Quote from: Baron;1044345Saw this link posted on the ODD74 boards: https://www.ebay.com/itm/292605279580

Chirine, do you know what we are seeing here? I'm particularly curious about the maps. Thanks!

Somebody's EPT box with their maps in it, with a letter from DCSIII and a copy of his map from his EPT campaign. Pretty easy to authenticate; I happen to know his handwriting. Nice artifact, really. Be interesting to see what he'd had to say.

Quote from: Hrugga;1044355Maybe those are the DS EPT maps that were reused for Ruins of Undermountain? Maybe?

H:0)

PS See this thread if you have not already...

http://odd74.proboards.com/thread/12571/apparently-undermountain-ept

Yes, probably.

Quote from: bconsidine;1044404Excellent news, Chirine. That's two extended sessions in a row. Perhaps the old style  holds appeal after all.

Sorry to read Gronan has left the building. He'll be missed on this thread.

Finally, happy Father's Day to all the dads here. My gift from my daughter is the Kurt Hills campaign map.  Now, if I can only get her gaming...

Blaise

It was a lot of fun, and everything worked first time out all the way across the board. The Skyline display drew a lot of attention - as did the birthday cake! - and the players seemed fascinated by the Ye Olde Game Play. They got the hang of it very quickly, and were able to evaluate their own dice rolls - I used the Dave/Gary 3D6 instead of Phil's 1D% for laughs - and got the hang of Tekumel right smartly too, so that they were fitting right in with the rest of the crowd. Everybody had fun, and a good time was had by all.

Especially when The Cat got sick. She rolled spectacularly badly, and - bless her little ham acting heart - did what could only be described as the perfect 'kitty-being-sick' act any of us had ever seen. She caused the palace staff to roll a morale check, which they failed and were utterly routed as a result. The Ladies-in-Waiting, though, are made of sterner stuff, made their morale check with ease, and not only got the mess cleaned up and have been upgraded to 'Elite' from 'Regular'. (The Court Pages - those little scamps! - are 'Fanatics', by the way.) The players laughed until they cried, and The Artist at the table recorded it all for the archives.

Yeah, I hear you.

Had some of the family in for the game, too...

Another photo up on the blog today; still sorting and unpacking, and washing the frosting out of the tablecloths.

Ah, the thrilling excitement of gaming!

Quote from: chirine ba kal;1044448Another photo up on the blog today; still sorting and unpacking, and washing the frosting out of the tablecloths.

Ah, the thrilling excitement of gaming!

Wonderful post over at the Bench. Touching. Happy Fathers Day, Uncle.

Thanks,

H:0)

Quote from: Hrugga;1044452Wonderful post over at the Bench. Touching. Happy Fathers Day, Uncle.

Thanks,

H:0)

Thank you! I'm glad you liked my post; The Missus says I write from the heart, and I think she's right.

Quote from: Neshm hiKumala;1044138That's very nice.
I'll keep an eye posted on whatever Tekumel game pops up on my radar.
If it's close enough to London and I can therefore justify the travel expense, I'll make sure to join. I've only lead games and I'd love to be a player!

And yes, it seems that people are curious about the world, at least among convention crowds. An untapped audience of potential buyers! The world is still considered to be unplayable, even after all these years (bad reputation is hard to shake off), but I think that it wouldn't take much (other than a bit of vision and hard work on the part of the IP holders) to get those hardcore gamers and gamers in their circles to get excited about Tekumel and start something rolling. A fully illustrated second edition of the Sourcebook, with, right behind, a series of fun playable adventures, would help I think. All of this could be achieved, with serious work and careful planning, but it could.
(I will now close this thread on what the IP holders should be doing as it's been discussed here about, oh, a billion times before? )

Anyway, hope to see you at a convention table, Hermes Serpent!

Agreed, if yesterday was any indication. I had a good time, the players had a good time, and I had quite a few passer-by asking about Tekumel. So, I think the interest is there, and potentially a bit of a market, but tapping it will be the issue...

