Director’s Briefing – The Rolemaster Briefing (June 2012)

Director’s Briefing

This is a special Director’s Briefing.

In the United Kingdom and indeed throughout the Commonwealth, we have been celebrating the diamond (or 60th) jubilee of the accession of Elizabeth II as Queen during June. This year also marks another jubilee, and one of interest to all the readers of these Briefings. In 1982, Rolemaster was first available as a complete game system, thus 2012 by that reckoning is the thirtieth anniversary and pearl jubilee of Rolemaster.

Which begs the question of how we (Guild Companion Publications Ltd and indeed Aurigas) plan to mark this special occasion. We will not be having a river pageant on the Thames, a pop concert at Buckingham Palace, or a vast street party. We might still have a giant adventuring party…

In this anniversary year, it is time for the division of Rolemaster into RM 2nd Edition / Classic and RMSS/RMFRP to end.

It is time for the reunification of Rolemaster.

It is time for a new edition of Rolemaster.

This new edition of Rolemaster will include the best of all versions of Rolemaster as well as new enhancements and improvements to the Rolemaster system for the 21st-century.

The vanguard of the new Rolemaster edition will be five books – Arms Law, Spell Law, Character Law, Creatures, and Treasures. In due course, these will be followed by other products such as a multi-adventure set, a new Campaign Law, a Rolemaster System Handbook for Shadow World, and many more to come.

These products will be available in pdf, in print-on-demand and via publishing partner distribution channels into game stores and other fine hobby outlets.

This reunified Rolemaster will still be a modular system, and with its derivation from both key editions, it will be usable with material from existing editions and vice versa. All of the material that we’ve already rebranded and republished for the existing editions will still be available to buy and we are continuing with our efforts to bring back these and additional existing products in print-on-demand formats.

Look to the ICE forums and future Briefings for more news and ways in which you, the fans, can contribute to Rolemaster’s pearl jubilee!

Best wishes,
Nicholas
Director, Guild Companion Publications Ltd.