Middle-Earth Role Playing (1st US Edition)

MERP
First Edition (First Printing)

Product: Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP) (1st US Edition)
Stock #: RP 8000
Producer: Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE)
Designers: Coleman Charlton, Peter Fenlon,
Bruce Neidlinger, Terry Amthor, John
Ruemmler and Richard Britton.
Release date: 1984
Category: Middle-earth Role Playing
Format: MERP Rulesbook (Softcover ANSI
A, 128 pages).
Comments: This is the first edition and
printing of the famous and classic fantasy
role playing game set in J.R.R. Tolkiens
Middle-earth, which spawned several
reprints and a Second Edition a decade later.
MERP isnt actually its own game system
but rather presents a watered down version or subset of Rolemaster (RM), with the least
necessary (and least used) attack tables removed and simplified weapon classes and armor
types, as well as lesser numbers of spell lists (and less powerful magic), two magical realms
(essence and channeling) instead of three (allocating some of the RM mentalist lists to the
channeling realm), six statistics (stats) instead of ten merging some of the RM stats into
combined MERP stats, i.e. Agility (Ag) and Quickness (Qu) into Agility (AG), Memory (Me)
and Reasoning (Re) into Intelligence (IG), Self Discipline (SD) and Presence (Pr) into
Presence (PR), and Intuition (In) and Empathy (EM) into Intuition (IT), while retaining the
remaining stats unchanged, i.e. Constitution (CO) and Strength (ST) as well as assigning a
limitation to the player character level of 10 instead of the maximum RM level of 50. Also the
numer of character classes, in MERP referred to as Professions, have been reduced from 19 to
six, being more keyed to Middle-earth, i.e. that of Scout, Warrior, Ranger, Bard, Mage and
Animist. The primary skills have more or less been retained from RM but all of the Special
Skills have been dropped (with the exception of Ambush and Body Development) and also
the magic skill Channeling. Furthermore, the secondary skills have been reduced from 40 to
27, although the Tracking skill has been lifted from the secondary skills list and now become
a primary skill. However, the general skills according to RM have been further categorized
into General Skills (Climb, Ride, Swim and Track), Subterfuge Skills (Ambush, Stalk/Hide,
Pick Lock and Disarm Trap), and Miscellaneous Skills (Perception and Body Development).
Furthermore, the phases of the game round have been merged and become simplified, and
thus being reduced to six. All this considered, MERP still retains enough materials to be able
to present a quite complex game system. MERP contains all necessary information covering
all aspects of fantasy role playing, such as the quite complex character generation system
(more or less retained from the RM Character Law rules) which includes all of the races and
cultures unique to Middle-earth, as well as realistic combat and magic systems (with
comprehensive spell lists) which requires at least one roll against a table, but often also a
second table for critical hits or fumbles, both presenting some quite violent and amusing
situations. MERP also contains comprehensive guidelines for the Gamemaster to cover
poisons, damage, healing, weather, magic items, Middle-earth based creatures, encounters,
etc. The book also contains a sample adventure set in the Trollshaws and the Last Inn, which
are keyed to mid-Third Age Middle-earth, or T.A. 1640, which also
serves as the generic game year of the majority of ICEs Middle-earth
Series. MERP is a solid and well designed game, probably one of the
best ever made considering the world in which it is set. The fact is that
MERP was designed to accommodate ICEs Middle-earth Series that
was launched in 1982 (i.e. two years prior to the publication of
MERP). But the game system is also superior to most other
contemporary games, such as Dungeons &
Dragons, RuneQuest, etc. That said, the
complexity level of the game is also its
greatest weakness as the combat system is
not that intuitive as one could wish for. The
downside of all this table referencing that it
requires is that it may take a while to resolve
a simple skirmish, even hours if the Gamemaster (GM) and players
are inexperienced. This is not a game for beginners; the above
mentioned games (D&D and RQ) are for them. In a way, MERP/RM
is the best of both worlds of D&D (the level system and professions) and RuneQuest (the
percentile dice system). However, it takes time to master MERP, but after that initial
habituation there are no limits to the level of realism (and complexity) that are possible,
because of MERP being the offspring of RM. When the MERP rules have been mastered up to
the 10th level, the GM has the possibility to switch to Rolemaster which more or less
seamlessly takes off from where MERP ends. The scope of the game is thus remarkable and
has no equals; it will grow with the experience of the GM and players. That is one of the true
beauties of the game system of MERP and RM, the other beauty of course being its setting in
Middle-earth.

Middle-Earth Role Playing (1st US Edition)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Middle-Earth Role Playing (1st US Edition)

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Middle-Earth Role Playing (1st US Edition)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MERP

First Edition (First Printing)

You might also like