Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal - part II

And it's all true! Meaning: it actually happened in the RW as opposed to the equally "foreign" fantasy world of EPT.

Who knows, there might be plot threads in there somewhere...

Originally Posted by Greentongue

My point is/was that finding younger players that have a clue about this type of things is getting harder.
Giving them some background that isn't "pure D&D" would be helpful.
Doesn't having the GM know the material well just set expectations of how they think the player characters should act/react?

(I intend to hunt down those references.)
=

I'm not sure how much TEKUMEL reading is even required for players, let alone Earth history and ethnography.

When I think back, I was 15 or 16 when I was given the EPT boxed set, and I think what did it for me was the Professor's own summary of Tekumel history and geography in EPT. Very evocative, it sucked me in pretty hard as a kid, all the magic of Tekumel is right there, and yet it's really only a few pages of text (remember, I'm talking about EPT, not the Sourcebook). Done and done. What else does a player need to know as background?

And the best thing is, you don't even have to remember any of it. All you need is to get the look, feel and flavour of the setting, it's all right there.

If you like it, you can carry on from there. If you don't like it, then well, you probably won't like playing it either.

Maybe a bit different for prospective GMs, but for players that is probably enough

Originally Posted by Zirunel

I'm not sure how much TEKUMEL reading is even required for players, let alone Earth history and ethnography.

When I think back, I was 15 or 16 when I was given the EPT boxed set, and I think what did it for me was the Professor's own summary of Tekumel history and geography in EPT. Very evocative, it sucked me in pretty hard as a kid, all the magic of Tekumel is right there, and yet it's really only a few pages of text (remember, I'm talking about EPT, not the Sourcebook). Done and done. What else does a player need to know as background?

And the best thing is, you don't even have to remember any of it. All you need is to get the look, feel and flavour of the setting, it's all right there.

If you like it, you can carry on from there. If you don't like it, then well, you probably won't like playing it either.

Maybe a bit different for prospective GMs, but for players that is probably enough

This sounds very similar to my first encounter with Tekumel, although it was the magenta EPT rules from Different Worlds. I agree with assessment regarding background as well.

Shemek

Originally Posted by AsenRG

Oh, I could very well write a doctoral thesis on My Tekumel, Uncle...but I also know enough about GMing that I wouldn't read it at the table, nor make it Required Reading!
Now, when the campaign is over, the players just might know most of it already. Funny how that happens, isn't it?


...sad, but probably true.
What I find unbelievable is that those same people go and read a setting with 500+ pages of text, using an additional 400+ pages of rules, and call it "light entertainment, no need for a graduate course".

If you wonder about the numbers: I mean a specific setting. Doesn't matter which one, I'm just saying that I was never able to understand the difference.


Yeah, the obsessive-compulsive part is probably the bane of RPGs as a whole - not just of Tekumel...


Excellent summary, Uncle!


Thank you! But of course, if it seems from the conversation that you're those "reliable and discreet people", you wouldn't be approached about the granddaughter...or am I wrong here?


Mayhem always ensues when you add PCs and players who don't suffer by analysis paralysis, I've found.


That's absolutely what I'm looking for, Uncle!
However, a bit more detail on the NPC interactions, if I may ask for it, Uncle? I've observed that many players have some trouble approaching the NPCs that aren't from their time and place. You mentioned something like it earlier, with the guy who got thrown out of parties...and I figure some Referees might have similar difficulties, which would make them less willing to engage Tekumel.
Can you help me to give them a primer on The Social Interaction: Tekumel Style?

So, can I suggest those five NPCs, and you tell us how to approach them? One restriction: no magic used, except as a purely social device - to impress, not to gather information, if you get my drift.

*The hostess. Respected worshiper of Avanthe, in her late 30ies. Looking to impress everyone above her own station, and show kindness towards those below...especially if they have interesting talents.
Secondary goal: to get laid (her husbands don't mind, of course, but she's not about to just pick anyone who has the looks).
=>How do you approach her?
=>How would the seduction work, assuming a PC determines she'd be available (or simply decides to push his luck and hope for the best, as many PCs do anyway)? I gather just throwing his hand over her shoulders, and pretending it's an accident, would probably backfire...but what would be the actual steps?

