Middle-earth Role Playing: Difference between revisions
Rescuing 2 sources and tagging 3 as dead. #IABot (v2.0beta9)
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Set in the world of ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', ''[[The Hobbit]]'', and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''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.
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 ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20150602012015/http://www.othermindsmagazine.com/downloads/other-hands-magazine-archive Other Hands]'', which ceased publication in 2001. ''Other Hands'' was succeeded by an extensive [https://web.archive.org/web/20130908094818/http://fanmodules.free.fr/ fan module project] and the current webzine, ''[http://www.othermindsmagazine.com/about Other Minds]''.
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{{tropelist}}
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* [[Early Installment Weirdness]]: One of the first adventure modules, ''The Court of Ardor'', centered on a cult of Morgoth-worshiping dark elves in the far south of Middle-earth. This was [[Canon Discontinuity|ignored by later products]].
* [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]]: 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 cavalry.)
* [[Half-Human Hybrid]]: In addition to Tolkien's half-elves and half-orcs, MERP introduced the [http://www.kingtape.se/realmsofarda/index.php?title=Umli Umli]{{Dead link}}, a race descended from the union of Men and Dwarves, who live in the Northern Waste.
* [[Hobbits]]: Naturally. They're a bit less soft and complacent than they are in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', though—the Shire has only been settled for about 40 years, and a lot of Hobbit clans are still wandering in the Wild.
* [[Lady of War]]: [http://www.kingtape.se/realmsofarda/index.php?title=Adûnaphel Adûnaphel]{{Dead link}}, the only female Ringwraith.
* [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]]: [http://www.kingtape.se/realmsofarda/index.php?title=Nazgûl The nine Ringwraiths]{{Dead link}}, each of whom was given a distinct backstory and personality.
{{reflist}}
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