History TableTopGame / MiddleEarthRolePlaying

''MERP'' went out of publication in 1996 and the license reverted to the Tolkien Estate. Other Middle-earth [=RPGs=] have since been published by Decipher (''The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game'', 2002-2005, tying into the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Peter Jackson movies]]) and Cubicle 7 (''TabletopGame/TheOneRing'', 2011-present, taking place shortly after ''Literature/TheHobbit'').

''MERP'' went out of publication in 1996 and the license reverted to the Tolkien Estate. Other Middle-earth [=RPGs=] have since been published by Decipher (''The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game'', 2002-2005, tying into the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Peter Jackson movies]]) and Cubicle 7 (''The One Ring'', 2011-present, taking place shortly after ''Literature/TheHobbit'').

Licensed from the Tolkien Estate, ''Middle-earth Role Playing'' (or just ''MERP'') was a RolePlayingGame published by Iron Crown Enterprises from 1982 to 1996 using a streamlined version of the ''RoleMaster'' game rules.

* CallaARabbitASmeerp / [[GratuitouForeignLanguage Gratuitous Elvish]]: The modules often used the elvish names of common animals/objects, even in non-flavour text.

* FunctionalMagic: The sourcebook ''Gorgoroth'' includes an in-depth description of the Sammath Naur (Sauron's forge and laboratories inside Mount Doom), and how the Dark Lord used its capabilities to create the One Ring. For example, one of the six Rooms of Tempering imbued the Ring with protection from decay and corrosion by focusing time energy upon it. Any person caught inside the chamber when it is activated [[RapidAging ages at a rate of]] ''[[RapidAging one thousand years per second]]'' – even Elves fade and die after an hour [[TimeAbyss (3.6 million subjective years)]] of this treatment.

* FunctionalMagic: The sourcebook ''Gorgoroth'' includes an in-depth description of the Sammath Naur (Sauron's forge and laboratories inside Mount Doom), and how the Dark Lord used its capabilities to create the One Ring. For example, one of the six Rooms of Tempering imbued the Ring with protection from decay and corrosion by focusing time energy upon it. Any person caught inside it when activated [[RapidAging ages at a rate of]] ''[[RapidAging one thousand years per second]]'' – even Elves fade and die after an hour [[TimeAbyss (3.6 million subjective years)]] of this.

* FunctionalMagic: The sourcebook ''Gorgoroth'' includes an in-depth description of the Sammath Naur (Sauron's forge and laboratories inside Mount Doom), and how the Dark Lord used its capabilities to create the One Ring. For example, one of the six Rooms of Tempering imbued the Ring with protection from decay and corrosion. Any person caught in that room when activated [[RapidAging ages at a rate of]] ''[[RapidAging one thousand years per second]]'' – even Elves fade and die after an hour [[TimeAbyss (3.6 million subjective years)]] of this.

* FunctionalMagic: The sourcebook ''Gorgoroth'' includes an in-depth description of the Sammath Naur (Sauron's forge and laboratories inside Mount Doom), and how the Dark Lord used it to create the One Ring. For example, one of the six Rooms of Tempering imbued the Ring with protection from decay and corrosion. Any person caught in that room when activated [[RapidAging ages at a rate of]] ''[[RapidAging one thousand years per second]]'' – even Elves fade and die after an hour [[TimeAbyss (3.6 million subjective years)]] of this.

* FunctionalMagic: The sourcebook ''Gorgoroth'' includes an in-depth description of the Sammath Naur – the forge and laboratories Sauron used to construct the One Ring – and its methods of operation. For example, one of the six Rooms of Tempering imbued the Ring with protection from decay and corrosion. Any person caught in that room when activated [[RapidAging ages at a rate of]] ''[[RapidAging one thousand years per second]]'' – even Elves fade and die after an hour [[TimeAbyss (3.6 million subjective years)]] of this.

