OTE: As has been the case for years, many of the files LINKED to from this site, links to servers that are NOT associated with Merp.com. Most notably, the ICE MERP downloads, none of them are on the Merp.com site, instead on sites around the world. Merp.com merely LINKS to these remote locations. Use caution since we have no control over those files. Disclaimers The new version (5.0) of this site was launched Sunday March 7th, 2004. As of October 21st, 2006, since September 2004, we had over 11,1120 new registered users! Merp.com first started as a BBS aroun 1994, and has been on the Internet at Merp.com since 1998. We were steadily gaining 50,000+ hits per month, in February 2005 we reached over 1,500,000+ unique visitors per month! And between the mirrors around the world, we're seeing an average of 10-20 Gigabytes a day in downloads! We very much need more mirror sites, so please contact us if you are willing to help mirror either/both the website and/or the downloads archives. This front page last updated: October 21st, 2006 This site is best viewed with a minimum screen resolution of at least 1024x768

The primary purpose of this site is to help current RPG gamers (Role Playing Game) and Middle Earth fans, enlighten & assist new ones, or provide information for those who are just curious what it's all about.

This is a completely volunteer run, decentralized, non-business entity, non-profit (no revenue of any kind, all costs covered by volunteers out of their own pocket) site dedicated to fans who like to role play in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.
Disclaimers.
In case you're not familiar with any terms on this site, please visit the Glossary (Coming soon) for definitions of any Middle-Earth, Tolkien, or RPG terms.

Disclaimers

If you had a registered account on the old site (before March 2004), you will have to (re-)register a new account on this new version of the site.
Click here to read more information about why this was/is necessary..
We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope you enjoy all this site has to offer.

On this site you will find plenty of information on role-playing games, especially adapting/using them in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. You will find all resources and downloads completely free for:

• ICE MERP Rulebooks, Modules, and References ready for download
• Decipher LotR (Lord of the Rings) resources
• Adapting various game systems (Rolemaster (RM / RM2 / RMFRP / RMSS ) Dungeons and Dragons ( AD&D / D&D / d20 ), HarnMaster, GURPS, HERO, Decipher LOTR (Lord of the Rings (such as Helm's Deep, Moria, Cities and Strongholds,Sourcebooks, Fell Beasts and Wondrous Magic, Heor's Journal, Narrator's Screen, The Two Towers, Fellowship of the Ring, Return of the King) role playing game to fit your preferences for Middle earth gaming), as well as the Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, War of the Ring and many others for gaming in Middle-earth, using whatever system you like. This site will help you find the resources, chat with authors and contributors, and guide you in playing in this wonderful rich world of Arda created by J.R.R. Tolkien's wonderful imagination (for the sake of somewhere to put his language(s) of Elvish to use).
• Magazine articles and entire publications (viewable online and for download) from various publications (OtherHands, etc.) over the years related to middle earth
• Mailing lists, chatrooms, web forums, and many other live community interactive resources
• Unique Essays on Tolkien and his works from published authors such as Michael Martinez and Chris Seeman
• Complete catalogs of related material useful for gaming in Middle Earth (ICE, Decipher, RPGs, Atlases, Compendiums and much more)

Since the New Line Cinema movies by Peter Jackson; (FOTR) Fellowship of the Ring, (TTT) The Two Towers, and (ROTK) Return of the King, this site's traffic has skyrocketed. Merp.com has been growing since 1998, with roots going back many years before that with the merp@merp.com mailing lists, and it's predecessors at silent-tower.org, and even the BBS days of the 1980s.

Many of the authors of published rpg modules are on these lists and this site, as well as thousands of avid gamers/fans.
We need your feedback, so please feel free to post via chat, forums, or mailing-lists.

NOTE: (Disclaimers.) The original designers of the ICE MERP system (Iron Crown Enterprises version) can no longer have anything to do with any Tolkien related material (since 1999), so it is up to the huge community to keep it alive. This site is NOT, however, focused on any one system. This site promotes role playing in Tolkien's world no matter what the system(s).
Tell us what you would like to see on these pages. By emailing the Merp.com Volunteer team at: webmaster at merp dot com.

Disclaimers.
Merp.com has lots of original and/or author approved content (essays and such), as well as news, chat, mailing lists, and much more.
The more the community gives the more everyone benefits.

For any questions or issues, please feel free to CONTACT US at webmater[at}merp dot com or join the merp.com mailing list.

If you've never heard of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, or Middle-Earth, you can get more information that is not necessarily gaming related, but focused on those broader topics, at Frequently Asked Questions or the Glossary (Coming Soon).

For those of you already familiar with Tolkien and his works, MERP (Middle-Earth Role-Playing) is a role playing game based on his writings, and the world of his creation.

Those who prefer Tolkien and his works in a more "pure" form, unmuddied by so many third and fourth parties, and the "tweaking" for gaming purposes, may prefer to visit The Tolkien Purists Home (Coming Soon) for resources more specific to Tolkien's literature, and not gaming oriented.

MERP was created by Iron Crown Enterprises in the early eighties. They created the system as a simplified version of their Rolemaster RPG system, and modified a lot of the information from RM to fit the "feel" of Tolkien's world. it is hotly debated in the community how well it actually does fit the feel as far as the system, especially magic in Middle-earth, but the source material for modules, campaigns, references etc. has no current equal in content, in the 20+ years since it's inception. Hopefully Decipher's (and other's) attempts will work our over the coming years.

Decipher has since acquired the licensing rights from Tolkien Enterprises to make gaming products based on The Lord of the Rings movies and books. They call it The Lord of the Rings Role Playing Game, abbrieviated as LotR RPG.

Many thanks to Planetmirror for their mirroring services!