From: rsm@delfax.Amiga.OCunix.On.Ca (Rick Morrow)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: GAME SYSTEMS
Reply-To: rsm@delfax.amiga.ocunix.on.ca (Rick Morrow)
Organization: Gamer's Guild BBS - 1200-9600(v.32) - (613) 834-8582 - 24 hours
Distribution: world
Keywords: Harn, HarnMaster
Date: 16 Apr 92 10:17:19 EST

gandalf@maths.tcd.ie (Peter McEvoy) writes:
>Netters...
>    OK, so I'm a hardened AD&D veteran, and I'm beggining to see the
>light . The trouble is, I'm having a bit of a problem deciding which
 
   Glad you could join us... :-)
 
>I'm looking for a system with a detailed combat system: yes something
>that takes ages to work out, but has things like armour locations, and
>called shots ("Yeah, I want to jump on the table kick the first guy in
 
   Well the system that I spend most of my time in is HarnMaster. It has all
of the criteria you mentioned above, except for not taking ages to work
out combat :-). Basically, in HarnMaster combat you have a number of
attack and defence options, can aim at particular locations, can armour
different body locations independantly of others, and combat HURTS! It is
very easy for a character to be incapacitated from a good hit, and instant
kills are definately a possibility on a good enough hit. The combat is
resolved by a few rolls (to hit, hit location, damage level), and by
crossreferencing on a couple of charts.
 
   As far as the system itself is concerned, HarnMaster is a skill based
(no levels) system, without character classes. Instead each character has
a profession, and each profession has a set of skills that practicioners
of that particular profession are better at than the common joe. Your
parents' occupation is also taken into consideration, the premise being
that if you grow up in a house where you are exposed to a particular
profession day in and day out, then you tend to pick up a little about it.
The profession table is relatively extensive, and is easily extendable.
   Also, skill costs, outside of those awarded for being a member of a
particular profession, are the same for everybody, so adding some general
skills to a character is the same for all professions.
   Characters can improve their skills in a number of ways, being learning
by doing (chance of improving a skill by using it), training, and the use
of experience points. Also skills are percentile based.
 
   The magic system is nice as well. It has a 'low-key' approach to the
magic, not so much in the power of the spells, but in the way magic
interacts with the rest of the rules. Magic spells are simply skills, that
can be improved the same as any other skill.
 
   The one weak point that I've found in HarnMaster is the way the
religious rules are designed. There are a number of 'rituals' that priests
of different religions can perform, but these rituals seem to be an after
thought addition, and don't mesh with the rules all that well. I've worked
out an alternative system with rituals being ran similarly to spells.
 
   Another thing is that, although you could use any world system with
Harnmaster, it is tied in fairly strongly to Harn, which is a world system
that the same company puts out. This in itself is not too big a deal, as
Harn is a VERY well thought out, balanced, and detailed world system, and
is loosely based on 9-11th century mideval England. The supplements for
the world are top notch, and contain some of the best detail of any world
system supplements I have ever seen (and in 18 years of gaming, I've seen
a few :-).
 
   The only other drawback with Harn/HarnMaster, if you can call it a
drawback, is that it doesn't have the same level of popularity as some of
the other systems out there, such as GURPS and RoleMaster, and therefore
there isn't as much material being published as quickly. What it does have
going for it is a very loyal (if somewhat smaller :-) following, and some
very good support from the games designer (Robin Crossby) and from the
company (Columbia Games in Vancouver). There is a mailing list for this
game, as well as a BBS in Vancouver, and if it still running, there is an
echo for Harn on the Vervan Gaming Net, which is a Fido net clone.
 
   There is a lot more that can be said about the system. If you are
interested in knowing more about Harn/Harnmaster, then just email me and
I'll write up a detailed review of the system for you. Better yet, go out
and get it. You won't be disappointed... ;-)
 
                                        _Rick_
 

---via BBX 0.1040
----------  
Rick Morrow  (aka Faldarian Delfax, sysop Gamer's Guild BBS)  
Ottawa Ontario Canada  -  rsm@delfax.Amiga.OCUnix.On.Ca  
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp,rec.games.design