1974 is an important year for the gaming hobby. It is the year that Dungeons & Dragons was introduced, the original RPG from which all other RPGs would ultimately be derived and the original RPG from which so many computer games would draw for their inspiration. It is fitting that the current owner of the game, Wizards of the Coast, released the new version, Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, in the year of the game’s fortieth anniversary, and the new edition of that, Dungeons & Dragons, 2024, in the year of the game’s fiftieth anniversary. To celebrate this, Reviews from R’lyeh will be running a series of reviews from the hobby’s anniversary years, thus there will be reviews from 1974, from 1984, from 1994, and from 2004—the thirtieth, twentieth, and tenth anniversaries of the titles. These will be retrospectives, in each case an opportunity to re-appraise interesting titles and true classics decades on from the year of their original release.
For the next fifteen years, Iron Crown Enterprises, Inc. would support the roleplaying game with first an updated version of the core rules and then a second edition in 1986, as well as nearly one hundred supplements and supplements detailing Middle-earth. Many of these supplements are highly regarded by fans of the roleplaying game today and much in demand, reaching high prices when they come up for sale. The first edition though, is centred on a slim, if dense, one-hundred-and-four-page book which comes in a strikingly red box that also contains the sixteen-page ‘MERP Counter and Display Guidelines’ which consists of a guide to the roleplaying game’s set of full-colour counters and the fourteen maps and floorplans for the scenario in the rulebook. The maps, which depict a mix of a castle and its various buildings, a set of caves, and wilderness areas, are marked with a hex grid so that the counters can be used with them. There are also two twenty-sided dice in the box, each marked ‘0’ to ‘9’ twice.
The roleplaying game opens with a good introduction to what roleplaying is and notes that Rolemaster is available if a group wants, “…[A]n an expanded combat system, an expanded spell system, a more flexible character development system, and guidelines for a campaign game or larger scale game. These systems allow MERP to be expanded to handle higher level characters and to increase the variations and options available to the Gamemaster and the players.” In fact, Middle-earth Role Playing will only take a Player Character up to Tenth Level. Beyond that, the Game Master and here players will need to switch to Rolemaster, if they had not done so by then. Which is very likely. The introduction also includes ‘A Sample Adventure in a FRP Setting’, a complete example of play. In this, an Elven Mage, a Umli Animist, a Dwarven Warrior, and a Hobbit Scout are escorting a merchant’s caravan from Rivendell to Bree, when after deciding to make camp for the night, discover a partially ruin tower that might offer them shelter. When they move to scout it out for safety, they are ambushed by three Orcs who have been sleeping in the tower’s cellar. It is quite a detailed example of play, having the players roll dice before even the mechanics and rules of the roleplaying game have been explained. Nevertheless, it is fun and it is exciting, and it gives a good idea of what playing Middle-earth Role Playing is like: detailed, tactical, and complex. It is also something that the rules will return to again to show various aspects of the roleplaying game work. From the standpoint of a fan of Tolkien and Middle-earth, what really stands out, is the fact that there is an Elf Mage and he does cast magic, including a Shield spell and a Levitate spell. This inclusion points to the primary complaint about Middle-earth Role Playing and that is the degree of magic which the Player Characters had access to in comparison to what fans read in the novels. It is not an unfair comment or complaint, but this is a fantasy roleplaying game from 1984 and a fantasy roleplaying game from 1984 has magic in it, because after all, just like Dungeons & Dragons and also Middle-earth Role Playing, every fantasy roleplaying game from 1984 had magic and wizards in it. For the most part though, the magic in Middle-earth Role Playing lacked the flashiness of magic in Dungeons & Dragons.
Middle-earth Role Playing sets out a lot of the definitions and conventions of the roleplaying game well before a player gets anywhere near rolling any dice. This includes defining terms from both Middle-earth and the roleplaying game, describes the basics of rolling dice, and the definitions of a character. The latter consists of the mental and physical statistics, and race and culture. There are six statistics—Strength, Agility, Constitution, Intelligence, Intuition, and Presence—each rated between one and a hundred. Race and culture incudes each species’ Physical Characteristics, Culture, and Other Factors, all of which quite detailed and quite lengthy. The physical characteristics consist of Build, Colouring, Endurance, Height, Lifespan, Resistance, and Special Abilities. The Culture lists Clothing and Decoration, Fears and Inabilities, Lifestyle, Marriage Pattern, and Pattern. The Other Factors are Demeanour, Language, Prejudices, Restrictions on Professions, and Background Options. The latter indicates the number of points a player has to assign to his character’s backstory.
