FRANK'S GEEKDOM SATURDAY!!!!MERPS. (Franks Personal Roleplay History)M.E.R.P.S. you say?
Yep, M.E.R.P.S.
For those of you who don't know (and as I don't know everybody who reads my blog, that might be many of you) M.E.R.P.S. was the acronym for Middle Earth RolePlaying System.
It was a little game developed by a company by the name of Iron Crown Enterprises.
It was also my introduction into r.p.g's.
But before I get into that, a brief history (and I mean brief) of Iron Crown Enterprises, which is still in business.
Another one of these plucky small role playing companies that managed to stay steady after the rise and fall of T.S.R. and the rise and domination of Wizards of the Coast (more on these folkes another time)?
Not quite true.
I.C.E. was founded back in the mid eighties.
The main systems it supported were Rolemaster and Spacemaster, with the M.E.R.P.S. rules being based off the RoleMasters rules.
The company maintained itself until the interest in r.p.g's dropped off in the mid-nineties, and they finally declared bankruptcy in 2000.
Don't fear though, they are still around. The company was purchased again byAurigas Aldebaron LLC, and is still making games.
Though sadly M.E.R.P.S. isn't one of them.
(To be expected after all the hoopla from the movies i suppose. There is still a middle earth system out there though. Roughly based on the D20 system that is so popular now adays).
So, as I was saying Middle Earth Roleplaying was my firs r.p.g.
And I discovered it, and the world of geekdom, quite accidently.
I played in band.
Ok. I admit I was already a band geek.
But in my seventh grade year we journeyed to the great town of Provo Utah.
There, after our band event, we went to the University mall, where I wandered into a game store.
I was sheltered in Roosevelt, not intentionally, but because there simply weren't many places to go out there, and I was enthralled.
I couldn't make heads or tales out of most of the stuff, but what did catch my eye were books.
Fantastic books.
Books right up my alley on monsters and dragons, and knights.
At least thats what the covers indicated.
So I started flipping through some.
Confused at all the numbers and charts I encountered, i finally found one that said "Beasts of Middle Earth".
This one, too had a bunch of stuff I didn't get, but I didn't care, it had something even better than that.
Descriptions.
Lots of discriptions of different creatures from Tolkiens Lord of the Ring books (and all his other books too set in Middle Earth, though I didn't know at the time).
I poured through it quickly, then bought it with the money I had left over after lunch.
On the bus I was asked if I gamed.
I thought that was a dumb question (because I didn't know what the hell he was talking about), and replied: "No, why?
I was then told that the book I had was a roleplaying book.
I wondered at that.
After all I didn't know what roleplaying was, and I wouldn't really know for another year.
Until then I heard rumors of dnd, and unlike the rumors most people hear, you know the santanic, if you play it your going to hurt yourself ones. these ones were cool.
I could play a knight, or a wizard, or a dwarf.
That sounded fun, though I wasn't quite sure how it worked.
Then, that summer, in a store in a mall in salt lake, i bought the M.E.R.P.S box set.
I knew then what it was, and I thought that it was obvious that this was the system to play in.
I poured through the rule books.
Finally made heads and tails out of the tables and rules (and boy does it have tables) .
Then employed my nephews to make characters so we could start playing.
From there... well you know the rest.
Our first adventures were cumbersome fares at best.
Actually all of them were in that system.
Too many tables, especcially for a 14 year old with poor math skills, a ten, a nine and an eight year old to keep track of.
It did turn my nephews on to roleplaying though.
All except the ten year old, Josh, he played, but wasn't as into it as T.J. or Bo.
They still play if I'm around, well Bo plays now in the marines when he can.
The military folks are notorious roleplayers, in fact I'm the only male in my saturday night game that wasn't in the military, but I digress.
I still have the M.E.R.P.S books. I think it would be fun to run a campaign in it again.
Who knows maybe I will in time.
As for I.C.E, well they're still around, here's the link if anybody is interested, check them out.
www.ironcrown.com
What a mess... well it was, I guess it still technically is.
The production of Polish Joke that I was in has been cancelled.
Too many problems; such as a lead that has ended up having to work during rehearsal times,
the lighting and sounddesigners dropping out. And the director fighting with one of the other cast members....
so yep.
There ya go.