*The host. Worshipper of Karakan, like the Glorious General, early 50ies. Career officer, got up through the ranks from a low post, has serious networking among the lower-ranked officers (i.e.: might make any general's life a hell). He's trying to determine whether the new general can be trusted with actual secrets - the kind you don't tell OAL, because he believes there are people in OAL who are on the pay of the enemies of the Petal Throne.
Secondary goal: he wants to know how much the general would ask for to look the other way on a scheme with military acquisitions he's got going, has the back-up of several bureaucrats and scribes (who either get a share, or get paid per month).
=>How do you approach him to get the most out of this encounter?

*The hostess' daughter, recently came of age, also an Avanthe worshipper. Looking to snag a guy who's better than what her mother gets...you might say she's being competitive and out to prove herself!
Secondary: Of course, if she finds a suitable husband, now that might make her mom shut up and respect her! But marriage is a much more serious affair, and she needs a suitable one...meaning one that would help her temple career!
=>How do you approach her?
=>How do you present yourself as either desirable company for the night, or for marriage? (Apart from gaining the mother's attention first, obviously - that's an approach that's prone to backfiring).

*Local priest of Karakan. Of indeterminate middle age, part of the war-favouring faction, believes the legion of Karakan needs "live practice to avoid dulling their edge"...
Obviously dislikes the Vimuhla priest (sorry, Uncle!) Enjoys popular/populist support with his "fire and brimstone" speeches. Is beginning to become a thorn in his superiors' side.
Also, secretly and anonimously, is selling Zu'ur to households of Change worshippers (but recently expanded into other people he dislikes). On top of getting rich, he's planning to cut their supply once he's amassed enough support to present his plans. Talk about weakening your opposition!
(Maybe he secretly murdered the Gruganu priest two days ago, and is trying hard to get rid of the body - which he's "hidden in plain sight". Obviously, he wouldn't tell you that).
He's the only one who isn't looking to get laid, stoned or drunk - and would actively avoid the latter two. Think "a man with a mission"...
=>How do you act with that one? Do you approach or avoid him?

*Last on that list, an Aridani who serves in the Legion and has reached the rank corresponding to "major" mostly by skill at arms and being able to deal efficiently with sieges. Adopted in a high-ranking military clan because of those skills.
Has a reputation for judicious use of extreme violence - and for good manners when not doing that. In short, she might as well be a PC!
Due to her fair skin and eyes, her reputation includes people whispering she might really be a demon. Partly due to this, she's acting as the unofficial mascot of the legion - the soldiers argue that as long as the Demoness is on their side, their enemies should be afraid.
(The reason for the skin and eyes: she's actually an adventurer from another world - think a Conan-like world - who fell through a one-way portal and appeared in Tekumel. After a short career as a fighting slave, she bought her freedom off - not explaining where she got the money from - and promptly joined the army).
She'd like a way to get back to her homeworld with only a fraction of her Tsolyani wealth, but doesn't count on it - and is reluctant to share.
Her main interest here - apart from getting drunk, stoned or laid, because it's a social event after all - is to size up the Glorious General, and understand whether his reputation is due to him having good aides, or whether he's a genuine soldier.
=>How do you approach that one?
=>What can you get out of a good working relationship with her?


Sorry if some of those NPCs are more suited for My Tekumel, Uncle...but I hope they'd actually have an easy time fitting in the Tekumel you know best!

That local priest of Karakan... is he a clueless social bore? Because casting any aspersions on my aide-de-camp would be a MAJOR social gaffe. Of course, a language with thirty two versions of "you" has some truly eloquent ways of framing an insult without being obvious.

Thank you all for your posts - I'll be back tonight with replies. The catalytic converter was stolen off my van last night while I was at work, so we're a little busy this morning...