The Races are broken down into three categories and two separate Races. For the Dwarves, there are Dwarves and the Umli—or Half-Dwarves from the far north of Middle-earth. For the Elves, there are Silvan Elves, Sindar, and Noldor. The largest category consists of Men and encompass Beornings, Black Númenóreans, Corsairs, Dorwinrim, Dúnedain, Dunlendings, Easterlings, Haradrim, Lossoth, Rohirrim, Rural Men, Urban Men, Variags, Woodmen, and Woses. Lastly, there are Half-Elves, who must decide to live as a mortal Man or as an immortal Elf, and Hobbits. The entry for Hobbits gives three primary varieties, or tribes, of Hobbits—Harfoots, Stoors, and Fallohides—but does not distinguish between them mechanically. There are a lot of options here, including amongst the Men, many cultures who fell under the sway of either Sauron or Saruman, so they do not necessarily feel like a natural fit for a roleplaying game based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Further, included alongside these are entries for Orcs—Common Orcs, Uruk-Hai, and Half-Orcs, and for Trolls—Normal Trolls, Olog-hai, and Half-Trolls. These are not there to be used as Player Characters, but more as background material to help the Game Master portray them, though since this is not explained until ten pages later at the start of character creation, a reader might be led to believe otherwise. (It also suggests that the Game Master might allow them as Player Characters after the events of The Lord of the Rings, during the Fourth Age.) One thing that is missing from the Race and Culture descriptions are any suggestions as to what typical names might be for each.
Beyond the various Races, the definitions include languages, Skill Ranks and Skill Bonuses, Skills, Professions, Backgrounds, Experience Points and how they earned, including Kill Points, Manoeuvre Points, Spell Points, Idea Points, Travel Points, and Miscellaneous Points. Whilst Player Character Rank runs from First to Tenth Level, Skill Ranks run from zero to twenty—and more. Each Skill Rank provides a +5 Skill Bonus up to Skill Rank Ten, but beyond that, it flattens out to grand total of +70 at Skill Rank Twenty. The lengthy list of skills is broken down into Moving And Manoeuvring, Weapon Skills, General Skills, Subterfuge Skills, Magical Skills, Miscellaneous Skills and Capabilities, and Secondary Skills. Of these, Moving And Manoeuvring accounts for a Player Character’s ability to move about the battlefield and gain the initiative, but is not trained in as one skill, but several, each one for different type of armour—no armour, soft leather, rigid leather, chain, and plate. The Magical Skills include Read Runes, Use Items, and Directed Spells.
There are six Professions. These are Warrior, Scout, Animist, Mage, Ranger, and Bard. Or in parentheses, ‘Fighter’, ‘Thief’, ‘Cleric’, ‘Magician’, ‘Tracker’, and ‘jack-of-all-trades’. Each provides bonuses in terms the Ranks a Player Character can have in particular skills, and although there is no limit on what skills a Player Character can attempt to learn, learning skills outside of his Profession is more difficult. Each of the Professions has restrictions on what spells they can learn. However, these are not restrictions in terms of Professions not being able to cast spells, except for the Animist and Mage Professions, but limits on what spell lists each Profession can draw from. Here again, we have a case of Middle-earth Role Playing of not just making available magic to specialist character types despite the source material not reflecting this, but also every Player Character, no matter their Profession, which again, the source material does not reflect. Lastly, should a player want to roleplay a character similar to one portrayed in the fiction, it lists several of them along with their Professions in Middle-earth Role Playing. Thus, Aragorn II is a Dúnedain Ranger, Elrond a Half-elf Animist, Éomer a Rohirrim Warrior, Frodo a Hobbit Scout, Galadriel a Noldor Elf Mage, Gandalf a Human Mage (but actually one of the lstari), Gimili a Dwarf Warrior, Glorfindel a Noldor Elf Bard, Legolas a Sindar Elf Warrior, and Radagast a Human Animist (but actually one of the lstari).
