Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal - part II

Originally Posted by Zirunel

If it looks as good in the flesh as it does in pictures, then it's a very nice edition.

The funny thing is that all of these years that I have been DMing I have never actually had the opportunity use anything from the book. As a result it has remained in pristine condition, even though I've had it since 1991, having been spared from the gaming table and the associated risk of spilled pop and greasy chips, and what not. I really should take a look at it again and see if there is anything that I can work into my current campaign.

Shemek

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

From AsenRG:
Thank you, Uncle. It's something I'm probably not going to understand, ever, though I know it on a rational level.
I guess I had it beaten out of me.

Yep; I don't get it either. Sigh.

It's the "your sensei won't fight for you" syndrome, if you ask me...

I'm sure the Glorious General would confirm. In fact, I suspect my sTekumel might be les LGBTQ-friendly than the Professor's...since I've decdided to make some abilities inheritable, clans tend to want you to propagate - and elders get grumpy if you don't, which is an issue with some LGTQ people.

On the very rare occasions when it did come up in games, this is exactly the way Phil played it.

And here I thought that makes me LGBTQ hater. Some people have told me so much, of course...
Well, at least I'm following good examples!

Well, crunch is a means to an end, with one of the most important ends being to impose the setting.

Um, all right, I get that. I just wasn't seeing the setting for the crunch.

Can't comment on that part, Uncle. I explained the "generic" version of Fate - it has many adaptations for different settings, though...

One thing is for sure, though. If you're playing Fate, bad things would be balanced by lucky breaks. Call it "genre logic", or "giving the players a bennie for causing them problems"...that's how the system works. If you want more random than that, you just play another - it's not exactly like we're lacking in choice!

For all we know, they might have created that model to fit 10 standard storage bins...

Oh, could be; never thought of that as a possible design plan!

I had not, either. But I thought that maybe some engineer, somewhere, had.

Sounds great, Uncle! Please keep us updated!

I will; we're moving right along, I'm happy to say!

That is good! That is good!
(I'm certain I don't need to tell you the reference).

Sounds like a well thought-out plan to me!

It's been some years in the making, and learning from everything that's gone before. I have forty years' worth of mistakes to learn from!

You and everyone else, Uncle...but many people elect not to learn from mistakes.
We know how that ends.

And people say you can't make money out of gaming, right?

Right. I'm half tempted to give Luke a call...

No doubt!

If you want my sword on your side, you could have it!
(Well, assuming I make it to Gary Con. My Jedi Tricks aren't strong enough to fight from the other side of the ocean, I'm afraid!)

Accepted. with thanks; i'll let you know when we pick the ground...

I'll be waiting.

Originally Posted by altfritz

http://alesmiter.blogspot.ca/2016/10...etal-hack.html



Slightly misinformed!

That's one way of putting it, I guess.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

A very polite and understatedly diplomatic comment - you are a gentleman, sir!

Nope. Phil had a wood-grain first printing of Gary and Dave's game; he kept the books on the shelf, and used the box on his game table as a dice box. He was right up front about his meeting Dave, and through Dave Gary. He had originally agreed with Bill Hoyt / World at War Publishing (one of his very early Tekumel players) to publish what became EPT, but this also came after "Dungeons and Dragons" was published. (Which is why TSR EPT 1st printings have a credit for Bill in them; Bill got paid $500 for the rights to EPT by TSR.) Gary wrote the forward to the TSR editions; Dave wrote the one to the Different Worlds edition.

Off to run a birthday party for a young lady, who happens to be a very good GM. More later.

Tell her happy birthday from us, Uncle!

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

The funny thing is that all of these years that I have been DMing I have never actually had the opportunity use anything from the book. As a result it has remained in pristine condition, even though I've had it since 1991, having been spared from the gaming table and the associated risk of spilled pop and greasy chips, and what not. I really should take a look at it again and see if there is anything that I can work into my current campaign.

Shemek

My books are always in pristine condition. It's the e-readers that need to be changed from time to time.

Originally Posted by Zirunel

Quite a few of those demons are pretty darn powerful, and hard to work into a direct encounter unless your PCs are operating at an epic hero level. I don't believe many Tekumel game groups choose to operate at that level.

There are options for introducing them though, in various ways....

Good plan to keep your book away from the table though!

I don't believe it, either, but you don't need a straight encounter for those to be useful. The game might be avoiding a direct encounter!

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

The funny thing is that all of these years that I have been DMing I have never actually had the opportunity use anything from the book. As a result it has remained in pristine condition, even though I've had it since 1991, having been spared from the gaming table and the associated risk of spilled pop and greasy chips, and what not. I really should take a look at it again and see if there is anything that I can work into my current campaign.

Shemek

I've never used my copies, either. Too high-powered for the vast majority of players, and the several that have wanted to use the book have been power players over-estimating their ability. Didn't end well for their PCs, and as they were annoying people I don't game with them, anymore.

