The best RM ruleset so far.

Definitely plays better with a lot of automation/spreadsheeting, but not required. I played more complicated RM versions without any of that for decades.

Leagues more fulfilling than D20 systems.

It took a long time for this edition to reach the fans, but it was worth the wait. Rolemaster Unified brings the Rolemaster style of dynamic detail, crunch, character depth and ease of play into a streamlined edition for both new and old fans alike. RMU is for dedicated roleplaying with a wide range of options and moving parts to create heroes, villains and monsters to tell stories of drama, conflict and perilous adventure in your choice of setting. I am thoroughly impressed with what ICE did with this new edition, look no further!

Very good book, things have been added that improve the realism of the game and make it interesting reading.

I'm convinced that RMU has combined the best of RM2 with RMFRP. The rules are vastly more clear than in prior editions.

I'm giving the re-birth of Rolemaster in it's Unified form a 9.5 out of 10.

BUT . . . come on, y'all; I need a character sheet that doesn't require me to tack some skill "specialties" onto the last page. If that means providing a free excel sheet (or something else) where I can add AS MANY SPECIALTIES AS MAY BE NEEDED under the skill heading, then so be it.

Otherwise, plan out every possible specialty (Grace, for example for EVERY spell list learned), and pre-label them on the .pdf version of the character sheet. It will eat up some space but it keeps everything together where it should be.

Some of us can't program worth a darn. Make it easy for us, please.

The updated book is much better with formatting vs. before. They've done a better at presenting info with a more concise presentation. The art in the covers are much better. The art inside hasn't changed, which isn't bad except for that very odd art on page 52 (please ask the artist explain the scene in the background). I'm happy with thier last product. I'd give a four star except for the fact that they didn't provide creatures + treasures, and spell law in a reasonable time. However, I'm looking forward to those. The three sections (Character Law, Arms Law, and Gamemaster Law) do provide enough info to have a group of players around the table/computer to have a low-mid fantasy game. Other than the better formatting there are only a few of actual changes but the updated pdf is free to people who already own the first edition.

We started a new campaign with RMU two weekends ago as I introduced my wife and son to Rolemaster. They have played many rpgs from the world's most over-hyped game to Hackmaster and prefer a crunchier system. They loooooove RMU. The combat system and crits force the combat to be cinematic. My wife commented today that the magic system, and her magician, is the best system she has played. She giggled maniacly when she added waterbolt to her spell list. Her and our son both still talk smack about the one-shot death crit she pulled with a shock bolt on my large alligator chasing them in the canals of the abandoned city.

Yup, RMU requires the ability to add and subtract double digit numbers and add up to triple digit results...in two sessions all of our basic math skills have noticable improved.

We got rid of the grid maps and pulled out mini terrain and rulers, that combined with the cinematic nature of the crit system and phased combat has made fight scenes go from the boring "I swing...(roll) and hit for 5 hit points of damage" that the world's most over-hyped game offered, into combats that play like an epic Star Wars lightsaber duel, or an old Errol Flyn swashbukler movie.

Using the beta-test spell law and creature law is easy, and I am running an epic low-fantasy hex crawl inspired by the classic Isle of Dread.

In a time when it seems every new TTRPG is competing for the title of reigning rules light champion, we are all so happy to play a rules crunchy system that still plays quickly with glorious combats and amazing memory making criticals.

While I am pleased that Rolemaster is getting some attention, I can't say that RMU is a product that I see myself using. The somewhat inconsistent writing, formatting, and art notwithstanding, the core of what I want out of a Rolemaster game has largely been bled away for something entirely simpler and, quite frankly, less interesting. This book may suit people who are looking to get into Rolemaster for the first time and it might well appeal to modern gamers who demand a degree of streamlined straighforwardness, but for me, RMC or RMFRP already do exactly what I want them to do and manage to stand on their own merits all these years later. I'd have much preferred proper reprints of these books over what we got from Core Law. Further, it's not really possible to run a proper game without the currently non-existent Spell Law, let alone Creatures and Treasures. Perhaps once those books come out, the new "RMU" system will deserve a higher rating from me, but for now, I've landed on 3 stars.

Rolemaster was my introduction to the world of TTRPGs and I played and GM'd it for years. I bought this PDF with the hope that I'd be able to show my players (who are accustomed to newer TTRPGs like D&D 5e, Lancer, Blades in the Dark to name a few) a new and updated version of the system and perhaps entice them to give it a try, but looking at the art I cannot imagine any one of them not being immediately turned off from the idea of playing a Rolemaster one-shot, let alone a full-on campaign.

