Merc: A Modern Role Playing Game of Counter Insurgency
Fantasy Games Unlimited (1981, $12.00)
Designed by Paul D. Baader, Walter Mark & Lawrence Sangee

Players 2 or more
Playing Time indefinite
Period Modern
Scale Tactical
Turn 30 seconds
Map 20mm
Unit man-to-man

Components

Box: thin bookcase box
1 35 page rulebook
2 charts & tables cards
1 clear plastic sniper overlay sheet
1 target silhouette card
1 character sheet
3 different colored six-sided dice

FGU says

“Think of the possibilities: go back to 1954 and go on patrols with the Legion in Indo-China, or search the countryland of Ireland for IRA terrorists, join 5 Commando in 1964, or even lead a patrol of Soviet 103 Guard Army Airborne into Afghan hill country. With these rules and your imagination you can visit Rhodesia, Chad, Angola, El Salvador, Panama, or even Cuba. Of course, your accomodations won’t be first class and you’ll have people shooting at you, but we guarantee lots of excitement.”

The reviewer says

“This game fills a hole in the RPG market ... The opportunities for gaming out the top news stories of today or 20 years ago on a role-playing/skirmish scale are manifold. The game has one of the most realistic playing aids I have ever seen: a clear plastic sheet with a crosshairs printed on it, used as an overlay on a human silhouette for sniping/assassination! ... The game does have several weak points ...

An extensive array of exotic weapons is laid out, yet they are all practically identical ... Many small important points are left out ... All in all, though, this is quite a good game for an (assumed) first effort -- I feel its flaws are due basically to not enough development time and design limits ... I would warn the buyer to ‘approach with caution’ unless he is already quite familiar with the subject matter, in order to fill in the numerous holes.” Brian R. Train in The Space Gamer 59.

Comments

A role-playing game of modern man-to-man combat with rudimentary vehicle rules. Includes a sample scenario. MERC is not as burdened down by charts and excessive die rolls as other FGU RPG’s.

Two supplements were released a few years after the boxed set. MERC: Supplement 1 (1983) greatly expanded the vehicle rules and offered some other additions and modifications to the rules. Campaign Book 1: Rhodesia (1984) included a campaign background and a brief scenario. It also included rules for variable weapon damage which add more flavor -- a feature not addressed in the original rules in the interest of simplicity. A planned Congo campaign book was never released by FGU.

Collector’s Notes

According to their web site, MERC was still available in early 2002 for $12. The Supplement and Campaign Book were also available there for $5 each. While the web site currently appears to be down, the treasure trove of data it contained can still be viewed through the “Internet Wayback Machine” located at www.archive.org. MERC is not listed in Boone.

Other military themed RPG’s and their settings

Behind Enemy Lines - WWII (FASA/The Companions);
Commando - WWI through 1970’s small unit actions (SPI);
Delta Force - counter-terrorist (Task Force);
Freedom Fighters - Soviet occupied U.S. (FGU);
Morrow Project -post-holocaust (Timeline);
Phoenix Command - multi-genre (Leading Edge);
Price of Freedom - Soviet occupied U.S. (West End);
Recon - Vietnam & mercenary (RPG Inc.);
Twilight: 2000 -post-holocaust & mercenary (GDW).

Capsule Profiles:

Mad Monks and Relics
Merc
MiG Killers and Expansion Kit
Missile Boat
Mission Aloft
Mythology