Background Options are a way in which a Player Character can stand out. They include Special Abilities, Special Items, Money, Hobby Skill Ranks, Statistic Increases, and Languages. A player can assign his character Background Points as he wants and from this, working with the Game Master, create a suitable background and origins for his character. There is not much in the way of advice to help either the player or the Game Master do this, but it is nevertheless a welcome feature for a roleplaying game published in 1984. Special Abilities can include empathy with a type of animal, which grants an animal companion, being very observant, having lightning reactions, and move. Special items include items that provide a bonus to a skill—examples including ‘+10 Saddle’ that gives a bonus to riding and a ‘+10 suit of armour’ that adds to the wearer’s general Defensive Bonus and a Daily Spell Item that grants spells that that be cast a few times a day without expending Power Points. The Special Items are fairly limited, but feel more in keeping with the source material than the Daily Spell Item does, as they more like well-crafted items than actual magical objects.
To create a character, a player rolls percentile for each Statistic and assigns them as he wants. Elves must assign a high result to their Presence, but each Profession has a key Statistic and this will be set at ninety. If high enough, a Statistic will provide a bonus to skills and Power Points for spellcasting. A player can choose or roll of his character’s Race and Culture, and selects skills gained during his character’s adolescence, chooses his Profession, Background Options, and apprenticeship skills. The number of Ranks in a skill, plus bonuses from a Statistic, the Profession, Race or Culture, and Special Item, all combine to give the total bonus for a skill.
Name: Crugell
Race: Wose
Height: 4’ 7”
Weight: 135 lbs.
Hair: Black
Eyes: Black
Demeanour: Quiet
STATS/BONUSES
Strength 92 Normal Bonus +10 Race Bonus +00 Total +10
Agility 57 Normal Bonus +00 Race Bonus +00 Total +00
Constitution 90 Normal Bonus +10 Race Bonus +05 Total +15
Intelligence 42 Normal Bonus +00 Race Bonus +00 Total +00
Intuition 46 Normal Bonus +00 Race Bonus +00 Total +00
Presence 34 Normal Bonus +00 Race Bonus -05 Total -05
Appearance +00 Normal Bonus +00 Race Bonus +00 Total +00
Realm: Channelling
Power Points: 2
Experience Points: 10,000.
Special: Night-vision; +25 bonus to Tracking manoeuvres; +15 bonus for Foraging; +10 Handaxe; Very Observant +10 bonus to Perception and Tracking; Animal Empathy – Weasel
LANGUAGES
Pûkael Rank 5
Westron Rank 2
SKILLS
Movement And Manoeuvre:
No Armour – Rank/Bonus: 2/+10 Total: +10
Soft Leather – Rank/Bonus: 4/+20 Total: +20
Weapon Skills:
1-H Edged – Rank/Bonus: 3/+15 Prof. Bonus +2 Stat Bonus +10 Item Bonus +10 Total: +37
Thrown – Rank/Bonus: 5/+25 Prof. Bonus +2 Total: +27
Polearms – Rank/Bonus: 2/+10 Prof. Bonus +2 Stat Bonus +10 Total: +22
General Skills:
Climb – Rank/Bonus: 3/+15 Prof. Bonus +3 Total: +18
Swim – Rank/Bonus: 3/+15 Prof. Bonus +3 Total: +18
Track – Rank/Bonus: 2/+10 Prof. Bonus +3 Special Bonus +35 Total: +48
Subterfuge Skills:
Ambush – Rank/Bonus: 3/+15 Total: +15
Stalk/Hide – Rank/Bonus: 5/+25 Prof. Bonus +2 Total: +27
Miscellaneous Skills:
Body Development – Rank/Bonus: 2/+10 Stat Bonus +10 Special Bonus +5 SP: 21
Perception – Rank/Bonus: 2/+10 Prof. Bonus +2 Special Bonus +10 Total: +22
Secondary Skills:
Wood-carving – Rank/Bonus: 5/+25 Total: +25
EQUIPMENT
Handaxe, Javelins (three), Soft Leather Armour
Character generation in Middle-earth Role Playing is not difficult, but it takes time, both to complete and actually to learn. It is helped by a decent example, but anyone new to roleplaying, the process is daunting.
