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merp [2021/10/26 19:43] – morgothmerp [2026/07/20 17:31] (current) – clarifications morgoth
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 ====== Middle-Earth Role Playing ====== ====== Middle-Earth Role Playing ======
-**//Middle-Earth Role Playing//** ([[abbreviations|abbreviated]] as **//MERP//**) was a table RPG game published by Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) since 1982 until 1997. It was 2nd best-selling fantasy RPG after D&D (according to publisher's statement). Supplement books provided many pieces of lore, both invented specially for the game and taken from J.R.R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien books. The majority of modules were set in Third Age after the [[tg>Great_Plague|Great Plague]] (TA 1640–1650), but ways to adopt to other timelines were usually provided (within the 3rd and early 4th Ages, using 1st and 2nd was prohibited by license). Earliest books (before 1986) were not bound to particular game system and were meant to be played in Rolemaster game system (previous Iron Crown product) or even in concurring Dungeons & Dragons (conversion tables from d100 to d20 were given).+**//Middle-Earth Role Playing//** ([[abbreviations|abbreviated]] as **//MERP//**) was a table RPG game published by Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) since 1982 until 1997. It was 2nd best-selling fantasy RPG after D&D (according to publisher's statement). Supplement books provided many pieces of lore, both invented specially for the game and taken from J.R.R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien books. The majority of modules were set in Third Age after the [[tg>Great_Plague|Great Plague]] (TA 1636--1650), but ways to adopt to other timelines were usually provided (within the 3rd and early 4th Ages, using 1st and 2nd was prohibited by license). Earliest books (before 1986) were not bound to particular game system and were meant to be played in Rolemaster game system (previous Iron Crown product) or even in concurring Dungeons & Dragons (conversion tables from d100 to d20 were given).
  
 Many words in many languages of Middle-Earth were invented for MERP. The article here discusses only it's Neo-Orkish [[black_speech_dialects|dialect]]. Due to popularity of MERP game it had influenced all other dialects, especially Svartiska. Many words in many languages of Middle-Earth were invented for MERP. The article here discusses only it's Neo-Orkish [[black_speech_dialects|dialect]]. Due to popularity of MERP game it had influenced all other dialects, especially Svartiska.
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 ===== The History of MERP Dialect ===== ===== The History of MERP Dialect =====
-<WRAP center round todo 60%> +The first wordlist was published in "Lords of Middle-Earth: Vol. III -- Hobbits, Dwarves, Ents, Orcs & Trolls" (ICE8004, 1989). It was compiled from the previous publications. Out of ~150 words almost a half were Icelandic borrowings and few were from Sindarin. These Sindarin words were pluralized according to Sindarin rules.
-<todo>Write the overview</todo> +
-</WRAP> +
-The first compiled wordlist was published in "Lords of Middle-Earth: Vol. III – Hobbits, Dwarves, Ents, Orcs & Trolls" (ICE8004, 1989). Out of ~150 words almost a half were Icelandic borrowings and few were Sindarin words. These Sindarin words were pluralized according to Sindarin rules.+
  
-The second wordlist was published in 2nd Edition supplement book "Angmar" (ICE2018, 1995). It contained more than 1200 new words, almost 500 of which were Albanian borrowings. However some of these Albanian words appeared in mass at 1st Edition book "Gorgoroth" (ICE3112, 1990) for the first time.+The second wordlist was published the same year in supplement book "Empire of the Witch-king" (ICE4020, 1989) reprinted in 2nd Edition as "Angmar" (ICE2018, 1995). It contained more than 1200 new words, almost 500 of which were Albanian borrowings. So it's safe to assume that Orkish dialect of MERP is primarily spoken in Angmar. However, the same words were used in the Gorgoroth supplement from 1990.
  
-MERP had plenty of NPCs and bosses names (Orcs and Trolls) as well as names for their tribes, with many of them untranslated.+MERP also had a plenty of NPCs and bosses' names (Orcs and Trolls) as well as names for their tribes, with many of them untranslated.
  
 --------------------- ---------------------
 ===== Phonology ===== ===== Phonology =====
 <WRAP center round info 60%> <WRAP center round info 60%>
-The information under this is based on supplement book "Gorgoroth" (ICE3112).+The information under this header is based on supplement book "Gorgoroth" (ICE3112, 1990).
 </WRAP> </WRAP>
  
 ==== Vowels ==== ==== Vowels ====
 +It seems that vowels in MERP tend to shift back and lower. Accent marks (acute) are closer to diphthongs, rather than just long vowels, which are marked with circumflex.
 +
 ^ Letter ^ IPA sounds ^ ^ Letter ^ IPA sounds ^
-| a | [a], [æ] | +| a | [æ] | 
-| á | [a:], [æ:], [eɪ] | +| á | [eɪ] | 
-| â | [ɒ:] |+| â | [ɔː], [ɒ:] |
 | e | [ə] | | e | [ə] |
-| ê | [e] | +| ê | [ɛ] | 
-| i | [i] |+| i | [ɪ], [i] |
 | í | [i:] | | í | [i:] |
 | y | ::: | | y | ::: |
-| î | [ɪ:], [jɪ] |+| î | [aɪ] |
 | o | [o] , [ɔ] | | o | [o] , [ɔ] |
-| ô | [o:] , [ɔ:], [ɔu] | +| ô | [ɔu], [oʊ] | 
-| u | [ʊ], [ʌ] |+| u | [ʌ], [ʊ] |
 | ú | [ju:] | | ú | [ju:] |
-| û | [ʌ], [ʢ]((voiced epiglottal thrill together with "r")) |+| û | [ʊ:], [u:], [ʢ]((voiced epiglottal thrill together with "r")) |
  
 ==== Consonants ==== ==== Consonants ====
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 ------------------- -------------------
 ===== Grammar ===== ===== Grammar =====
-<WRAP center round todo 60%> 
-<todo>Write the overview</todo> 
-</WRAP> 
 <WRAP center round info 60%> <WRAP center round info 60%>
 Information under this header is based on [[https://www.angelfire.com/ia/orcishnations/orcishphrases.html|Orcish Nations]] site Information under this header is based on [[https://www.angelfire.com/ia/orcishnations/orcishphrases.html|Orcish Nations]] site
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 ==== Pluralizing nouns ==== ==== Pluralizing nouns ====
-1st Edition of MERP sometimes applied Sindarin rules on pluralizing nouns (at least borrowed from Elvish languages), but in whole they were irregular. "Orcish Nations" site provides interesting rules of pluralizing nouns which differentiates between subject and object. It used terms "soft" and "hard" consonants, which is usually applied to palatalization, but neither Black Speech nor MERP inventions have them, so I suppose they refer to unvoiced and voiced consonants. +1st Edition of MERP sometimes applied Sindarin rules on pluralizing nouns (at least borrowed from Elvish languages), but in whole they were irregular. "Orcish Nations" site provides interesting rules of pluralizing nouns which differentiates between subject and object. It used terms "soft" and "hard" consonants, which are usually applied to palatalization, but neither Black Speech nor MERP inventions have them, so I suppose they refer to unvoiced and voiced consonants. 
  
 ^ Word ending        ^  Subject  ^  Object  ^ ^ Word ending        ^  Subject  ^  Object  ^
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