When I began playing the game 17-18 years ago, I knew nothing of Cardolan. Since it was a Free People aligned with the Elves, Dwarves and with a governance of Dunedain, I assumed it would be a mostly “good” nation. However, the upper classes are generally greedy, selfish, and not at all considerate of their ruled people. This was what I personally found “odd”; Cardolan as a seething cesspool of corruption even with Dunedain in power not just lesser men; not at all what I had expected.
Earnil is conniving and ruthless. Additionally, he seeks to slay Echorion before the young man can come to his age of majority.
Finduilas III is arrogant, authoritarian, and seeks to play the political game without consequence to her subjects.
Hallas is eldest and has a long history of being underhanded and avaricious. Only now, before he dies, does he want to do one good deed. Better late I suppose.
While these Princes are all astute and capable, these Cardolani remind me more of the Robin Hood legendary figures of the Sheriff of Nottingham who has not survived history in a goodly light, than of the good king Richard.
All of my MERP books are still in boxes, waiting to be unpacked, since I just moved to a new house. I now have a renewed interest in looking them over, but I’m on the way to Afghanistan for the next seven weeks, so it will have to wait… maybe I have a book you don’t? (unlikely)
There is one for certain that I do not have. I am not going to recall the name, I only remember the setting and vaguely what the plotline was.
It is set in the deep south of Middle-Earth, way beyond Umbar. It involves a collection of Noldor Elves who fell under Morgoth’s sway. They are attempting to bring Him back into the world. The module involves no one from the MEPBM setting and in fact I believe has only all-new NPCs.
It was ICE’s first Middle-Earth setting. It ran only once, and quickly went out of circulation. ICE swore never to run another printing as they changed their mind regarding the Noldor falling into Evil.
Well, collapsing “good” with either Dunedain or the “Free Peoples” is your first mistake. People are people and power is power. Sounds like a good job on the part of ICE, IMO. Recall, whe n you apparently started playing (seems like before the game existed…?) the idea of a Single Nation Victory was not just prevalent, but doctrine. Cardolan was in competition with Arthedain, no? “There can be only one…” and all that. What’s “odd” here?
Hey, I may be old, but I still have memories, heh. MEPBM has been around for at least 17 years, and possibly even 18. I lived in Florida from mid-1990 to mid-1992. I picked the game up while residing there.
Oo, I know how to help verify. I still own a first print run rule book. I retained it all these years later, though I had tossed my color map over the past decade or so. Consequently, I have two rule books now. In any case, the print date on the elder is 1990 and it has a typo regarding army to pop center combat that was edited out in later print runs. My first game was #6.
So, it was at least 1991 when the MEPBM games began, and possibly 1990.
With regards to the single nation victories, I believe there were 3 winners (top 3 are listed each turn) of an allegiance.
Started playing in 1990. Looking at the final turn’s hard copy it was game 118. This suggests the game had been running for, about, three years at that time. They filled a game every week or two back then.
Yes, all the top three got a certificate. I learned the hard way you had to send the ORIGINAL back to GSI when selecting you nation choice. I faxed one of mine in and tossed the original. Two weeks later a note from GSI saying the wanted the ORIGINAL or I was SOL.
Well … in the LOTR movies, Gothmog is depicted as the crippled orc soldier who leads the attack on Minas Tirith. Where his body failed him, his mind and leadership inspired others.
King Lanaigh – Dunlending fighter – 12th level - 30 CO
The fifth King of Saralainn’s capital is the port of Suduri (hex 1219 Town/Fort/Harbor). The barren lands of Saralainn attracted few inhabitants while the Dunadan Kingdom lasted. The prince was mainly concerned with his tolls on traffic on the river, and allowed a few Dunlending tribes to settle in his territory for rarely fulfilled promises of tribute. The population swelled by refugees from the north and east, and the emergent culture had little use for their princely landlord, rebelling and falling under the sway of Lanaigh’s great-greatgrandfather and the newly proclaimed kingdom. The clans and tribes are unruly, making the Kingdom a rowdy realm. If all the clans and tribes would acknowledge Lanaigh, then the King of Saralainn would be, by far, the most powerful lord in Cardolan, but that has yet to occur.
Lanaigh is no fool, for he is exactly the kind of ruler that his people desire – one who will wrestle in the mud with you and buy you a keg of ale should you win. When sober, Lanaigh is an astute politician, but when drunk, he is boisterous, and has a fast and hot temper.
Pelendur – Dunadan fighter – 13th level -30 CO/10 EM
In Pelendur we come at last to the ideal of a lord of the Dunedain. An impressive man with jet black hair and grey eyes, he could pass for one of the Kings of old. Standing 6’7” tall, he is almost always found in the burnished cuirass and greaves that are an ancient heirloom of his family. There is a definite weariness in his bearing and his eyes though, for Pelendur bears a heavy burden. He guards one of the most sacred lands in Endor, the tombs of the Kings of the Edain – dating back into the dim mists of the Elder Days – against the horror of the wave after wave of undead spirits that seek to take possession of the hallowed ground.
Pelendur is a soft-spoken man who treats King and Cotter with equal honor. He participates in the intrigues of the other Princes as he must maintain his charge, but this distresses him. A master of ancient lore and languages, he is clearly the Prince held in highest regard by the Elves (which is no slight honor).
Pelendur uses a +15 (+3 in D&D terms) undead slaying longsword and a Numenorean steel bow (+20) that offers twice the range.
