Spell Etiquette

Rolemaster Unified CORE Law is the newest edition of the roleplaying game whose lineage goes all the way back to the early eighties. Its origins lie in a series of supplements which could be used together or used on their own to replace parts of Dungeons & Dragons that a playing group did not like. First, in 1980, with Arms Laws, and then followed Claw Law, Spell Law, Character Law, and Campaign Law. Published by Iron Crown Enterprises, it would not be until 1984 that all four of these books would be collected in a box as Rolemaster, a roleplaying game of its very own as the first complete edition. In the four decades since, there have been three new editions, and all four have been known for their  complexity and push to offer a realistic alternative. These editions have likewise been known for their resolution mechanic, a percentile system in which the aim is not to roll low and under, but roll high and attempt to get as high as possible above one hundred, and likewise, they have always been known for the number of tables within their books—the critical hit tables in particular. Published by Iron Crown Enterprises in 2022, Rolemaster Unified CORE Law is the heart of Rolemaster Unified and can be seen as the fifth edition of the venerable roleplaying game. It combines two aspects of the original edition of rules—‘Character Law’ and ‘Arms Law’—with ‘Game Master Law’, enabling the creation of Player Characters, the use of skills and combat, healing, social skills, environmental dangers and situations, and a lot more. However, although playable, Rolemaster Unified CORE Law is not really complete on its own. For that the Game Master and her players will need Spell Law, Creature Law I, and Treasure Law.

Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law is the spell and magic system for Rolemaster Unified. It brings the rules for magic and spellcasting in line with updated core rules and in doing so presents one-hundred-and-seventy-one Spell Lists for all of the spellcasting Professions. Each Spell List consists of twenty spells from the most basic to the most complex, covering all twenty levels, and then is extended, so that an extra spell can be learned at the twenty-fifth, thirtieth, thirty-fifth, fortieth, and fiftieth levels, for a total of twenty-five spells per Spell List, and a grand total of over four thousand spells in the book! It is no wonder that two thirds of Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law is devoted to these Spell Lists! What this means is that there are no empty spell levels up to level twenty and the thirty-fifth and fortieth level spells are new. 

Magic is divided into three types. The Realm of Channelling, whose Professions draw their power from an external source, typically a god of some kind; Realm of Essence draw upon the power around them; and the Realm of Mentalism draws directly upon the mind of the caster. Outside of the Professions of the Realm of Arms, each of the spell-casting Professions fits into one of these. Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law further classifies spellcasters into three types—Pure spellcasters, Hybrid spellcasters, and Semi-spellcasters. Pure spellcasters draw from one realm of power, for example, the Druid focuses on spells that interact with the natural world and Illusionists on spells of misdirection and illusion. Hybrid spellcasters combine two realms of power, such as the Healer drawing from Channelling and Mentalism to heal and learn Body Development, whilst the Sorcerer combines Essence and Channelling for raw destruction! Semi-spellcasters focus primarily on physical skills backed up some magical power. For example, the Bard improves his performance with his spells from the realm of essence, whilst aiding friends and baffling foes, whereas the Monk draws his spells from the realm of Mentalism to perform great physical feats and enhance himself Wuxia-style.

The history given is short and broad, really leaving a lot of room for the Game Master to create her own background, and the various spell types and spell parameters are described in short, but informative fashion. Notable here is that the Alchemical spell type is mentioned and not detailed in this supplement, instead described in Treasure Law. Advice suggests ways in which magic can be customized, whether changing it to fit a setting, adding flavour, or adjusting the mechanics. It is fairly broad advice given that it is only a few pages long and arguably it deserves a supplement of its own, but this is a good introduction. One example addresses ways in which the Game Master might think about Evil Spell Lists. There are Evil spell lists for all three Realms. For example, Curses and Demonic Summons for Channelling; Darkness and Necromantic Ways for Essence; and Mind Death and Mind Domination for Mentalism. Of course, whether or not they are actually ‘evil’ will depend upon the world that the Game Master is running and its morality, and to reflect that, the example suggests tying the Evil Spell Lists to corruptive vices. This lends their casting to entertaining roleplaying possibilities, but it is only one suggestion, and you do wish that there was room to explore this and other ideas more.

Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law covers learning and casting spells in a straightforward  fashion. This is via academic means as a default, which does leave the Game Master to develop other means (and perhaps the subject of another supplement) of learning. The actual casting roll consists of a standard open-ended percentile roll to which will be added the ranks that the caster has in the Spell List, his Realm Stat, and the bonus for the type of list. Additional modifiers can be applied for how subtle the caster wants the spellcasting to be, how fast, how preparation has been done beforehand, whether the caster is ‘overcasting’ and casting a spell higher than his Level, armour worn, and spell mastery. The latter allows some modification of a spell, like changing its colour, changing its effects in terms of duration, range, area affected, and so on. Power Points typically equal to the spell’s level are expended in the process. If the result is a failure and negative, the player rolls on the appropriate spell failure table. There is one for each Realm. If appropriate, a Resistance Roll can be made against the effects of the spell, and given that this is a dice roll, can lead to situations where the target of the spell heroically withstands the effects of a powerful spell or oddly, falls prey to the effects of a much weaker spell!

Besides standard spellcasting, Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law also explains a number of other options. This includes magic items that add spells or Power Points, casting from Runes, and innate casting—typically found amongst magical creatures and races, but the most significant addition is that of ritual casting. Where ordinary spellcasting is tactical, this is strategic, requiring time, preparation, ritual items, and possibly, multiple participants and greater investment of Power Points and even the caster’s own blood! These all provide modifiers of their own, but others come from the ritualist’s knowledge of the spell, the Spell List it comes from, the realms the Power Points are drawn from, and the auspiciousness of the time, place, and any associated prophecy. Then it comes down to a straightforward casting roll and the interpretation of its effects. This is all really simple and easy to understand, but that simplicity and ease leaves room for the Game Master and her players to add detail and flavour and roleplay it as is their wont. 

Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law comes to close with specific spell notes such as how Curse and Disease spells are handled, demons and familiars summoned, Dream spells interpreted, and Illusion and Mind Trick spells work. These notes are not extensive, but clarify specific aspects of these spells and make them easier to use in play. And then in between, there are the Spell Lists, extensive and detailed almost every spell that a Game Master and her players might want.

Coming to Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law and its nearly three hundred pages and you would expect that it is going to be a complex affair. It is not. Spellcasting and learning spells and casting rituals are all covered in fifty pages, with clear explanations and examples. The basics of spellcasting are going to be easy to understand. The complexity comes in the extensive Spell Lists with their multiple spells and having to learn what the spells do. In other words, the learning curve comes here rather than at the beginning. Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law does actually list more spells than in previous editions and whilst that does give more spells to choose from, there are no gaps in the Spell Lists, so that a spellcaster learns a spell at every level. Some of those spells are repetitions of previous spells, or rather repetitions of previous spells with minor tweaks and adjustments. What this represents is not so much repetitions as learning new ways to cast a spell and extend its parameters.

Physically, Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law is serviceable at best. The layout is perfunctory, and the text is dense. The unprepossessing layout is not helped by the artwork which is bland. Of course, it does not help that two third of the book consists of tables. 

Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law carries the tagline of “A Magic System Adaptable To Any Fantasy Role Playing System” and there is no denying that Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law could be used with the fantasy roleplaying game of the Game Master’s choice. In that, it harks back to the intent of the original supplements—Arms Laws, Claw Law, Spell Law, Character Law, and Campaign Law—which were intended to replace parts of whatever roleplaying game that the Game Master was unhappy with. Most obviously, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, First Edition. That though, was forty years ago and there is less of a desire to hybridise or kitbash a roleplaying game these days and there are fewer roleplaying games which are compatible with Rolemaster Unified, let alone Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law. If a Game Master wanted an alternative spellcasting system, then there can be no doubt that Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law is a good choice, and certainly a comprehensive choice, just for the hundreds of spells alone. Yet it is in conjunction with Rolemaster Unified CORE Law that Rolemaster Unified SPELL Law will come into its own, supporting all of its fifteen spell-casting Professions and bringing their full capabilities to life with clearly explained rules and additions.

Caution & Chicanery

Rogues, thieves, con artists, burglars, pirates, fences, pickpockets, plunders, muggers, thugs, spies, ninja, let alone scouts and rangers. All use guile, deception, and chicanery to achieve their aims in one fashion or another, and they, along with cunning and stealth, are the subject of HARP Subterfuge. As the title suggests, this is a supplement for High Adventure Role Playing Fantasy or HARP Fantasy, the roleplaying game descended from 1980’s Rolemaster. It is designed as the definitive guide to the classic fantasy roleplaying figure, the thief, and just about anyone who might use subterfuge or stealth to achieve his aims. This includes not just the aforementioned thief—and the many variations upon that role—but also those that use such skills as part their role, yet are not thieves or rogues. The classic Ranger is foremost amongst them, but there are several others that use such skills and who are not wanted by the city watch as a consequence of their use. HARP Subterfuge gives new Professions and spells, a guide to creating the perfect thief, advice on using the right skill for the right job, ways in handle stealth and subterfuge goes wrong (and a Player Character winds up in the hands of the law), suggestions on setting up a suitable underworld for any would be thief Player Character, and more. Although it is a supplement for HARP Fantasy, what HARP Subterfuge really does is move away from the ‘high adventure’ of HARP Fantasy and into a legally and morally grey area, inspired as it is Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories as well as The Lies of Locke Lamora and its sequels by Scott Lynch. What this means is that its contents may not be suitable for a high fantasy campaign, but if the Game Master wanted to set her campaign on the mean streets of some city decried as a den of iniquity, then HARP Subterfuge would be the supplement to help her do that.

HARP Subterfuge primarily requires HARP Fantasy, being built around its Ranger, Rogue, and Thief Professions, but it also needs HARP Folkways for the Hunter, the Scoundrel, and Seeker. It typecasts these and the new Professions into three categories—physical, dextrous, and intellectual, and suggests not just ways in which to build them, including skills to prioritise and talents are useful, but also why you might play them. These include Assassin, burglar, Con Artist, Fence, Pickpocket, Pirate, Plunderer (or archaeologist), Ruffian, Spy, Ranger, Scout/Guide, and Wayfarer (or explorer). The new Professions are the Ninja, Nightblade, and Beguiler. The Ninja is obvious in what it does, but the Nightblade is a spy that specialises in movement, distraction, disguise, and poison, whilst the Beguiler is spell user that specialises in mental misdirection, manipulation, and deception, particularly the Sphere of Beguilement. This is coupled with the Racial and Cultural perspectives for all of the Races and Cultures given in both HARP Fantasy and HARP Folkways, as well as adding the Dark Warrens Culture. This represents growing up in a culture with a reputation for crime, sin, and evil. Social class is not ignored, though that does require access to HARP Martial Law.