On the plus side, and there is a plus side to it, sadly, I have time to write in the evenings now, which is something that I didn't have before.
So I guess things sort of work out.
I really hope that he can get it up and off the ground again, maybe this summer.
ON the up side, it looks like there's going to be some kickass movies this summer.
Of course it always looks that way.
Now were over the hump of film mediocrity that January and Febuary usually bring, new movies, that are worth watching, will be trickling into theatres.
Of course they won't be coming to Cache Valley, but still....
I'm looking forward to... well, let's see:
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
War of the Worlds.
Fantastic Four...
and of course, Star Wars.
That's only a drop in the bucket.
Think I'll pop over to quicktime's site and see what trailers are up..
till later folks.
It's nice and sunny out today.... and as cold as Dante's ninth.
Man I'm tired of this, I'm tired of winter.
IN five months I'll be tired of the heat.
There is no satisfying me when you get right down to it.
I've decided, i'm going to move to some place tropical, live on a beach and eat coconuts and mangos all damn day.
All of you bitchcakers are welcome to come too.
It will be paradise, though there may be parasites and foot rot.
Water will be a problem too, we'll have to boil it.
But it sounds a little appealling doesn't it, at least for a while.
Of course I'm sure I'll get sick of it too.
It seems I'm trully human.
Never satisfied with the condition in which I'm currently living in.
Sucks doesn't it.
Maybe I'm just angry and I don't know it.
No wait, I DO know i'm angry because it's still goddamn winter outside.
The shows are a mess.
The one acts are going ok, though Last Tuesday is a bitch of script to memorize.
Polish Joke is having issues.
We were on hiatus last week because the director was out of town.
This week our lead is busy working tech on another show, which he happens to get paid for.
If we can't get our shit together by the end of the week, we could be in serious trouble.
As it is we only have three weeks to rehearse, now it's two and a half.
We are definitely going to be pulling some weekend rehearsals out our asses to get this show going.... man it's fun!
At least it is now.
The metalic tang of bile from fear that things won't work out.
Just hope it doesn't turn to vomit.
The sun is shining.
Complete 180 from yesterday.
Yesterday I was in a funk.
The snow was falling, had been falling and continued to fall yesterday.
And if there is one thing I'm tired of, it's snow.
Then there was valentines day... yeah, great, cheer.
I've never been one for that holiday.
Never saw the point to be honest.
But then, I've never had anything better than crushes: mostly my heart.
There are many of you who are married, and many of you that are happy in love; that's great!
Good for you!
Me? I'm incredibly cynical when it comes to affairs of the heart... and I'm a romantic.
Deep down inside I am.
A cynical romantic isn't an easy niche to fit in.
Even when I'm in love, I'm looking for the catch and trying to discover why the love is doomed.
In truth, I'm hoplessly lost in my own attitude towards love.
Now, do I scoff at others love?
Well... yes. I shouldn't I know, but I do.
It doesn't mean however that I don't admire it, and, feel a twinge of jealousy.
But I move, onwards and upwards, though not really.
To wait ends, I don't know.
Just hope I don't get to high, because the fall can be devasting.
Of course, it's not so bad when you're just hovering above the ground.
when I look into your eyes
i see the smile that plays
there between the blue and the white
the dancing
graceful
smile
that your face never betrays
breaks my sadness
when i hold your hand
gently with mine own
the warmth of it gives me
joy
the soft carress
makes my heart
soar
when i brush your lips
the softness of them
against my cheek
or lips
or neck
gives me courage
when i hold you
gently in my arms
i know that
the only grief i'll ever have
is to let you go.
pink
like a soft frabrant rose
nestled in the white of snow
a glint of dew
trembles on the petals
i enhale
the musk fills my sense
and i long to carress
i admire the beauty
of elegance
for a moment
then the rose disapears
waiting
by the heart's candlelight.
for that moment.
the breath of joy.
that finds me
with her in that moment.
together in sweet embrace
i hold her tight
hearts beating music in unison
tears streak my cheek
because of her in that moment
i sigh.
the warmth of our bodies
iginite with joy.
perptual motion surrenders
to ecstacy in that moment.
we sleep
wrapped in embrace
one for that moment.
our dreams
sweet, and longing no more
for we have found
what we seek
in that moment.for all you lovers, all of you who love, and all of you who want love.Happy Valentines Day.