I should perhaps have taken the cover art as a warning and stayed clear, which I imagine is what many potential buyers - especially those with no previous experience with Rolemaster - are doing. With so many TTRPGs out there, a system cannot sustain itself on nostalgia for long.

The system update itself seems fine enough. The book contains three of the Law books in one. Character Law, with plenty of options for creating interesting characters but in some cases downright terrible art. Arms Law, which looks like they wanted to keep the number of pages down and decided that the best way of achieving this was making the tables very small. I am glad to have the PDF, which allows zooming in, but am imagining that this will be a challenge to read properly if you get the printed book. Perhaps it would've been better to only have the Medium tables and give a formula for translating the result into a Small or Big attack. The critical tables should have been printed across two pages each, considering the amount of information in each cell. Lastly, Gamemaster Law includes helpful tips for homebrewing races and cultures, and provides what you need to handle extreme environments, injuries and death in-game.

All in all, I had hoped for something better, something which would do the system justice and help entice in new players.

Art work and pdf design should have been better and I'm concerned with price policy. Overall, I am disappointed by the product.

Fantastic! I love Rolemaster. RMU perfevtly merges the two main "flavours" of the system (RM2/RMC & RMSS/RMFRP), taking the best from each one and coming up with the best version of the game to date.

First, note that the Core Law contains, what would in the earlier editions be called the Character Law, Arms Law, and Gamemaster Law. It is not the full set of rules: Spell Law is still on its way (hopefully in Jan '23) and to be purchased separately.

Alone, Core Law is good for no magic or perhaps low magic campaigns, unless you want to invent a magic system of your own or copy it from earlier RM (or perhaps adapting RMU's long-winded open beta ruleset).

Additionally, in 2023 expected are the creature books (Creature Law I and II), magic item book (Treasure Law), and the first expansion (Character Companion).

RM is a profession- (or class-), skill- and level-based D100-system and RMU continues this tradition. Its apparent complexity masks the underlying simplicity in play: Virtually every roll is resolved with a D100, with a skill-based modifier added; only resistance rolls deviate from this being derived from the traditional 10 stat bonuses. Regular skill checks are resolved by breaking 100, while combat has its own system.

The complexity abounds with the attack and critical tables, that admittedly are flagship features of RM: After all, it's the critical hits that kill. One or two rolls resolves a full attack: one for the attack and another for the effect of the potential critical hit. RMU changes the critical tables such that each value of the D100 roll always targets the same body part. As a consequence, finally there are rules for called shots and piecemeal armor, powered by Rolemaster (these were previously shortcomings of the ruleset).

There are now 10 distinct armor types (opposed to 20 of previous RM). Wearing better armor is now, as compared to previous editions where going without was sometimes the best, always beneficial for character survivability.

To make a character, you pick a profession (like a class), race (more like species but you know), and culture. You may also pick some talents & flaws to flesh them out and give them an edge or hindrance. Additionally, you roll/buy some stats.

RM prides itself as a system where anyone can do anything regardless of their chosen profession. That's not exactly true (because of base spell lists exclusive to certain professions) but in principle there are no total bars on e.g. skills or weapons a character can do: A combat specialist can develop spells, and a mage can swing a two-handed warhammer if they so please and wear platemail while at it. It comes at a cost, of course, but RM does not forbid it lest the Gamemaster (GM) does.

Profession is the natural aptitude of the character: what comes easy and what's difficult to learn. It dictates the costs for all skills (and spell users get their special spells, but those are in the upcoming Spell Law) and grants a special bonus for specific skills that the profession excels in. Skills are developed separately at a fixed cost per each level. The system is easily expandable in principle because skill costs are given by their category, e.g. movement, science, or combat training. GM can also make their own professions with the core rules.

There are 22 professions in the Core Law, with the magic item makers (types of alchemists) upcoming in Treasure Law. Almost all fan favorites are there, from Warrior Monk to Paladin to Magician. Compared to previous editions, Animist has been renamed Druid, Scholar is a core profession. Seer and Astrologer have been cut though.

There's a good bunch of 23 different races to pick in Core Law. Traditional humans, elves, and dwarves are included, as are some weirder ones (Sibbicai the jackal people, Sohleugir the lizardmen). They are not new though: Basically every humanoid from ye olde Creatures & Treasures/Monsters is included, with Great Men renamed as Hvasstonn. You can see the full list in the preview.

