Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal

Originally Posted by nDervish

Nope, I don't have any problems with those. On the contrary, when I first looked at SotPT and character creation started with creating your clan and lineage, my mind immediately jumped to how I might steal that.

Really, at this point, my reluctance about Tekumel is mostly just a mix of NIH (Not Invented Here) syndrome and sunk cost fallacy. I like running homebrew over published settings and I've already put a fair bit of effort into my own city, which makes it hard to set that aside. It's nothing to do with Tekumel itself - if I'd known as much about Tekumel a month ago as I do today, I would have taken it up without hesitation.

Good advice! And thanks for sharing your experiences and keeping this thread running.

Agreed - Tekumel is a setting, not a set of rules.

And your work? Use it! There are plenty of places that Phil never 'developed' - we only explored maybe a quarter of the planet. For all I know, you're the guy who Knows All about that empire over on the other side...

And there's precedent, too; "City State of the Invincible Overlord" got used as a 'default' or 'stand in' a lot for our games. People would write in about what was happening in their campaign, and if Phil thought it was interesting he' often send them a map he'd draw of that place and tell then to send in their reports. We'd include those in our 'zines, and they'd become part of his campaign.

Just wade right in. The water's fine!

Originally Posted by djhyland

Uh oh, I'd better go on the run lest the Tekumel Police come for me!

We prefer "Omnipotent Azure Legion," nakome.

Originally Posted by nDervish

Nope, I don't have any problems with those. On the contrary, when I first looked at SotPT and character creation started with creating your clan and lineage, my mind immediately jumped to how I might steal that.

Really, at this point, my reluctance about Tekumel is mostly just a mix of NIH (Not Invented Here) syndrome and sunk cost fallacy. I like running homebrew over published settings and I've already put a fair bit of effort into my own city, which makes it hard to set that aside. It's nothing to do with Tekumel itself - if I'd known as much about Tekumel a month ago as I do today, I would have taken it up without hesitation.



Good advice! And thanks for sharing your experiences and keeping this thread running.

Happy to be of help! Ask away!

Originally Posted by Phillip

I made Pechano more of a familiar feudal kind of society.

But here's something for "sunk cost" people: If it's not where you want to live, Tekumel can still be a great place to visit. Don't D&D-ish campaigns feature gates to other worlds and such any more? Heck, back in the day the cover of the DMG featured an Efreet in the City of Brass on the Plane of Fire.

And there you go - Barsoom was great, Greyhawk was all right, Blackmoor was fun; Phil never took us to Lankhmar, that we knew - but you never knew with him...

Originally Posted by djhyland

I've another (well, a bunch more, but I'll ask 'em one at a time!) question on the gods of Tekumel. Each of the gods has a number of aspects--are these merely different forms that the gods use for different situations, or are they separate entities? Is, say, Hrihayal a "composite" of 34 individual entities, or does she have 34 different avatars that she uses as she needs? My original theory was that a god's aspects are just different "avatars" of one being, but after reading about Salarvyya's goddess Shiringgayi being a combination between Avanthe and Dlamilesh, I'm leaning towards the "composite" theory.

Back to real life, how much, if at all, was Ambereen involved in Tekumel? I've never heard of her playing or anything, but I can't imagine that she wasn't involved in any way.

That sounds like the Twenty could have been responsible for casting Tekumel into the pocket dimension in the first place...

Wow, really? Hot damn! Given that my schedule is pretty ridiculous with work and kids and all that, I can't say name the time...but if we can figure out a time that works, name the place and I'll buy the coffee and pastries!

Uh oh, I'd better go on the run lest the Tekumel Police come for me!

1. They are avatars, not colony beings. The 'combination' for Shiringgyi was a description to make it easier for people to understand that she's a real party girl. See also the infamous 'Elixir of Shiringgayi', one of the most terrifying perils we ever came up against.

2. Ambereen was never interested in Tekumel; it was 'Phil's Poker Night With The Boys'. Her concern was that we'd get the place dirty or steal the silverware or something like that. She's count us in, and count us out, like any good warden in a high security prison. Do not trifle with her; she wields the Broom Of Doom. (+5 +5, in EPT)

3. Yep. it's supposed to be One Of The Big Secrets of Tekumel, but we worked in out pretty early on.

4. I am normally available on weekends; football season is almost over, so I should have all of them clear for the next six months. Tours of the basement are also available; we're not coffee drinkers, but we do have lots of tea - do try the tea collection, we're having a special; we have enough you could bathe in the stuff... - and pastries are close by. There are also several good little 'diners' that I can suggest as well. We're down by the VA hospital, if that's any help. Give me a shout; always happy to have guests!

5. I'm still baffled by 'the right way to play', for anything.