And, like you, I'll leave it at that.

Quote from: chirine ba kal;1044366Just back in and unloaded from today's event; back tomorrow with more news, after I get some sleep. The game session went from 10:15 am to 8:45 pm, with five to six players on average to peaking at eight. Lots of on-lookers; talked to well over twenty people all day as the game was running. Had some very ancient players, and some completely new players. There's talk of making this an annual event, and maybe sponsoring it at a large convention.
...
Very happy with the game, and the FLGS was very happy with the display. Got to meet Willie, too!!!

Indeed, it was fun. I'll relate my experience for the rest of the thread, since Chirine still seems stretched for time here --
side note: I will be butchering spelling of people real and imagined, so bear with me. Chirine if you correct, I will update.

I wasn't able to get there until 4:00-ish, and could only stay for a couple hours. It was still a grand time (not just Chirine's part, the whole store seemed to be a great mixing of old and young players enjoying themselves together, which is the best kind of thing). Chirine was set up on the Eastern wall near the restrooms and drinking fountains (not bad, as we got some decent ambient sunlight without getting scorched/blinded). Present at the table was Tekumel veteran Dave Westley, as well as artist Kathy _____ (of Kathy and Harley, missed last name), and 3 (later 4) women (girl in one case) who clearly knew each other. They played (respectively) an actual cat (Egyptian temple cat), a priestess of Bast, and an anthropomorphic cat-person. An interesting theme I greatly appreciated. Bob Meyer (who inherited the Blackmoor campaign also made an appearance, but did not play).

The adventure focused on palace intrigue during a celebration in the court of Chininae. When I sat down I was told by others that the likely task (as I will put it) was to sniff out who was most likely to be the target of assassination at this shindig and potentially stop it/catch the assassin. However, Chirine played it true to the sandbox mentality and if we wanted to get lost on bunny trails (or just let him expound upon the 'old days'), he wasn't going to nudge us onto the right path or anything.

I think multiple of us determined that the most likely targets of assassination would be the Sulirviani delegation. They had previously tried to kill the entire royal family and as such were not really liked by anyone (but still had to be there to be represented, much to the chagrin of the junior diplomatic staff, who clearly knew the position they'd been put in). Beyond that, their nation was suffering a civil war, one that the senior Sulirviani diplomat would very much like Chirinae's army not to get involved in. Thus parts of Sulirviani itself might enjoy said diplomat's efforts failing, as would any foreign agent who might not even care about the civil war so much as simply try to push Chirinae's attention in that direction.

Knowing I couldn't stick around for very long, I didn't want to try to dictate what we should do... but honestly I wasn't sure what we should do. I guess IRL if I were tasked with preventing an assassination at a social endeavor, I might be in over my head. But other than search the quarters of the suspected targets (something someone else suggested), I didn't really know how to proceed except myself trying to be a bit provocative and rattle NPCs (and Westley's character, who was clearly up to something, but we didn't know what), and have the other players look around to see who reacted to me the most worriedly, I was somewhat flummoxed as what to do next.

All in all a good time. I wish I could have stayed for the whole time. I did get some good book recommendations, a great quote from Chirine on handel killing an assassin with a cello spike to protect Welsh Royalty or somesuch (notes not in front of me right now), and stories of his and Gronan's wargaming campaigns. Two thumbs up.

Quote from: Willie the Duck;1044541Indeed, it was fun. I'll relate my experience for the rest of the thread, since Chirine still seems stretched for time here --
side note: I will be butchering spelling of people real and imagined, so bear with me. Chirine if you correct, I will update.

All in all a good time. I wish I could have stayed for the whole time. I did get some good book recommendations, a great quote from Chirine on handel killing an assassin with a cello spike to protect Welsh Royalty or somesuch (notes not in front of me right now), and stories of his and Gronan's wargaming campaigns. Two thumbs up.

Very good summary of the action as it went on during the day! Thank you! I'm still pretty tired out, and the fracas over on another forum all day yesterday really bottomed out my morale.