Mechanically, Middle-earth Role Playing is both simple and complex. The simple is the core mechanism, that of rolling percentile dice. Most rolls will be open ended, so that if a player rolls ninety-six and above, he gets to roll again and add the result. This is a successful roll and the higher it is, the better the outcome. Conversely, if he rolls five or under, he rolls again and subtracts the new result. Then as long as he keeps rolling ninety-six and above, he keeps rolling and subtracting. The lower the total result, the worse the outcome. Either way, to this is added the total bonus of the skill that the Player Character is testing. The bonuses are Offensive Bonuses, including weapon and Directed Spell bonuses, Defensive Bonuses for shields and armour, Moving Manoeuvre Bonuses for every type of movement, and Static Manoeuvre Bonuses for actions not involving movement, or really, for just about any other skill in the game.
The complexity comes in the individual resolution for each action, invariably requiring the need for the Game Master to refer a particular table for the outcome. Make no mistake, Middle-earth Role Playing makes use of a lot tables, including sixteen for character generation and experience, and twenty-nine for attacks, critical results, fumbles and failures, manoeuvres, and more.
For a Static Manoeuvre, the Game Master can assign a Difficulty Modifier, which ranges from ‘+30’ and Routine to ‘-70’ and Absurd. The player then rolls the dice, adds Static Manoeuvre Bonuses and refer to ‘Static Maneuver Table (MT-2)’ (which is on page seventy-eight, twenty pages after the explanation of the mechanic and after several pages of tables dedicated to spellcasting and combat). There are entries for ‘General’ results, followed by results for ‘Interaction and Influence’, ‘Disarming Traps and Picking Locks’, ‘Reading Runes and Using Items’, and ‘Perception and Tracking’. Results of twenty-six and under are counted as a ‘Blunder’, ninety-one to one-hundred-and-ten a ‘Near Success’, and above that a ‘Success’, with ‘Absolute Success’ being a result of one-hundred-and-seventy-six or more.
For example, Crugell is tracking a band of Orcs which has strayed into Wose territory. It is night and whilst as a Wose, Crugell has good night sight, the Game Master assigns a difficulty of Hard or ‘-10’. Crugell’s player rolls the dice, adds Crugell’s Static Manoeuvre Bonus from his Track skill, which is ‘+48’ and applies the difficulty modifier. The roll is ‘93’, not enough to trigger another roll, but still good, nonetheless. To this, the player adds the Static Manoeuvre Bonus and deducts the modifier. The result is a total of ‘131’, which on the ‘Static Maneuver Table (MT-2)’ gives, “SUCCESS: You gain all of the information on the topic that required the perception roll.” The Game Master states that Crugell has found the track left behind by the Orcs and is following them.Combat lies at the heart of Middle-earth Role Playing and is the most complex part of the game. The sequence of action in a round consists of preparing or spell, missile and thrown weapon attacks—including missile parrying and missile weapon reloading, Movement Manoeuvres, melee attacks and parries, movement, and Static Manoeuvres. The actions are conducted in order of Movement and Manoeuvre Bonus, with an attack consisting of a standard open-ended dice roll, modified by the attacker Offensive Bonus, minus the defender’s parry modifier—also subtracted from the defender’s Offensive Bonus, with the result being determined by consulting the table for the weapon type used and cross-referencing the modified roll with the armour worn by the defender. The outcome ranges from one to one-hundred-and-fifty, as opposed to the possible one-hundred-and-seventy-six or more on the ‘Static Maneuver Table (MT-2)’, and includes various types of fumble to the number of hits inflicted and beyond that critical results, which inflict hits and an extra, severe effect. A critical result requires a further roll on the critical result table, such as the ‘Crush Critical Table (CT-1)’ or ‘Puncture Critical Table (CT-3)’ tables. There are also critical result tables for spell attack effects that involve heat, cold, electricity, and impact.
For example, Crugell and the other Wose he is with, have caught up with the Orcs who strayed onto their lands. After the opening ambush, the Orcs have turned and are charging at their attackers. The Game Master gives Crugell and his companions one more round before the Orcs reach them. Crugell has his handaxe in one hand and a javelin in another, which he decides to throw at the Orc who is charging towards him. Crugell has an Offensive Bonus with his Thrown skill of ‘+27’. He waits until the Orc is within 30” of him so that there is no negative modifier for range and throws the javelin. The Orc, wearing chain armour, has a Defensive Bonus of ‘+30’. It is deducted from Crugell’s Attack Bonus, reducing it to ‘-03’. The situation is not good for the Wose, but he is lucky as his player rolls ‘97’. This means that he can roll again. The second roll is ‘56’. So, the grand result is ‘97+56+27-30’ or ‘150’, which is the maximum roll on the ‘Missile Weapons Attack Table (AT-4)’. Comparing that to the chain armour worn by the Orc, the result is ‘25E’, which means that the Orc suffers 25 Hits and Crugell’s player receives a ‘+20’ bonus to the roll on the ‘Puncture Critical Table (CT-3)’ table. He rolls ‘29’, adds the bonus and the entry for ‘49’ reads “Strike alongside of chest. 1 hit per round. Stunned 1 round.” As the Orc is staggered by the impact of the javelin, Crugell readies to launch a charge that will take advantage of his opponent’s current status.
