Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal - part II

Originally Posted by Horu hiFa'asu

Honored Uncles.. a few more questions regarding social interactions, clan relationships etc.

Is the concept of 'poetic justice' a familiar one in Tekumel? I'm thinking along the lines of 'ironic' deaths for one's sworn enemies. It seems from the stories that Chirine is more focused on pragmatism when dealing with his enemies.

In terms of doing things to benefit one's own clan, obviously things such as direct donations of wealth and/or artifacts of the ancients are beneficial. I'd assume anything that enhances one's own stature in society reflect well upon one's clan - especially if that results in more contracts, jobs, etc for the clan? I assume the reverse is also true? Anything that reflects poorly on yourself ends up reflecting poorly upon your clan (at least to some degree).

Any less obvious things that are good or bad for one's clan?

1. Let's ask the man himself, shall we?

"Oh, yes, very much so. I've set up more then one 'ironic death' for somebody, over the years. It does take some effort, though, so I only do it for foes I respect. The vast majority of my deceased enemies have been people who are simply not worthy of my respect and so not worth doing any more then simple extermination."

2. Yes, indeed. It does work both ways; screwing up at a palace party - insulting somebody, for example - is a good way to mess up. Being a decent person, solidly civilized, goes a long way in keeping one's reputation - and that of one's temple / legion / clan - above board.

3. Parsimony, cowardice, generosity, bravery, treachery, disloyalty, steadfastness, faithfulness all come to mind. One is part of a culture, and if one acts 'nobly' one adds luster to one's reputation as well as to that of the groups one belongs to.

Does any of this help?

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

I've been thinking about this all day, and wondering why this might be so. Any thoughts and comments welcome. of course...

Well, for me the answer is quite simple -you. Chirine has a lot to say and does so without any BS. The thread is a wonderful sounding board that is full of information (yes lots of minutiae and tangents too) about Tekumel and Ye Olden Days. It is a very approachable, friendly and wide open venue in which to ask all manner of questions, some relevant to the topic on hand, some not. Its focus is to question Chirine baKal, which by its very nature does not preclude going into topics that are not solely Tekumel oriented. I for one like the discussions that are occasionally generated about miniatures and painting and their use in Tekumel games. I also personally love the way this thread digresses all over the place, but eventually goes back to the main point. It really is like being in the local pub, or coffee shop, or gaming club and having a good chat with friends that share a common interest. We do get the occasional troll that posts something but for the most part it's only those who are interested in what we are going on about that are present. In addition, the fact that others such, as Gronan, are also active on this thread is a bonus IMO. I wish some more of Phil's old players would make an appearance, although I think that one, or more, may be present but not revealed as of yet.
Does this make sense?

Shemek

Excellent point about the "coffee shop" or "neighborhood pub" aspect. This is just a bunch of folks hanging around jawing about stuff that interests them, more or less centered around years of playing on Tekumel with Phil.

Okay, new movies for the list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1hUYeWAeqc

"The Warrior Empress" starring Tina Louise (yes, Ginger from Gilligan's Island) as Sappho of Lesbos!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB8U60xkXSA

Tina Louse as an "Exotic Dancer" in "The Siege of Syracuse"!

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

I've been thinking about this all day, and wondering why this might be so. Any thoughts and comments welcome. of course...

Well, partially because your book(s) aren't out yet...

Honored Uncle, between you and the Glorious General you have nearly unfathomable hours of game play in a world that is still somewhat obscure to 'outsiders'. Any long running game is going to generate some fantastic moments and great stories - combine the sheer amount of game play with a truly deep and interesting world that Phil created and you've got some really wonderful stuff.

As to why 'this' is the place to be? I think it's simple. There are a lot of other sources of information - the various rule books, the Blue Room Archive, etc. However, here I can ask you questions, get direct answers, and often get stories that are interesting, illustrative, and entertaining. There is simply no other resource like it!

Toss in a bit of history on the gaming world (some good some bad) as an added bonus. Hearing about how Gary and Dave did things is always interesting and enlightening as well. Comparatively I'm new to all this - I didn't start playing till late 1981!

Originally Posted by Greentongue

I was thinking that appendixes are a great place to add additional details that otherwise would disrupt the story.
Like how things got to where there were, at the time, that you didn't know the details of then but found out later.
Those tangents that are interesting but not directly relevant or don't fit in the tale being told.
=

Oh, gotcha. Most of the time, Phil would drop something on us with no clue on our part what he was on about, and then we'd be off on an adventure and discover what The Clue was all about. I'm trying to convey that in the book, and I'm sure it'll get caught in the editing process what needs to go in any appendix.

Originally Posted by bconsidine

It's been said before, Chirine: It's the easy-going nature of discourse on this thread that keeps it alive.

Blaise

Thank you - I think that approaching Tekumel the way we did, as adventurers / people sitting around a rickety old Ping-Pong table, and learning stuff along with the laughs, goes further then a dry academic approach might; this was not, as we've mentioned, 'Serious Business'. It was a bunch of friends having fun. We just would up publishing a lot of our fun...

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

Well, for me the answer is quite simple -you. Chirine has a lot to say and does so without any BS. The thread is a wonderful sounding board that is full of information (yes lots of minutiae and tangents too) about Tekumel and Ye Olden Days. It is a very approachable, friendly and wide open venue in which to ask all manner of questions, some relevant to the topic on hand, some not. Its focus is to question Chirine baKal, which by its very nature does not preclude going into topics that are not solely Tekumel oriented. I for one like the discussions that are occasionally generated about miniatures and painting and their use in Tekumel games. I also personally love the way this thread digresses all over the place, but eventually goes back to the main point. It really is like being in the local pub, or coffee shop, or gaming club and having a good chat with friends that share a common interest. We do get the occasional troll that posts something but for the most part it's only those who are interested in what we are going on about that are present. In addition, the fact that others such, as Gronan, are also active on this thread is a bonus IMO. I wish some more of Phil's old players would make an appearance, although I think that one, or more, may be present but not revealed as of yet.
Does this make sense?

Shemek

Thank you for your kind words! I've got a lot of stuff in my poor old head, and you might as well be able to ladle it all out.

And yes, I love the 'bunch of friends sitting around talking' aspect; it's what we used to do after game sessions, and it's what we used to do all the time with Phil - both at the game table and sitting around in the kitchen. So, ask away; I promised you all that I'd answer as best I can, and I'll keep on doing that as long as everyone likes...