To answer your questions:

The Cast Of Characters:

The Old Gang: Kathy (Marshall) Grantham, better known as the brilliant artist for Tekumel and The Highborn Princess Lady Vrisa Vishetru, the kolumelra (Governor of the Nyemesel Isles); David Thornley, who first played Tekumel with Phil in the summer of 1974; Doreen Thornely, who'd never played Tekumel but took on the role of Lady Vrisa's handmaiden.

The Shieldmaidens: Miss Gillian, The Sacred Cat of Bast (who never, ever breaks character!!!), Chandra, her frazzled Priestess of Bast handler, Elspeth (Our Lady Of The Podcasts) the Bard / Sorceress, Meredith the Fremen Assassin (not a Harkonnen, anyway), and Alice the Kzniti warrior a feline with an attitude.

Sage Counsel and Advice: Bob Meyer, better known as Robert the Bald of Blackmoor

Ace Investigator: Willie the Duck - I thought you did very well, and you did stop the assassination attempt.

"It's your usual party crowd."

My Kids ( I think I'll keep them): Heather, Thiolleb the Librarian of Avanthar (Appointed so by one M. A, R. Barker), Jake, the Nlyss warrior - a fine strapping hunk of a man, with rippling sinews, curly hair, bulging biceps, abs like titanium washboards, oiled skin, and a self-confidence that is all over the place: "Stand aside, people; I take large steps!"

It was the Salarvyani who were being the unhappy guests.

And it's Neal Stephenson's epic trilogy, The_Baroque Cycle, where George Fredrick Handel kills a Jesuit Assassin sent by Louis XiV to kill the Princess of Wales. With a cello. Through the heart. What's not to like?

Quote from: chirine ba kal;1044552Very good summary of the action as it went on during the day! Thank you! I'm still pretty tired out, and the fracas over on another forum all day yesterday really bottomed out my morale.

To answer your questions:

The Cast Of Characters:

The Old Gang: Kathy (Marshall) Grantham, better known as the brilliant artist for Tekumel and The Highborn Princess Lady Vrisa Vishetru, the kolumelra (Governor of the Nyemesel Isles); David Thornley, who first played Tekumel with Phil in the summer of 1974; Doreen Thornely, who'd never played Tekumel but took on the role of Lady Vrisa's handmaiden.

The Shieldmaidens: Miss Gillian, The Sacred Cat of Bast (who never, ever breaks character!!!), Chandra, her frazzled Priestess of Bast handler, Elspeth (Our Lady Of The Podcasts) the Bard / Sorceress, Meredith the Fremen Assassin (not a Harkonnen, anyway), and Alice the Kzniti warrior a feline with an attitude.

Sage Counsel and Advice: Bob Meyer, better known as Robert the Bald of Blackmoor

Ace Investigator: Willie the Duck - I thought you did very well, and you did stop the assassination attempt.

"It's your usual party crowd."

My Kids ( I think I'll keep them): Heather, Thiolleb the Librarian of Avanthar (Appointed so by one M. A, R. Barker), Jake, the Nlyss warrior - a fine strapping hunk of a man, with rippling sinews, curly hair, bulging biceps, abs like titanium washboards, oiled skin, and a self-confidence that is all over the place: "Stand aside, people; I take large steps!"

It was the Salarvyani who were being the unhappy guests.

And it's Neal Stephenson's epic trilogy, The_Baroque Cycle, where George Fredrick Handel kills a Jesuit Assassin sent by Louis XiV to kill the Princess of Wales. With a cello. Through the heart. What's not to like?

How did they uncover the assassin/stop the assassination, Uncle?

Quote from: AsenRG;1044590How did they uncover the assassin/stop the assassination, Uncle?