Casting a spell is simply a matter of the caster having enough Power Points and the player making a successful skill roll, typically the Directed Spell skill. It only takes a round, but a Player Character can spend up to four rounds beforehand to gain a casting bonus. The resolution is the same as Static Manoeuvre, but instead of consulting the ‘Static Maneuver Table MT-2’ for the outcome, the player refers to the ‘Base Attack Table (AT-9)’ to determine if the spell succeeds or fails. This is even in a non-combat situation. For spells cast in combat there is also the ‘Ball Spells Attack Table (AT-8)’ and ‘Bolt Spells Attack Table (AT-9)’.
In addition, magical items like spell adders enable a caster to cast extra spells and spell multipliers increase the number of Power Points a caster has access to. Magic items, such as Rune Paper, Potions, and Daily Spell Items, can contain spells as well, and it is not only possible to find such items during play, but even buy them! Several such items are listed, for example, Staff of Firebolts, Wand of Shock Bolts, and Dagger with Daily II (twice per day) Levitate Spell. These are incredibly expensive in the game, costing hundreds of Gold Pieces, when in comparison, a Player Character starts play with only two Gold Pieces (and needs to devote points from his Background options to gain more). Nevertheless, it begs the question, is there meant to be a magical item economy in Middle-earth?
All of which, again, runs counter to what is depicted in both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Middle-earth as a setting in both is not one where magic is common, and yet the Player Characters have ready access to it in one form or another. Worse, Middle-earth Role Playing tells the reader right at the start of the section on ‘Magic and Spells’ that, “Middle-earth had unique ties to the Undying Lands which created a potential for the appearance and use of significant power (magic). Such power manifested itself on a massive scale in the First Age, and to a lesser, but significant degree in the Second Age. By the time of the late Third Age, it was quite subtle - except in the cases of Dragons, the Balrog, Saruman, and (of course) Sauron, This low-key approach to the utilization of great power was a factor relating to the nature of those possessing the gift.” Further, “Men and Hobbits were not great friends of spells and often were unaware of their usage outside of fairy tales and legends. This created an atmosphere where magical occurrences were rarely seen and often became merged or confused with natural events.” It goes on to explain that, “One of the primary reasons for this subtle and secret use of magic and spells is the presence of Sauron in Mordor.” since the use of magic will likely attract his attention. Lastly, the designers compound this by advising, “When constructing the setting for a fantasy role playing game based upon Middle-earth, a Gamemaster must take great care to show restraint regarding the use of magic. Magic-users are relatively rare, although most folk had some “magic” in them, and open displays of power are still rarer.”
For decades, Middle-earth Role Playing has been regarded as a roleplaying game based on Middle-earth in which there was too much magic, in which the Player Characters had access to too much magic. Yet despite the designers warning the Game Master of the dangers of having too much magic in the game, they ignore their own advice and give it to her anyway. It makes no sense.
In terms of Middle-earth as a setting, Middle-earth Role Playing treats it in broad strokes, talking about types of locations and areas and hazards that might be encountered rather than specifics. There is some details about religion in general and the Valar, and each of entries for the numerous Races and Cultures include details of their common religious practices. Where it is specific is in the descriptions of the various creatures and monsters that the Player characters might encounter. The includes Balrogs, Dragons, and Nazgûl as well as Great Eagles and Ents. The former really are as nasty and as fearsome as you would expect, fierce challenges even for higher Level Player Characters. It only touches very briefly upon when the Game Master should set her Middle-earth Role Playing campaign, suggesting that the Second Age and Third Age when Sauron is trying to defeat the Free Peoples does not give her as much freedom as setting her campaign in the Fourth Age. For play in the Second Age and Third Age, it suggests that the Game Master consult Iron Crown Enterprise’s own Campaign and Adventure Guidebook to Middle-earth.
