Editing Middle-earth Role Playing (section)

==Critical reception==
In the February 1984 edition of ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'' (Issue 50), Jonathan Sutherland reviewed the various ''MERP'' supplements available at the time, and generally liked them, although he found their price a bit steep.<ref name=wd50>{{cite magazine| last = Sutherland| first = Jonathan| title =Open Box | type = review | magazine=[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] | issue = 50 | pages =12–13 | publisher =[[Games Workshop]] |date=February 1984 }}</ref>

A few issues later, in the October 1984 edition of ''White Dwarf'' (Issue 58), Sutherland reviewed the main rules system of ''MERP'' and thought that it "mirrors the consistently high-quality one has come to expect from ICE." Sutherland concluded that it "is a well-conceived, reasonably well-written system. I can't say it's easy and ideal for beginners but I can honestly recommend that you try it. ''MERP'' gets my vote as best new RPG this year; in fact I've not been so impressed since I first read ''[[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)|Call of Cthulhu]]''."<ref name=wd58>{{cite magazine| last = Sutherland| first = Jonathan| title =Open Box |  magazine=[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] | issue = 58 | pages =12–13 | publisher =[[Games Workshop]] |date=October 1984 }}</ref>

In the March–April 1985 edition of ''[[Space Gamer]]'' (Issue No. 73),  William A. Barton commented that "If you haven't yet taken a trip to Middle-earth via the Iron Crown, I recommend you remedy the situation as soon as possible."<ref name="SG">{{cite magazine|last=Barton |first=William A. |date=Mar–Apr 1985 |title=I.C.E.'s Middle-earth Modules|magazine=[[Space Gamer]]|publisher=[[Steve Jackson Games]]|issue=73|pages=6}}</ref>
 
In the January 1985 edition of ''[[Imagine (AD&D magazine)|Imagine]]'' (Issue 22), Andy Blakeman stated that "by its links with Tolkien, it cannot fail to attract many new gamers into this hobby; and I am reasonably confident that these newcomers will not be disappointed."<ref name="Imagine22">{{cite magazine| last = Blakeman |first = Andy | title =Notices | type = review | magazine= [[Imagine (game magazine)|Imagine]] | issue = 22| pages =42| publisher = TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd. |date=January 1985}}</ref>

In the June 1985 edition of ''White Dwarf'' (Issue 66), Graham Staplehurst thought "Iron Crown has done superb development work on areas that Tolkien neglected or left unspecified." He found the rules system suitable "though not spectacularly original", and the combat system "can be rather bloody, which is no bad thing." However, Staplehurst had issues with the magic system, pointing out that in Tolkien's books, [[Magic (paranormal)|magic]] is a rare, subtle force only used by a few powerful characters, whereas "The MERP system gives these sorts of powers to almost anyone after the acquisition of relatively few experience points; for me, it upsets the flavor of the game and its authenticity." He concluded, "''MERP'' can be used to recreate the great adventures of which Tolkien wrote: going with Frodo or Bilbo or Beren into the lair of evil and trying to escape alive, and it can go some way to fulfilling the desires of people who want to know more about Tolkien's world."<ref name=wd66>{{cite magazine| last = Staplehurst| first = Graham| title =The Road Goes on Forever: Inside Middle Earth Roleplaying |  magazine=[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] | issue = 66| pages =12–13 | publisher =[[Games Workshop]] |date=June 1985 }}</ref>

In the January 1987 edition of ''White Dwarf'' (Issue 83), Graham Staplehurst reviewed the second edition of the rules and applauded ICE for including more material for newcomers, such as an introductory booklet and a short introductory adventure. He also liked the rearrangement of rules, pointing out that "Much of the confusion of tables, lists, and rules has been cleared by a sensible grouping of charts onto single pages and into a larger batch on the rear of the book." He concluded, "''MERP'' remains (for me) one of the more inventive and enjoyable roleplaying game currently available."<ref name=wd83>{{cite magazine| last = Staplehurst| first = Graham| title =Open Box |  magazine=[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] | issue = 83| pages =3 | publisher =[[Games Workshop]] |date=January 1987 }}</ref>