The players noticed, as they mingled with the crowd, that there was a lot of tension in the air. So, in the process of making polite small talk over the cheese and crackers, they found out what was up on the political side of the thing. In what I thought was a brilliant move, and completely unexpected by myself, was that they started covertly watching the Legion's security troops, to see who they were watching. They had the situation figured out pretty quickly, and then - after some very good 'perception' / 'wisdom' checks, realized that they could not remember the faces of some of the catering staff that were circulating around the hall with the drinks and snacks. They'd get served by these people, and then could not remember what they looked like. The players then, in literally a matter of moments, realized that the 'servers' in question were part of the Department of Assassinations and Obfuscations, and after a little consulting work behind the pillars - which is why the hall has pillars, somebody pointed out - they knew who were the suspects.

They then put on a little show, as a diversion, with the idea of taking out the would-be assassins. This being Tekumel, and this being open sandbox play, this triggered a pretty darn spectacular scene - the crowd loved it, as they'd never seen what is one of The Very Big Secrets of the Temple of Vimuhla. (His Lordship nearly fainted, but that's the way the game is played, folks.) combined with fast footwork by the players, the plot was foiled - the Salarvyani have this morbid fear of demons, and the players did their level best to encourage that. The junior diplomats failed their saving throws / morale checks, especially after the six-foot tall Kzin flexed her muscles and showed them her fangs, and they had to be carried off in handcarts what with being limp with terror. (The twins, who are some of the likely targets for assassination by the way, really like her; they like their cuddles on the lethal side, like their mothers and aunties. I'm gong to have to find a felinoid figure, now...)

The Birthday Girl thought it was a wonderful way to spend the evening; she carried on like this was the normal floor show of an evening here at the palace, and all was well.

It was one of those 'Phil does Phil' evenings like I so fondly remember. All role-playing, all the time, and a good time was had by all.

[I just finished the left-over cake today; I have a day off, so we went to get Der Bug's title done and stopped off at IKEA for gaming supplies. I feel much better, tonight.]

Quote from: chirine ba kal;1044593The players noticed, as they mingled with the crowd, that there was a lot of tension in the air. So, in the process of making polite small talk over the cheese and crackers, they found out what was up on the political side of the thing. In what I thought was a brilliant move, and completely unexpected by myself, was that they started covertly watching the Legion's security troops, to see who they were watching. They had the situation figured out pretty quickly, and then - after some very good 'perception' / 'wisdom' checks, realized that they could not remember the faces of some of the catering staff that were circulating around the hall with the drinks and snacks. They'd get served by these people, and then could not remember what they looked like. The players then, in literally a matter of moments, realized that the 'servers' in question were part of the Department of Assassinations and Obfuscations, and after a little consulting work behind the pillars - which is why the hall has pillars, somebody pointed out - they knew who were the suspects.

They then put on a little show, as a diversion, with the idea of taking out the would-be assassins. This being Tekumel, and this being open sandbox play, this triggered a pretty darn spectacular scene - the crowd loved it, as they'd never seen what is one of The Very Big Secrets of the Temple of Vimuhla. (His Lordship nearly fainted, but that's the way the game is played, folks.) combined with fast footwork by the players, the plot was foiled - the Salarvyani have this morbid fear of demons, and the players did their level best to encourage that. The junior diplomats failed their saving throws / morale checks, especially after the six-foot tall Kzin flexed her muscles and showed them her fangs, and they had to be carried off in handcarts what with being limp with terror. (The twins, who are some of the likely targets for assassination by the way, really like her; they like their cuddles on the lethal side, like their mothers and aunties. I'm gong to have to find a felinoid figure, now...)

The Birthday Girl thought it was a wonderful way to spend the evening; she carried on like this was the normal floor show of an evening here at the palace, and all was well.

It was one of those 'Phil does Phil' evenings like I so fondly remember. All role-playing, all the time, and a good time was had by all.

[I just finished the left-over cake today; I have a day off, so we went to get Der Bug's title done and stopped off at IKEA for gaming supplies. I feel much better, tonight.]

Awesome scene!!! Wish we all could have been there.

H:0)

Quote from: Hrugga;1044606Awesome scene!!! Wish we all could have been there.

