Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal

Depends on the clan. Some may not even have an "adventure." For others, like a military clan, simply telling some clan uncle you want to do noble service for the clan will be enough. Usually the clan will come to you.

2. Again, it depends. If it's a low level official, and out and out simple bribe will work. "Here's 100 Khiatars. There's another 100 if you disappear for an hour."

For a higher official, you will make a "social" visit and bring them an expensive gift you pass off as a mere trifle. It may take several visits, and several expensive gifts, for your target to get around to asking what favor they can do for you.

3. I assume your players have families? Treat members of a distant clan house as third or fourth cousins you've never met, but also as though family is important.

By the way, Chirine, I'm just rereading Flamesong. Pu'er has just fallen to Qutmu's undead troops. Did he get the high ride for that, or am I engaging in wishful thinking?

Originally Posted by Greentongue

Well, if it was just me ...
I'd like to see "Clan Life".
How to ask your clan for an "adventure".
How to request information from a temple / Imperial Official.
How to request assistance from a temple / Imperial Official.
How to pay off an accidental (or intentional) insult.
How to reserve a room at a distant clan house.

In other words, every day things that can give flavor to the setting without being such an ordeal that players quit.
=

Duly noted. I normally don't work from a script, but I'll be doing PowerPoint notes for these to stay on track.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

By the way, Chirine, I'm just rereading Flamesong. Pu'er has just fallen to Qutmu's undead troops. Did he get the high ride for that, or am I engaging in wishful thinking?

Yep, that's what he got it for - too much, even for the Worm Prince. There are days when I felt that His Imperial Princeness was getting really, really peeved by having to work with such minions.

(By the way, how did you like Phil's description of Third Mar? I've got his maps from the game, and I'm still surprised that we managed to survive.)

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Yep, that's what he got it for - too much, even for the Worm Prince. There are days when I felt that His Imperial Princeness was getting really, really peeved by having to work with such minions.

Cha. There are some players who, when you say "You can do anything but X," will spend all their time trying to do X.

Not quite as bad as out and out psychopaths, to quote Bill Hoyt, but annoying.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

(By the way, how did you like Phil's description of Third Mar? I've got his maps from the game, and I'm still surprised that we managed to survive.)

My right hip still hurts on foggy mornings.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Cha. There are some players who, when you say "You can do anything but X," will spend all their time trying to do X.

Not quite as bad as out and out psychopaths, to quote Bill Hoyt, but annoying

My right hip still hurts on foggy mornings.

Ain't that the truth...

Originally Posted by Hrugga

Hello,

I just happened to be going through Mitlanyal...I came across Girigamish Legendary priest of Ksarul. His "Visitations of Girigamish speak of the cosmic landmarks: the Nine Pylons of the Barrier Gods, the Gate of Iron Fangs, and the River which Flows into Eternity...

Any more info about this? Also how this relates to the Mysteries of Tekumel?

Thanks,

H :0)

The barrier Pylons mark the edge of the pocket dimension we're in; get past them and you're back out into Humanspace. The Gate of Iron Fangs is what you go through to get out. The River is the river of the time flow. (See also "Lords of Tsamra" for details.)

As for The Mysteries, it's the twenty who tossed Tekumel into the pocket, it's the Goddess of the Pale Bone who is trying to get it out; all of the Gods are Phil's homage to Lovecraft. (There was a lot of sharing universes back in Phil's time in fandom, remember.) You too can bring Tekumel back into Humanspace, by going up to the Temple of the Egg of the World, fixing this device of the Ancients - it's the controller for the terra-forming engines - and then use it to make the stars come out. The Space Marines will land, wipe out our current civilization, enslave everybody and everything on the planet, and reassert the rule of the Lords of Humanspace.

Phil told the original group, when they did all this back in 1975, that the Tekumel campaign was over and they would would now play something else. The players mutinied, telling him that they came out to his house to play Tekumel, and if they wanted to play Traveller they'd be going to the Fifth Precinct game group instead; as Craig Smith put it, "Now that the Marines have landed, I've gone from being a mighty Lord to being a slave. Guess what I think about that, Barker." (See also "Shared Fantasy", by Gary Fine, and "Playing at the World", by Jon Peterson.)

And LO! The stars went back out, the Space Marines got back on their mighty ships and departed, and we played Tekumel for the next decade and a half.

Anything else?