In his 1990 book ''[[The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games]]'', game critic [[Rick Swan]] didn't think that ''MERP'' successfully recreated Tolkien's Midde-earth setting. For that reason, Swan thought that the game was "more likely to find favor with casual Tolkien fans than Middle Earth fanatics, because even though it's a pretty good fantasy game, it doesn't measure up to the novels." Swan concluded by giving this game a rating of 2.5 out of 4. <ref name=swan>{{cite book | last =Swan  | first =Rick | author-link=Rick Swan |title =[[The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games]] | publisher =St. Martin's Press | date =1990 | location =New York | pages =138–139}}</ref> 

Herb Petro reviewed ''Middle-earth Role Playing'', Second Edition in ''[[White Wolf (magazine)|White Wolf]]'' #49 (Nov., 1994), rating it a 4 out of 5 and stated that "For a hardback rulebook of this size, the price is very reasonable. This edition is billed as a collector's, which implies that a less-expensive paperbound printing will be available in the future. I recommend the hardback, not only because of its sturdiness, but so you can immediately embark on the roleplaying adventure of a lifetime."<ref name="WW49">{{Cite magazine |last=Petro |first=Herb |date=November 1994|title=Capsule Reviews |magazine= [[White Wolf Magazine]] |number=49 |page=67}}</ref>

In a 1996 readers poll taken by the British games magazine ''Arcane'' to determine the 50 most popular role-playing games of all time, ''Middle-earth Role Playing'' was ranked 11th. Editor Paul Pettengale commented: "The popularity of the books, we would suggest, explains why the game based on Tolkien's world is so popular. The system is overly complicated (being based on the complex ''Rolemaster'' system - see number 15), and it suffers from the problem of timing. For example, at which time do you set your campaign? Set it before ''The Lord of the Rings'' and everyone knows what's going to happen, set it after ''The Lord of the Rings'' and you've got to make a whole load of stuff up. Still, the supplements are all good, if you get off on bucketfuls of detail and polished prose. Not for everyone, sure, but die-hard Tolkien fans should check it out."<ref name="Arcane14">{{cite magazine|last= Pettengale|first=Paul|date= Christmas 1996 |title=Arcane Presents the Top 50 Roleplaying Games 1996|magazine=Arcane|publisher=[[Future plc|Future Publishing]]|issue=14|pages=25–35}}</ref>

In a retrospective review of ''Middle-earth Role Playing'' in ''[[Black Gate (magazine)|Black Gate]]'', Scott Taylor said "''MERP'', as it is more affectionately called, became the second leading RPG sold in the 1980s, and although mismanagement and rather daunting licensing dealings with the Tolkien estate finally resulted in the games dissolution and the company's bankruptcy, the body of work put out by I.C.E. in a little over a decade remains the Middle-Earth canon for all role-players who truly take the genre seriously."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2011/04/06/art-of-the-genre-tolkien-in-bw/ | title=Art of the Genre: Tolkien in B/W – Black Gate | date=6 April 2011 }}</ref> Taylor also commented on the maps of the game in 2014, "There is, and unfortunately never will be again, an astoundingly beautiful game like ''MERP'' that has kept gamers coming back for over thirty years. Frankly, if you ever intend to play in Middle-Earth I suggest these books being your basis".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2014/04/09/art-of-the-genre-i-c-e-s-middle-earth-roleplaying-part-four-the-maps/ | title=Art of the Genre: I.C.E.'s Middle-Earth Roleplaying Part Four: The Maps – Black Gate | date=9 April 2014 }}</ref>

In his 2023 book ''Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground'', RPG historian Stu Horvath noted, "''MERP'' is a glorious mess. The ruleset, the sourcebooks, all of it — mess ... the system Iron Crown offered feels radically out of sync with the themes and aesthetics of Tolkien's world." However, Horvath felt the game had positive values, commenting, "''MERP'' books aren't trash. They conjure a world in vivid, exacting detail. It may often feel like fan fiction, but it is so internally consistent that it is difficult not to love."<ref name=mahg>{{cite book| last = Horvath| first = Stu| title = Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground| publisher = MIT Press| date = 2023| location = Cambridge, Massachusetts| pages = 136–139| isbn =9780262048224 }}</ref>