H:0)

Well, in the future you should be able to; we're working on getting all the hardware to talk to themselves. I should also note that while I have the gear to record sessions like this, as this is a public event I don't record this one; there are all sorts of issues involved, as well as the sheer effort required to do good video.

And I'd like to point out that soirees like this were one of Phil's 'stock sets' in his theater of the mind. All I did was take his gambit, which he liked to use to introduce new players into the group's adventures, and run with it. People from the multiverse would drop in and out, like the two hobbits of that Flemish man-at-arms, and I used that as well to make this open-table event work for everyone.

Having the 25mm palace plans out on the table also helped, as the players had an instant grasp of the tactical situation and knew just where they were all the time - when they could see each other, that is. It also added to the fun when The Sacred Cat started exploring the family wing, popping in and out of people's rooms with her minder in hot pursuit. The bit where she - the minder, that is, not the cat - got her wet bath towels exchanged for dry ones on the fly, like a relay runner, was (if you asked me) pretty priceless and well worth the costs of serving the birthday cake.

Quote from: chirine ba kal;1044593The players noticed, as they mingled with the crowd, that there was a lot of tension in the air. So, in the process of making polite small talk over the cheese and crackers, they found out what was up on the political side of the thing. In what I thought was a brilliant move, and completely unexpected by myself, was that they started covertly watching the Legion's security troops, to see who they were watching. They had the situation figured out pretty quickly, and then - after some very good 'perception' / 'wisdom' checks, realized that they could not remember the faces of some of the catering staff that were circulating around the hall with the drinks and snacks. They'd get served by these people, and then could not remember what they looked like. The players then, in literally a matter of moments, realized that the 'servers' in question were part of the Department of Assassinations and Obfuscations, and after a little consulting work behind the pillars - which is why the hall has pillars, somebody pointed out - they knew who were the suspects.

They then put on a little show, as a diversion, with the idea of taking out the would-be assassins. This being Tekumel, and this being open sandbox play, this triggered a pretty darn spectacular scene - the crowd loved it, as they'd never seen what is one of The Very Big Secrets of the Temple of Vimuhla. (His Lordship nearly fainted, but that's the way the game is played, folks.) combined with fast footwork by the players, the plot was foiled - the Salarvyani have this morbid fear of demons, and the players did their level best to encourage that. The junior diplomats failed their saving throws / morale checks, especially after the six-foot tall Kzin flexed her muscles and showed them her fangs, and they had to be carried off in handcarts what with being limp with terror. (The twins, who are some of the likely targets for assassination by the way, really like her; they like their cuddles on the lethal side, like their mothers and aunties. I'm gong to have to find a felinoid figure, now...)

The Birthday Girl thought it was a wonderful way to spend the evening; she carried on like this was the normal floor show of an evening here at the palace, and all was well.

It was one of those 'Phil does Phil' evenings like I so fondly remember. All role-playing, all the time, and a good time was had by all.

[I just finished the left-over cake today; I have a day off, so we went to get Der Bug's title done and stopped off at IKEA for gaming supplies. I feel much better, tonight.]

Wonderful! And a good call on the players' side, too!

How would Chirine have approached the same task, had he received it in the early days of his career;)?

Apologies in advance, but I'm writing up an adventure for this weekend's romp under Jakalla. The party's been away for two real years of play, and now I have a question as I try getting back into the right mindset. Do we assume that many of Tekumel's creatures that can be found down there can see in the dark, in one way or another? I'm basically describing everything as pitch dark, forcing the party to carry light sources and manage resources, but shouldn't the various beasties who live here manage just fine? What about the humanoids/aliens that might be encountered roaming the vast underground halls, such as a ravening band of ahoggya, a few qol, some renyu slaves, a group of shen mercs, or an opportunistic sro? Would a fair rule of thumb be that if they can carry a light source of some kind, then they must, in order to operate optimally?

If I had my druthers I'd probably just make humans be the only ones to need light, and no one else, but if it's established somewhere in EPT or S&G, I'll refer to that. I just need some guidance as to how it ran under the Professor. Thanks!