Similarly, there is advice and a review of skills and Talents useful to thieves and rogues, as well as the new skills, Intimidation and Crafts: Trap Making and Setting, and numerous new Talents, including ‘Backstabbing’, ‘Master Negotiator’, Opportunistic Attacking’, and ‘Thieves’ Insight’. It then shows the Game Master how to apply these skills and Talents as Manoeuvres. Under ‘Tricks of the Trade’ it examines everything from stalking, hiding, and camouflage, perception, and pickpocketing to disguises and infiltration, streetwise, and trickery—and it does so in exhaustive detail. For example, for crafting and setting traps, it looks at the possible difficulties crafting and setting traps, trap components, purchasing readymade traps, improvising traps, snares and lures (or non-lethal traps), and even magical traps. It backs this up with examples of play and interestingly, draws parallels between magical traps and chemical warfare in that they can be particularly deadly, and their use can escalate. However, a similar ethical approach is not applied to the discussion on seduction under its otherwise well done treatment of Influence, which covers rumours, propaganda, bribery, blackmail, and reputation. Each of the ‘Tricks of the Trade’ is treated in similar, detailed fashion, as the ‘Tools of the Trade’, which covers climbing, picking locks, making a getaway, and more.

For poisons, HARP Subterfuge does consider their implications and effects upon culture and society. This includes their use as medicines (depending upon dosage), in mysticism and cults to instil trance, euphoric, or hallucinatory states, in hunting and war—the latter typically held as dishonourable, and in general, their use being regarded as taboo. Of course, this is not going stop the Player Characters or NPCs from using poison, so sources of poison are examined, rules for harvesting and cultivating sources, preparing, and using them are all provided. The later includes applying poisons to weapons, adding them to food, or blowing them as a dust. There is a guide too to ‘Mithridatism’, the immunisation against a certain poison through application or ingestion of tiny doses, as well as tables for the Game Master to create poisons for her own campaign.

The point of ‘Deceptive Combat’ in HARP Subterfuge is that it does not involve what more martial types would call a ‘fair’ fight. Instead of meeting on the battlefield, a deceptive combatant uses every advantage he can—attacking first, ambushes, higher ground, knocking opponents down or stunning them, and so on. Scaling these up and what you have is guerrilla warfare, but either allows weaker or poorly equipped individuals or forces to fight the larger or better equipped. HARP Fantasy Professions which fall under this include the Ranger, Rogue, and Thief, as do the Hunter and Seeker from HARP Folkways, whilst HARP Subterfuge most notably adds the Ninja. ‘Deceptive Combat’ examines various ways in which a combatant will fight less than fair, including dodging, parrying, knocking prone and fighting from prone, taunting, flanking, and more. Then when things get ugly, it also looks at dirty fighting and brawling. Of course, much of this can apply to normal combat too, but it particularly applies to the new Profession of Ninja, which is given a chapter of its own covering Ninja tools, weapons, and martial arts.

Since all Professions in HARP Fantasy can have access to magic, HARP Subterfuge explores several paths via which the stealthy or the cunning can add a touch of magic to their arsenal. These scale up from not actually learning to use spells, but to better use the stored magic in charms, potions, and magical items to actually combining a spell-casting Profession with a Subterfuge Profession, with the new spell-casting Professions in HARP Subterfuge of Beguiler and Nightblade somewhere in between. The supplement examines these in turn, also adding lists of spells from other Spheres that will be useful to subterfuge Professions (some of which come from HARP College of Magics). There are useful lists too, of spells granted by their deity, such as a god of trickery or god of secrecy, for the Cleric/Thief Profession combination, and lastly, the ‘Sphere of Shadows’. This is for the Nightblade Profession and includes spells from the Spheres of Necromancy and Elementialism from the HARP College of Magics, as well as new spells particular to the Nightblade, such as Acute Senses, Phantasmal Duplicates, and Nightblade’s Focus, the latter enabling the Nightblade to enter into a trance state with his weapon to enhance his skill.

The last part of HARP Subterfuge looks at subterfuge and society. This includes its criminal elements or underworld, described here more as an overlay (or as it alternatively suggests, an ‘underlay’) which may or may not dominate a bad part of town. The Streetwise skill is what needs to know in order to get around either and who he might know such as informants, fixers, and fences, plus of course, who is in charge at any one time and who wants to be. This includes organisations too, from the classic fantasy thieves’ guild and rural to heist teams and spy agencies. Amongst these are nomadic groups, suggesting that not all members of a nomadic group engage in subterfuge and gypsies as an example. This is problematic as it veers towards stereotyping, and whilst ultimately that may come down to their portrayal by the Game Master, this could have been addressed in the book. ‘Robin Hood and his Merry Men’ are given as example of a rural organisation, complete with gaol and purpose, membership requirements, group structure, means and methods, which is a pleasing counterpart to the more generic treatment of a thieves’ guild that follows. It is more structured though, as you would expect in a classic fantasy roleplaying sense, and it provides a template that the Game Master can use or adjust as is her wont. There are sections too on loot that a thief might steal, the amount or type depending upon the wealth of the society he is preying on. It includes some new magical items like the Dagger of Silent Screams that five times a day dulls all sound with a foot, including screams and the Gloves of Finnius ‘Four-Thumbs’ (a nice gaming reference there) which an extra thumb, taken from the dead body of a master thief, sown into a finger outside the little finger! The gloves need time to adjust to, but give a bonus to pickpocketing and picking locks, but reducing the wearer’s chance of fumbling in combat!

Of course, the downside to carrying out acts of subterfuge is that a Player Character can get caught. HARP Subterfuge does not simply look at the ways in which a thief might be caught, treated by the legal system—if any, and if found guilty, punished, it asks what constitutes a crime taking into consideration a society’s norms, customs, and laws, and how that can affect a Player Character. It looks at these from point of view of the different Races from both HARP Fantasy and HARP Folkways, as well as what each generally thinks of capital punishment (important, because historically in the medieval-style cultures that fantasy roleplaying games are based, capital punishment was the punishment de jour). Although there is a decision tree that the Game Master can follow to make a quick and dirty ruling—based on the offender’s relation to a group, the justice he faces, the offender’s criminal history, object of the crime and the means, and more—there is no one size fits all system here and ultimately, the Game Master will need to design a justice system to fit her campaign, and possibly more than one, if the campaign focuses on thievery and subterfuge. In response to thieves, there are some suggestions as to possible countermeasures that the law-abiding and/or the rich can take to prevent the theft of their valuables.

Penultimately, and surprisingly, HARP Subterfuge steps away from the mechanics of playing a Thief or subterfuge-type character to look at the ethics—the principles behind right and wrong behaviour, and the morals—the attitude and behaviour of the individual. Backed up by examples, this examines how some actions and outlooks of certain Player Character types can be perceived as negative and ultimately affect both the other players and the other characters. This stems from that the fact that the character type in HARP Subterfuge is stealing or being underhanded, which in today’s society is regarded as immoral in the first case and at least frowned upon in the second. After all, the character type that is likely to be the most selfish is the Thief and if that extends to theft from the rest of the party, that can have consequences in and out of the game. Really, what the section is doing is suggesting that the Game Master and her players consider the personal versus group dynamics of the party and set boundaries in terms of what their characters will and will not do. Of course, not every group of players is going to want to address this or even feel the need to do so, but it is there if they do. Certainly, for some groups, it is definitely something to think about.

Lastly, HARP Subterfuge includes an appendix that outlines the long con, which like earlier chapters, looks at different applicable Professions and skills and Talents, how the different Races and Cultures regard them, how to handle the Manoeuvres necessary to carry one off, all the way down to the ethics and morals involved. This is a great addition to the rest of the book, since it sets up the possibility of a mini-campaign focused on a single job in which the Player Characters prey upon the trust and/or greed of others, but emphasising verbal interaction as much as physical action, if not more.

Physically, HARP Subterfuge is neat and tidy. The artwork varies in quality, and in the main, this is a text-heavy book with a lot of detail. This does not mean that it is hard to read by any means. Notably, each chapter is headed by a suitable quote and their sources are listed at the front, so the reader can use them as a bibliography.

How much use a playing group will get out of HARP Subterfuge will depend upon how much it focuses on the activities of the Thief Profession and other subterfuge-based Player Characters. There is content here that will always be of use to the Thief of the classic fantasy roleplaying, whether that is the ‘Backstabbing’ Talent or the use of various Manoeuvres like climbing, laying traps, and picking locks, all of which are described in detailed fashion. Beyond this, there is plenty here that will really benefit a Thief- or subterfuge-focused campaign, perhaps providing almost too much for the Game Master to work through and take into consideration when setting up such a campaign. Ultimately, HARP Subterfuge is the definitively exhaustive sourcebook for thieves and other ne’er-do-wells for HARP Fantasy, with plenty of ways to add variations upon the classic thief- or rogue-type character to an ongoing campaign or focus upon them for the entirety of the campaign.

Your Own Dark Master

The land and all of its good people face a threat. One that has lingered far from the farms and villages, towns and cities, plotting, waiting, slumbering, brooding, all for the time when it is right to rise again and send forth its agents and minions, even its armies and its magics to destroy all that is good, to bring it under its yoke, and to cast a darkness everlasting upon the land. Yet the land and all of its good people are not without hope and their hearts are strong, for even as the great hosts of the dark lord outnumber what armies the forces of good can muster, they have heroes. Mighty of sword, stout of character, strong in magic, and wily in cunning, perhaps it is they who will be able to step forth from their homes and make the great journey across the land, best done in secret, to strike at the lord of shadow. This sounds not unlike the plot of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings or Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series or Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman’s Dragonlance Chronicles series—and it is. It is also the underlying plot to Against the Darkmaster: The Classic Game of Fantasy Adventure, which describes itself as an “Epic Fantasy roleplaying game of high adventure, heroic action, and heavy metal combat.” This is a roleplaying game of high fantasy and high stakes and a roleplaying game with a pedigree. Its mechanics derive ultimately from two games published by Iron Crown Enterprises. The first was RoleMaster, but the real inspiration for Against the Darkmaster is the simpler, more streamlined version of RoleMaster that was Middle-earth Role Playing: a complete system for adventuring in J.R.R. Tolkien’s World. That inspiration is both mechanical and thematic, but although veterans of both RoleMaster and Middle-earth Role Playing will find much that is familiar in the pages of Against the Darkmaster, they will not find their characters forming a fellowship and going on a great journey across the land to heroically confront the dark lord himself, Sauron, but instead a different great evil, either one of the Game Master’s own devising or one of the three provided as examples in the book. This is the roleplaying game with which to play campaigns of high fantasy and adventure, in the process, save the world.

Against the Darkmaster: The Classic Game of Fantasy Adventure is published by Open Ended Games, Inc. and in addition to providing the means for the Game Master to create her own Darkmaster, it explains the rules, provides the means to create a fellowship, covers travel, combat, and magic, details a bestiary, and supports the roleplaying game with a setting and scenario. It starts though, with a discussion of its principles. These include the fact that it is a tale of good versus evil, that the presence and influence of the Darkmaster looms over the world, that previous conflicts between nations and with the Darkmaster have left the landscape dotted with ruins and secrets, magic is dangerous and rare and that the gods watch from afar rather than being directly involved in the doings of the land, and that despite all of this, there is still room for heroism and hope. Along with a lengthy bibliography of the books, films, heavy metal music, and other roleplaying games that influenced Against the Darkmaster this neatly sums up what the roleplaying game is about.