From AsenRG:
It's the "your sensei won't fight for you" syndrome, if you ask me...

True. 'Basking in reflected glory' also is a big part of it - I've had people, over the years, declare themselves my bitter enemies because - and they have said this right up front - I am such a mighty and powerful being that it makes them look good to be my foe. And the net result is that very few of them are remembered at all and I'm still here.

And here I thought that makes me LGBTQ hater. Some people have told me so much, of course...
Well, at least I'm following good examples!

Yeah, I'm baffled as well. I get told over and over again that it's the very specific set of socially and politically correct requirements that the particular person has that are the most important - and then find out that (as you might expect) nobody in the group being represented by that person has ever heard of that person...

Can't comment on that part, Uncle. I explained the "generic" version of Fate - it has many adaptations for different settings, though...
One thing is for sure, though. If you're playing Fate, bad things would be balanced by lucky breaks. Call it "genre logic", or "giving the players a bennie for causing them problems"...that's how the system works. If you want more random than that, you just play another - it's not exactly like we're lacking in choice!

Understood; I still have no idea what the hard-bound books I was looking at were for.

I had not, either. But I thought that maybe some engineer, somewhere, had.

I'm not complaining!

That is good! That is good!
(I'm certain I don't need to tell you the reference).


You and everyone else, Uncle...but many people elect not to learn from mistakes.
We know how that ends.

Agreed!

Tell her happy birthday from us, Uncle!

I did; a very good time was had by all, and Bob Meyer and his Blackmoor players sang her "Happy Birthday". The cake and ice cream went over well, as did my Missus' chocolate Star Wars castings.

I am, I'm sort of sorry to have to say, not playing in games any more - unless a couple of people I know might be running them. My recent experience with the 5e group and some of the recent events that I've seen go by in gaming - and which I happen to have a small but annoying connection to - have really put me off my feed. I will run games for people, if they ask, but I think that will be it for me. Getting the comment "Why do you paint miniatures if you're not gaming with them?" from a person I've known for years didn't help, either; I know the people he games with, and I've watched their games over the years; I stopped playing with them quite a long time ago, and I've seen no reason why I should start up with them again.

Nothing to do with Bob, or any of his players; I'm just old and tired of a lot of things that have come my way over the years, and by limiting what I do, who I do it with, and where I do it I've brought a lot of serenity and equilibrium back into my life and that of my family.

Of course, my Secret Plan For World Domination continues, as it always has; I'm going back to what my original objectives were, and finding them still valid all these decades later.

Heh. Ya'll ain't seen nothing yet; I'm just hitting my stride...

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

From AsenRG:
It's the "your sensei won't fight for you" syndrome, if you ask me...

True. 'Basking in reflected glory' also is a big part of it - I've had people, over the years, declare themselves my bitter enemies because - and they have said this right up front - I am such a mighty and powerful being that it makes them look good to be my foe. And the net result is that very few of them are remembered at all and I'm still here.

I think I have my favourite definition of "a narrativist game" now.
"A narrativist game is one where the above statement makes sense!"

And here I thought that makes me LGBTQ hater. Some people have told me so much, of course...
Well, at least I'm following good examples!

Yeah, I'm baffled as well. I get told over and over again that it's the very specific set of socially and politically correct requirements that the particular person has that are the most important - and then find out that (as you might expect) nobody in the group being represented by that person has ever heard of that person...

The latter part isn't really much of a surprise.

Can't comment on that part, Uncle. I explained the "generic" version of Fate - it has many adaptations for different settings, though...
One thing is for sure, though. If you're playing Fate, bad things would be balanced by lucky breaks. Call it "genre logic", or "giving the players a bennie for causing them problems"...that's how the system works. If you want more random than that, you just play another - it's not exactly like we're lacking in choice!

Understood; I still have no idea what the hard-bound books I was looking at were for.

Understood, too. No point in dwelling on the matter, then!

Tell her happy birthday from us, Uncle!

I did; a very good time was had by all, and Bob Meyer and his Blackmoor players sang her "Happy Birthday". The cake and ice cream went over well, as did my Missus' chocolate Star Wars castings.

Chocolate castings are always good!

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Of course, my Secret Plan For World Domination continues, as it always has; I'm going back to what my original objectives were, and finding them still valid all these decades later.

Heh. Ya'll ain't seen nothing yet; I'm just hitting my stride...

"Same thing we do all nights, Pinky..."

Originally Posted by bconsidine

It's my favorite part of the entire gaming hobby. Don't need any other reason.

Blaise

Agreed; I enjoy making things. I'm just tired of getting kicked for it. Or for not being a rules lawyer, either.

Dark Fable is about to launch their next Indiegogo, "Sons of Anubis". Good figures, if you asked me, for all the kind of games I like to run.