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Assessing the Rolemaster Community

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:

  1. Which sites do you visit regularly? Are there channels mentioned above you didn’t know about or just don’t visit? Why?
  2. Do you leave comments?
  3. Have you thought about writing a blog post or participating in a podcast?
  4. Where do you find the most interesting OR engaging environment for RM or SW?
  5. Beside just “more”, is there something ICE, RM or SW should have to engage players that is common in other game systems?
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In Search of Andraax. Episode 04. Interview with Derrick Kong.

Derrick was the GM of an epic 10+ year Shadow World campaign that took his players from start to mid 20th level. Derrick was able to incorporate much of Terry’s Shadow World material in his game and is a great example of the breadth and scope of the setting. Derrick’s players kept an adventure log and notes with 428 individual sessions that can be found here. ⁠https://web.mit.edu/mjperson/WWW/Kulthea/⁠.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-04-interview-with-derrick-kong-gm-of/id1742613254?i=1000665801660&itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200&ls=1

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The Book of Herbs: An Illustrated Guide to Magical & Medicinal Plants of Kulthea

I’ve finished up my first draft of a game aid I’ve been picking away at for a few years. This is a visual guide and expanded description of the 120+ Shadow World herbs/substances that is found in the Master Atlas.

In my campaign, players learn a new Herb for each skill rank of Herb Lore (they can do additional research of course) and I can just print out the appropriate page so they can add to their own “Lore folder”. There are some rule mechanics and modifiers in some of the text, but I wanted to make it more of a reference book that ideally could be used in RMU or any other setting without a lot of work.

This does not include poisons, but I’ve got notes for an expanded version of poisons, antidotes and nefarious substances from my Alchemy rules that I’ll put in a short primer: Book of Dark Arts. A few of the plants don’t have pictures, and I need to make some changes to those-too many “green leafy” herbs.

Now that I’ve finished this, I want to go back and really expand my “Book of Pales” to include a variety of summoning and protection circles, more creature and Demon pictures and powerful artifacts or cool devices found in the Pales.

There is so much SW material that can be expanded upon–it’s endless! You can download the Book of Herbs over at the Rolemaster Forums, but you need an account to see and access it here:

https://ironcrown.co.uk/ICEforums/index.php?topic=15879.msg247765#msg247765

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Resetting Shadow World post Terry Amthor

There has been a lot of discussion around the future of Shadow World since Terry passed away, generally around 2 basic topics:

  1. Finishing up Terry’s projects that were in the works: Emer IV, Loremaster Legacy 2, Wurilis etc.
  2. Creating new SW material. What would that look like and who would do it?

Putting aside #1, I think much of the hesitancy around bringing in new authors is concerns around the quality and consistency of new material. But I also think there is a secondary reason: Shadow World is not just a static setting for roleplaying, it’s an ongoing story that is left partially untold. That story arc is ostensibly the “Grand Campaign” but includes earlier campaigns like the “Legacy of the Seakdrake” found in Jaiman, various adventures in Emer books and the meta plot around the Secret Circle. It felt like this was slowly unfolding in each successive SW book, but the Loremaster Legacy novel basically packaged it up in fiction rather than gaming material. This was Terry’s story to tell and it basically drives a large part of the Kulthean timeline and major events in the Second and Third Era.

It feels like a lot of loose threads, even if we know where the story might eventual go–the destruction of the Shadow Stone and/or the return of the Northern Eye. How can a new writer come in and wrap this all up? It’s hard to imagine–a bit of Brandon Sanderson finishing up the Wheel of Time. At the same time, we know where and how it ends, so does it really need to be mapped out?

But I have an idea to “reset” the Shadow World setting: start the Fourth Era. For those that listened to my podcast with Max, he mentioned that his campaign ventured into the Fourth Era and I’ve spoken to a couple other GMs that also took the group into the future Era. I originally thought that the Fourth Era boundary would be the loss of the Northern Eye, but in hindsight, it now seems obvious that the Fourth Era should start with the return of the Northern Eye.

What would Kulthea look like in the Fourth Era? Several people I’ve talked to have gamed out their version of the Grand Campaign and given me some ideas. For the gaming group, this would be an epic quest, but would also involve notable NPCs, some major battles and probably some type of geographic damage caused by severe Essaence fluctuations and tertiary events (tidal waves, earthquakes etc). Key people would be killed! As a thought experiment, the possibilities are endless:

  1. Tarania emerges again from the sea due to shifts in the planets crust. The island, long submerged, reveals it’s secrets…
  2. Arriving in the nick of time to confront XXX, Andraax helps win the day but is killed or is missing.
  3. With the defeat of the Secret Circle, the Dragonlords being a campaign of conquest over various lands.
  4. Eidolon is destroyed and crashes to the earth. It’s ruins are guarded by the Prince of Sel-Kai, but adventurers sneak in anyway!
  5. Essaence flows are permanently shifted into new locations and pathways. The Navigators obelisk network is disrupted and needs to be recalibrated. In the meantime, Navigator Jump services are unreliable.
  6. The massive Essaence surges that preceded the Eye’s return, opened large portals to the Pales and hordes of Demons poured into Kulthea.
  7. Earthquakes, tidal waves and severe storms destroy coastal cities.
  8. The balance of power shifts and the Alliance grows in influence throughout Kulthea.

I’ve discussed previously about adventuring in Kulthea during the Interregnum but remaking Kulthea and starting the Fourth Era is a clean slate that closes out the plot(s) that Terry established and builds for the a new future. It would be logical to map out massive changes to Kulthea that would occur on a near global cataclysm and give Kulthea a “refresher”. Perhaps one that better incorporates the RMU ruleset.