One aspect of the setting of Middle-earth that Middle-earth Role Playing does not explore is the horror of Sauron and the dark influence of the Shadow. There is mention of how fearsome the Nazgûl and Balrogs are, but no discussion of the forces of darkness which pervade the Second and Third Ages of Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
In terms of a specific setting and what a group plays, Middle-earth Role Playing devotes the last few pages of the rulebook to ‘A Sample Game Environment’. It divides its play environs into three areas—a civilised area, a countryside area, and adventure sites. The civilised area is the ‘Inn at the Last Bridge’, located just off the Great East Road leading from the Elven haven of Rivendell to the settled western lands and the town of Bree, with the Trollshaws to the north. The Trollshaws form the countryside area for the scenario, subject to roaming Hill-trolls from the Ettenmoors and Orc patrols from Angmar. The adventure sites consist of ‘A Hill-Troll Lair’ and Herubar Gûlar, a ‘Ruined Castle’. The adventure is set in TA 1640, centuries before the events of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The inn is run by the Grumm family, and it is the disappearance of the family’s son that forms the plot hook for the scenario. The Innkeeper offers a reasonably substantial reward for his son’s safe return—a whole two gold pieces—and investigating his disappearance leads the Player Characters out into the Trollshaws and a deadly encounter with some trolls hiding out in their caves. Other rumours lead to the ruined castle, once the ‘Dwelling of the Lord of High Sorcery’, which hides secrets and monsters and treasures. This is a challenging adventure as the Trolls and Orcs and other enemies are tough opponents, but the rewards are potentially high given some of the treasures to be found in the castle. This is not a bad scenario, but neither is it a good one. It is perfectly playable, but barring the encounter with the trolls does not feel particularly Tolkienesque. Nevertheless, this is a scenario that has been played by thousands of players because it was the first scenario for Middle-earth Role Playing and the one included with every edition of the roleplaying game.
Physically, Middle-earth Role Playing is well-written and presented. The maps are nice and clear and book is not difficult to read, even though it packs a lot into its hundred or so pages. It could have been better organised. Many of the various sections feel out of place, with there often being several pages between the rules for an action and the table that the Game Master needs to refer to determine its outcome. Consequently, it takes a long time to get to the point where the player can begin to understand how the game is played.
Although Jonathan Sutherland reviewed several supplements for Middle-earth Role Playing in ‘Open Box’ in White Dwarf Issue 50 (February 1984), it would not be until White Dwarf Issue 58 (October 1984) that he reviewed the core rules. Of A Campaign and Adventure Guidebook for Middle-earth, Angmar: Land of the Witch King, Angmar: Land of the Witch King, The Court of Ardor in Southern Middle Earth, Umbar: Haven of the Corsairs, Northern Mirkwood: The Wood-Elves Realm, and Southern Mirkwood: Haunt of the Necromancer, he collectively said, “In conclusion I would recommend this series, it's not necessary to get them all as they stand up as scenarios on their own, but it would be fun to see all the expanded maps fitted together when all the series is finally released, and play a mammoth campaign spanning the entirety of Middle Earth using the wealth of detail available. My only reservation regarding the system is the price, but when you look at a comparable product both in price and in subject, it’s not bad.” Of the core rules, he was more positive, stating that, “In conclusion, MERP is a well conceived, reasonably well written system. I can’t say it’s easy and ideal for beginners but I can honestly recommend that you try it. MERP gets my vote as best new RPG this year; in fact I’ve not been so impressed since I first read Call of Cthulhu. The system is also geared to readily accept other Rolemaster spinoffs and recommends them often. For an important game, the price is just right – very god value!” (For reference, Middle-earth Role Playing cost £6.95 in 1984). Lastly, he gave Middle-earth Role Playing an overall score of nine out of ten.
