The range of combat additions made in the “mimeo” Empire of the Petal Throne is fairly remarkable, given that it was written in March and April 1974, just after OD&D was released. [NB: all section references in this blog post are to the sections as listed in the mimeo EPT.] A summary of the combat… Continue reading Tékumel Thursday 14: EPT Rules Updates-Combat Additions
One of the biggest issues I had to deal with in starting my Tékumel campaign had to do with alignment. Tékumel’s alignment system is different from the various alignment systems in D&D, and is more grounded in the setting, which is helpful. My experience in the original campaign was that the player-characters worshiped different gods,… Continue reading Tékumel Thursdays 12: Alignment in my Tékumel campaign
The need to convey news about what was happening elsewhere in the Empire presented a challenge to Prof. Barker in the original campaign – or player-characters were along with Prince Eselné when this encounter took place: “…Know ye, O Omnipotent Eye Which Sees the World, that your excellent son, Lord Eselné, has travelled to Chéne… Continue reading Tékumel Thursday 11: Trolls in the Woods
Just got back from Gary Con XVI, so this is about how to run Tékumel convention events and how to attract players for a Tékumel campaign. At Gary Con XVI I ran three different adventures, all based out of the northern Tsolyáni city of Khirgár. Here is the description for the second one: Deep in… Continue reading Tékumel Thursday 7: Gary Con XVI
Probably the biggest issue that people have with running Tékumel is that the setting is an unknown and foreign land, and nobody is actually from there. Original Dungeons & Dragons seemed to assume that the adventurers were on the edge of civilization, and beating back the forces of darkness. Tékumel, by contrast, seems like you… Continue reading Tékumel Thursday 5: Fresh Off the Boat
In my earlier post about my Tékumel campaign, I mentioned that in my timeline, the High Princeps of the Temple of Thúmis, Gámalu hiBeshyéne, had died in a shipwreck late in 2355 AS. After some behind the scenes political maneuvering, he had been replaced by Lady Nátluna hiVaisúra, the High Administrative Priestess of Thúmis in… Continue reading Tékumel Thursday 3: A Disaster at Sea
http://www.capricon.org I am very happy to announce that I will be the Fan Guest of Honor at Capricon 44. My fellow guests are fantastic, and I am very lucky to be in their company! With that in mind, what are some provocative – yet important! – topics relevant to science fiction fandom and conventions? Serious… Continue reading I’m a Capricon Guest of Honor!
The Egg of the World is my guide to gaming in the World of Tékumel. I have been working on it since 2011, but only in earnest since October 2021. It started as a thread of discussion on the ODD74 Discussion Board, “You, too, CAN run Empire of the Petal Throne” back in August 2011,… Continue reading The Egg of the World
The Sandbox of Doom is back. After a two-and-a-half year hiatus, I am bringing my blog back into production. The Sandbox is where I will post my views on various issues in tabletop roleplaying games and gaming in general, as someone who has been playing for a good long time. There are a number of… Continue reading A Fresh Start
It’s been a bit since I have posted to The Sandbox of Doom. In the intervening time, a lot of things have changed, most of them good. I have been gaming on Tuesday nights as part of Madison Traditional Gaming. MTG – as we sometimes refer to it – now has about 45-50 people every… Continue reading Picking Up Where I Left Off