* FunctionalMagic: The sourcebook ''Gorgoroth'' includes an in-depth description of the Sammath Naur – the forge and laboratories Sauron used to construct the One Ring – and their methods of operation. For example, one of the six Rooms of Tempering protected the Ring from decay and corrosion. Any person caught in that room when activated [[RapidAging ages at a rate of]] ''[[RapidAging one thousand years per second]]'' – even Elves will fade and die after an hour [[TimeAbyss (3.6 million subjective years)]] of this.

* FunctionalMagic: The sourcebook ''Gorgoroth'' includes an in-depth description of the Sammath Naur – the forge and laboratories Sauron used to construct the One Ring – and their methods of operation. For example, one of the six Rooms of Tempering protected the Ring from decay and corrosion. Any person caught in that room when activated [[RapidAging ages at a rate of]] ''[[TimeAbyss one thousand years per second]]'' – even Elves will fade and die after an hour [[TimeAbyss (3.6 million subjective years)]] of this.

* FunctionalMagic: The sourcebook ''Gorgoroth'' includes an in-depth description of the Sammath Naur – the forge and laboratories Sauron used to construct the One Ring – and their methods of operation. For example, one of the six Rooms of Tempering protected the Ring from decay and corrosion. Any person caught in that room when activated [[RapidAging ages at a rate of]] [[TimeAbyss ''one thousand years per second'']] – even Elves will fade and die after an hour [[TimeAbyss (3.6 million subjective years)]] of this.

* FunctionalMagic: The sourcebook ''Gorgoroth'' includes an in-depth description of the Sammath Naur – the forge and laboratories Sauron used to construct the One Ring – and their methods of operation. For example, one of the six Rooms of Tempering protected the Ring from decay and corrosion. Any person caught in that room when activated [[RapidAging ages at a rate of ''one thousand years per second'']] – even Elves will fade and die after an hour [[TimeAbyss (3.6 million years of subjective time)]] of this.

Set in the world of ''TheSilmarillion'', ''Literature/TheHobbit'', and ''TheLordOfTheRings'', ''MERP'' allowed players to run campaigns in any era of Middle-earth's history--though the default era was the year 1640 of the Third Age, approximately a millennium and a half before the War of the Ring in a time when Sauron is only just starting to rebuild his power. The southern kingdom of Gondor is recovering from civil war, while the northern kingdom of Arnor is under seige from the Witch-King of Angmar. The Great Plague has just ended, drastically reducing the population in northwestern Middle-earth but opening up new opportunities for the survivors. Sauron remains in hiding, but his servants, the Nazgûl, gather forces under his banner. The lands are less settled but also more free, and Elves, Men, Dwarves, and even Hobbits might find adventure.

* {{Hobbits}}: Naturally. They're a bit less soft and complacent than they are in ''TheLordOfTheRings'', though--the Shire has only been settled for about 40 years, and a lot of Hobbit clans are still wandering in the Wild.

The game had a thriving fan community rallied around the fanzine ''[[http://www.othermindsmagazine.com/downloads/other-hands-magazine-archive Other Hands]]'', which ceased publication in 2001. ''Other Hands'' was succeeded by an extensive [[http://fanmodules.free.fr/ fan module project]] and the current webzine, ''[[http://www.othermindsmagazine.com/about Other Minds]]''.

''MERP'' went out of publication in 1996 and the license reverted to the Tolkien Estate; other Middle-earth [=RPGs=] have since been published by Decipher (''The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game'', 2002-2005, tying into the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Peter Jackson movies]]) and Cubicle 7 (''The One Ring'', 2011-present, taking place shortly after ''Literature/TheHobbit'').

Because its setting was relatively little-detailed by Tolkien, ''MERP'' was allowed a great deal of creative freedom and developed its own mythos derivative but distinct from Tolkien's, with a close attention to the languages and cultures of Middle-earth. The game had a thriving fan community rallied around the fanzine ''[[http://www.othermindsmagazine.com/downloads/other-hands-magazine-archive Other Hands]]'', which ceased publication in 2001. ''Other Hands'' was succeeded by an extensive [[http://fanmodules.free.fr/ fan module project]] and the current webzine, ''[[http://www.othermindsmagazine.com/about Other Minds]]''.

