Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal

Originally Posted by Big Andy

Do each of the Gods have a favorite weapon? If so what?

I know you are a military sorcerer and that your spell list was never released. Does this mean you are one of the casters who work in teams to cast spells or are you more of an independent operator on the battlefield? If you were not one of the team guys can you explain the difference? Can you give a rough run down of your spell corpus compared to a normal spell caster? How about a rough power comparison between a normal pc caster and a combat team? Is it sort of linear? Exponential? I know you started out as a military sorcerer but how would one (both the combat team types or an independent one if they are different) become one as opposed to being a normal caster? Do you have to be a certain circle or do they just put you on that path to begin with?

No idea, actually; you'd have to look in the literature. Never got the gods cheesed off enough at us that they'd haul out the weapons, so we didn't run into this issue.

This gets a little complicated. My stats in EPT are: STR 86 INT 98 CON 97 PSY 00 DEX 89 Com 12 and Phil told me that I was a magic-user or else. Since I picked Lord Vimuhla, Phil suggested that I be a military priest. (I wish that John Tiehen's "Art of Tactical Sorcery" was still in print - it's the best thing on the subject.) Phil just kind of turned me loose on this, and I worked up the spell list and stuff; basically, I have the usual third to fifth level spells, but after that it's all the Big Boom stuff; it's a career track in the temple, and if you have good enough skills then the Temple will give you the training. From there, you'll be sent off to one of the legions that the Temple supports - there are Hnalla military priests, for example.

All of the military priests share the same basic military spells. There are something like five each of attacking and defending spells. Look at any of the miniatures rules, or I can get them for you. Normally, most military priests are part of a team, as you mention, as they can then get better and bigger booms on target. For the Doomkill, for example, the military team ups the results by a factor of ten; normal range is 240 inches on the table in EPT, and that really doesn't change - the usual military range is 1 Km on the ground, or 1m in my rules. My spells, when I'm doing my thing and assuming that I'm in my battle armor (which serves as a focus for my spells, and takes the place of the full team), have effects halfway between the usual MUs and the military ones - so my Big Doomkill is about 30" range in EPT, with a factor of five as the multiplier. I didn't work in a team, in any of our games; I was always off on 'special duties' or being a staff officer. The one battle where I had to be the Big Boom Delivery System, I was working on my own.

Two things: Use of military magic, of any kind, drains all of the other-planar energy in a 1 Km circle centered on the team or the individual; once you run through what power points the rules give you, that's it - no magic at all, until the next day. Secondly, as a member of the Incandescent Blaze Society of the Temple of Vimuhla, I do have a spell that could best be described as a GM's Special - The Eye of the Flame. I used it at Third Mar, as we really needed the help.

Does any of this help?

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

I was on the old Blue Room forum recently looking for some last minute info on Ssu to use in my upcoming game, and I came upon this interesting post by Phil. I have only included part of it:

"The Pechani have always had a sort of "honourable enemy" relationship with the Grey Ssu, ...Communication between Ssu and humans was done, as it is today, with gestures. Neither side speaks the other's language. The Pechani are adept at this. They still fight the Ssu regularly but have occasional non-hostile contacts as well."

Out of curiosity, did the OTNG ever encounter any of the inimical races and "talk" instead of fight?
How common of an adversary were the Ssu in Phil's campaign(s)?
You mentioned that you once briefly adventured in a sealed city of the Shunned Ones. What were they like to play against? Did you have mass battles with them? What was the architecture like in this city? The Shunned Ones for me were always my favourite baddies on Tekumel and, surprisingly, if memory serves I don't think that I have ever used them in an encounter. I'll have to check my notes to make sure, but if that's right I better rectify that soon.... Any further info on them you could share would be appreciated.

Shemek

This is why the Blue Room Archive is so useful - it's Phil answering questions post-Sourcebook. Long-time fan Alva Hardison took the time to collate all of Phil's posts into the S&G Sourcebook, making an 'Extended Sourcebook' that I use all the time.

No, we did not. It was always a tactically 'fight or flight' situation, in the Underwords, tubeway car stations, or other such areas. We never had the time for any sort of non-violent interaction with any of them, as it was normally a 'them or us' situation.

We ran into Ssu about 30% of the time in the Underworlds, Hlyss about 10 to 15%, and Shunned Ones about 5%. We had mass battles with the Ssu and Hlyss, but never with the Shunned Ones; that was usually 'skirmish' or 'party' fighting. The domes are domes, and the buildings are open topped so that their atmosphere circulates. I'd describe the 'decor' as sort of 'early space station', with lots of fabricated walls and doors. No wood; it's all either concrete or plastic material. Very little metal, but no surprise there. Playing against them was the usual - they were just as smart and fast as we were, especially on their home grounds.

Does this help, any?

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Don't know; never stayed around the Su long enough to ask...

Understandable, that...

Yes; I'll dig it out for you.

Thank you, Uncle!

