Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal

Originally Posted by Hrugga

Hello All,

I just came across a nice article about The Professor's early writings, letters to the editor, and involvement with early Sci-Fi fandom.

http://tekumelcollecting.com/2017/04...rker/#more-835

Enjoy,

H:0)

Agreed; it's a great article! It's a part of Phil's life that really was important to him, and his early writing - I have a lot of it - really does shed some light on what he was thinking when he thought about his world.

Originally Posted by altfritz

Interesting article! I have an article Professor Barker wrote for Slingshot, the Society of Ancients magazine, on the Mayan armies. It's old school WRG wargaming. I was pretty excited when I found it in an old back issue I bought at a flea market. I scanned it and sent it to the Foundation thinking they'd throw it up on their blog right away. Sadly nothing happened. I'd love to put it up on my blog but would need permission and they're the ones to give it. :-(

That's sad, but not surprising. Phil was, we found out after he passed away, one of the very early members of the Society and had all of his issues of Slingshot from the very first one onward. I made sure to save these for the Foundation's files - otherwise they would have gone in the trash - but as they have no interest in miniatures gaming (of any sort or period) the files just seem to sit on their shelves. Lots of fascinating material in there, like a manuscript copy of Tony Bath's campaign rules sent by him to Phil pre-publication.

Pity, but there doesn't seem to be much interest in that kind of thing on the part of the Foundation. The raw data, I should say; 'proper interpretation' seems to be the mantra, I gather...

Nor are they interested in disposing of things not related to their mission. I'd buy Phil's historical medieval figures in an instant. But I want them to game with, not worship. Or have sex with.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Nor are they interested in disposing of things not related to their mission. I'd buy Phil's historical medieval figures in an instant. But I want them to game with, not worship. Or have sex with.

Which I'm sort of baffled by - their attitude, not yours - as a year before Phil passed away, they were asking me who they should give Phil's miniatures collection to. I pointed out, then and later, that the historicals should - from my point of view as an archivist - be kept together with all of the text materials relating to that genre of gaming; Phil had, as you'll remember, a vast pile of rules, books, and magazines related to the early days of the hobby. The Tekumel figures, I also pointed out, were such an integral part of his Tekumel gaming that getting rid of them would be a really bad mistake, from both an archival and a public relations point of view. So, I did a photo inventory of everything, so people in the future would have the data for themselves.

Since then, of course, it's become all about control of the source materials and their 'proper interpretation'. Raw data is not to be allowed to fall into the hands of the non-indoctrinated, as they might start thinking for themselves. (And we can't have that - look what happened to D&D!) Me, I stopped caring when somebody started putting their own name on Phil's works; I don't mind co-authorship - did it myself with Phil - but out and out 'appropriation' just seems wrong.

But what do I know, eh? Rainy day, so I'm in the game room sorting stuff and doing the laundry while the plasma screen runs happily along...

Good point about the old rules sets and historical minis, but it's a shame that stuff is just sitting and rotting. There might be some of the missing stuff Jon Peterson is looking for in there. As I've mentioned before, how many rules sets and games appeared only in one issue of some wargaming magazine?

And whoever thought "plasma screen" would be a television set and not Origo's latest experiment gone bad...

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Good point about the old rules sets and historical minis, but it's a shame that stuff is just sitting and rotting. There might be some of the missing stuff Jon Peterson is looking for in there. As I've mentioned before, how many rules sets and games appeared only in one issue of some wargaming magazine?

And whoever thought "plasma screen" would be a television set and not Origo's latest experiment gone bad...

Literally rotting, in some cases; I did warn them, but they told me that they had (quote) "Top people, the very top, working on it."

Oh, yes, agreed; a historian could make a lot out of the collection. Jon would be good, but he's been specifically excluded from access to the collection by the Foundation. I was told, by the Foundation, that this is because he does not agree with their conclusions about the origins of RPGs - they are of the theory that Gary, aided by Dave - stole the idea from Phil in 1974; they have a book on this coming out, I was told. (When I pointed out the problems with this theory, I was told to come up with the data to support them otherwise my loyalty to them would be in question.)

Me, I'm just astounded. It'd be easy to put everything up on the web - it already exists in digital format, thanks to my Missus - and offer access to the collection for a nominal monthly subscription. (This was actually suggested to them, but they turned the idea down cold.) Instead, what we have is total denial of access - unless sanitized through them - and a net result of the kind of discussions you see all over the Internet where people get interested in Tekumel and then walk away because they can't get access to the data. While it does ensure total control over the IP, it also looks to be killing the thing as time goes on. "Better no Tekumel then not OUR Tekumel!" as has been said to me by some of them on more then a few occasions.

Heck, yes; me, I used to think that a 'plasma screen' was something you set up around the spaceship to keep the creepy-crawlies out. Instead, it's like a drive-in movie, down here...

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Which I'm sort of baffled by - their attitude, not yours - as a year before Phil passed away, they were asking me who they should give Phil's miniatures collection to. I pointed out, then and later, that the historicals should - from my point of view as an archivist - be kept together with all of the text materials relating to that genre of gaming; Phil had, as you'll remember, a vast pile of rules, books, and magazines related to the early days of the hobby. The Tekumel figures, I also pointed out, were such an integral part of his Tekumel gaming that getting rid of them would be a really bad mistake, from both an archival and a public relations point of view. So, I did a photo inventory of everything, so people in the future would have the data for themselves.

Since then, of course, it's become all about control of the source materials and their 'proper interpretation'. Raw data is not to be allowed to fall into the hands of the non-indoctrinated, as they might start thinking for themselves. (And we can't have that - look what happened to D&D!) Me, I stopped caring when somebody started putting their own name on Phil's works; I don't mind co-authorship - did it myself with Phil - but out and out 'appropriation' just seems wrong.

But what do I know, eh? Rainy day, so I'm in the game room sorting stuff and doing the laundry while the plasma screen runs happily along...

Isn't that illegal in your country, too, Uncle? I couldn't legally do that here even with the author's permission. And if I knew someone who is doing so, I should denounce it, or risk a charge of complicity.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

the origins of RPGs - they are of the theory that Gary, aided by Dave - stole the idea from Phil in 1974; they have a book on this coming out, I was told.

Um, there are still eyewitnesses living who will testify this ain't true... not to mention Jon has already documented letters from Phil in early 1974 about my D&D game.

Gods of Cimmeria, this whole thing is starting to make my asshole tired.

Meanwhile, now that I'm retired I have all these kits waiting to be built...