The principality once ruled from the beautiful town of Feagil south of Bree, but it was sacked in the Battle on Tyrn Gorthad in 1409, and has not been rerbuilt. Pelendur now keeps court in his fortress of Minas Malloth (hex 1510 Town/Tower)further to the northeast. The principality now only controls a fraction of the territory it once did, limited to the southern Barrow-downs.
Because of the religious significance of these lands, the area once had a relatively large Dunadan population, but has been exposed in the wars among the Dunedain and with Angmar, and has suffered accordingly.
Since the Wight Invastion began during the Plague Years (1637 – 1650ish), Pelendur has been a very loyal vassal of the King of Arthdain. The subsidy from Fornost Erain supports the military efforts of the principality, so the few subjects who dare to reside in this haunted land are little molested. There is a fairly large Hobbit population here, most of whom live near the eaves of the Old Forest.
Serving as garrison commander at Sarn Ford, Minastir is the Arthedain Commander of the South. He is the third son of Argeleb II, and knowing he is unlikely to be called to rule, he has devoted himself to a military life. Minastir has terminated his predecessors’ policy of remaining on the north bank of the Baraduin except during interventions. Minastir is hasty to lead his cavalry down across Sarn Ford at the rumor of bandits menacing the North Road. This has done a great deal to improve order in north central Cardolan, but several of the Princes have hopes of exploiting Minastir’s hastiness.
Minastir prefers a simple green rangers garb when he is not in battle. His 6’7” height is not unusual for one of Royal Blood, but he has tan skin and sports a hint of an unfashionable mustache of which he is inordinately proud. His unusual appearance caused much unfortunate and false gossip when he was a baby. Minastir is a man of manners who is respected by his men and is becoming a hero to the local peasants. He holds a singular dislike for Earnil of Girithlin (mentioned in a previous posting).
The primary items Minastir uses are a +25 mithril broadsword that never fumbles and a royal banner that adds +20 to troop morale.
Although Aethelan has no rank above that of any of the other freeholders of Pinnath Ceren, he commands great respect and is the closest thing the Eriadorans have to a leader. Aethelan is no friend of the Dunedain or of any strangers. He is, however, a man of honor who reveres the dead buried in the Barrow-downs, some of who are his own distant ancestors.
Aethelan is a great barn of man. Though he stands only 5’11”, he outweighs most Dunedain, and hardly an once of his body is fat. He is entering his old age, but he is still hale and can wield his axe with a fury. Aethelan can not be mistaken, for his beard has retained its black color while his hair has turned as white as snow.
I know from the Silmarillion that Gothmog was the Lord of the Balrogs serving Morgoth but don’t remember ever seeing anything about him being his son. Where did you get that from? Always assumed he was a balrog himself but checking the entries in the book it doesn’t actually say anything about his origins and he could have just been their commander.
He is the Great Goblin of Goblin-Gate in 1640, while Ogrod is the Great Goblin in 2940 whom Bilbo encountered. Succeeding young to the throne, Urgubal won recognition from the Witch-king with lavish bribes. Time has claimed its toll on the once terrifying warrior, and while a 6’ height and protruding lower fangs give Urgubal a fearsome aspect still, the Orcish ruler is grossly swollen with fat and corruption. Despite his disgusting and lethargic appearance, Urgubal has retained much of his fighting skill that won him power. Even now, when the Great Goblin is clad in his black chain mail and wielding the scimitar, Elfhewer, which never leaves his side, few Orcs indeed would dare to confront their abhorrent lord.
Elfhewer is the traditional weapon and symbol of authority for every Orc-Lord of Goblin-gate. Forged in the late 2nd Age in Mordor, it is a massive 4½’ long scimitar, with a mithril blade stained black and a ruby pommel carved in the form of a dragon’s head. Enchanted to +20 (+4 in D&D terms), it tingles with a surge of power whenever an Elf is within 1000’, and delivers a slaying critical to that race. “Utterdark” spell can be cast 3x/day and the wielder enjoys a continual protection against elements (+20 to saves and -20 to attackers’ elemental attacks such as firebolts). The scimitar is evil and harbors a medium intelligence.
Currently into his 2nd term as Master of Maethelburg (hex 2508, Major Town/Tower), Guntram has amply displayed his expertise at both business and town politics. In his early ears, Guntram was a river captain of some repute, earning the name “Golden-hands” by amassing the largest fortune in town with just a decade of trading. Four ships comprise his private fleet, outstanding by local standards, and Guntram resides in a stately mansion adjoining the Maethelstede. Now rather rotund and balding, Guntram has become the butt of local wags, who chuckle that someday a Giant Eagle will mistake him as a misplaced egg. A canny and avaricious sort, Guntram cares nothing for politics beyond the bounds of his town, and is always looking for profit in any affair.
Guntram’s armor is called “Chain of the Master”, enchanted to provide +10 to defense as well as saves, and also adds +25 to perception and trading skill rolls. (Each +5 equals +1 in D&D terms.)
The thing is that since the Silmarillion was just an edited version of his notes, there is other material that contradicts it.
If you pop onto ‘tolkiengateway.net’, it states that in ‘The Book of Lost Tales’ Gothmog (the original Gothmog) is described as Morgoth’s son. But apparently the idea was abandoned later.
The original Gothmog was killed of course, so the Gothmog in the Third Age is just an orc that’s changed his name by deed poll… or something.
Many thanks. Very interesting. Must admit I never got around to reading the various books of notes Christopher Tolkien published after the Silmarillion as it sounded too much like a rip off. Have to have a look some time.
