
12.4.2 Selling an Item ............................................................ 99
13.0 Equipment Lists ....................................................................... 101
13.1 Notes on Lists ...................................................................... 101
14.0 Converting From Old to New .............................................. 111
14.1 The Easy Way ..................................................................... 111
14.2 The Hard Way .................................................................... 112
14.2.1 Stats ............................................................................. 112
14.2.2 Hits ............................................................................... 113
14.2.3 Power Points .............................................................. 113
14.2.4 Spell Lists ................................................................... 114
14.2.5 Other Skills ................................................................ 114
14.2.6 Everything Else .......................................................... 114
14.2.7 Once Converted ......................................................... 114
15.0 The Game World .................................................................... 115
15.1 The World ............................................................................ 115
15.1.1 The Gods, the Cosmos, ad the World .................. 115
15.1.2 The Physical World .................................................. 115
15.1.3 The Land .................................................................... 115
15.1.4 The Water .................................................................. 117
15.1.5 The Climate ............................................................... 118
15.2 The Setting and Its Inhabitants ...................................... 118
15.3 The Plants ............................................................................ 118
15.3.1. Vegetation Patterns .................................................. 118
15.3.2 Specific Plants ........................................................... 119
15.4 The Animals ........................................................................ 119
15.4.1 Wild Beasts ................................................................ 119
15.4.2 Monsters ..................................................................... 120
15.4.3 Thinking Beings ........................................................ 120
15.5 Geography Generation ....................................................... 120
15.5.1 Topography Generation .......................................... 120
16.0 Climate and Weather .............................................................. 123
16.1 General Climate and Weather Notes ............................. 123
16.2 Randomizing Weather Patterns ....................................... 123
16.2.1 Assumptions ............................................................... 123
16.2.2 Sunrise and Sunset ................................................... 123
16.2.3 Temperature ............................................................... 124
16.2.4 Precipitation ............................................................... 126
16.2.5 Wind Speed ................................................................ 129
16.2.6 Concluding Notes ..................................................... 129
17.0 Cultures and Races ................................................................. 131
17.1 Races ...................................................................................... 131
17.2 Cultures ................................................................................. 131
17.3 Building Cultures ................................................................ 132
17.3.1 Physical Resources .................................................... 132
17.3.2 Subsistence Patterns ................................................. 132
17.3.3 Values and Kinship .................................................. 133
17.3.4 Language ..................................................................... 134
17.3.5 Religion, Myths, and History ................................. 134
17.3.6 Technology ................................................................. 135
17.3.7 Class Specialization .................................................. 136
17.3.8 Art, Architecture, and Symbolism ......................... 137
17.3.9 Politics and Warfare ................................................. 138
17.4 Culture Generation ............................................................. 139
18.0 Activities in the World ........................................................... 141
18.1 Various Levels of Play ....................................................... 141
18.2 World Activity ..................................................................... 141
18.3 Strategic Activity ................................................................. 142
18.4 Tactical Activity .................................................................. 144
18.5 Events .................................................................................... 144
18.5.1 Yearly Events ............................................................ 145
18.5.2 Monthly Events ........................................................ 146
18.5.3 Weekly Events ........................................................... 147
18.5.4 Sample Events .......................................................... 148
18.6 Encounters ........................................................................... 148
19.0 GM Tips, Tricks, and Traps ................................................. 151
19.1 Observation on Martial Arts ............................................ 152
19.2 The Sinking Ship ............................................................... 153
19.3 Horse Quality ...................................................................... 155
19.4 Employing Craft and Service NPCs ............................... 159
19.5 The Effects of Aging ......................................................... 161
19.6 Fear and Influence Attacks .............................................. 163
19.7 Extreme Cold ...................................................................... 165
19.7.1 Wind Chill ................................................................. 165
19.7.2 Heat Loss ................................................................... 165
19.7.3 Movement .................................................................. 166
19.7.4 Combat ....................................................................... 166
19.7.5 Clothing ...................................................................... 167
19.7.6 Fuel ............................................................................. 167
19.7.7 Shelter Types ............................................................ 167
19.7.8 Artic Ailments ........................................................... 167
19.7.9 Food ............................................................................ 169
19.7.10 Enviromental Hazards .......................................... 170
The Appendices
A-1 Advanced GMing Techniques .................................................. 171
A-1.1 Personal Channel .............................................................. 171
A-1.2 Role Crafting ...................................................................... 171
A-1.2.1 Goal of Role Playing .............................................. 171
A-1.2.2 Casting the Role ..................................................... 172
A-1.2.3 Creating the Character .......................................... 172
A-1.2.4 Creating the Background Micro Story .............. 173
A-1.2.5 Flags of Disbelief .................................................... 173
A-1.3 Using Music ....................................................................... 173
A-2 Race Generation .......................................................................... 171
A-2.1 Statistical Modifiers .......................................................... 175
A-2.2 The Rolemaster Standard Races ................................... 179
A-3 Options for Talents & Flaws .................................................... 185
A-3.1 Bonus Talent Points as Experience .............................. 185
A-3.2 Creating Your Own Talents and Flaws ....................... 186
A-4 Height & Weight ......................................................................... 187