Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal - part II

Originally Posted by bconsidine

In my Tekumel(TM), inter-clan feuds are fairly common, but tend to be more of the screwing over your rival in a business dealing than taking hostages. I mean, with all the many requests that a poor, overworked mid-level bureaucrat has to deal with, it's easy for key documents to get "lost". That's why one of Vazh�n hiGurika's many talismans always places his paperwork on the top of the pile regardless of actions taken by the bureaucrat--allegedly.

Blaise

Agreed! Lots of snubbing people at parties and in the street, not doing business with them, the list goes on and on. It's not always about dry-gulching somebody.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Hm. Interesting. So it's not just me.

I guess I'm not modern, then; we always covered the sides and rear, figuring that Something was going to jump out at us. And that is was our problem to have to deal with.

I've always expected to have to guard the sides and rear, too. If we have to march, I put the people with the best back protection in the back, and shield bearers in the sides. If we have to check for traps, we might have the rearguard actually walking backwards, facing the rear. Basically it's a Roman square, with better armours if available by setting and by our funds.
Guess I'm not modern, either?

...now that I think of it, not being modern would explain my distaste of some modern fashionable trends, too!

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

From AsenRG:
I know, Uncle! The first time I heard the concept, it was 2001 or 2002, I said "I'd call it retarded, but I don't want to offend actual retards".
(I was young and opinionated, what can I say?)

Yep; I'm just boggled by the concept.

It will pass, Uncle.
And then you'll know why I insist on calling my games "sandbox". Most people do recognize that the sandbox won't change just because of the numbers on their character sheets, and you can simply say that to the new people. Try explaining the concept of non-fixed branching story to someone, especially with opinions that are already set otherwise...
(A link to the PDF of Regret, With Math by Greg Stolze might help. Or it might not. And ultimately, it would amount to the same thing as "sandbox", so it would be faster to just say it in the simpler way).

Well, don't be too quick to write it off as a "swan song", Uncle! You still haven't replied to my question, below...

I don't know yet; I just don;t know. I think I need some quite for a while, and a chance to get caught up with real life. The new position and schedule is working quite well, these four days in; I'm not stressed and pressured, which is a very good thing.

But of course you should take your time, Uncle!
Also, not being stressed is a good thing, indeed.

I'm also reading it, and liking it...
(And there is also that B�thorm game. I hear you know the author as well...though I think I like Blade and Crown better).

They are both good, aren't they?

Definitely!

From AsenRG:
I've always expected to have to guard the sides and rear, too. If we have to march, I put the people with the best back protection in the back, and shield bearers in the sides. If we have to check for traps, we might have the rearguard actually walking backwards, facing the rear. Basically it's a Roman square, with better armours if available by setting and by our funds.
Guess I'm not modern, either?

Could be; could be. All I know is that Gronan and I seems to have been playing a very different game in a very different style then what I'm seeing out at the FLGS these days.

...now that I think of it, not being modern would explain my distaste of some modern fashionable trends, too!

Agreed!

It will pass, Uncle.
And then you'll know why I insist on calling my games "sandbox". Most people do recognize that the sandbox won't change just because of the numbers on their character sheets, and you can simply say that to the new people. Try explaining the concept of non-fixed branching story to someone, especially with opinions that are already set otherwise...
(A link to the PDF of Regret, With Math by Greg Stolze might help. Or it might not. And ultimately, it would amount to the same thing as "sandbox", so it would be faster to just say it in the simpler way).

I hope so. I'm getting back into building and painting in a very big way, with some really - to me, anyway - wonderful and amazing stuff coming down the road. I'd live to be able to share it with people. So, I guess we'll see what happens.

But of course you should take your time, Uncle!
Also, not being stressed is a good thing, indeed.

It is indeed pretty wonderful! I'm doing things this week that I could not do because of the stress and anxiety I've been suffering from, and the attendant exhaustion that these engender. So, life it good as far as I am concerned.

Definitely!

I found them both quite enjoyable, myself.

Originally Posted by Greentongue

Say you were violating the Concordant, like using the undead to rebuild an above ground structure, how much/what would it take to get everyone else to look the other way?
=

A lot. A whole lot. Hard cash, favors, juicy appointments, you name it. The thing is that the Imperium really comes down hard on this sort of thing, and gives really nice rewards to anyone reporting such breaches. So, the bribes would have to be bigger then the reward, and bigger yet to deal with the Imperial retribution for anyone complicit in the breach.

Short form, more money then I can imagine. (And I can imagine quite a lot.) Million or two kaitars, maybe?

So, maybe use the undead discreetly, like at night?

