Quote from: Jason D;806527Did it go out? I ordered a copy on December 11th and got a reply from James saying it was going out that weekend. Here it is on the 28th and no sign.

Oh!  I don't know, since I haven't ordered mine yet.  Transatlantic media mail around Christmas could be a factor.

Quote from: TAFMSV;806542Oh!  I don't know, since I haven't ordered mine yet.  Transatlantic media mail around Christmas could be a factor.

I was having it mailed to Texas, so it should have arrived at even the slowest media rate.

Quote from: TAFMSV;806542Oh!  I don't know, since I haven't ordered mine yet.  Transatlantic media mail around Christmas could be a factor.

Any sign of it? I haven't received the book or a reply from my email of two weeks ago, asking for any info on whether it shipped.

Apparently people have been receiving his fanzine and he's put out a second issue.

It's pretty rich that James is sauntering back into the industry (even in this modest fashion) without offering a shred of contrition over the Dwimmermount debacle.

Quote from: Warthur;820669It's pretty rich that James is sauntering back into the industry (even in this modest fashion) without offering a shred of contrition over the Dwimmermount debacle.

I'd be glad to see him back. I don't need to see any contrition.

I'm sure there are people who won't just let him ignore it. I'm one of those people.

That's got to be the funniest thread I've read on this site, so I'll risk a necro:).

Quote from: talysman;794340But the real question then becomes: why did the backers back it? Were they just happy for more Tekumel product? Are they Pocket Universe fans who know little about Tekumel? Or are they truly an intersection of both?

Well, as a backer, I can answer that;).
See, I've got the original EPT, or as much of it as is sold on Drivethru (my only chance, given that the setting is older than me). And my firm opinion was that Tekumel needs a different system.
As for tweaking it OSR-style...sure. Might be possible. What's the point of it, though? Someone already suggested limiting everyone to a magic user class, and only those in temples being allowed to cast spells.
What's the point in even using a class system, then?
There comes a point when building from grounds up is easier than tweaking. Tekumel is way past this point. It probably was past it when it was first published, too.
And yeah, I like a lot of OSR games. FFS, I'm a backer of Spears of the Dawn, too!
Different games for different goals.

And yes, I would have probably backed Tekumel no matter the system, because I want the setting info. It's a good thing the current system seems to work, though.

Quote from: rawma;794366Well, yeah, I expect that it was popular for the setting and not the rules.  The setting didn't excite me and there wasn't anything new in the rules (at least for my cursory experience).  If the rules had been different in ways that suited the setting, maybe I would have gotten in to both.  I liked RuneQuest better, because its rules seemed to suit its world; I wouldn't have had any interest in D&D Glorantha.

So why have a new game at all?  This sounds like it's appropriately just a setting that uses the same rules, with maybe some additional mechanics (and ideally with an explanation of the consequences of combining with the actual original game), which is just like every other setting for D&D.  Is your desire to have only one game?  If not, why shouldn't Tekumel be its own game?

Similarly, I'd have strongly reduced interest in D&D Tekumel, and probably none whatsoever in D&D Glorantha. I was introduced to Glorantha via the Runequest system, actually, and found I like the place;).

BTW, all accounts I've read about the creator running Tekumel stated that the system just wasn't being used much. So why would it matter now who gets to make a conversion, and who gets to play it out of the box?
In short, I didn't appreciate the tone of the OP, as if a new edition had to be an OSR game. No. A new edition uses whatever system the author/designer wants it to. We're free to use it or not to use it.

In the end, it's the people you play with that make or break the game. A game system that suits the setting and genre just makes it easier to bring out your best game. No more, and certainly no less. The Pocket Universe system is going to matter for people that are new to Tekumel.
Everybody else is going to convert everything just out of habit, I suspect:D!

Quote from: Warthur;820669Apparently people have been receiving his fanzine and he's put out a second issue.

Yeah. I tried to contact him again when I'd heard the 2nd issue came out. No reply. My fourth attempt at reaching him, but no reply at all.

No sign of the first copy, either.

I finally reported it via Paypal's dispute resolution system. He replied within the hour, claiming he sent it. He said he would re-send the book, but then just refunded me the funds I'd given him.

No book sent, either.

So, a pity. Such terrible customer service. I'm a lifelong Tekumel fan, but will give this zine a pass.

Class act. I would have expected better just based on the general tone of the Grognardia blog. That whole erudite avuncular thing made me think maybe he had old school manners.

I had a copy of the OD&D based EPT set TSR released in the 70s...bought it, had it for a year or two, couldn't make heads or tails of the damn thing, sold it.  Pity; I was hoping I could mine it for ideas to use in my then-weekly OD&D game.

This thread has been an eye-opener. You fall in love with something when you are young and think, of course lots of people feel the same way, then decades later you discover the truth:

Quote from: chirine ba kal;799125None of these books [...] was any sort of 'big seller'. "Ebon Bindings" was by far the leader, with over 750 copies sold over the thirty years it's been in print.