White Dwarf would return to Middle-earth Role Playing the following year in White Dwarf Issue 66 (June 1985), by which time publisher Games Workshop had its edition of the roleplaying game. In ‘The Road Goes Ever On: Inside Middle Earth Role-Playing’, Graham Staplehurst stated that, “Iron Crown has done superb development work on areas that Tolkien neglected or left unspecified.” in reference to the many supplements released by the publisher. Of the mechanics, he said, “The combat system can be rather bloody, which is no bad thing. AD&D players will probably come to grief the first time they meet orcs, as these are the real thing!” Yet as with other reviewers and commentators, he had reservations about the magic system in Middle-earth Role Playing. “The only facet of the MERP system I would quarrel with is the magic system. In Tolkien’s world, magic was a very rare thing when one considers it in the form of lightning bolt and fireball. Magic was present, but as a subtle and inherent quality of many things and people.”, noting the lack of offensive spellcasting seen in the fiction and then only by the extremely powerful, such as Gandalf. Staplehurst pointed out that, “The MERP system gives these sorts of powers to almost anyone after the acquisition of relatively few experience points; for me, it upsets the flavor of the game and its authenticity.” Despite this, his conclusion was positive: “MERP can be used to recreate the great adventures of which Tolkien wrote: going with Frodo or Bilbo or Beren into the lair of evil and trying to escape alive, and it can go some way to fulfilling the desires of people who want to know more about Tolkien’s world.”
Andy Blakeman reviewed Middle-earth Role Playing in ‘Game Reviews’ in Imagine No. 22 (January 1985)—notably in an issue dedicated to the works of Michael Moorcock!—and began by making clear the links that roleplayers have between such a work of fiction like that of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and the feeling that they seek to create in play, and consequently, it was inevitable that the roleplaying hobby and Tolkien’s creation would be brought together. Then, when such a convergence took place, it was important to ensure that all those involved were best suited to the project. His iniatial comments were positive: “Iron Crown Enterprises’ Middle earth Role Playing is this marriage; by its links with Tolkien, it cannot fail to attract many new ganers to the obby; and I am rerasonably sure that these newcomers will not be disappointed.” However, he was not impressed by the order of the layout, but did praise the source material in terms of the linguistics and the detailing of the various Races and Cultures. He was found that the rules were “…[A]n operative deterrent to hack-and-slay gaming.”, but “Where they they fall donw is in mode of play. Rules are supposed to be hidden… In real life there are ‘rules’ — the laws of physics and chemistry and so on — which regulates our actions; but we tend not to be conscious of the rules governing it all. We act, and witness the results. And so it should be in role-playing. In Lord of the Rings, magics is a deeply mysterious phenomenon; yet in MERP the atmosphere is destroyed through the players’ contact with the rules. The results of actions are faithfully recreated but the wonderment which surrounds the magic is lost. This is not a fault peculiar to MERP, however, and it is something a competent GM could overcome…”
William A. Barton provided more of an overview of the core rules and numerous supplements for it than an actual review of Middle-earth Role Playing in ‘I.C.E.’s Middle-earth Modules’ in Space Game Number 73 (March/April 1985). He identified several problems, such as, “Missing from the MERP rules is any in-depth description of the history or geography of Middle-earth, though the sample adventure in the rulebook provides at least a small section of the land in which to start a campaign — the Trollshaws.”, though added that the setting was so well known that information included should be enough to be starting with, before highlighting the poor organisation and the nature of the Rolemaster mechanics in Middle-earth Role Playing. With the latter, he said, “I wonder, also, about the appropriateness of some of the Rolemaster mechanics in the Middle-earth context — the spells in particular. Is this an accurate portrayal of magic in Tolkien’s realm? Of course, the laws of magic were never spelled out (no pun intended) in Lord of the Rings, and the MERP magic system works adequately, so this isn’t a major stumbling block.” Ultimately though, he was positive, concluding with, “If you haven’t yet taken a trip to Middle-earth via the Iron Crown, I recommend you remedy the situation as soon as possible.”