A Player Character in Against the Darkmaster consists of six Stats—Brawn, Swiftness, Fortitude, Wits, Wisdom, and Bearing, and then a Kin and a Culture. He will also have a Vocation, Background Options, and Passions. The six Stats range in value between -20 and +35 and serve directly as bonuses to skill and action rolls. This is a change from roleplaying games such as RoleMaster, Middle-earth Role Playing, and HARP Fantasy where there are stats ranging in value from one to one hundred and bonuses are derived from them. There are thirteen different Kin: Dwarf, Halfling, Man, Wildfolk, High Man, Half-Elf, Dusk Elf, Silver Elf, Star Elf, Half-Orc, Orc, Stone Troll, and Firbolg. Each provides bonuses to a Player Character’s Stats, Hit Points, Magic Points, Toughness Save Roll, and Willpower Save Roll, as well as Maximum Hit Points, Background Points, and starting Wealth Level. Each Kin also suggests suitable Cultures. There are thirteen Cultures, including Arctic, City, Deep, Desert, Fey, Hill, Marauding, Noble, Pastoral, Plains, Seafaring, Weald, and Woad. A Culture provides Ranks in a Player Character’s skills and Spell Lores, typical outfit and equipment, Passions, and additional starting Wealth Level. The Vocations consist of Warrior, Rogue, Wizard, Animist, Dabbler, and Champion. The Animist is a druid or shaman, the Dabbler can do a mix of everything rather than specialising, and the Champion is a mystic warrior. A Vocation provides Development Points for the player to assign to his character as well as skill bonuses.

Skills are divided into seven categories—Armour, Combat, Adventuring, Roguery, Lore, Spells, and Body. The individual skills with each category are broad in nature, for example, Blunt, Blades, Ranged, Polearms, and Brawl for Combat, and Acrobatics, Stealth, Locks & Traps, Perception, and Deceive. Several Speciality Skills are suggested, such as ‘Assassination’, ‘Craftsmanship’, ‘Dual Weapons Training’, ‘Swashbuckling’, and more, but these are optional.

Background Options represent a Player Character’s Back Story and what he did before joining the Fellowship. They include ‘Ancient Heirloom’, ‘Burglar’, ‘Heroic Bloodline’, ‘Mundane’, ‘Strider’, and more, each providing a wide range of bonuses and benefits. They are either Minor or Major Tier, of which the player chooses one or the other. A Player Character will have between one and three Passions, typically either a Nature, Allegiance, or Motivation. Here is where the Heavy Metal aspect of Against the Darkmaster first comes to the fore, the book suggesting that a player select a Passion based on a Heavy Metal song along with providing numerous examples, such as ‘All men are equal when their memory fades’ inspired by Motorhead’s ‘Deaf Forever’ and ‘I was born under omens of greatness and doom’ inspired by Iron Maiden’s ‘Seventh Son of a Seventh Son’. By adhering to his Passions, a character can earn Drive, up to a total of five, and this can then be spent to gain various effects, such as gaining a +10 bonus to a Skill, Attack, or Save roll, reroll a failed Roll with a +10 bonus, reroll a Critical Strike just suffered to try and lower its effect, and so on. Five points of Drive can be spent to set the result of a roll to 100, add a +20 bonus to a Critical Strike Roll, and so on.

One interesting use of Drive is to track Milestones and Revelations. For every ten points of Drive spent, a Player Character gains a ‘Milestone’. This can then be used to unlock a ‘Revelation’ about themself, perhaps when they are resting after an adventure and have had time to reflect or at a moment of crisis. Mechanically, it is used to permanently improve a Stat, the number of Magic Points a Player Character has, or improve an item as they come to master its use. Narratively, this should make sense within the flow of play and it needs to be approved by all of the players.

Of the choices for character creation, the Dusk Elf is roughly the equivalent of the Wood Elf and the Star Elf the High Elf, and the Wildfolk the Woses and the High Man the Númenóreans or Dúnedain from Middle-earth. So, there are parallels between Against the Darkmaster and Middle-earth Role Playing in the options open to the players. Some of the options are not necessarily heroically Tolkienesque, such as the Orc and Half-Orc, but nevertheless, they could be in the Game Master’s own campaign or kept as servants of the Darkmaster. Of the Cultures, the Marauding Culture is not intended for the Player Characters, but for use by the Game Master to create servants of the Darkmaster.

To create a character, a player can either roll for his Stats or opt for a point-buy method. Similarly, he can roll for or choose his character’s Kin and Culture, but then selects a Vocation. He notes down the bonuses, skill Ranks, and traits gained, before spending Development Points and selecting Background Options and Passions. The process is not complex, but is a little lengthy. One issue perhaps is keeping track of the differences between the Skill bonuses from Kin and Vocation, the skill Ranks provided by a Vocation, and the Development Points also provided by a Vocation which the player spends to assign further skill Ranks. Ultimately, they all provide bonuses, but from slightly different sources.

Name: Jarbad Duskheart
Kin: Dwarf
Culture: Weald
Vocation: Animist

STATS
Brawn +05 Swiftness +05 Fortitude +30 Wits +15 Wisdom +15 Bearing +20

Hit Points: 80 Maximum Hit Points: 150
Magic Points: 04 Drive: 1
Toughness Save Roll: +55 Willpower Save Roll: +40
Wealth Level: 1
Movement: 15
Defence: +05

TRAITS
Dark Sight, Forgekin, Stoneborn, Superstitious

BACKGROUNDS
Dark Past (Minor), Shapechanger (Major)

PASSIONS
Nature: I will live by the Laws of Nature under the Silver Stars.
Allegiance: My tribe, freed of Darkmaster’s grasp
Motivation: I will free my tribe, I will free all

