[allenrmaher]

I did play MERP back in the day... I still have a fair bit of the material, including the red box. My brother has considerably more than I... including some very rare stuff. The nice thing about HARP for old MERP fans is that it feel a third edition of MERP, it keeps most of the good things about MERP... but really does let you keep playing the sytem you start with. MERP encouraged you to move on to RM after 10 levels or so... which quite frankly we never liked as much as MERP.

The best thing about HARP is the flexible/adaptible magic system, and there are quite a few people out there playing HARP in ME. Some with web sites dedicated to making a very tolkeinish magic system in HARP. (the best sites are in french unfortuantely) I have played in a Riddermark 4th age campaign using old MERP source materials and HARP... honestly the HARP magic sytem is an easier fit than the old RM one was. It is also nice to have a campaign without a cleric in it. Wounds are carried for days/weeks, and herbs and healers make for a good engrosing campaign. (it provides lingering consequence to violence which makes the game less like a video game and more immersive)