* HalfHumanHybrid: In addition to Tolkien's half-elves and half-orcs, MERP introduced the [[http://www.kingtape.se/realmsofarda/index.php?title=Umli Umli]], a race descended from the union of Men and Dwarves, who live in the Northern Waste.

* LadyOfWar: [[http://www.kingtape.se/realmsofarda/index.php?title=Adûnaphel Adûnaphel]], the only female Ringwraith.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: [[http://www.kingtape.se/realmsofarda/index.php?title=Nazgûl The nine Ringwraiths]], each of whom was given a distinct backstory and personality.

* AnimalMotifs: Seven of the nine Nazgûl have a helm based on some sort of animal (Akhôrahil and Ren do not). Khamûl's is dragon, Dwar's is a war-dog, Indûr Dawndeath's is an elephant (or more precisely, a Mûmak), Hoarmûrath's is a polar bear, Adûnaphel's is a falcon, and Ûvatha's is a bat. The Witch-king has a helm in the shape of an octopus because the artist mistook [[http://www.amazon.com/Unfinished-Tales-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/B001LFZ7QA/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1335744373&sr=8-13 the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin on the cover of]] ''Literature/{{Unfinished Tales|of Numenor and Middleearth}}'' for the crown of Númenor, which she assumed was a cephalopod (Númenor being a seafaring civilization; in fact, the crown of Númenor was a simple winged helm).
* BigBad: Sauron, naturally--though in the canon setting of T.A. 1640 he's in hiding and is TheManBehindTheMan for his [[TheDragon Dragon]], the Witch-king of Angmar.

Set in the world of ''TheSilmarillion'', ''TheHobbit'', and ''TheLordOfTheRings'', ''MERP'' allowed players to run campaigns in any era of Middle-earth's history--though the default era was the year 1640 of the Third Age, approximately a millennium and a half before the War of the Ring in a time when Sauron is only just starting to rebuild his power. The southern kingdom of Gondor is recovering from civil war, while the northern kingdom of Arnor is under seige from the Witch-King of Angmar. The Great Plague has just ended, drastically reducing the population in northwestern Middle-earth but opening up new opportunities for the survivors. Sauron remains in hiding, but his servants, the Nazgûl, gather forces under his banner. The lands are less settled but also more free, and Elves, Men, Dwarves, and even Hobbits might find adventure.

* AnimalMotifs: Seven the nine Nazgûl have a helm based on some sort of animal (Akhôrahil and Ren do not). Khamûl's is dragon, Dwar's is a war-dog, Indûr Dawndeath's is an elephant (or more precisely, a Mûmak), Hoarmûrath's is a polar bear, Adûnaphel's is a falcon, and Ûvatha's is a bat. The Witch-king has a helm in the shape of an octopus because the artist mistook [[http://www.amazon.com/Unfinished-Tales-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/B001LFZ7QA/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1335744373&sr=8-13 the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin on the cover of]] ''Literature/{{Unfinished Tales|of Numenor and Middleearth}}'' for the crown of Númenor, which she assumed was a cephalopod (Númenor being a seafaring civilization; in fact, the crown of Númenor was a simple winged helm).

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: MERP's take on the Easterlings was very strongly based on Mongol horsemen. (Ignoring the fact that Tolkien explicitly notes they used horses mainly for pulling wagons and chariots and rarely fielded casvalry.)

* AdaptationExpansion: And how. ''MERP'' just about doubled the information available on Middle-earth from what Tolkien provided, and that's no mean feat. For example, they provided unique cultures for the "enemy" Men such as the Easterlings and Southrons, taking them from faceless {{Mooks}} to fully fleshed-out societies.