MERP

First Edition (First Printing)

Product: Dagorlad and the Dead Marshes
Stock #: 8020
Producer: Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE)
Designers: Ruth Sochard, Peter Fenlon,
John Ruemmler, Coleman Charlton and
Terry Amthor.
Release date: 1984
Category: Middle-earth Series Adventure
Module
Format:
Shrink-wrapped
Sourcebook
(Saddle-stapled softcover ANSI A, 35 pages;
Stock # 8020) with three full-color maps of
the Dagorlad area, and the fortress Tir
Nindor, the rock formation Sarnen
Thuringwath, and the town Eithel Celebrin.
Comments: This adventure module set in
T.A. 1640 describes the swamps, marshes and plains of Dagorlad, the area just north of
Mordor inhabited by Marshmen, Easterlings, Northmen and Gondorians, as well as the
various black races and undead beings, such as Orcs, Trolls, Ghouls, Ghosts and Wraiths. The
module follows the same structure as the previous one and begins with abbreviations,
definitions, etc., before it ventures into describing the area, its plain and marshes, including
the climate, flora and fauna, as well as the peoples and beings mentioned above. Then follows
sections which explain the politics and places of interst, such as the fortresses and villages of
Gondor, the Tombs of Dagorlad, the Lair of the Bandits (Tol Malbor), and the haunted grim
rock formation known as Sarnen Thuringwath. Next follows a chapter that presents adventure
guidelines and suggestions, such as the use of diseases (with appended table), player character
backgrounds and how to use traps. Then follows four chapters each describing possible
adventures, including tables for NPCs and prices. One of these chapters focuses on the parts
controlled by Gondor, the fortress Tir Nindor, and the fortified towns of Caras Gwindor and
Eithel Celebrin. Another chapter is devoted to the bandits of Tol Malbor, and another one with
the mysterious and haunted underground complex of Thuringwathost. The fourth adventure
chapter concerns encounters with the undead at a Black Nmenrean barrow. Each of these
chapters present more or less brief information on suggested adventures as well. In total, the
book contains three major full color maps, of which one covers the Dagorlan area and the
others Sarnen Thuringwath and Eithel Celebrin, and one small black and white area map, as
well as nine lesser floorplans. Compared to the previous adventure module Bree and the
Barrow-Downs this one actually may be described as a true adventure module as more than
half of the pages actually concerns solid adventuring and in total presents five separate readyto-play adventures. However, there is lots of information in this module which presents much

background to flesh out the area of Dagorlan and the surrounding areas in detail. Thus this
adventure module may be used as a campaign module as well for the Gamemaster to create
his own adventures.