Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Player-characters. They're cheap, deniable, and expendable. They night be mercenaries, in which case they'd get a trifle more consideration as you might need to hire them again (...)

Actually, the way I have it, the players start as the trackers and the behind-the-scenes organizers of a hunt. While on a hunting expedition to a local ruin, they end up witnessing a kidnapping attempt. Whether it succeeds or not, the PCs would then find themselves hired by the faction (clan or temple) targeted in the attack to protect the target, and/or find out what happened and/or who was behind the perfidious act, etc.

In other words, in my little adventures, the PCs would be the mercenaries hired to track the mercenaries.

Anyway, I'm still working on it, but this is the basic early premise, one that would hopefully lead to further (pulpish) adventures.

Originally Posted by Hrugga

Uncle since we are on the subject...Let's say a spurned lover kidnaps/tries to kidnap his would be love. His love was on the way to Bey Su to be out of reach of the crazed lover(sent off by the clan elders), or to be married off like a good clan girl should. PCs are hired to safely guard the Lady on her trip. Mayhem ensues. Would be lover's plot to kidnap lady and flee foiled by PCs. Kidnapper captured. Who handles punishment and what would most likely happen to our would be kiddnapper? Oh, I forgot to mention the would be lovers are from the same clan...Thanks.

H:0)

What Gronan said; this is an internal clan matter, and unless the PCs are members of the clan it's none of their business. The clan elders will deal with this.

My gut feeling is that said elders will marry the two of them off to each other, and then give the couple a wedding present of a two-hex fief waaay out in the boondocks where the two of them can be very happy and not disturb the clan.

Originally Posted by Neshm hiKumala

I had a feeling that theses objects would indeed be of interest to many factions (including other-planar and non-human ones). But the way you put it ("cosmic scale") brings it home.

Hmm ... I'm gonna scale back my ambitions a tad and start my adventures super slowly! Wouldn't want to throw the players (and myself) in at the deep end right form the start!

Probably a good idea; I like to ease players in easily, too. More fun for them, and it's easier to pick on things that way.

Originally Posted by Neshm hiKumala

Thank you for the details.

So then, for a hunt, does the following sound right to you?

The "owners" (keeping in mind that only the Seal Emperor/Empress owns things in Tsolyanu), so, the owners of a piece of property located on some fief would contact the medium and lower clans maintaining the grounds and order them to get ready to welcome a party of hunters and their entourage. Such preparations would entail (1) hiring local trackers and beaters (capable members of the local agrarian clans, I presume) to make sure that game is plentiful and well accounted for (speaking of the local rare and high-value animals here), (2) prepping the equivalent of the hunting lodge belonging to the high-clan bringing in friends and guests to welcome a large group of revelers (only a few of which will actually hunt), etc. Invitations to the hunt would probably be sent out to the neighboring high-clans too, including to the fief's governor, but more as a mark of respect and proper decorum than as an actual invitation, etc.

Oh, yes, I like this a lot! Think big Edwardian house party, with all sorts of great and noble people and their hordes of retainers. Lots of intrigue, gossip, politics, and animals with sharp teeth in the bushes.

Yes, of course all the local worthies would be invited - it would be a scandal not to! And most of them would not dream of coming - it would be a scandal! So, everybody would tender very polite regrets, saying that they had temple business or something, and send back tokens of their esteem - like a sheaf of nice arrows for the hunt. The inviter would send back their own regrets, saying what a pity it was that one could not be at the party, and include a small gift of their own as a token of their esteem. Keep in mind the economy of favors - you might need a favor from them, someday.

And the polite formal invitations would be backed up by very private messages like "Would you please come?" as you owe them a favor; they might also come back with "I can't make it, but cousin Gronan is visiting from Bey Su; could you show him a good time and demonstrate that we're not country bumpkins?"

So I think you have gotten it down just right - mayhem will no doubt ensue...

Originally Posted by Neshm hiKumala

Actually, the way I have it, the players start as the trackers and the behind-the-scenes organizers of a hunt. While on a hunting expedition to a local ruin, they end up witnessing a kidnapping attempt. Whether it succeeds or not, the PCs would then find themselves hired by the faction (clan or temple) targeted in the attack to protect the target, and/or find out what happened and/or who was behind the perfidious act, etc.

