I agree with AsenRG!  That does sound like a great NPC, I can see why you listed him.

Now for group related stuff.  If a group were to be all from a single clan, is there any advice on what clan level works best?

Quote from: chirine ba kal;943195It was the same Blackmoor 'Shade Knight' from 5e or something; it was the same thing that ambushed us last session, and pretty badly handled the party - I git killed, for example. This time around, after we got back to Blackmoor, they all thought tactically, and when we got jumped from behind the thing never knew what hit it - an arrow to the head from the archer in the second rank, giving us covering fire, and we in the rear rank giving the thing the Culloden treatment; while it hit my partner, I hit it with a powerful flame spell and then the old buckler-to-the-face-and-mace-to-the gut. It dropped like the proverbial rock, and the party was very pleased.

So, this session began with the Drow hitting the button on the 'get home' box, which had low batteries and so got them to the wrong timeline in Tekumel. Poor dead 1st level Chirine got hauled off to the infirmary to get brought back to life - "A little incense, a few incantations, the Eight Interlocking Oblongs of Surety, and he'll be fine!" said the Chief Physician, in his best bedside manner to the rest of the party - and the party got put up for a couple of days in Lord Chirine's palace while they all rested and got fixed up. One of the party was unfamiliar with the idea of interacting meta-campaigns, and had a lot of confusion. The others simply enjoyed the rest, avoided the carnivorous plants in the gardens, and had a good time.  Got back to Blackmoor, and got back into the castle.

I had a good time doing the local color commentary, while the GM ran the actual dice-rolling as needed. The players seemed to like the chance to role-play, instead of roll-playing. A good tme was had by all, many plots were hatched, and may mysteries unveiled for future game sessions.

Cool!!! Poor Chirine...I hope all turns out good!!!

H;0)

Today's questions:

What more can you tell us about the Naqsai?  Apparently the coastal people on the Southern Continent?  The Ucon books mention the Red Hats might've been starting to try and conquer them too.

Speaking of the Red Hats, any more details on the regions to the West of their empire.  I'm especially curious about anything west of the Plain of Towers, and of Lost Bayarsha.

Finally, I love maps.  Gamer Porn, as the joke goes.  Is there any place we can see maps of 'more' of Tekumel?  Southern Continent, Other side, West of the Mu'uglavyani, etc?  Even if just continental layouts or even the borders of continents.  And did the Professor really have a "Globe" done up?

* sigh *

I miss gaming. One day friends, time, and opportunity will intersect again.

Quote from: Baron Opal;943417* sigh *

I miss gaming. One day friends, time, and opportunity will intersect again.

One word ... RPoL.net
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Another "word," Roll20.net.

Myth Weavers trumps them all!

Quote from: AsenRG;943201Glad to hear, here and in the other thread, that people are learning the basics of formation. Next time, Uncle, you should totally introduce them to scouting ahead and preparing an ambush;)!

Sounds like a great NPC:D!

We're taking it slowly. They are 'modern' players, and introducing them to Ye Olde Style of Ye Gaming by Ye Ancient Adventurer is a gentle process; I do not want to dominate the group, not be the leader; this is their group, in a friend's campaign. I am a guest, and I'd like to stay an honored one. I am very happy that they are learning very, very quickly, and applying my anecdotes to game play. I am hugely enjoying myself, in a way that I have not in literally decades.

He is, and a delight to watch Phil play him.

Quote from: Dulahan;943261I agree with AsenRG!  That does sound like a great NPC, I can see why you listed him.

Now for group related stuff.  If a group were to be all from a single clan, is there any advice on what clan level works best?

Well, it depends on the job to be undertaken / the quest to be followed / the adventure to be had. I'd suggest about lowish in the clan, so that they are junior enough to want the commission but high enough so that they have a little status and experience so that they can get some respect from the people that they meet.

Could you be more specific, if possible?

Quote from: Hrugga;943281Cool!!! Poor Chirine...I hope all turns out good!!!

H;0)

First-level Chirine is doing just fine, despite being not on his proper timeline, but he and Lord Chirine had a great time discussion the worlds and where their timelines diverged. He may come back to the palace for a visit; the GM made sure that the 'get home box' was properly charged and calibrated.

It was a very fun game session, and the players enjoyed their side trip to my neck of the woods...

Quote from: chirine ba kal;943506Well, it depends on the job to be undertaken / the quest to be followed / the adventure to be had. I'd suggest about lowish in the clan, so that they are junior enough to want the commission but high enough so that they have a little status and experience so that they can get some respect from the people that they meet.

Could you be more specific, if possible?

Yeah, I guess I was more meaning to imply Level of the Clan - like a Medium clan, would that be a good balance of not too important, room to advance, but not so lowly as to be a difficult social challenge?

