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Section Changes The following details the changes to the sections, but overall, there has been a complete re-editing of the layout to try to improve the readability of the rules, and some wonderful new art has been added.
CHARACTER There is now a wider variety of occupations to choose from, detailed information about military organisations (including enlistment details) are given, there are several new charts to aid character creation, and contacts of characters (both friends and enemies) has been included. I believe this section has seen the most important improvements.
SKILLS Several skills have been revised, and there are a number of new skills and specialities available. This section is now much clearer and it's easier to find information.
COMBAT New to HM3, mounted combat (and the mounts themselves) has been added, along with jousting rules. Apart from these necessary (and cool) additions, this section has seen a number of tweaks, but no real changes from the previous edition.
PHYSICIAN One of HârnMaster's major differences to other RPGs is the gritty realism given to wounds, their effects and their treatment. This section (only 4pp) has been revised to make the rules easier to understand and use, without sacrificing their realism.
PSIONICS This section sees a couple of new talents, and a revised way of handling psionics, but no fundamental changes.
BESTIARY The stats for every creature have been thoroughly reviewed and revised, especially the Movement stat. There are now rules to handle large creatures (damage etc.), and extensive articles on gargun (orcs) and ivashu (unique Hârnic monsters) have been included. Further additions to the bestiary will be provided through the HârnQuest line of products (see below).
TREASURE The major and minor artefacts section has been extensively rewritten, and is now very useful. While there are many magical items listed, these rewritten rules make it possible for the GM and players to create an unlimited number of different types of magical items. It is now much clearer how items are created, and the necessary information is all in one place. A vast improvement, in my opinion.
CAMPAIGN This section has had no major changes. There is also a 2pp INTRODUCTION and a 2pp INDEX which is actually useful.
Layout The product is a Letter-sized looseleaf format, requiring the buyer to purchase a three ring binder. Many people put their Hârn material into protective plastic pockets, but European buyers have had difficulty with the width of the pages. Nevertheless, the looseleaf format allows the buyer to arrange the material in any way they choose, because the sections are individually numbered. For example, SKILLS goes from SKILLS 1 to SKILL 30, and the next page might be COMBAT 1.
This not only allows Columbia Games to publish additional expansions for these sections in the future (something they have not done to date), it also allows the owner to add to the material without disturbing the organisation of the material.
Included in the boxed set is the 160pp of HârnMaster itself, a combat screen, and a pad of Character Profiles...a basic character sheet. The cover art is wonderful, and matches the companion product, HârnPlayer 3.
The Downside The previous edition of HârnMaster was printed on card stock paper with color. HM3 is printed on heavy gauge paper, but not card stock, and is black and white only. This was disappointing, although the reasons for doing so are understood and accepted (it has to do primarily with printing costs).
There are also a number of errors in HârnMaster, but that's hardly unique; it's true of almost all RPG products, some more so than others. There is an errata available from the Columbia Games website.
The boxed set does not come with a 3 ring binder, and the buyer will also have to purchase one of those (or use an existing one). If you already own the HârnMaster Core Rules (the 2nd edition rules), then you could re-use that folder. But this doesn't apply to new purchasers, however.
Summary Given this edition contains no really fundamental changes, many people have described it as HM2.5, but I believe this is unfair. The majority of the sections have undergone significant revision and expansion, even if the fundamental rules mechanics have not changed. I believe this was true of DnD 3e as well, although I'm sure that many people don't agree with me.
While the errors, the lack of color, and the need to buy a folder or binder are a bother, I believe they are outweighed by the improvements and expansions to the content. That makes the purchase of this product worthwhile, and I certainly don't regret buying it.
Further Information See the Columbia Games website for details of the line of Hârn products, especially HârnQuest, which is an ongoing series of expansions to HârnWorld and HârnMaster: http://www.columbiagames.com