SKILLS
Skill / Stat / Rank & Bonus / Vocation / Kin / Special / Item / Total
Armour
Armour / +05 (SWI) / 01 & +05 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +05
Combat
Blunt / +05 (BRN) / 01 & +05 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +10
Blades / +05 (BRN) / 00 & +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +05
Ranged / +05 (SWI) / 01 & +05 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +10
Polearms / +05 (BRN) / 02 & +10 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +15
Brawl / +05 (BRN) / 02 & +10 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +15
Adventuring
Athletics / +05 (BRN) / 02 & +10 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +15
Ride / +05 (SWI) / 00 & +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +05
Hunting / +15 (WIT) / 04 & +20 / +05 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +40
Nature / +15 (WSD) / 04 & +20 / +15 / +20 / +00 / +00 / +70
Wandering / +15 (WSD) / 03 & +15 / +20 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +50
Roguery
Acrobatics / +05 (SWI) / 00 & +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +05
Stealth / +05 (SWI) / 02 & +10 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +15
Locks & Traps / +15 (WIT) / 00 & +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +15
Perception / +15 (WSD) / 02 & +10 / +05 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +30
Deceive WIT / +15 (WIT) / 00 & +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +15
Lore
Arcana / +15 (WIT) / 01 & +05 / +10 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +30
Charisma / +20 (BEA) / 01 & +05 / +05 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +30
Cultures / +15 (WIT) / 02 & +10 / +05 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +30
Healer / +15 (WSD) / 01 & +05 / +20 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +40
Songs & Tales / +20 (BEA) / 01 & +05 / +05 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +30
Spell Lores
Aspects of Nature / +15 (WSD) / 01 & +05 / +10 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +20
Master of Animals / +15 (WSD) / 01 & +05 / +10 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +20
Master of Plants / +15 (WSD) / 01 & +05 / +10 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +20
Healing / +15 (WSD) / 02 & +10 / +10 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +35
Body
Body / +30 (FOR) / 02 & +10 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +00 / +40

Mechanically, Against the Darkmaster is ‘Powered by Open00’. The core resolution involves rolling percentile dice and adding the value of a Stat or Skill total. The roll is open-ended, meaning that if the player rolls ninety-six or above, he rolls again and adds to the total. Similarly, if he rolls four or less, he rolls again and deducts from the total. A result of four or less is a critical failure, between five and seventy-four is a failure, between seventy-five and ninety-nine is a partial success, a result of one-hundred or more is a success, and anything over one-hundred-and-seventy-five is a critical success. Modifiers range from Challenging and ‘-10’ to Insane and ‘-70’. Once rolled, dice results are final. Save Rolls are made against a Player Character’s Toughness Save for physical effects and Willpower Save Roll against fear, illusion, and mind control. Either way, the roll is made against the Save Roll Difficulty. Either way, the roll is made against the Save Roll Difficulty which is determined by the Attack Level of the effect or the result of the spell rolled by the caster.

Combat in Against the Darkmaster breaks its action down into rounds consisting of several phases—Assessment, Action Declaration, Move, Spell A, Ranged A, Melee, Ranged B, Spell B, and Other Actions. Actions in combat consist of Full Actions, Half Actions, and Free Actions. Full Actions include making a melee or ranged attack, casting a non-instantaneous spell, and moving at full Move Rate, whilst Half Actions can be readying an item or drawing a weapon, casting an instantaneous spell, and taking a Half Movement to engage a foe in melee. During a Round, a Player Character can take a Full Action and a Free Action, two Half Actions, or a Full Action and a Half Action, but both with a penalty. Free Actions include talking, singing, or chanting, making an Assessment Roll, and dropping a wielded weapon or item. The rules also cover aiming, charging, improvised weapons, fighting with two weapons, and more, including parrying, which involves reducing an attacker’s Combat Bonus and increasing his Defence by the same amount.

The actual Attack Roll uses the same open-ended roll mechanic to which is added the attacker’s Combat Bonus—derived from the total skill bonus for the weapon used or attack type spell cast and any situational modifiers—whilst the defendant’s Defence value is deducted from it. The result is cross-referenced on the appropriate table for the attack type (notably weapons are either edged or blunt, there is no piercing damage table) against the type of armour worn—none, light, medium, or heavy—to determine the damage. The damage indicates how many Hit Points are lost by the defendant and may also indicate a Critical Strike. This can be Superficial, Light, Moderate, Grievous, or Lethal, the severity indicating the bonus to be added to roll on the appropriate Critical Strike Table. Here is where there is a Critical Strike Table for piercing weapons as well as cutting and impact weapons, plus Critical Strike Tables for beasts, area effects, and various types of spell damage. Damage can come from a variety of sources, including the darkest of magic and the touch of the undead which can scar a Player Character’s very own soul. This Soul Damage drains the life of the sufferer and typically takes magic or special herbs to heal.

For example, Jarbad is part of a band that has been ambushed by a band of Orcs in the service to the Darkmaster. He is not a skilled warrior, but aids where he can. His friend has been beaten back by a marauding Orc and Jarbad runs over to help him, hoping that he can be enough of a distraction for his friend to rally. Jarbad’s player declares that the Dwarf will charge the Orc and strike him from behind. This grants him a +20 bonus to his Combat Bonus, and since he is striking from behind, the Orc will not get his Defence bonus. So Jarbad’s player is rolling the dice and adding a total Combat Bonus of +35. He rolls 91 and adds the Combat Bonus to get a result of 126. The Game Master consults the Edged Attack Table and cross-references the result against the Orc’s lamellar armour, which counts as medium. The result is that the Orc suffers 14 points of damage and a Moderate Critical Strike, which grants a +20 bonus when rolling the Critical Strike. Jarbad’s player rolls the dice (the roll is not open-ended) and with the bonus, the total is 74 which gives the result of, “Direct shot the chest. If the target’s unarmoured, the strike pierces deep: +8 Damage, 4 Bleed, and Stunned. If the target’s wearing armour: +4 Damage and 2 Bleed.” However, Jarbad’s player decides that this is not enough and declares that he will spend a point of Drive to reroll the Critical Strike, declaring that this is in line with his Allegiance Passion of ‘My tribe, freed of Darkmaster’s grasp’. The Game Master allows it and Jarbad’s player rerolls. This time the total is 144, which gives the result, “Piercing strike to the chest. If the target’s wearing rigid armor: +5 Damage, 4 Bleed, Stunned, and -20 to all actions for a deep side cut. If not: lung pierced, +15 Damage, Stunned, and -50 activity, dies in 6 hours.” The Orc staggers as Jarbad shoves his spear under his armour, forcing him to one knee, unable to act…

