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MERP - Bree and The Barrow-Downs

This document summarizes an adventure module for Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP) called "Bree and the Barrow-Downs". It provides background information on the villages of Bree, Archet, Staddle and Combe as well as the forest of Chetwood and Barrow-Downs. It includes maps of the locations, descriptions of the people and politics, and encounters in the Barrow-Downs. While light on fully fleshed out adventures, it serves as a detailed sourcebook for running a campaign in and around Bree.

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958 views2 pages

MERP - Bree and The Barrow-Downs

This document summarizes an adventure module for Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP) called "Bree and the Barrow-Downs". It provides background information on the villages of Bree, Archet, Staddle and Combe as well as the forest of Chetwood and Barrow-Downs. It includes maps of the locations, descriptions of the people and politics, and encounters in the Barrow-Downs. While light on fully fleshed out adventures, it serves as a detailed sourcebook for running a campaign in and around Bree.

Uploaded by

Sincerus Renatus
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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MERP

First Edition (First Printing)


Product: Bree and the Barrow-Downs
Stock #: 8010
Producer: Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE)
Designers: Heike Kubasch
Release date: 1984
Category: Middle-earth Series Adventure
Module
Format:
Shrink-wrapped
Sourcebook
(Saddle-stapled softcover ANSI A, 32 pages;
Stock # 8010) with six full-color maps of
Bree-land, Silent-Head, and the villages of
Bree, Archet, Staddle and Combe.
Comments: This adventure module was the
first supplement published for ICEs new
Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP) game, as
well as the first adventure published for
Rolemaster (RM) and its Middle-earth Series. It is divided into several sections or chapters,
each containing various information. After a inital section of abbreviations, definitions, map
keys and conversion rules (making the module workable in most RPG systems), there is a
chapter on the history and basic description of Bree and the Barrow-Downs, as well as the
smaller villages Archet, Staddle and Combe, and the surrounding forest Chetwood, including
its economy as set in T.A. 1700. Then follows chapters on politics and power in Bree-Land,
including institutions, fairs and festivals, after which all of the important personalities and
figures of intrigue are described. There are two separate chapters devoted entirely to the
Barrow-Downs, the tombs of the old Nmenrean and later Arnorian kings and lords,
complete with the standing stones, describing their nature and structure, as well as the wrights
haunting the place, making a detailed description of its layouts, complete with enounter tables
for items and magical attacks from the wrights. After this general description of Bree-Land
and the Barrow-Downs follows two chapters with some simple adventures, as well as charts
and tables on healing herbs, NPCs and wild beast. In total, the book contains six major full
color maps, one major and seven lesser floorplans, as well as four illustrations of the BarrowDowns. Much is recognizable from the earlier campaign modules of the Middle-earth Series.
In honesty, there is not much difference as both the campaign and adventure modules are
basically structured in the same way; most of the volume is focused on background
information to flesh out the area in detail. Thus any adventure module may be used as a
campaign module as well, in this case for Bree-Land and the Barrow-Downs. The chapter
with adventures describes each of them with very scarce guidelines, not at all as fleshed out as
in the case with the sample adventures appended to the MERP core rulesbook. So if one is
asking for ready-to-used manuscripts for adventures, as a Gamemaster one will be

dissapointed with this adventure module. But if one is looking for a well researched
sourcebook for a small area, such as for running a campaign in the village Bree, much will be
provided for the GM. Some trivia: The cover is actually a still shot taken from Ralph Bakshis
movie The Lord of the Rings, clearly alluding to that animated movie as a great source of
inspiration for the staff at Iron Crown Enterprises.

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