RMU: Shadow World. Adventures in the 4th Era. “The Age of Woe”.

Kulthea is saved! The return of the Northern Eye rebalanced the erratic Flows of Essaence but at what cost? Gods battled Gods, Heroes fell and catastrophic storms left scars across the planet. New powers are emerging from the ashes of the Great Battle and vying for dominance in the Shadow World. The Unlife is unchecked and Demons run amok among the lands. Will the new world order be for good or evil?

This feels like a clean break from the unfinished past and a start with the new RMU ruleset. What do you think?

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Podcast: In Search of Andraax. Topics?

Just a quick note. I’m having great conversations with Rolemaster and Shadow World participants and creators via the Rolemaster Podcast: “In Search of Andraax”.

Do you have a long running Shadow World campaign? Do you have significant house material for Kulthea? Do you have some thoughts on Terry’s setting?

Let’s talk! I really enjoy to hear YOUR experiences, thoughts and directions on this amazing game setting!

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Podcast Random Musings

I’ve been busy with work and with recording and editing new podcast episodes, and have lost a bit of momentum with the Rolemasterblog that I had been building! That’s frustrating, but there is only so many hours in the day. I had a few thoughts in my previous blog, but now that I’m immersed in a regular process I wanted to put a few thoughts and observations down.

  1. Including the first episode, I now have 3 programs recorded with 3 more scheduled. I have a rough outline for 10-12 total episodes so I’m halfway there!
  2. I’m on a learning curve with editing these recordings but still feeling frustrated at times with my skill set. I know this is probably very easy for someone that does this regularly! I’ll get there and hopefully not be judged too critically on sound widows, abrupt segues and transitions and audio artifacts.
  3. I’m pleased with the overall traffic and feel that there is a base to build on. My goal is to hook new Rolemaster users that have been drawn to the RMU release as well as long term players. I see this as a form of archiving a bit of gaming history that might have been lost or overlooked. Despite the market share that ICE once had, there is relatively little material on the the company or product development. It continually saddens me that I didn’t think to get Terry on a audio interview, perhaps a series of them!
  4. I prefer long form channels: blogs and now this podcast rather than short form/commentary/discord. Even when my writing is rushed, the process of writing in detail helps download and organize my thoughts and ideas. Many of my blog posts are really for me, and not structured for an audience. However, I wonder how I balance the requirements of both the blog and the podcast. As of now, the podcast is purely interviews with me acting as an unbiased narrator where the podcast is really my own thoughts and agenda. We’ll see how that turns out.
  5. I’ve reviewed a number of TTRPG podcasts. Many of them are short! 25-30 minutes. I guess if I was pumping out an episode every week I’d eventually get down to that short format. For now, I’m shooting for 1 to 1.5 hour shows. Is that too long? I guess it will be dictated by the discussion!!
  6. As I mentioned, I have content scheduled for a dozen or so episodes. I don’t want to dive into banality so this could be a limited series; but if anyone has a subject that they want to discuss in depth, a topic that should be explored or a person I should interview feel free to contact me!
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Shadow World AI project: Art & Culture

Here is an AI generated poem written in Iruaric with an English translation. I think it’s generic but also pretty damn good?

Iruaric Version

“Viir na Thos”

Na-ia ndar, hith hír shúlare,
Thos aruls kygar suul.
Arul ahren viir,
Lak usuiv, phoen drasul.

K’lav, kort thea vash,
Lirnul man, sa lo spirith,
Emer hûl, mur shú,
Serephoen, phaol ryka trû.

Gaalekar lin, kuul eir,
Linær andos, aen aek her,
Nuul shaut nae, lair lanos,
Serem lorith, throk loar.

Viirnæ, xu darth, Fatean fæ,
Amorul raath mûn, hith ar,
Diræ kyrs kolth aern,
Uscurak phoen karn.

Dom arus, shulu syth,
Vuul lavan ryk mûr,
Rakkul kolth, raath utumkod,
Ahrenul laakh, viirnæ, Xul.

Puk karn, aer drayn suul,
Larn hir, lug neith,
Viirnæ, jaiarul, aerna vë,
Utumwomaw, Fatean—xu darth.

English Translation of Iruaric Poem

“Essence of the Mountain”

In the realm of lands, under the sky so clear,
Mountain casts shadows by starlight.
Seeing the hidden essence,
Through lakes and oceans, journey closely.

The Lord of the old world,
Dreams through dwellings, where spirits rest,
His heart, full of love,
The healer of secrets, his love so true.

Scholars sing, their voices old,
Singers of beginnings, songs of stone and sight,
Islands whisper of past, of days long eternal,
In green havens, where guardians build.

Believing, the mind’s fate, destiny bound,
Loving beyond the mist, beneath the hill,
Keys to unlock hidden gates,
Darken the path where travel once turned.

In shallow waters, where wet meets water,
The creator of souls finds his cause,
Snow falls, cold to the golden ancients,
Finding the lost, believes, the divine.

Through the wild heights, where thirsty dragons soar,
To the tall high, where ugly echoes,
Believing, forgiving, and finally seeing,
The golden secret, destiny—his fate.

For those “Shadow World Scholars”, I think this is a great poem for Kydak Dûm, the Gold Dragon and head of the Dragonlords (if such a title were to exist). You can read my own thoughts on the subject HERE.