Magic in Against the Darkmaster includes the enchanted songs of the Elves sung under the stars, the eldritch might of wizardry, and the foul sorcery of the Darkmaster and his minions. It is divided into Spell Lores, which grant the practitioner knowledge of the ten Weaves within each branch of magic covered by the Spell Lore, from simple cantrips to major feats of world changing magic. The spells are divided into Common Spell Lores, Vocational Spell Lores, and Kin Spell Lores. The Common Spell Lores—Detections, Chanting, Cleansing, Eldritch Visions, Eldritch Might, Eldritch Wards, Lore of Nature, Movements of Nature, Nature’s Path, and Sounds & Lights—can be learnt by anyone, but only to a limited extent. Both the Silver Elf and Star Elf Kin have access to the Vocational Spell Lores of Elven Lore and Spell Songs, and can learn these whatever their Vocations. The Animist Vocation learns Spell Lores like Channelling, Earth Mould, and Master of Animals, whilst the Wizard learns Spell Lores such as Eldritch Fire, Eldritch Storm, Illusions, and Mind Control.

A Spell Lore has ten Ranks and each Rank grants knowledge of one Weave or spell. For example, as Jarbad Duskheart has only the one Rank in the Masters of Nature Spell Lore, the only spell he knows is Hinder, which turns the surrounding terrain into arduous for his enemies as roots and branches seem to grasp at them, whilst for the Healing Spell Lore, he has two Ranks and knows the Heal spell which hastens natural healing and the Clotting spell which reduces the blood loss from Bleeding Wounds.

Casting spells requires concentration and a caster can gain a bonus for concentrating for a single round and longer. A spell can also be cast without this concentration, but is done at a penalty. Some spells can be cast to greater effect, improving both their Weave and their Magic Point cost. This is called Warping. For example, Frostbite is a Rank Two spell from the Eldritch Frost Spell Lore. Its effect is to numb a target with cold, leaving them sluggish, inflicting a -20 penalty on all actions, but a caster could increase this penalty by another -20 up to a maximum of -100 for increase in the Weave of two each time. Spells can also be overcast for greater effect, typically from a magical ritual, self-sacrifice, and the correct celestial alignment. Overcasting a spell is more difficult, but does increase the Weave.

However, casting spells is not without its dangers within a land beset by the Darkmaster. If a player rolls doubles whilst his character casts a spell, the Game Master must make a ‘Magical Resonance Roll’. Depending on the location where the spell is cast and the type of spell, nothing might happen except for an inquisitive shadow fleetingly passing over, or the Darkmaster might be alerted to the caster’s presence or location and send his servants after him. A simple failure to cast a spell can also leave the caster stunned, the spell affecting someone other than the target, or worse.

Against the Darkmaster also provides detailed rules for movement—and specifically, extended travel, and the hazards and perils that a fellowship might face, complete with tables of possible hazards, terrain by terrain. The rules also cover campsites and the establishment, finding, and use of safe havens. These are intended to be exceptional locations, places where the Player Characters can rest and recuperate, but also train and mediate, study and conduct research, or simply relax, and eventually, even retire. Beyond the core rules, there is advice for the Game Master in terms of preparing and running the game, covering the principles of the role, how to pitch the game to the players, develop a scenario and a campaign, handling NPCs, running battles and war and how to involve the Player Characters, and more. There are options for generational play, play beyond Level Ten, and low magic campaigns, in which case, the Animist, Champion, Dabbler, and Wizard Vocations are replaced by the Sage Vocation. The bestiary, from Awakened Tree, Boggart, and Demon to Wild Best, Wight, and Wraith, is short with just thirty entries, but all feel appropriate to add to a Tolkienesque setting.

Against the Darkmaster does include magical items, but they are not intended to be common within a campaign, each item feeling special and unique, complete with a history. They include potions, items that grant skill or Stat bonuses or extra Magic Points, items that cast spells, weapons that have slaying ability woven into them that always ensure that any Critical Strike is lethal, and so on. There are notes on cursed items, enchanted materials, items of power that require attunement. The rules are supported with a treasury of various potencies.