Race essentially grants a bunch of special bonuses, penalties, talents, and flaws: stuff like more (or less) strength, altered size (with severe game mechanical effects particularly in combat), enhanced or altered senses etc. The races are in principle created with the same rules as characters, using the talent system; they just have pre-defined set of talents/flaws. The upcoming Creature Laws will have more talents/flaws to make weirder species. The humans, as usual, are the base line and get some extra points to develop skills or purchase talents.

Culture tells where the character comes from, as opposed to what species they are or what their natural aptitude is. It's almost straight from RMFRP rulebook, so it basically just gives you a set of skills. GM can easily make new cultures for their world.

Finally, there's stats. You can either roll them (ten sets of three D100) or use the new point-buy method. Either works. The old guard of RM might be surprised that there are no longer stats over 100, but the bonus distribution is more linearised or evenly distributed throughout the range than previously.

The GM with their group should decide, which level they start at. It's assumed that level 1 is an absolute noob, a pre-teen with only some basic skills. Comparing to previous editions, there is no 0th level development (that's replaced by Culture ranks), no Training Packages for extra skill ranks, and talents are toned down in power. Thus, a level 1 character in RMC or RMFRP would be similar in power/skill to a level 2 or even level 3 character in RMU. RMU suggests that level 3 is a young adult or an apprentice, so it might be a more suitable starting level for most groups. This may feel odd if you've used to starting at level 1.

You can further adjust the starting characters by changing "the power level". Wanna play average chumps? Pick "Average". Wanna do super heroes? Well, RMU might not be best suited for that (critical hits can bring down a character of any level surprisingly quickly), but you can up the power to "Epic", making virtually all stat bonuses positive and granting large passive bonuses to your chosen main skills.

With the toned-down talents and largely culled flaw list as compared to RMFRP Character Law, I feel that the character customisation has gone down a lot. Still, it remains one of the most versatile systems for making just the character you want to play.

RM has always been and with RMU continues to be a frontheavy game, with the character creation taking a lot of time, especially before you get the hang of it. Playing, I think, has always been quite fast, with some caveats during combat where the table look-ups take a bit of time (though never as much as player decisions tend to take).

Combat has been streamlined somewhat, with replacing the phases and/or percentages with action points. Every action takes a set number of action points, with some having a penalty for taking fewer than the required.

Dodging and improved shield blocking are now core rules, and accumulating exhaustion is replaced with fatigue that only accumulates with periodic checks. Stun is still deadly but less so, as it no longer prevents attacks and all action, and often it lasts only one or two rounds. Certain special circumstances, such as grappling and mounted combat are better handled than previous editions. Simplifications aside, combat works similarly to earlier editions of RM.

Being a deadly combat system, there's comprehensive rules for injuries and healing them but also other types of hurt: drowning, falling, cold and hot environments, poisons, and diseases. There's finally some simplistic rules for social skills and morale - guidelines that help with simple social maneuvers but nothing like the rules for influence in Exalted or even The One Ring, narrative as it is. Unified comes true here: most of the social and morale rules are recycled from earlier editions but collected into Core Law instead of separate Companion books or Gamemaster Law.

For now, only PDF is available. Publisher intends to catch any errors and publish another version or two with the errata baked in, before the print-on-demand (POD) option comes available in January 2023.

Text flows well and is written in a clear fashion, mostly. The PDF could use some more intertext links - now only the table of contents and the back-of-the-book indexes have links to the text. As a book, the relevant sections are commendably referenced, and it begins with character creation (right after the usual intro).

Gamemaster section doesn't have many tips for actual GM'ing, so while RMU is easier to manage than previous editions of RM, it remains a daunting thing to run for a first-time GM.

The lack of a starter adventure in the book or even in the upcoming section doesn't help for the system's appeal but is a weakness that RMU is sorely needing to address.

Finally, there's the art. The following is my opinion only, as someone who is unable to draw very well but who tends to focus on the other content anyway, so take the opinion with a pinch of salt. In the cover picture, psychotic stare of the front warrior greets you, while the rest of the party looks on annoyedly in the background. The cover picture is the most important one for the initial outlook, so this piece could have used some work or a re-design. Otherwise, the art within the book is mostly alright or even great.

The pages are mostly white with text and some pictures, so a background image or illustrations in the margins could've made this book look more interesting and "magical" to me.