How useless all the stories of commercial trials and tribulations seem! A very small pond indeed...

Quote from: TAFMSV;367052It's always seemed to me that there are several distinct views of Tekumel.
- The gonzo, archaeological, acid-head monster bash of the 1970s, which seems to get the most nods from general gamers.
- The alpha game of world-shaking politics, imperial succession, ancient starships, planet-busting extraplanar beings, etc.
-  The high falutin' 'living in Tsolyanu' game, where the emphasis on cultural minutiae acts as a wet blanket over any potential adventure.

The wet blanket metaphor is brilliant.

I see a vision of two Tekumels: the hilarious and exciting Sword and Planet adventures of a group of friends, and the ongoing research and creativity of a devoted academic. Because these two seem to talk about the same thing, decades of proto-enthusiasts have thought they must be talking about the same thing, and though intrigued by the setting, never gave it a go because who could hope to master all that material?

Prof Barker is widely quoted: "You have just bought MY Tékumel. Now make it YOUR Tékumel," but it is not so easy! The lure of all that knowledge and all that metaplot... better for would-be referees to never look inside the (Archives of the) Blue Room.

Decades ago I sent $25 of lawn-mowing money to TSR, and when EPT arrived some weeks later, I was hooked. I halted my LBB D&D campaign, and sent my friends into the Underworld, had them swarmed by Hlutrgu among the mangroves, and many lives were lost in the Arenas. Somewhere in my files there is a long letter of questions I sent to Prof Barker, which he kindly answered. Ah, those happy years!

And then... Swords & Glory... so much to absorb... the massive metaplot of the wars with Yan Kor and Mu'ugalavya and the Kolumejalim... the real culprit is certainly the exigencies of adult life, the cross-country moves, the need to find new players, but... gaming on Tekumel just kind of stopped. And whenever I thought about it, I thought about all that canon and all those words...

But perhaps MY Tekumel can yet rise from the ashes! And if I want to have "legions of dancing Ssu in pink tutus," then I shall!

Speaking of Ssu:

Quote from: Awsyme;800862In the case of, say, the aforementioned Ssu [...] I ended up with something like this: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s89/sh/3ca6f21f-c60c-4938-82b0-00ef796d7ec7/5adcc4eb301f8a58f573de7548d270df

I love this image! It is much closer to how I have always imagined the Ssu, skin peeling as if terribly burned from five or six layers. Thank you!

(Shout out to: Stop wringing your hands and start playing!)

Quote from: instinctive;841065The wet blanket metaphor is brilliant.

I see a vision of two Tekumels: the hilarious and exciting Sword and Planet adventures of a group of friends, and the ongoing research and creativity of a devoted academic. Because these two seem to talk about the same thing, decades of proto-enthusiasts have thought they must be talking about the same thing, and though intrigued by the setting, never gave it a go because who could hope to master all that material?

Prof Barker is widely quoted: "You have just bought MY Tékumel. Now make it YOUR Tékumel," but it is not so easy! The lure of all that knowledge and all that metaplot... better for would-be referees to never look inside the (Archives of the) Blue Room.

And there you are; Tekumel in a nutshell. The Swords and Planet aspect and the 'academic research' aspect were two halves of the same hole for us - in games, we adventured; in the office, as researched and published.

As for the 'Wet Blankets'? Well, I've been fighting them and their influence for years - decades, actually. They've been Tekumel's biggest problem, starting in about 1977 or so. (Ask OG, if you like.)

I like the cut of your jib, sir!

Quote from: thedungeondelver;836858I had a copy of the OD&D based EPT set TSR released in the 70s...bought it, had it for a year or two, couldn't make heads or tails of the damn thing, sold it.  Pity; I was hoping I could mine it for ideas to use in my then-weekly OD&D game.

Mining Tékumel for ideas, huh? Ask Raymond Feist how'd that work out for him.

Quote from: The Butcher;841085Mining Tékumel for ideas, huh? Ask Raymond Feist how'd that work out for him.

It worked out very, very well for him, over time; ask to see his royalty statements.

I talked to Ray about this, back in '88 or so, and he was pretty annoyed at the people at TSR; he'd asked them about using material from EPT, as was being used in the campaign he was playing in that led to the books, and he was told by TSR that EPT was out of copyright and that he was free to use anything he wanted to. I can only speculate, but I suspect that this was done out of personal animosity by TSR as a result of Prof. Barker's support of Dave Arneson in his various lawsuits against TSR to try and recover his royalties.

Ray offered to take the matter to the SFWA Arbitration committee, as pr Don Wohlheim's suggestions, but Phil never followed up on it. Ray did give Phil credit in one of his book, I am told.

Quote from: The Butcher;841085Mining Tékumel for ideas, huh? Ask Raymond Feist how'd that work out for him.

Heh; I've got some old Feist D&D stuff around here I haven't gotten 'round to putting up on ebay.  One day, tho!