Jonathan Tweet reviewed Middle-earth Role Playing in ‘Game Reviews’ in Different Worlds Issue 46 (May/June 1987). He began with, “The game rules, derived from ICE’s popular Rolemaster series, are well thought out and detailed. Unfortunately, the setting and the game rules mesh poorly, facing players with a choice between faithfulness to Tolkien’s genius and fully using the game mechanics.” Although he found that the roleplaying game nicely brought Middle-earth to roleplaying, and the rules to be detailed and appealing, he said in awarding the roleplaying game just three stars out of four, “What keeps MERP from being a four-star game is that the beautiful setting and intricate game rules do not match. Fantasy games have been heavily influenced by the example of Dungeons & Dragons. Typically, an adventuring group comprising several races and classes wanders around a fantasy world blasting monsters with big spells and winning lots of magic items, and when someone gets killed they dish out some money and get the character back to life. MERP was designed to be played this way. As a gamemaster, one would have to be willing to rise above the designer’s expectations to capture the true flavor of Middle-Earth. Monster-trashing and dungeon-looting are available in any homemade world, but Middle-Earth should inspire players to causes more noble than self-aggrandizement.” His criticisms continued with the treatment of magic in Middle-earth Role Playing, adding, “More ill-fitting is the prevalence of magic. The idea of spells being as common-place as the game would have it is a sad concession to role-playing tradition and it cheapens Middle-Earth.”
The popularity of Tolkien and Middle-earth, and the fact that it was the only roleplaying game based on the author’s creation is likely why Middle-earth Role Playing was placed at number eleven of ‘Arcane Presents the Top 50 Roleplaying Games 1996’ which appeared in Arcane #14 (December 1996). Editor Paul Pettengale said, “The popularity of the books, we would suggest, explains why the game based on Tolkien’s world is so popular. The system is overly complicated (being based on the complex Rolemaster system - see number 15), and it suffers from the problem of timing. For example, at which time do you set your campaign? Set it before The Lord of the Rings and everyone knows what’s going to happen, set it after The Lord of the Rings and you’ve got to make a whole load of stuff up. Still, the supplements are all good, if you get off on bucketfuls of detail and polished prose. Not for everyone, sure, but die-hard Tolkien fans should check it out.”
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Middle-earth Role Playing: a complete system for adventuring in J.R.R. Tolkien’s World was published in 1984 and it shows. Even though it uses a streamlined version of the Rolemaster rules, it possesses a complexity and a level of detail that was prevalent at the time—and in addition, the book encouraged the Game Master and her players to migrate to the even more complex Rolemaster for yet more detail and more options. Further, as a roleplaying game based on Tolkien’s Middle-earth, it does not feel like the Middle-earth depicted in The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. It is obviously set in Middle-earth with its Hobbits and different types of Elf, its selection of monsters, a scenario set in the Trollshaws, and so on, but the prevalence of magic, whether it is the possible access to magic for all Player Characters, the inclusion of the Mage as a Profession, or the preponderance of magical items runs counter to the world where magic is rare and where and when it occurs, feels special. The problem is that in terms of design Middle-earth Role Playing takes its cue not from Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit, but from other roleplaying games and obviously, on other fantasy roleplaying games. Thus, like Dungeons & Dragons, it has to have Player Characters who are capable of learning magic and casting spells, it has to have plenty of magical items and artefacts for the Player Characters to find and wield, and so on.Yet for all that Middle-earth Role Playing includes that makes it feel unlike a roleplaying game based on Tolkien’s writings, it still feels like a roleplaying game based on and in Middle-earth because it still has many of the elements taken from the setting. So, the options in terms of Races and Cultures that the players can role play, the monsters that their characters will face, and nods at least to the setting in the included scenario. With the inclusion of magic, what Middle-earth Role Playing really feels like is a high fantasy version of Middle-earth, rather than the low fantasy version we are used to reading about in the fiction and seeing more recently on the screen.
Further, Middle-earth Role Playing is not a bad roleplaying game per se. For all of its complexities, it is a coherent and complete design. It very much requires better organisation to be more coherent and easier to learn, though even if it had that, it is not a roleplaying game suitable for anyone new to the hobby. A fan of Tolkien and Middle-earth coming to Middle-earth Role Playing as his first roleplaying game would at the very least be daunted by the learning curve necessary to learn play it, if not outright confounded and confused.
Middle-earth Role Playing is not without a certain charm, borne of nostalgia more than anything else since it allowed us to visit and roleplay in the world of Middle-earth for the very first time. As a design Middle-earth Role Playing: a complete system for adventuring in J.R.R. Tolkien’s World is coherent and sound, if poorly organised, and is more a roleplaying game which models Middle-earth using the framework of what a roleplaying game should be like, rather than what Middle-earth should be like.
Staggeringly even handed review and very very much on point. It is an 80s game without doubt and only familiarity stops the issues with organisation being a problem.
ReplyDeleteThank you for doing this - you are as ever a star and my hero!!!