I of course cannot review the upcoming books, but I read many of them during the beta. My knowledge about the release schedule is based on Discord and Twitter conversations. The line-up looks interesting:

- Spell Law: All the classic spells from RM Spell Law will be back. The spell lists are completely filled in 1-20 levels and have a spell per each 5 levels after 20. It's releasing in January 2023, if all goes well. (Fingers crossed!)

- Treasure Law: This is the alchemist book, with those professions and alchemy spells for creating magical items like potions and enchanted swords. What's cool is that also parts of Construct Companion are implemented in! It's coming after Spell Law, sometime in spring 2023 I presume.

- Creature Law I and II: All creatures have been created with a similar system to races in Core Law, with a new talent system. Creatures will also have simplified professions! The new system allows one to, in principle, play any creature using Creature Law and Core Law. Creature Law I comes first, likely around the time or after Treasure Law. The part II will also include the rules for creating your own creatures, but will release later, after Character Companion. Speaking of:

- Character Companion: This will be like a Skill Companion, illustrating and detailing the skills introduced in Core Law. There will be new talents (woo!), training packages make their entrance in some toned-down form (yey!), and also there are new rules about fighting styles and training, and some new Arms professions. It sounds to me like an optional but very useful book to have. It's scheduled somewhere between Treasure Law and Creature Law II, sometime in late 2023 I'd guess.

Digital support for the game is so far lacking.

• A package for ERA for RMU is on the way, releasing "any day now", at the time of posting.
• Fantasy Grounds Unity package for RMU has been in the pipeline for some time and will likely/hopefully release in the spring.
• Fans have also been busy hacking something for FoundryVTT and Roll20.
• There are already several good Excel character sheets available and some fillable text PDFs as well.

Time will tell, which platform is the best for RMU. Being a relatively simple system though, similarly to RM2, it could be run without digital help as well (I actually did so during the beta, before the pandemic), though it's always nice to have a character sheet automatically.

No adventure material is currently being prepared for RMU, as far as I know. Regrettably the publisher, ICE, has not issued open gaming license (OGL) for RMU, because they prefer to make separate contracts with writers. This inevitably slows down any scenario publishing though, so don't expect any commercial quality 3rd party material to emerge for RMU anytime soon. However, the future Shadow World and Cyradon products will probably be statted for RMU.

For me, RMU is a resounding yey.

My RM system of choice has long been RMFRP, and I will probably keep using it if I want to get totally gritty, and it and RM2 materials have so many options from elemental magic to ship combat, not even getting into Spacemaster that is totally untreaded water for RMU, that I couldn't make an entire transition to the system.

That said, I like a lot that I'm seeing here. In RM tradition, much of it is adabtable with some minor changes to other RM editions, and I've already picked it for the best parts. I also ran the beta version of RMU a few years back, so I knew a bit what to expect.

I could see myself running RMU itself, too. The core of the system is very strong. Even without Spell Law (scrapping spell user professions), an interesting campaign could be run with that alone, and I suppose the magical bolts being part of Core Law could be used to approximate energy weapons for my sci-fi needs as well. However, for the full experience, I'd still want Spell Law, and anxiously wait for its release.

Been looking foreward to this for several years. The book is right to the point and doesn't waste alot of time on fluff. Like the art, it might not be what some people like, but I think it supports the book.

Fantastic! A more streamlined version of rolemaster, combining the best of past editions and keeping the game multifaceted and immersive.

Once upon time... Some of the best fairy tales start with this line, and I am happy to say the Rolemaster Unified does not disappoint. It carries on a legacy originally developed decades ago with grace and inventive thought. Well worth the price of admission!

A detailed exploration of what detailed character growth. The system can be used independently or as a supplement to just about any other game system. Although it is great by many different measures, it is not perfect. While many will have a favored version I think this is an excellent start to build a revised and renewed introduction to the system of ROLEMASTER.

Disclaimer, i would give it 3,5 stars if i could.

So I like the Rule changes, it is still Crunchy with the fat trimmed off. But I pay more and get less then the prior Edition (RMFS). The Basic Spell Lists are missing and there is no Basic Monster/NPC chart. With the prior edition I could directly start off without the need of additional Books.

So the rules are optimized, the Skills trimmed, but i get less Content for my bucks. If this is your first Rolemaster Book go for it, just remember that you have to buy the Spell Law to play Wizards and Co.