In other words, in my little adventures, the PCs would be the mercenaries hired to track the mercenaries.

Anyway, I'm still working on it, but this is the basic early premise, one that would hopefully lead to further (pulpish) adventures.

Perfect! It sounds like what Phil used to run with us...

(Gronan could always be counted on for two-fisted action, being Korunme, the All Tsolyani Boy. Me, I just held the bags and cleaned up the blood.)

Originally Posted by Neshm hiKumala

And another query, on giving away loot.

When PCs find loot, the local lords (if/when applicable), their clans and their temples get a share. That's a lot of parties to satisfy, which may leave the PCs with little of their hard-won treasures.

On these occasions, would the Professor let the players decide what they wanted to give, or would he simply say, So-and-so hiSo-and-so takes your gem, or your sword, or your Eye?

I'm sure there were moment when players (or their characters) would sort of revolt a little, either by arguing with the Prof., or by "not declaring" a particular object. Inducements were also probably an option: "I'll give you that amount of money if I can keep the Eye, the sword, the gem, etc".

Nver had anything like what you describe happen out at Phil's; it never came up, actually. (Gronan, can you remember anything like this?) Usually, we got to keep anything and everything we found, with the very rare exceptions like a working air-car or lighting bringer; we normally donated that kind of thing to the Imperium straight away, to avoid tax troubles. (What's 1% of the value of a lighting bringer? We take cash, thanks.)

Normally, percentages would be set out by all parties in advance, so that there would be no disagreements when the adventurers got back. (If they got back, of course.) Items would be valued by a good appraiser, and the values split by the party and the others according to the prior agreement. As you say, inducements to allow for keeping a favored item were common, and always honored - you don't get people to work for you if you screw them over. We'd pay out the percentages to our patrons as a matter of 'overhead' for the party.

When items were wanted by somebody powerful, the owning PC was always compensated for the value of the item; this is why I had over three million in cash or in steel on several occasions. Lord So-and-Sp might say "I want that item!", but it would then be up to him and his clan / temple / Imperial office to negotiate a fair settlement. One never cheeses off the minions, as they can always simply refuse to work for one; being fair pays off, as you may need something form them in the future. Tsolyani society runs on the basis of 'enlightened self-interest', and trying to enforce the latter of the law usually backfires - much better (and for the game, too) to work out some sort of mutually agreeable solution.

Prince Mirusiya: "This ship is full of steel and iron, Chirine."
Me: "Yes it is, Highborn, and I thought you might see your way to accepting it as my contribution to the war effort."
Prince Mirusiya: "My old friend, have you considered a career in the Imperial government? I hear there's a vacancy in Hekellu, and I'd like to see the position filled by somebody who knows how to run things, Lord Chirine."
Me: "I serve the Petal Throne, Highborn."

- "To Serve The Petal Throne", Book IV

Originally Posted by Neshm hiKumala

This, right there, is why I very much look forward to your book. It is entertaining to read (and well written, I might add - I'm thinking here of the other excerpts I've read), and it is doubly informative: on Tsolyani society and on how to run the world, as a GM. The best of both worlds.
Can't wait.

And thank you for the other replies (and encouragements).

Thank you for the very kind words!!! I started the thing to tell friends and family about our adventures, and the thing seems to be useful to people.

And you're very welcome; running Tekumel never seemed to be a problem, back in the day, as we like to emphasize the 'action-adventure' style of play; we never worried about getting all the details right, out at Phil's and so I've never been a stickler for following 'the canon'. The game's the thing, and you follow it where the play takes you.

Phil never worried about the details; he expected that if he missed something or made a mistake, I'd keep my trap shut and send him a note down the table if I thought that he thought it might be important. Sometimes he's 'fix' it; more often then not, he'd just keep right on going and worry about it later. If Phil wasn't a 'canonista', then how could I be was my guiding thought.

All I can do is tell you what we did, way back when, and if that has any resonance for you in your games then you are welcome to what we learned. Go out, play games, and have adventures; that's what this is all about, I think...