Originally Posted by Greentongue

Are there branches of the Omnipotent Azure Legion that specialize in these types of violations?
Like a Bureau 13?
Would new player characters be able to be part of such a thing or is it something that you would have to have a deep understanding of the setting to do?
=

Yes. There's a specific department, reporting straight to Avanthar, with very little 'local' voice in what the local office does. The staff is always from some other province or city, so that they are (in theory, at least) not involved in local alliances or feuds. It's all very secret stuff, with very little allowed to hit the local gossip circuits. They have a formal name, but it's so secret that they don't tell you who they are, all they say is that they're "OAL, from Avanthar" which is usually enough to terrify everybody. In the early days of Phil's campaign, they used to have little sigils made of some dark stone, and when the officer touched it with their skin it would glow azure blue and have the Seal of the Imperium appear.

I don't think you'd need to have a degree in Tekumel Studies for this; for me, this would be a great way to ease new people into Tekumel, on the premise that these are new recruits from some town or village out in the sticks - the idea being that these people have no ties except to the Imperium. The OAL also recruits from the non-Imperial Tlakotani who farm out around Bey Su, again on the theory that these will be the super-loyal people. In the process of investigating a case, they'd have the chance (and the duty) to learn as much as they could, so it gives them the perfect opportunity to learn about the setting. Lots of mentoring by the PC or NPC more senior officers, so I think it'd work just fine. The 'country cousins' gambit, but with real teeth.

Uncle, I'm sure you know about Warhammer, but have you played Warhammer the Fantasy Roleplaying Game?

Just wondering, since you're into miniatures, and I first heard about Warhammer as the world for a wargame. And it being on the Humble Bundle now just reminded me to ask you about it.

Originally Posted by AsenRG

Uncle, I'm sure you know about Warhammer, but have you played Warhammer the Fantasy Roleplaying Game?

Just wondering, since you're into miniatures, and I first heard about Warhammer as the world for a wargame. And it being on the Humble Bundle now just reminded me to ask you about it.

Yes, I do, and no, I have not.

I haven't had much of any interest in the GW product lines, over the years. I've bought some of the figures, mainly the old and now out-of-production single-part elves and such for conversions; I also got some of their LotR Easterlings for the same purpose. I think I never developed much interest because of the GW culture of gaming; I don't like 'tournament play', and the attitudes that seem to with that. The majority of the local players that I met also didn't help much either, as I found that their approach to gaming and their play style was so far away from what I like and do that I just could never bring myself to play with them.

Basically, If I wanted to spend way too much money on an over-priced, goofy-looking (I'm spoiled by Tom Meier) product line and play with some really arrogant, immature, and obnoxious people, I'd have gotten into GW. Since I'm not, I'd rather pay you to come over here a couple of times a year to kick me in the balls. It'd cost me a lot less, and it'd be a lot more fun all the way around. I don't like GW, GW doesn't like me (see also the "Spots The Space Marine" affair), and I'd like to keep it that way. We've gone a long way away from what Ian Livingston was doing, back in the day.

Just my opinion, of course - if you or anyone else are indeed having fun with it, please do so, and do it with my blessings!

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Yes, I do, and no, I have not.

I haven't had much of any interest in the GW product lines, over the years. I've bought some of the figures, mainly the old and now out-of-production single-part elves and such for conversions; I also got some of their LotR Easterlings for the same purpose. I think I never developed much interest because of the GW culture of gaming; I don't like 'tournament play', and the attitudes that seem to with that. The majority of the local players that I met also didn't help much either, as I found that their approach to gaming and their play style was so far away from what I like and do that I just could never bring myself to play with them.

Basically, If I wanted to spend way too much money on an over-priced, goofy-looking (I'm spoiled by Tom Meier) product line and play with some really arrogant, immature, and obnoxious people, I'd have gotten into GW. Since I'm not, I'd rather pay you to come over here a couple of times a year to kick me in the balls. It'd cost me a lot less, and it'd be a lot more fun all the way around. I don't like GW, GW doesn't like me (see also the "Spots The Space Marine" affair), and I'd like to keep it that way. We've gone a long way away from what Ian Livingston was doing, back in the day.

Just my opinion, of course - if you or anyone else are indeed having fun with it, please do so, and do it with my blessings!

Well, I was talking about the RPG set in their Warhammer world, so the wargamers' culture is irrelevant. But thank you for your observations!

Amusingly, Warhammer seems to be the main wargame people are playing in my country, though I'm no expert. However, the few I know are good friends, so I've avoided from the "obnoxious" part. Maybe the local wargamers have dealt with the assholes, or maybe my friends just took care not to introduce me to them (they know my likely reaction), I can't really tell.
And of course, I never really got into wargames (I only started developing an interest recently, mostly under your and the Glorious General's influences), so I didn't buy an army, and thus avoided the "overpriced" problem, too!