Middle-earth Role Playing
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| Middle-earth Role Playing | |
|---|---|
| Designer(s) | Coleman Charlton |
| Publisher(s) | Iron Crown Enterprises |
| Publication date | 1993 (2nd edition) |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| System | Rolemaster System |
Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP) was a role-playing game set in Tolkien's Middle-earth and published by Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.). The rules system was a streamlined version of the company's generic fantasy game, Rolemaster.
The system was in some ways similar to Dungeons & Dragons. Examples include the game mechanics of character classes and levels. Classes available included Animist (Cleric), Bard, Fighter, Mage, Ranger and Scout (Rogue). Compared to D&D, the game had more highly detailed combat and magic systems.[citation needed]
In the MERP game system, attributes are rated between 0 and 100, and skills can surpass these limits (under 0 or over 100). An attack roll would consist of a percentile roll + skill rating + attribute rating - target's dodge rating. This result was looked up on a table against the victim's armor type (leather/plate). Most hits in combat would cause a 'critical' which would be rolled and looked up on separate tables. For some, these criticals are quite entertaining due to their variety and creativeness, but for others the charts represent a grindingly mechanical way of generating an interesting story.[citation needed]
Spell casters had the advantage in MERP that they learned lists of 10 spells (1 per level) as a unit. Once a character learned the Healing list, he would be able to cast increasingly better healing spells as his level increased.
The setting for this game predates the War of the Ring by around 1400 years (that means, around TA 1600) and as such it represented a version of Middle-earth different from that seen in The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. During this period, the Shire is just being settled by Hobbits and the dark forces of Mordor are much less active in Middle-earth than they are during the War of the Ring.
The game built a loyal and strong following, enough so that ICE claimed it to be the second most popular RPG after Dungeons & Dragons.[citation needed] However, it is often the subject of harsh criticism, partly due to its relatively complex mechanics, but also for being a poor fit for the tone and theme of Middle-earth as presented in the books by Tolkien.[citation needed] Though it is usually subtle and rare in the original book, magic as depicted in the game tends to be blatant and common (players can easily play fireball slinging spell-casters in the style of D&D). Further, combat tends to be brutal and vicious, with very little encouragement of heroism or bravery.[citation needed]
Two editions of MERP were published, the original and a revision. ICE declared bankruptcy in 1997 when the Middle-earth license was revoked by Tolkien Enterprises, leading to the end of the MERP line. A subsequent Middle-earth based RPG, the Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game, was published by Decipher Inc. Besides the source material, the Decipher game shares no link to ICE's MERP and uses an entirely different rules system.
In Sweden a translated version called "Sagan om Ringen: Rollspelet" was released in 1986 by Target Games, followed by several translated modules, but it never became popular, possibly because the ones who liked the setting already had bought the U.S. version and others preferred the popular Drakar och Demoner. A Finnish language edition ("Keski-Maa Roolipeli") was published in 1990 and the game became one of the most popular fantasy role playing games in Finland.