From Dulahan:Today's questions:

What more can you tell us about the Naqsai?  Apparently the coastal people on the Southern Continent?  The Ucon books mention the Red Hats might've been starting to try and conquer them too.

Book Two of "To Serve The Petal Throne", which covers our journey along their coasts. That was our first trip to the Southern Continent, out to the west; our second (Book Four) was off to the east. Nice people, not a hugely organized place, but we didn't have any problems with them on our trip. O' course, we also didn't act like jerks, either, and paid our way as we went.

Part of our mission down there was to see what the Four Palaces might be up to; they were reacting to the Livyani adventure in the Tsolei Isles, which was one of the dumber ideas anyone has had on Tekumel. Nobody's ever managed to support and maintain a sea-borne invasion against a hostile shore in recorded history - see also "Deeds" for more on this. The logistics are lousy, and while initial attacks make a big noise they usually fade out like the Livyani did. The Red-hat's moves were probes, mostly, to see what trouble they could cause the Livyani and diverting resources in advance of their long-planned invasion many years later. So, lots of skirmishes and raids, but not a lot of staying power. We arrived on the scene, and the Red-hats had to play nice while we were around; we did do a little unauthorized thumping of heads to help out the locals, but you didn't hear that from me and there's nothing about it in my reports to the Petal Throne.

In general, they are lots of little coastal city-states that do a lot of trading with each other and occasionally with the Shen; the latter established a colony there, away off in the far south-east corner of Map One.

Speaking of the Red Hats, any more details on the regions to the West of their empire.  I'm especially curious about anything west of the Plain of Towers, and of Lost Bayarsha.

Well, Tane, of course; that was covered in the first Tekumel Journal, and I think Alva Hardison did a nice map of the area. I think that's up on the Yahoo group. You get a big area of temperate / northern forests, then Tane proper.

Ah, Lost Bayarsha. Telepaths, with no body hair. Sound familiar? From what we gathered in our thankfully rare visits, these are the nasty telepaths who are descended from the starship communicators of the Lords of Humanspace. Chirine's Senior Wife is one of the opposite telepaths of the Temple of Mretten, the nice telepaths. I think that there's  dispatch about the place in one of the two early Couriers, too.

(One thing about asking me questions, by the way. In general, if there is a published text on the subject, I will refer you to that so that you can get Phil's original materials unfiltered. If I don;t know, I'll say so, but it's usually best to ask me more specific questions about something; more general questions will get a more general answer, as I don't type very quickly, and I don't want to retype a lot of things...)

Finally, I love maps.  Gamer Porn, as the joke goes.  Is there any place we can see maps of 'more' of Tekumel?  Southern Continent, Other side, West of the Mu'uglavyani, etc?  Even if just continental layouts or even the borders of continents.  And did the Professor really have a "Globe" done up?

The flip answer is: Yes, in my basement. I have all of the published maps, all of the unpublished maps that Phil and we gamers did, all of the maps that used to be up in //www.tekumel.com, and quite a few of the maps done by other people over the years. I've made sure to add all the maps I could to my archives, and made sure that they have all been preserved. I have everything in digital format, which is why when I referee Tekumel I can just project stuff up on the wall or onto the monitor at the side of the game table.

I'd try the Yahoo group files, or the tekumel.com site for maps that you can see without a trip down here to my little 'museum'.

Yes, he did. We did a complete photo survey of it, both in 1987 and again in 2011. I think some of our photos are up on the web...

Ah! A Google seach for "Tekumel" globe will get you to the 1987 photo that my Missus took for Phil. Phil had bought a blank globe, and drew in the landmass we live on; he drew in the adjoining coastlines, as well.

Quote from: Dulahan;943508Yeah, I guess I was more meaning to imply Level of the Clan - like a Medium clan, would that be a good balance of not too important, room to advance, but not so lowly as to be a difficult social challenge?

Yes, I think it would. Too low, and nobody would take them seriously; too high, and they would not have much reason to go on the adventure. Medium sounds very good.

More excellent stuff!  And I am grateful for when you cite things too, it gives me a good reason to track down missing pieces of my collection.  PDF of both the Journals procured.  And my order of the Seal of the Imperium 2.1 and 2.2 just arrived too.  Lots of good new stuff to read and it's exciting.

Man that must have been something to experience all that, I know it bleeds out even in your writing how wondrous it was, but it's been great just to experience some more of this.

Quote from: Dulahan;943521More excellent stuff!  And I am grateful for when you cite things too, it gives me a good reason to track down missing pieces of my collection.  PDF of both the Journals procured.  And my order of the Seal of the Imperium 2.1 and 2.2 just arrived too.  Lots of good new stuff to read and it's exciting.

Man that must have been something to experience all that, I know it bleeds out even in your writing how wondrous it was, but it's been great just to experience some more of this.

Wait till he has his book finished.
I plan to take some vacation days from work just to read it.
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