Middle Earth Roleplaying (MERP)

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Well - I think MERP is rather uncanonical, but if you take the racial descriptions and such with a pinch of salt, I think it's very enjoyable. And after a while you might get bored with the system because (unlike Ibrin implies ) it is very simple, maybe even too simple. Anyway, I think it's very nice, especially for tabletop RPG novices.

I agree that MERP was quite uncanonical (a lot of invented stuff in there, and not all very sensible), and the game was easy enough to play, but the players I worked with took FOREVER to do the character set-up, very likely because it required them to make too many choices and they just didn't want to decide (you might get the idea that I was working with a bunch of idiots. All too many were, alas. More interested in just rolling dice than in using their brains). I should point out that this was with the last available version of the system, which may not have been the same as earlier versions. Don't know, frankly. I never use pre-made scenarios, nor have I ever used a game playing system as I got it (and I go back to the very first version of D&D, in a little cardboard box, printed by mimeo). I always change things. Just my way.

[Rhugga II]

Thanks so much for your insights, guys. Just curious if any of you modified the order of actions in battles - as someone who comes from an initiative-type background, it is really hard for me to conform to their system.