Against the Darkmaster

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Whenever I see anyone talk about Rolemaster there always seems to be a chorus of MERP as the preferred implementation. Seems natural that someone would retroclone it.
 
This game is super gorgeous, clocks in at 122 pages and is fully illustrated. It's worth every dang PWYW $4.99 dollar there is.

It's also a touch of nostalgia for me.

The art is what caught my attention when I opened the preview up. Great art will usually grab me. That’s the way I am with comics too. Even if the story is average, if the art is awesome I’ll usually read it.
 
I came to the conclusion that art in a rp book influences me a lot more than I previously assumed. If the art isn't something I like, I will rarely buy the book even if I like the system.

Take Fellowship (pbta) for example. Really like the theme and the rules, but the weird art kills it for me. It's not bad art, I just don't like it.
 
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Thanks for posting about this, it wasn't even on my radar.

I'll be backing it for the artwork alone, let alone I always enjoyed the MERP engine.

I wish it was called "Against the Darklord" though, rolls of the tongue better than Darkmaster to my ear.
 
The description didn't really tell me much: is there any reason to get Darkmaster if one already has MERP and Rolemaster? Does it bring anything new to the party? I'm downloading the quick start version for free but has anyone already read it?

(The art doesn't do anything for me as it's all static poses. The drawing is good but the lack of drama is not.)
 
Isnt MERP super-expensive to find online? I looked briefly on eBay and some stuff was through the roof.

If this is nothing but a straight clone, it’s good to get out there to make it more accessible to gamers who don’t have to hunt for and spend a fortune for MERP.
 
Some MERP books are pretty expensive to get online but most books aren't too badly priced at Amazon and Noble Knight. You should be able to pick up a core rulebook without it costing much. I picked up a copy of the 2nd edition core book for a little less than $30 about 2 years ago.

Against the Darkmaster is a bit more than just a straight clone. I've only just skimmed the Quickstart but it looks to have added some things, such as Passions and more granular successes, which make it meet more modern expectations (although the Passions thing obviously owes a lot to Pendragon). I've also read that it's cleaned up some things that were either broken or not working as intended in the original rules. Maybe I missed it, I'm not sure, but there's one thing that seems to be missing as well. I haven't spotted the equivalent of the Corruption rules that were introduced in MERP 2nd Edition. Overall though, I reckon you can easily use a lot of old MERP material with Against the Darkmaster.
 
Some MERP books are pretty expensive to get online but most books aren't too badly priced at Amazon and Noble Knight. You should be able to pick up a core rulebook without it costing much. I picked up a copy of the 2nd edition core book for a little less than $30 about 2 years ago.

Against the Darkmaster is a bit more than just a straight clone. I've only just skimmed the Quickstart but it looks to have added some things, such as Passions and more granular successes, which make it meet more modern expectations (although the Passions thing obviously owes a lot to Pendragon). I've also read that it's cleaned up some things that were either broken or not working as intended in the original rules. Maybe I missed it, I'm not sure, but there's one thing that seems to be missing as well. I haven't spotted the equivalent of the Corruption rules that were introduced in MERP 2nd Edition. Overall though, I reckon you can easily use a lot of old MERP material with Against the Darkmaster.


According to the devs, yes you can.
 
I'm looking forward to the actual release as I was a big MERP fan back in the day.
 
I noticed the females were pretty voluptuous, then I saw the whole design team are Italians. :thumbsup:

The kin pictures of the elves though, seriously kickass. That Star Elf looks like something right out of the First Age.
 
MERP was the game that got closest art-wise to what I envisioned in my head when playing Fantasy RPGs as a kid. Early D&D was a close second.
 
I love the art. I will sling them a few pennies when I have the money. Hopefully, by Xmas. Is there more? Will there be more?
 
According to their website, their Kickstarter hasn't happened yet?
 
You can get the QuickStart on DTRPG to hold you over.
 
I haven't fully 'flipped' through it yet (I'm setting up Foxit Reader to 'Print' the file in PDF that doesn't two page side by side) but is there a bestiary of sorts?
 
I wish it was called "Against the Darklord" though, rolls of the tongue better than Darkmaster to my ear.
I'm definitely gonna buy this but I also find the name awkward and unfortunate. "Darkmaster" sounds like a low budget sword & sorcery flick that would have played 6 times a day on HBO during the 80s. Even "Dark Master" would have been an improvement but "Dark Lord" would have been best.
 
When I see it I see...

Against the Dark Matter.
 
I haven't fully 'flipped' through it yet (I'm setting up Foxit Reader to 'Print' the file in PDF that doesn't two page side by side) but is there a bestiary of sorts?

There's a brief bestiary towards the back of the PDF.

I'm definitely gonna buy this but I also find the name awkward and unfortunate.

Personally I like the title as it is but I strongly suspect they went with "Darkmaster" just because it evokes "Rolemaster". They are definitely playing heavily on that heritage as well as MERP. The typeface used for the logo is basically the same as the one used on early Rolemaster books too.
 
I completely missed MERP and barely touched Rolemaster (which was way too fiddly for my tastes). I dig the art, but is this a MERP clone or a hybrid of MERP and Rolemaster? And if it is a MERP clone, what is its main feature/selling-point?
 
Sweet Shoggoth on a stick that’s expensive. With shipping, that will be a 120$ book for a game that I only want for the artwork.

honestly I’ll just go for the PDF and ask the creator if there might be a high resolution version of that file.
 
I've been looking forward to this for a while--MERP was my first RPG after AD&D, and the list of influences (except the metal) reads like a list of stuff from my early teens or close cousins to it. :smile: I jumped on one of the early bird Defender slots, and am glad to see it's past the first stretch goal within the first 24 hours.
 
If it's based on MERP, is it possible to score critical hits in food fights?
 
I hope this is a success and these guys release more stuff because i've just downloaded the free adventure mentioned on the kickstarter and it's great. Lovely maps, and the obvious MERP influence is obvious.
 
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