Table Top Role Playing does not cost the Earth to play. All you need is a Players Handbook a few figures two ten sided dice and an imaginative GM (Games Master). The players handbook contains all valid information for rules, character creation, races, skills, weapons etc…. Figures are needed but only a few to begin with. So with this one Book and a few figures and dice it is possible to start a game then you build your collection, Modules, Figures and other extras to make your game more realistic and enjoyable. Do not forget to invite some friends along.
I personally believe ICE (Iron Crown Enterprises) published the finest works with the second edition being the most well rounded and complete, unfortunately due to the Tolkien Estate revoking rights due to pay hike ICE decided to call it a day and went bankrupt and no longer publish, though Modules are easily found at Game Shops or Online sellers such as E-Bay. The source books are amazingly in-depth with Maps and Towns to further your sight into Tolkiens world, how deep you go and delve is entirely up to you.
The important thing to remember is the possibilities are endless, you can visit anywhere from Moria’s Deep’s to the beauty of Rivendell, from the Gray Haven’s to the dark of Mirkwood. With there being lots of material available, Source Books, Maps, Treasures, Monsters, History all your unanswered questions are answered, how powerful was the Balrog ? How big was Smaug ? What powers did the One Ring hold ? Anything you can think of is included in MERP Lore.
The rules system of the game is a more user friendly version of ICE’s generic fantasy RPG (Role Playing Game) Rolemaster. The Basis is stats of 0 – 100, two ten sided dice are used to determine a result these are added or taken from bonus skill ranks such as weapons or spells, the result is taken from the opponents Defense Bonus and a strike is counted on a Critical Table. The only tricky part is calculating experience although there is software in development to eradicate pen and paper (More Info To Follow). I hope this helps and if you have any queries don’t hesitate to contact me.
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Author: Arwen
The Founder of Middle-earth News. Back in January 2011, Arwen began the site as a small blog that turned into the well-known and beloved community it is today. While she no longer plays an active role running the website, Arwen is always around to engage with fellow Tolkien fans and argue about Balrog wings.
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