Ranger REG said:
Really? Who were the former MERP writers now contributing to Decipher's LOTR RPG?
I know of one definite, Chris Seeman. He was involved in writing several MERP books (Kin-strife & the Southern Gondor set), was editor of the line for awhile, was the creator and editor of the much lamented Other Hands 'zine.
Here's a couple of recent things he said on the MERP list:
"I'm still here, busily writing up some Dwarven history for Decipher's Moria sourcebook. I'm doing my best to arrange matters so that there will be a minimum amount of conflict with the MERP material on Dwarves, though of course I won't be able to use any of the invented names that were published in the MERP series. In some respects this is a good thing, since I've been able to bypass some of the deficiencies of MERP's traditional Dwarven nomenclature in favor of names drawn from the Voluspa (which is where Tolkien got his from)."
"
The other thing that is of a little concern is the inability to use any material outside of LOTR and The Hobbit. ICE seemed to have some wiggle room in this regard. It'll be a bit tricky to detail the background of many areas in Middle Earth...especially in regard to the Elves, Dwarves, etc.
Yes, that is a big drawback, because the more in-depth Decipher wants to get, the less they are allowed to say. For example, I have to describe the Seven Houses of the Dwarves without using the names Tolkien gave to them in "Of Dwarves and Men." I can describe the Firebeards as having red beards, but I can't call them "Firebeards," because that name does not appear in LotR.
Gundabad was important to the Dwarves, but I can't say why because Tolkien did not reveal it to have been Durin's place of awakening in LotR. In other words, the more detail and depth of coverage, the more Decipher is going to have to dance around and avoid important information. It sucks, but them's the rules that Tolkien Enterprises has legislated.
Still, it is still worthwhile to try and make sure that what _is_ published conforms as closely as possible to Tolkien's intentions. If that can be done while also silently providing bridges to MERP, so much the better."
"My role has been fairly limited so far. I proof-read the Core Rules and offered some suggestions on their Tolkien-accuracy (not sure how many of those suggestions have been taken to heart, as I haven't seen the finished product yet).
I contributed a few entries to the Magic sourcebook, which is similar to _Hands of the Healer_ in its format. Much of it should be usable by MERPers through a few quick game mechanics conversions. My palantir entry details the time-transcending powers of the stones (which ICE had never really explored) so it should provide a few new ideas.
They're supposed to be sending me the Shire sourcebook manuscript for me to proof after GenCon."
