Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal - part II

You need to type up a rate sheet. That way, when somebody says "You should..." you reply "Certainly. Here's my standard rates."

And if they respond with "You're a big meanie poo-poo head," you respond with "And damn good at it, too."

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

You need to type up a rate sheet.

And once you do, you should double or quadruple the rate and print out a new sheet. Many people undervalue what they are worth in these sorts of situations. Engaging my Internet mind reading ability, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you are one of those people.

Who, me or Chirine?

In either case, I think the answer will be the same; "Been there, done that, left the hobby for over a decade, which is why my rates START at $150/hour plus expenses."

In other words, "I don't want to do this, but if you're going to pay me a ridiculous amount of money, we'll talk."

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Who, me or Chirine?

In either case, I think the answer will be the same; "Been there, done that, left the hobby for over a decade, which is why my rates START at $150/hour plus expenses."

I meant Chirine. My Internet mind reading tells me that you would come up with a higher starting estimate than would Chirine.

Given that part of the intent is to deter entitled cheap skates I'd at least go to $200/hour plus expenses. More if one can already garner a higher rate for non-RPG consulting. No reason to charge less for RPG work.

Well, there's an old saying that every man has his price, and for a hundred and fifty clams per hour I'll put up with a lot.

More to the point, though, if the people Chirine is talking about are the type of dingbats, wombats, and short-necked giraffes we used to encounter back in the old days, the mere mention of expecting them to actually cough up money will cause them to vanish faster than a politician's promises the day after the election.

Hi everybody.

Questions on names and secret names in Tsolyanu.

It's mentioned that Tsolyanis have two names, well, three if you include their childhood "pet names":
- A childhood "pet name".
- An official, public "adult" name.
- A secret name.

That "secret name" is the one you keep to yourself, as it would give sorcerers complete control over your sorry self if it became known to them.

01 - I don't recall any of the systems used to run games on Tekumel (I'm unfamiliar with the EPT rules) actually having players come up with secret names for their PCs. Is that correct?
02 - Have any of you used the concept of the "secret name" in your games?
03 - Chirine, do you have a secret name? Not asking for it (fret not!), but did the Prof ever use it in his campaign?

Originally Posted by Hrugga

Attachment 1224

I think this is the one...

H:0)

Thank you!

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

This is from people who have played in Tekumel, sometimes for many years. See also Gronan's comments about "booger-eating morons".

"A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum", a film which GMs could use to learn a lot about plots, incidents, random encounters, and timing.

Hmm, I need to watch that movie...

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Good; I was getting worried. To me, there's a huge difference between people asking me questions - like here, on my blog, or in e-mails - and people wanting me to do things to support their visions of what Tekumel publishing should be. My 'signing on' to whatever proposal they might have seems to be seen as crucial for their business to be a success; if I don't instantly fall into line, I get denounced as "a detriment to our business interests" and threatened with some sort of legal action.

Or, for that matter, insisting that I should come to their particular favorite convention or FLGS to run games for them and fill up my van with all my stuff for their use. I think it's the sense of entitlement that I've gotten from both individuals and game companies that I owe them the use of my time, energy, and resources; and these same people seem to be totally unable to manage a simple thank you, either. Like the people that insisted that I give up two full days of overtime pay, so they could have me meet with them and their guests, and then left in the middle of things assuming that I would continue to entertain their guests.

Which is why I am getting further and further away from gaming. Nobody seems to be able to step up to the plate and do the job I'd been doing for years, and getting crap for doing it.

Stuff 'em.

I think the plan that Gronan suggested is good, Uncle!
And Bren's suggestion for a price is good, too, if possibly a bit underrated.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

You need to type up a rate sheet. That way, when somebody says "You should..." you reply "Certainly. Here's my standard rates."

And if they respond with "You're a big meanie poo-poo head," you respond with "And damn good at it, too."

Originally Posted by Bren

And once you do, you should double or quadruple the rate and print out a new sheet. Many people undervalue what they are worth in these sorts of situations. Engaging my Internet mind reading ability, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you are one of those people.

Both excellent ideas.

Originally Posted by Bren

I meant Chirine. My Internet mind reading tells me that you would come up with a higher starting estimate than would Chirine.

Given that part of the intent is to deter entitled cheap skates I'd at least go to $200/hour plus expenses. More if one can already garner a higher rate for non-RPG consulting. No reason to charge less for RPG work.

I concur with your internet mind reading.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Well, there's an old saying that every man has his price, and for a hundred and fifty clams per hour I'll put up with a lot.

More to the point, though, if the people Chirine is talking about are the type of dingbats, wombats, and short-necked giraffes we used to encounter back in the old days, the mere mention of expecting them to actually cough up money will cause them to vanish faster than a politician's promises the day after the election.

Well, you never know - but then, at least if they start paying, they'd be showing some respect instead of entitlement, right?

Chirine,

I was curious about social status and rank in the Tsoly�ni Army.
What would take precedent status or rank? If for example you had a Kasi from The Cloak of Azure Gems, and one from The Bolt of Flame who would "automatically" be considered to be the senior? I'm guessing that it would be the former.
If, using the same example as above, the Kasi from The Bolt of Flame were a veteran and the Cloak of Azure Gems Kasi was a fresh new officer would the same deference still be in effect.
Does this vary from legion to legion?
When, if ever, is status subordinated to experience?
I'm pretty sure I know what your answer will be, but inquiring minds want to know.

Shemek