Of course, the signature NPC in Against the Darkmaster is the Darkmaster itself. In Middle-earth and The Lord of the Rings, the Darkmaster is, of course, Sauron, the Dark Lord. In Against the Darkmaster, the Game Master gets to create her own. This includes creating a suitable epithet like ‘The Timeless Dark of Hate’ or ‘The Black Angel of Despair’, and a Covet Artefact, complete with power, drawback, bane, and prophecy. For example, the spear, which can be thrown at any foe in sight, slaying them, but there is one champion who will be able to catch it and throw it back at the wielder, killing him, whilst the spear will impale the heart of the Darkmaster, putting Him at rest. Should it ever be pulled out, the Darkmaster will be returned to life. To this, the Game Master can add servants, a dark place, and dark powers, including eldritch horror, life scourge, offering dark temptation, and heralding eternal winter. The mark of the Darkmaster upon a Player Character is measured by Taint, typically when a Dark Spell Lore is learned or a Tainted Magic Item is used. Taint corrupts a Player Character’s Passions, so that his Motivation becomes an Obsession, then his Allegiance a Dark Oath, and their Nature a Perversion. After this, the Player Character becomes an NPC. It is possible to find redemption from this, but only the one attempt can be made. There is good advice on exploring the how and why a Darkmaster came to be, and how to create his appearance and goals, and there are also three, ready-to-use examples, including ‘The Horned King of Annwn’, ‘The Witch Queen of Despair’, and ‘The Blood Lord of War’. These three and the details of the Dark Sorcery and Necromancy Spell Lores that follow, are presented on, thematically and appropriately, enough, black pages!

Rounding out Against the Darkmaster is ‘Shadows of the Northern Woods’, a complete mini-setting and campaign consisting of three scenarios, plus six pre-generated Player Characters and example Passions appropriate to the setting. That setting is the fortified settlement of Willow Lake and the surrounding vale. Whilst an ancient Darkmaster lurks on the other side of the mountains to the north, the scenarios involve hunting for a beast that stalks the surrounding area that has recently gone from killing livestock and stealing things to killing an inhabitant of Willow Lake, attempting to deal with the real threat to Willow Lake as the settlement is attacked by a scouting party from the Darkmaster’s army to the north, and preventing the destruction of Willow Lake, so saving everyone in the process. The region is nicely detailed and together the three scenarios should provide multiple session’s worth of playing, taking the Player Characters up to Level Three. If the tone of the campaign is suitably Tolkienesque, the setting still feels like a setting for a more generic fantasy roleplaying campaign. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but an indication that it is written to be played and concessions have had to be made.

Against the Darkmaster can be played as a traditional fantasy roleplaying game and the rules and content do support that. Where it shines though is in setting up and supporting a world imperilled by a great threat personified in the form of the Darkmaster, whilst at the same constraining some of the wider excesses of more traditional fantasy roleplaying games with a relatively limited bestiary and availability and choice of magical items. The lack of the latter makes them more interesting and important when they do appear and means that the Player Characters will be relying very much on their own skills and spells. In some ways this feels more like low rather than high fantasy, but the Player Characters do all have access to magic if they want it and they and their world are threatened by a great and powerful magic. In addition, within this framework, Against the Darkmaster provides plenty of options and advice on changing aspects of the rules, so that the Game Master and her players can play the game how they want.

Physically, Against the Darkmaster is a massive book, done in black and white. It is well written—though it does need an edit in places, it is easy to read, the artwork has a classic fantasy roleplaying feel to it, and its looks are deceptive. It is a big book, but the layout is quite open so that it never feels cramped or as if you can never find anything.

Against the Darkmaster: The Classic Game of Fantasy Adventure is not a direct retroclone of Middle-earth Role Playing: a complete system for adventuring in J.R.R. Tolkien’s World, but then it does not claim to be. Instead, it is heavily inspired by Middle-earth Role Playing, so much so that it does not so much wear that inspiration on its sleeve as wrap it around itself like a hooded elven cloak with an evil lord (who is definitely not Sauron) attached like an elven brooch. This it builds around a classic percentile system that is presented in an impressively clean, tidy, and accessible fashion with options and suggestions to adjust the game however the Game Master and her players want. The result is that for the group that wants to play classic roleplaying game in a Tolkienesque style, then Against the Darkmaster: The Classic Game of Fantasy Adventure is a great choice.

1984: Middle-earth Role Playing

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.

—oOo—

Middle-earth Role Playing: a complete system for adventuring in J.R.R. Tolkien’s World was published in 1984 by Iron Crown Enterprises, Inc., then best known for the complex fantasy roleplaying game, Rolemaster, recently republished in a new edition as Rolemaster Unified CORE Law. Known by the abbreviation, MERP, It was intended to introduce roleplayers to the world of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and the fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to roleplaying, as was made clear in the introduction: “J. R .R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth provides an ideal setting for a fantasy role playing game. It is a reflection of our world as we perceive it, as well as a construction of mythology by a great and learned man. Middle-earth is itself undying, living in the minds of all who tread its paths. Each reader adds to it his or her own vision. It is only natural, then, to use this incredible foundation in a fantasy role playing context. In this way those close to Middle-earth can experience it in a new way, filling the gaps and discovering the mysteries that have always concerned them.”

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.

Magic in Middle-earth Role Playing is divided into two broad types. ‘Essence’, utilised by Mages and Bards draws from the power of the world itself, whilst ‘Channelling’, cast by Animists and Rangers, draws from the power of the Valar. Spells are organised into six categories: Essence Open Lists, Mage Lists, Bard Lists, Channelling Open Lists, Animist Lists, and Ranger Lists. Individual lists—of which there are forty-eight in Middle-earth Role Playing! Each list contains ten spells, for a grand total of four-hundred-and-eighty spells… There are spell lists for ‘Physical Enhancement’, ‘Unbarring Ways’ for unlocking things, ‘Ice Law’, ‘Wind Law’, ‘Controlling Songs’, ‘Path Mastery’ for paths and routes, ‘Organ Ways’ and ‘Bone/Muscle Ways’ for healing, and so on. The range of spells is impressive and actually some of do feel appropriate to the setting. For example, ‘Plant Mastery’ with its Plant Lore, Instant herbal Cures, Herb Mastery, are suitably low key, but not all spells and not all spell lists.

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.

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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.

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For Dave Paterson because he loves it so.