A spinoff of the buckets-of-dice-and-endless-tables RPG system Rolemaster, Middle Earth Roleplaying was suprisingly well suited to the fiction of the Lord of the Rings.
This is the rather more complete Second Edition rulebook:
but in order to make room for more game content they had to cut all the exellent character sketches from the original:
The game system is, compared to most fantasy RPGs, extremely low magic and low powered. Combat is extremely deadly, even with high level characters, thanks to the extensive and occassionaly amusing critical hit tables.
Though, very much in keeping with the books, the game system is a really low-magic one. If you think about it, there's almost no over spell-casting in LOTR. "Magic" is a much less obvious thing.
I'm reasonably sure that in some of tolkiens writings it is mentioned that several of the Istari (immortal spirits who took the form of wizards like Galdalf or Saruman) wandered off east outside the scope of the books.
In some of the MERP sourcebooks they have some of the other Istari going bad like Saruman did and ruling petty kindoms out east.
it mildly annoyed me that the described climates and the topography of Middle-Earth don't seem to line up properly
yeah. Also the map was drawn without really thinking about the actual projection it would be using from a globe.
Middle Earth would be shaped really weird because it doesn't look weird projected onto a 2d map.
Are we sure the map covers the entirety of the globe? I never thought it did.
oh no, just because the north edge of the map must be reeeeally far north (it's all glaciers and permafrost). Though now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure the webpage I read about this (it was a cartographer for fun de-projecting the Tolkien maps back onto a globe) was assuming something like a Mercator projection.
Maybe if it was one of those projections that preserve north / south lines the result wouldn't be so weird.
and honestly desc, this guy seems like a less fearsome political rival down the road
so i'm itt for self-preservation
even if you don't like the books, the game in the OP is pretty neat if you want a fantasy RPG where the combat is super-deadly and magic is pretty rare.
Also damn it people linking Jonathan Coulton because I will be bouncing around listening to him for the next 30 minutes.
you and your chat conservatism are not welcome here
My interpretations of the holy [chat] scriptures are the one true interpretation. And from it we shall have a [chat] vanguard to build a new [chat] nation.
Is infiltrator the tech + sniper rifle one? That's what I beat ME1 with.
Early on it was all about just running in pistol a'blazin. But once you get a good sniper rifle if you crouch you can fire it from the hip without zooming in and just mess dudes up.
Posts
indeed.
Though, very much in keeping with the books, the game system is a really low-magic one. If you think about it, there's almost no over spell-casting in LOTR. "Magic" is a much less obvious thing.
where!!
yeah. Also the map was drawn without really thinking about the actual projection it would be using from a globe.
Middle Earth would be shaped really weird because it doesn't look weird projected onto a 2d map.
8->
I'm reasonably sure that in some of tolkiens writings it is mentioned that several of the Istari (immortal spirits who took the form of wizards like Galdalf or Saruman) wandered off east outside the scope of the books.
In some of the MERP sourcebooks they have some of the other Istari going bad like Saruman did and ruling petty kindoms out east.
it's a well supported OP
and honestly desc, this guy seems like a less fearsome political rival down the road
so i'm itt for self-preservation
sorry what was that
I couldn't hear you over the sound of your ronnie D&D neckbearditry
could you turn that down a little
i hold no allegiance to any one chat
oh no, just because the north edge of the map must be reeeeally far north (it's all glaciers and permafrost). Though now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure the webpage I read about this (it was a cartographer for fun de-projecting the Tolkien maps back onto a globe) was assuming something like a Mercator projection.
Maybe if it was one of those projections that preserve north / south lines the result wouldn't be so weird.
bah, you're looking at this all wrong. Just think of it as long term subsidies to the healthcare industry.
even if you don't like the books, the game in the OP is pretty neat if you want a fantasy RPG where the combat is super-deadly and magic is pretty rare.
UM
I have 3 books and ME3. I think ME3 might win.
okay my character is an elven ranger named Legolas
he's handsome but distant, with a green bow
do I roll for initiative yet
Also damn it people linking Jonathan Coulton because I will be bouncing around listening to him for the next 30 minutes.
you and your chat conservatism are not welcome here
try mississippi chat
My interpretations of the holy [chat] scriptures are the one true interpretation. And from it we shall have a [chat] vanguard to build a new [chat] nation.
I don't know what the obsession with charge is
It's great once you're upgraded enough to kill lower-level enemies with a single headshot.
Before that it sucks.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
I dunno
I like rifles.
Early on it was all about just running in pistol a'blazin. But once you get a good sniper rifle if you crouch you can fire it from the hip without zooming in and just mess dudes up.
I suppose that's true.