The one in the center of the picture is pretty close to the one hat Phil had.

It's as Gronan said - good thing the iron piece has a handle...

No. Leather armor was unusual in the Sudan; mail was used, but usually by wealthy cavalry types. The ordinary guy usually had a spear, a rhino-hide small shield or buckler, and maybe a broadsword.

Interesting, that. What I remembered was that Kaskara broadswords were really popular in Sudan.
One would have thought that a society that has arms as this one would like some light armour, too, I wonder why that wasn't the case!

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

To hear is to obey...

http://www.darkfableminiatures.com/s..._Products.html

Yes. That was what I remembered. Thanks! Those minis are cool.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

This is why the Blue Room Archive is so useful - it's Phil answering questions post-Sourcebook. Long-time fan Alva Hardison took the time to collate all of Phil's posts into the S&G Sourcebook, making an 'Extended Sourcebook' that I use all the time.

No, we did not. It was always a tactically 'fight or flight' situation, in the Underwords, tubeway car stations, or other such areas. We never had the time for any sort of non-violent interaction with any of them, as it was normally a 'them or us' situation.

We ran into Ssu about 30% of the time in the Underworlds, Hlyss about 10 to 15%, and Shunned Ones about 5%. We had mass battles with the Ssu and Hlyss, but never with the Shunned Ones; that was usually 'skirmish' or 'party' fighting. The domes are domes, and the buildings are open topped so that their atmosphere circulates. I'd describe the 'decor' as sort of 'early space station', with lots of fabricated walls and doors. No wood; it's all either concrete or plastic material. Very little metal, but no surprise there. Playing against them was the usual - they were just as smart and fast as we were, especially on their home grounds.

Does this help, any?

Thank you for the info. I kind of had the same image in my mind's eye regarding the Shunned Ones "decor. " I'll probably use 1930's and 1940's "retro futuristic" motifs for my inspiration.
Any DM running a Tekumel campaign has to use the Blue Room to fill in the gaps and get ideas. It's a font of information right from the horse's mouth (the Chlen's mouth?), so to speak. I use it all the time. Super resource.

Shemek

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

Thank you for the info. I kind of had the same image in my mind's eye regarding the Shunned Ones "decor. " I'll probably use 1930's and 1940's "retro futuristic" motifs for my inspiration.

Shemek

Oh, yes; good idea! Phil's vision of what Humanspace looked like was pretty much the 1939 World's Fair; Streamline Art Deco Moderne. I've collected a lot of images - amd stuff! - from that era, so as to be able to show people what he talked about. Movies, too!

I do like using 'period' decor in games. I use Ancient Egyptian, like Phil did, for the Engsvanyali period, as it has that timeless look of an eternal empire - as well as the formalism that the Priest-kings loved. Bednjallan as always been Meso-American in style for me, as the 'earlier' and more dynamic look seems to fit them better. I like to have 'decor' from these period for the game table - I certainly do understand the "Theater of the Mind' approach that Gronan mentioned in the thread on Virtual Table Tops, but that's not an approach I would use in my play. Having the visual cues for players is a very important part of my game, as it both tells them what's going on and encourages looking things up, is a lot of fun for me.

I will admit that I am aided and abetted by the Missus in this. Back when she could still walk for more then short distances, she went through the International Marketplace at the Minnesota State Fair, and came home with a huge bag of goodies. She'd gone on the last day of the event, and she was able get stuff at silly discounts as vendors didn't want to pack up all the left-overs; me, I can use little reed boats, assorted bits from Egyptian chess sets, leather dispatch bags, and papyrus documents. All part of the stuff I use to entertain and amaze.

And, he said with an air of quiet pride, it all will see fruition in the project I am now embarking on. I have now some fifty years of model-building, forty years of gaming, and more then a decade of show production and theatrical experience to call upon. Strong men will faint; brave women will tremble; the OSR will develop a rash. My enemies, even unto the uttermost generations yet unborn, will curse even as they are cast into the pits of despair. When Gronan looks upon what what I have wrought, an agonized cry will be summoned forth from the very depths of his soul and rent from every fiber of his being - the ancient cry that, in days of yore, used to resound across the third floor of Coffman Union at meetings of the Conflict Simulation Association and which struck fear into the stout hearts of the gamers there as it announced that I was running another game: "YOOOOUUUU BASTAAAARD!!!" And behold! As this cry echoes across the universe, the very heavens will open, and the Great Gods (in alphabetical order) Dave, Gary, and Phil will speak unto the players and say, "Your goose is well and truly cooked."

And I - I, in this the moment of my greatest and penultimate triumph - will modestly acknowledge the the fame and ovation of the people, and with a shy and modest smile playing across my lips in the very best Boys' Own Paper tradition of manliness in the face of peril, will turn over the sand glass and speak the incantation that will shake the very foundations of reality and sunder the fabric of Time and Space: "Roll percentile dice for for Turn One, please."

Yes, it's going to be one of those games...

[QUOTE=Shemek hiTankolel;895944
Any DM running a Tekumel campaign has to use the Blue Room to fill in the gaps and get ideas. It's a font of information right from the horse's mouth (the Chlen's mouth?), so to speak. I use it all the time. Super resource.

Shemek[/QUOTE]

Exactly! It's a very good way to go back in time and 'talk to' Phil directly, and get his personal take on why and how his world worked.

Originally Posted by AsenRG

Interesting, that. What I remembered was that Kaskara broadswords were really popular in Sudan.
One would have thought that a society that has arms as this one would like some light armour, too, I wonder why that wasn't the case!

Oh, yes, agreed! Phil had one of these, as as well as a rhino-hide buckler, and it give one pause to think about facing a horde of what amounted to 'sword and buckler' men. (He had a drop-dead beautiful steel Indo-Persian buckler too; it was al; chased and gilded.) You could tell that it had an effect on phil - a lot of people wore similar swords to this on over their shoulders - I certainly did, once I got into a legion that had them.

No idea why the Sudanese didn't use leather armor; I know that the Ancient Egyptians did, and there was a lot of contact i antiquity.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Oh, yes; good idea! Phil's vision of what Humanspace looked like was pretty much the 1939 World's Fair; Streamline Art Deco Moderne. I've collected a lot of images - amd stuff! - from that era, so as to be able to show people what he talked about. Movies, too!

I do like using 'period' decor in games. I use Ancient Egyptian, like Phil did, for the Engsvanyali period, as it has that timeless look of an eternal empire - as well as the formalism that the Priest-kings loved. Bednjallan as always been Meso-American in style for me, as the 'earlier' and more dynamic look seems to fit them better. I like to have 'decor' from these period for the game table - I certainly do understand the "Theater of the Mind' approach that Gronan mentioned in the thread on Virtual Table Tops, but that's not an approach I would use in my play. Having the visual cues for players is a very important part of my game, as it both tells them what's going on and encourages looking things up, is a lot of fun for me.

You're much better at it than most of us ever will be, Uncle, and you're playing to your strengths. As well you should!

I will admit that I am aided and abetted by the Missus in this. Back when she could still walk for more then short distances, she went through the International Marketplace at the Minnesota State Fair, and came home with a huge bag of goodies. She'd gone on the last day of the event, and she was able get stuff at silly discounts as vendors didn't want to pack up all the left-overs; me, I can use little reed boats, assorted bits from Egyptian chess sets, leather dispatch bags, and papyrus documents. All part of the stuff I use to entertain and amaze.

And, he said with an air of quiet pride, it all will see fruition in the project I am now embarking on. I have now some fifty years of model-building, forty years of gaming, and more then a decade of show production and theatrical experience to call upon. Strong men will faint; brave women will tremble; the OSR will develop a rash. My enemies, even unto the uttermost generations yet unborn, will curse even as they are cast into the pits of despair. When Gronan looks upon what what I have wrought, an agonized cry will be summoned forth from the very depths of his soul and rent from every fiber of his being - the ancient cry that, in days of yore, used to resound across the third floor of Coffman Union at meetings of the Conflict Simulation Association and which struck fear into the stout hearts of the gamers there as it announced that I was running another game: "YOOOOUUUU BASTAAAARD!!!" And behold! As this cry echoes across the universe, the very heavens will open, and the Great Gods (in alphabetical order) Dave, Gary, and Phil will speak unto the players and say, "Your goose is well and truly cooked."

And I - I, in this the moment of my greatest and penultimate triumph - will modestly acknowledge the the fame and ovation of the people, and with a shy and modest smile playing across my lips in the very best Boys' Own Paper tradition of manliness in the face of peril, will turn over the sand glass and speak the incantation that will shake the very foundations of reality and sunder the fabric of Time and Space: "Roll percentile dice for for Turn One, please."

Yes, it's going to be one of those games...

I can only say, the picture looked glorious!

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Oh, yes, agreed! Phil had one of these, as as well as a rhino-hide buckler, and it give one pause to think about facing a horde of what amounted to 'sword and buckler' men. (He had a drop-dead beautiful steel Indo-Persian buckler too; it was al; chased and gilded.) You could tell that it had an effect on phil - a lot of people wore similar swords to this on over their shoulders - I certainly did, once I got into a legion that had them.

No idea why the Sudanese didn't use leather armor; I know that the Ancient Egyptians did, and there was a lot of contact i antiquity.

Phil certainly had props we can't hope to match.
The part about the Sudanese is interesting. I might have to look into that, and it might spark an idea that the players will hate me for.
I'll report any progress here, of course!

(Yes, I know, weird stuff inspires me. I ran a one-year campaign by making a note about a trade discount in the price of armour, and a group that would have interest in increasing said discount).

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Yes, it's going to be one of those games...

(Also, I remember doing the "It's Sunday, buy this for less than cost so I don't have to pack it up again PLEASE!!!" at wargames cons...)