Sure does look like him, doesn't it!Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel
Sure does look like him, doesn't it!
From AsenRG:
Oh, my, isn't that a classical reason!
She was very, very much all about her social prestige and position in society. (Still is, too.) I was merely a fashion accessory, like a name brand hanbag or pair of shoes.
I wanted to say "do they ever care about legalities"...
Of course, your father did it right according to the Tsolyani way! In a way, even the circumstances of your birh were Tsolyani-styled...
Agreed. The Tsolyani do care about some things, very much, but they are different things then what we'd deem important. Which made Tekumel so alien to us Midwestern Americans, back in the day...
In a way, that's also totally Tsolyani. Just substitute the captain for an OAL agent.
Very much so. When I told Phil the story, he laughed until he cried. He and my dad got along quite well.
I'd suggest, in turn, doing a search for "Art Deco Streamline Moderne".
I just did, and my players are going to hate the next Underworld expedition to an unknown location. Though I was just looking at tables...
Yep. It'll be an eye-opener for them, that's for sure.
Phil, it seems, liked "softer" Sci-Fi, focusing more on what humans do with technology. In a way, he knew what humans do with technology in situations where it's a scarce resource - from his years in South Asia...so it was more or less a story to him, with the PCs as the "wild cards".
The fans, it seems, wanted "harder" Sci-Fi, focusing on how technology works, and what it does to humans. And they had no such background to fall back on, so to them, it was an exploration "what you can do with this".
Two viewpoints, informed by different life experiences, coming into a clash...what more can one say?
Their views on Barsoom and the like, though, were totally outrageous!
Agreed. Phil liked the F/SF he'd grown up with, where the hardware was there to serve the plot and the characters, not the be-all and end-all of the thing.
It just got old for him to get the letters, phone calls, and visits and then be told that the way he was running his creation was all wrong, and not 'serious' F/SF. Never got that from the pro authors, just from the 'serious' fans.
Last edited by chirine ba kal; 12-10-2016 at 07:54 PM. Reason: typo
Agreed, and very well put. Based on what I see at the local FLGS, Gygax and Arneson would have no place in today's fandom or gaming. They just weren't 'serious' enough.
Good point!
=
No, if games stop being fun, you stop playing them, because they suck
And you move to better games
Yeah, that's why I said "classical". I've known such women, myself, and there's a couple NPCs I modeled after them over the years...From AsenRG:
Oh, my, isn't that a classical reason
she was very, very much all about her social prestige and position in society. (Still is, too.) I was merely a fashion accessory, like a name brand hanbag or pair of shoes.
Yeah, but I find it increasingly funny that the things I care about align better with the Tsolyani POV than the "modern American"...at least in this case.I wanted to say "do they ever care about legalities"...
Of course, your father did it right according to the Tsolyani way! In a way, even the circumstances of your birh were Tsolyani-styled...
Agreed. The Tsolyani do care about some things, very much, but they are different things then what we'd deem important. Which made Tekumel so alien to us Midwestern Americans, back in the day...
I fail to be surprised at them seeing eye to eye...In a way, that's also totally Tsolyani. Just substitute the captain for an OAL agent
Very much so. When I told Phil the story, he laughed until he cried. He and my dad got along quite well.
Oh, they know the style better than me, I suspect. What they might not be expecting is me using it.I'd suggest, in turn, doing a search for "Art Deco Streamline Moderne".
I just did, and my players are going to hate the next Underworld expedition to an unknown location. Though I was just looking at tables...
Yep. It'll be an eye-opener for them, that's for sure.
Well, in a way, Tekumel is "inversed serious SF".Phil, it seems, liked "softer" Sci-Fi, focusing more on what humans do with technology. In a way, he knew what humans do with technology in situations where it's a scarce resource - from his years in South Asia...so it was more or less a story to him, with the PCs as the "wild cards".
The fans, it seems, wanted "harder" Sci-Fi, focusing on how technology works, and what it does to humans. And they had no such background to fall back on, so to them, it was an exploration "what you can do with this".
Two viewpoints, informed by different life experiences, coming into a clash...what more can one say?
Their views on Barsoom and the like, though, were totally outrageous!
Agreed. Phil liked the F/SF he'd grown up with, where the hardware was there to serve the plot and the characters, not the be-all and end-all of the thing.
Serious SF deals with the question how scientific progress will impact us.
Tekumel is a matter of how scientific regress and lack of raw materials might impact us.
I have some magical words for theses cases that he was probably too well-educated to use to their full effect: "Get lost!"It just got old for him to get the letters, phone calls, and visits and then be told that the way he was running his creation was all wrong, and not 'serious' F/SF. Never got that from the pro authors, just from the 'serious' fans.
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward." - Rocky
I don't think the link works. Get an error message when I click on it.
I've been using things from the '39 Fair from when you first pointed this out as an inspiration for Tekumel. Another great resource to mine from.
Shemek
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
From AsenRG:
No, if games stop being fun, you stop playing them, because they suck
And you move to better games
Agreed. Gaming hasn't been fun for a long while, so I stopped. Haven't found anything better yet, so I just keep on building my models. Which is what I like, anyway.
Yeah, that's why I said "classical". I've known such women, myself, and there's a couple NPCs I modeled after them over the years...
Yep. It's probably why I find such people tiresome and irrelevant.
Yeah, but I find it increasingly funny that the things I care about align better with the Tsolyani POV than the "modern American"...at least in this case.
True; so do I. As Phil once said, "Chirine. you've gone native."
I fail to be surprised at them seeing eye to eye...
Oh, they know the style better than me, I suspect. What they might not be expecting is me using it.
That will be a surprise! I wonder how they'll handle it?
Well, in a way, Tekumel is "inversed serious SF".
Serious SF deals with the question how scientific progress will impact us.
Tekumel is a matter of how scientific regress and lack of raw materials might impact us.
Interesting observation; I usually describe Tekumel as classic '40s and '50s F/SF, but I do think you're right here.
I have some magical words for theses cases that he was probably too well-educated to use to their full effect: "Get lost!"
In most cases, once he'd had enough they got his standard form letter that said, in effect: "You do what you want in your Tekumel and I'll do what I want in mine" and usually they'd drift off into the aether. I do the same thing myself, these days, with people who insist that I need to change my views, opinions, or games to fit into what they insist is what they need to see in their lives.
Last edited by chirine ba kal; 12-10-2016 at 07:55 PM. Reason: typo
You weren't missing anything; it was a poster from the '39 Fair. I reloaded it, and it might work now.I don't think the link works. Get an error message when I click on it.
I've been using things from the '39 Fair from when you first pointed this out as an inspiration for Tekumel. Another great resource to mine from.
Shemek
Oh, yes! There's even a really cool video out there, showing color 'home movies' from the fair, and it's really cool and a great source for ideas.
I see it now. Thank you!
Shemek
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
As a kid, my dad was able to go to the 1933 Worlds Fair in Chicago. Not quite the same Raymond Massey "Shapes of things" deco stylistic sensibility as in 1939, but the same shock of the new mentality, and the same slew of really bad, dangerous, don't do this at home ideas that were nowhere near ready for prime time. One thing I remember him describing was this, I guess it was a microwave grill, in the "homes of the future" area. Microwave grill. Honestly. My dad lived a good long life, but he was only a spectator. Sometimes I wonder about the poor guy who was demonstrating it. Probably paid 25¢ a day to lean over the darn thing for hours at a time cooking steaks. I wonder how long he lived after the fair was over.
Last edited by Zirunel; 12-10-2016 at 07:08 PM.
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