Yes, agreed.One of the things I really love about Decipher's game is how they backed up everything in the game using direct quotes and language from the book.
The critical-hit charts from MERP (and Rolemaster) read like they're for a Heavy Metal RPG. They're full of geeky, sarcastic, dark humor:
Blast annihilates entire skeleton. Reduced to a gelatinous pulp. Try a spatula.
That's not Tolkien.