I love The One Ring and its sibling, Lord of the Rings Roleplaying 5e. They are lush, compelling games by creatives who love the setting.
Free League publishes TOR 2nd edition, along with Lord of the Rings Roleplaying 5e (LotR5e), loosely-based on Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition rules. Despite the different rules systems, TOR and LotR5e are closely-related in scope and accessories, and I will speak of them interchangeably.
(TOR was previously published by Cubicle 7, along with their own 5e port, Adventures in Middle Earth – AiME. These books are now out of print and rare.)
TOR’s default setting is Eriador (Northwest Middle Earth), though it expands into other regions. Eriador is seen in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings: The Shire, Bree, The Barrow Downs, Weathertop, Rivendell, and Moria. At present, there are two accessory books beyond the core book with adventures in the region.
Despite the covers, these books are the same. Decide which rules you’ll play. There is also a Starter Set for TOR which focuses on the Shire (and an equivalent hardcover for LotR5e).
Lord of the Rings 5e in the shop
Middle Earth Roleplaying (MERP)
Middle Earth is a difficult place for roleplaying games. The need for licensing adds another complexity for RPG companies looking to develop a great game and turn a profit.
For 17 years – ending in 1999 – Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE), held rights to produce games based on the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien. ICE released over 100 sourcebooks and adventures detailing the penultimate fantasy campaign world: Middle Earth Roleplaying (MERP).
MERP rules are a slimmed-down version of ICE’s formidable old-school Rolemaster RPG. The system is a bit crunchy, and MERP magic is more like D&D than Tolkien. But as with GURPS, far more people collect the sourcebooks than play the actual rules.
For TOR and LotR5e referees, MERP is a veritable Mt. Erebor treasure trove of material for their game, with a couple of caveats:
- Long out of print. Given the licensing & rights issues, MERP will never be reprinted or offered in legal PDF. That said, TOR refs do not need to buy everything, only what they need for their game. My pictorial guide below should help with that. And bootleg MERP PDFs are widely available on the internet.
- Time Period. TOR is set in Third Age (TA) 2965, between the events of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Most MERP books are set back over 1,000 years earlier in TA 1640. The Witch-King is occupying Angmar, tasked by Sauron to undermine the Númenórean successor kingdoms of Eriador. The Great Plague has swept through the region, decimating orc and human alike. That said, MERP accessories are deliberately written to accommodate other time periods. And the time differential offers some fascinating opportunities. See my previous post.
Middle Earth Roleplaying in the shop
Eriador in MERP
I created this image from the LotR5e poster map found in the core rulebook, adding in the covers of MERP sourcebooks and adventures located in the region. While some of them are overt in their location (The Shire), many are less obvious (Woses of the Black Wood, Ghost Warriors). You can click on the image to expand. We’ll look at these with more close-in images below.
The MERP books are blessedly light on game mechanics, instead focusing on source material and scenarios.
And let’s talk about those glorious MAPS!
Pete Fenlon’s color maps grace most all the MERP books. In the sourcebooks, they are in the centerfold, and removable. Which can be a problem. Many MERP books in the used market are missing their maps! Caveat Emptor.
A Closer Look
Let’s zoom-in on that big Eriador map to see MERP books by region.
I’m not going to describe the publications in detail, since I have already done so at my RPG Reference Site.
MERP at Wayne’s Books Old School RPG Reference
The Shire
The Shire. Where it all started.
Bree and the Barrow Downs. The Hobbits passed through Bree in cinema. In the book, they also had misadventures with the Barrow-wights, and saved by Tom Bombadil.
Weathertop: The Tower of the Wind. East of Bree, the Tower of Amon Sûl was where Aragon and the hobbits were attacked by the Ringwraiths in the movie.
Heading East
Lost Realm of Cardolan. Extending well to the south of Weathertop, Cardolan was a surviving fragment of Arnor. It was destroyed in TA 1409 by the forces of the Witch-King. (Later combined with material from Rangers of the North → Arnor 2nd → Arnor: The Land / Arnor: The People)
Hillmen of the Trollshaws. Adventure in fallen Rhudaur, yet another fragment of old Arnor.
Dark Mage of Rhudaur. Unlike most MERP adventures, this is set in TA 1408. Rhudaur existed in name only at this time, a degenerate puppet state of the Witch-King. Players seek to stabilize the area in the shadow of massing forces of evil.
Rivendell and Angmar
Angmar, Land of the Witch King. For 1000 years, the Witch King occupied Angmar, undermining and attacking the Númenórean successor states. Occasionally losing in his gambits, the Witch King would retreat to his holdings to patiently rebuild his forces. And then, with Eriador left a howling wilderness, he departed. (later reprinted twice as Empire of the Witch-King → Angmar 2nd)
Trolls of the Misty Mountains. Three low-to-mid level adventures.
Phantom of the Northern Marches. Three low-to-mid level adventures.
Rivendell: The House of Elrond. Prominent in both books and movies.
The North
Rangers of the North. Sourcebook details the old Kingdom of Arthedain, and the Dunedain Rangers who kept the flame alive after its fall. (Later combined with material from Lost Realm of Cardolan → Arnor 2nd → Arnor: The Land / Arnor: The People)
Rogues of the Borderlands. Adventure in the wilds bordering the Elven Kingdom of Lindon and the Dwarves of the Nan-i-Naugrim.
The Northern Waste. Sojourn with the Lossoth of the frigid north. Explore the cyclopean wreckage of Angband, birthplace of dragons and ancient stronghold of Morgoth.
Southwest
Two adventures set in the wild and thickly-forested Eryn Vorn peninsula.
Raiders of Cardolan.
Woses of the Black Wood.
Southeast
Thieves of Tharbad. An inland port built by the Númenóreans at a ford crossing the Gwathló / Greyflood to protect their mercantile and security interests in Enedwaith. Now a ruins. I explore this in THARBAD (TA 1409 & TA 2965) – Mix Middle Earth RPGs Old & New for an Adventure Spanning Millennia.
Ghost Warriors. “The Great Plague swept these highlands in T.A. 1636, but now a worse evil scourges the Dunmen. Ghost Warriors roam by night, taking captives to swell their Undead ranks.”
Dunland and the Southern Misty Mountains. Sourcebook for the area. Gorgeous maps of course.
Moria, The Dwarven City. Prominent in book and cinema. (Later reprinted as Moria 2nd edition)
Don’t miss Part 2: Rhovanion, Part 3: Gondor & Rohan, and Part 4: Morddor & Rhun!
See Also: