Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal

Originally Posted by Hrugga

Thank you Uncle. I just found another reason to spend my hard earned money. I have seen Catherwoods drawings before, now I just looked up some of the books. Beautiful...

H;0)

Yep. Phil loved the artwork that Catherwood did, and would pull it out whenever he could to remind us of what we were looking at. Which is why I have so much faux-Mayan aquarium stuff in the scenery bins...

Originally Posted by Hrugga

That reminds me. How goes TSTPT...?

H:0)

Not too badly, if I do say so, myself. Now that I'm back on a regular schedule in a regular work environment with a lot less stress - and the Missus has updated this computer to a much newer version of Word - I'm getting back into the groove of regular writing sessions.

From AsenRG:
I'm fine with that type of PCs, as you know. The advice was for "let's kill children because NPCs are there for that" types...
Understood. I've killed a lot of they type of player, over the years, and I'm about to do the same to the players in the group where I'm playing the bandit chief. The goody-two-shoes-Lawful-Good meatballs killed a bunch of our people after they'd surrendered - and offered ransoms - so I am going to have to take some action to remind them that this is a business operation and not some sort of stupid Holy Crusade. I'll make them an offer that they can't refuse, and if they don't they'll be sleeping with the fishes.

Well, I just stop listening to them. Now I wonder whether they're going to achieve the same with most people.
Understood; I've just gotten tired of being bitched at, and my work denounced as being 'politically incorrect'. Modesty bars on one-inch tall figures? Really? I mean, I understand why a manufacturer would do it, just not the need for it.

Then again, of course, after having been married for over twenty-five years, the mystery is off.

And I still tell you that's a funny claim to make. I'm probably younger than most of those folks, too, and I'm the eldest in my group. All of those players seem to react well to a similar style...indeed, I've been asked to add more miniatures, but couldn't for storage reasons.
Some of the most successful games out there are miniatures-based, too.
Almost all modern gamers react well to exploration-based games. Most assume without even thinking that the GM is supposed to be impartial, like in a computer game - getting used to the opposite takes years of conditioning...

So yeah, it's a funny claim.
All right, it's funny. And I still get hassled for my views on gaming, which is why I don't let just any thudpucker in the door any more. I suspect it's something in the water here locally, and the usual Internet need-to-be-right on line.

It might be a good idea, if he can be persuaded...
If not, we'd have to try and keep the spirit, and improvise on our own.
Could not agree more; Braunsteins are inherently improvisational in the very nature. I just do them, and not worry about 'rules'. ("Too hand-wavy", "Too loosy-goosy", Well-Known Internet Gamer-commentators say...)

BTW, I think this book might be useful for some GMs, and there's a couple interesting ceremonies that can be re-purposed for Tekumel...
https://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/...h/35915-h.html
No, it's not Catherwoods', but then no need to restrict ourselves, right?
Great resource, there!!! Very handy for when you run into local groups, as this is what Phil would have used. For all I know, he had a copy - I'll look in the inventory. I am pretty sure he'd read it - some of the chapter headings sound like things he'd said in game sessions...

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

The other day I had the opportunity to visit a game store. I was looking around, and as is often the case, I struck up a conversation with another patron, and I believe the owner of the shop. We started talking about what we were playing and I told them that I was running a Tekumel campaign. What I found funny was, after the usual that 'it was too difficult to pronounce the names correctly' etc., they felt that what was needed in order for them, and presumably others, to "play Tekumel" was a proper rule-set, and it was this lack of rules that really limited the popularity of the game. My response was that you can use any rules that you like and modify them to suit yourself and the milieu. This, surprisingly to me, received a luke warm response. I also went on and told them that all they really needed to adventure on Tekumel were the Sourcebooks, one of the novels (probably MoG or FS were the best ones to initially pick up),some type of monster listing, maybe a listing of Tekumel spells, and some type of mechanism to resolve combat and other important situations in an impartial way. All of these things are readily available on line in some form or another.
If they absolutely wanted 'new rules', in order to play then Bethorm was in print, and from my initial impression of the game, and from what those who have played it say, it seems like a solid set of rules. I also recommended the original EPT or Arrows of Indra if the wanted a simpler set of rules, and that they check out some of the Tekumel related websites. I don't know if I convinced them, but it got me thinking.
What would you recommend if someone wanted to start adventuring on Tekumel?

Shemek

Very, very familiar story; I've been hearing this same thing from gamers now since 1978 or so.

From what I've seen and heard, over the years, gamers seem to want to have things made as simple for them as possible. All right; get a copy of EPT and use that as the introductory game. Then get "Bethorm" when and if you want something more 'crunchy', as I understand the term. I'd get the Sourcebook when I got "Bethorm", not before; EPT has all one needs for a start.

The problem, as I see it, is that we never had any sort of playable 'module' to hand to people, with the exception of "Tomb Complex of Nereshanbo". (I do not include "Nightmare Maze"; it's unplayable, in my opinion.) Jeff Dee's done a good job of providing one with his adventure, and 'backdating' that for EPT is doable.

Phil's novels are nice, but pretty dense - "Flamesong" is a better introduction to Tekumel then "Man of Gold" is. The latter ones are graduate-studies materials, not freshmen texts.

Beyond that, maybe my book, but that's still a ways out yet. The other replies are also very good, too!

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Understood. I've killed a lot of they type of player, over the years, and I'm about to do the same to the players in the group where I'm playing the bandit chief. The goody-two-shoes-Lawful-Good meatballs killed a bunch of our people after they'd surrendered - and offered ransoms - so I am going to have to take some action to remind them that this is a business operation and not some sort of stupid Holy Crusade.

Oh, deary me. Killing a surrendered prisoner is very, very unchivalrous. (also not very "goody two shoes Lawful Good," but that game doesn't use D&D style alignment.)

I do wonder what Sir Nigel Blackthorne was about, he usually is a most chivalrous and worshipful knight.

For those wondering I know the game and the players Chirine is talking about. Some of them (though quite nice people) have this attitude rather like they're in a slightly more violent Disney movie -- "anybody against us must be bad because we're good because we're us."

Frankly and in confidence, I'm looking forward to them getting a few short, sharp shocks, as Francis Urquhart would say.

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

The other day I had the opportunity to visit a game store. I was looking around, and as is often the case, I struck up a conversation with another patron, and I believe the owner of the shop. We started talking about what we were playing and I told them that I was running a Tekumel campaign. What I found funny was, after the usual that 'it was too difficult to pronounce the names correctly' etc., they felt that what was needed in order for them, and presumably others, to "play Tekumel" was a proper rule-set, and it was this lack of rules that really limited the popularity of the game. My response was that you can use any rules that you like and modify them to suit yourself and the milieu. This, surprisingly to me, received a luke warm response. I also went on and told them that all they really needed to adventure on Tekumel were the Sourcebooks, one of the novels (probably MoG or FS were the best ones to initially pick up),some type of monster listing, maybe a listing of Tekumel spells, and some type of mechanism to resolve combat and other important situations in an impartial way. All of these things are readily available on line in some form or another.
If they absolutely wanted 'new rules', in order to play then Bethorm was in print, and from my initial impression of the game, and from what those who have played it say, it seems like a solid set of rules. I also recommended the original EPT or Arrows of Indra if the wanted a simpler set of rules, and that they check out some of the Tekumel related websites. I don't know if I convinced them, but it got me thinking.
What would you recommend if someone wanted to start adventuring on Tekumel?

Shemek

Get Bethorm, add as much setting info as you can find online and start playing. When in doubt, consult Swords and Glory, Zaenobia:Aegypt, or make up something that would look plausible to a Tekumel person, or barring that, to
Then start playing, right now, not waiting for the Holy Writ to be revealed unto you, for the only thing that matters with fictional settings is what you like!

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Yep. Phil loved the artwork that Catherwood did, and would pull it out whenever he could to remind us of what we were looking at. Which is why I have so much faux-Mayan aquarium stuff in the scenery bins...

Can I just say that I'd not seen much of Catherwood's work before, so when you mentioned it the other day I went to look it up and as a result have had to buy a large expensive art-book from Amazon covering his illustrations... so thanks, sort of... (mutters into his beer glass)