One of the common subjects that my friends and I discuss is just how large the player base is for Rolemaster (and to a lesser extent Shadow World). One of the ways we can assess the strength of the community is through membership and participation in the various RM channels. Unfortunately there are only a handful. This has become more relevant to me as I continue to roll out new episodes of “In Search of Andraax”, monitor listener rates and try and grow the audience. But the podcast is just one data point. What other Rolemaster channels might be informative about the user base?
FACEBOOK. Recently I started following the Rolemaster Group on Facebook. For a variety of reasons, I minimize my use of FB, noting that the Shadow World page is basically DOA and the ICE page is generally a echo of the Rolemaster Forums. But the Rolemaster Group seems somewhat active with 2.2k members and typically several posts a week. Many of the names on the FB group are unknown to me; usernames tend to be used across platforms, but perhaps it’s the same users with different monikers. It’s not clear what, if any, crossover there is and if it’s possible that FB Rolemaster Group members are unaware or uncurious about the Forums, RMBlog etc.
DRIVETHRURPG. Perhaps the best way to gauge user activity is their economic activity. RMU Core & Spell Law are both “Platinum” level and the recently released Treasure Law is “Gold” level. I forget the sales #’s to reach those levels, but that does provide a bit of context. In terms of Shadow World, the Players Guide is “Platinum” while the Master Atlas is only “Electrum”. That could be a function of the buyers: the Players Guide is a purchase any player would make, while the Master Atlas is theoretically geared towards GMs?
ROLEMASTERBLOG.COM. I think the blog is somewhat active, although I would prefer a broader reader engagement. Various TTRPG gaming polls ranks the RMBlog in the top 50, so that’s encouraging. We are one of the few non-D&D or OSR blogs that are typically ranked.
ICE FORUMS. The Forums has gotten a shot in the arm since RMU was released with new users that engage with questions. There is a also a noticeable increase in online users (unregistered) , but many of them could be bots.
DISCORD SERVERS. Despite my old world curmudgeonly attitude against short form conversation, apparently it’s popular. The Discords are the most active of the various RM/SW channels with a lot more back and forth, discussion, ideas and conversation. That’s fantastic, since that engagement keeps our game alive and relevant.
DOWNLOADS. I’ve uploaded around 280 files to the RM Forums and posted several of them at the RMBlog as well. The most popular files have been downloaded 150-200 times over the last 10 years. So that’s not spectacular but it’s something. Our d100 adventures on RPG have reached Copper, Silver and even a few Electrum which is kind of cool!
PODCASTS. Besides my podcast, there are 2-3 channels of actual RM/SW gameplay that are posted regularly and have around 275 subscribers.
Beyond that, there are the occasional RM reviews, look backs and remembrances among the various RPG blogs and gaming forums. But not much more.
So what can we make of all this? I don’t have the time or energy to play other systems, so I’m siloed in my RM and Shadow World ecosystem. Every game has it’s own vernacular and experiences and I really enjoy reading and hearing about other peoples Rolemaster games, rules and ideas. Do I want the system to grow? Of course. But ultimately if there are only a handful of dedicated players and GM’s that’s good enough for me. I’ve been able to meet a bunch through my podcast and I look forward to meeting more.
To end with a few questions:
- Which sites do you visit regularly? Are there channels mentioned above you didn’t know about or just don’t visit? Why?
- Do you leave comments?
- Have you thought about writing a blog post or participating in a podcast?
- Where do you find the most interesting OR engaging environment for RM or SW?
- Beside just “more”, is there something ICE, RM or SW should have to engage players that is common in other game systems?
1) ICE Discord (somewhat active on official but also watch unofficial) primarily, occasionally visit the ICE Forums and monitor Mario’s email lists that are nearly dead. Refuse to use Facebook or most of those types of social media sites.
2) Yes, comments and answer questions (as well as serve as a moderator on ICE Official Discord server.
3) Had been in talks with a couple of others (including Colin and Monte (active on Facebook and assists at GenCon) about organizing short YouTube videos clips to promote ICE/Rolemaster, but Monte (who was going to be the “face”) backed out before we got started. Hoping to start running VTT games once we have VTT’s that support RMU. Roll20 will be available extremely soon, Foundry is getting close and Fantasy Grounds is being worked on but is progressing slowly.
4) Varies, but enjoy running games at conventions and online.
5) Increased advertising would help raise awareness, but that is unlikely to occur without a large influx of cash (outside investment).
Great topic!
One of those streams for those wanting to watch a game in action.
https://www.twitch.tv/majykfngrz
1) I visit the Discord channel regularly, and the forums irregularly. I don’t use any social media (unless you count Discord), so I’m “out of the loop” as to any other channels that might be out there. I have used FB in the past, but did not think to look up RM back then.
2) My only comment is that I don’t really see much RM activity out there, and I would really like to see more. Maybe I haven’t been looking hard enough. (I only just now found this blog.)
3) Yes, I have thought about it. My current blog (which is only current in the sense that the website is still active) was devoted to Dwarf Fortress posts, but maybe I could add a new blog. Hmmm. Podcasts? I don’t know how to do a podcast, but yeah, that does sound interesting.
4) The Discord channel is the only place I’ve found for RM that’s as engaging as I feel I need. I’ve been enjoying the community there, but I do feel I should say that I am not a fan of the Discord format in general. There have been past conversations that I have been unable to locate again as the search engine seems to leave a lot to be desired.
5) I don’t know how common it is, or even if this is already in place and I just don’t know it, but what about setting up local “chapters” in major cities in various places? I would love to know who play RM locally (I’m in Vancouver, Canada). Surely there must be someone…..?