What do you do in Tékumel? Here's some examples

Into the Cistern The last of the temple gongs had just finished ringing in the hour of the Dawn when the explorers gathered under the cistern pavilion.   The group was led by Wachánu hiVayéshtu, scholar and antiquarian.   He was accompanied by Ikané hiShúkla, a recently declared Aridáni , yet still a sworn servant of the hiVayéshtus.   With her was her younger brother, Rachan.   They had been “assigned” as guards and issued short spears, though neither had any formal training. Just behind Wachánu came Kéttukal hiBaláshi, from one of the merchant lineages, assigned to act as cataloger/appraiser.   He was accompanied by clan cousins Údey and Kámat hiDangól.   Like Ikané and Rachan, they had been issued spears.   Truth was, Kámat and Údey were just in it for a chance to break their daily routine. They were met by the two laborers who first discovered the doorway, Tufiq and Tabriz hiIndukar.   Together, they descended the stairs into the reservoir. The underground chamber, measurin

As I mentioned, this blog is different from most other blogs! How? It's the collective work of people who don't play together, for one thing. So the Tekumel we're talking about is always OUR Tekumel. Remember that line by Prof. Barker in "Empire of the Petal Throne"? "This is MY Tekumel. Now make it YOURS!" (Capitalization mine). We've all done this to one degree or another, and we're sharing the results with you. Why do we bother? Well, as you guessed, there's a reason for this endeavour. In short, there are a couple popular misconceptions about Tekumel that are really getting on our nerves. This blog is an answer to all of them. If someone ever tells you "you can't understand Tekumel"/"you need a Degree in Tekumeli Studies to play or run Tekumel"/any variation of the previous points...point them to this blog! If someone ever asks "But what do you DO in Tekumel?", point them to this blog. If someo

Game Session 12, November 25, 2017 This is the first part of a long and productive Saturday evening of gaming. I have jumped ahead about 8 months real time, (and 6 months game time) from the first post. The party is currently 3rd Level. 9 Dohála 2340. (6 months and many hundreds of Tsan later) Part 1. The evening is cool, but tolerable, and the nearby neatly tended garden is full of the sound of insects and other nocturnal creatures. If one carefully looks one can see armed guards patrolling the shadows.   Although only 5 people are seated on the thick carpet the amount of noise being generated by them would lead one to believe, were he not standing nearby, that a party was being held. Much laughter, and shouts of joy and disbelief could be heard. A musician is playing on a stringed instrument, adding to the general merriment. The five people are, and in no particular order, Horu hiFa'asu, Ghachayal hiKhalumis, Dadayal hiVríddi , Autso hiVríddi, and Agama hiViri

This blog is different from most other blogs! How? It's the collective work of people who don't play together, for one thing. So the Tekumel we're talking about is always OUR Tekumel. Remember that line by Prof. Barker in "Empire of the Petal Throne"? "This is MY Tekumel. Now make it YOURS!" (Capitalization mine). We've all done this to one degree or another, and we're sharing the results with you. Now, the only question is...do you want to share your campaign with us? Whether you're playing an RPG in Tekumel, or a wargame, or something else? E-mail me to  actualplayintekumel@abv.bg and we're going to talk. All I ask is that you prioritize narrating what was happening "in character" - but by all means, tell us about the mechanics you're using, too!

Some background before we begin The short of it: I fell in love with the Empire of the Petal Throne boxed game in the late 70s as a high schooler.   College and life intervened and my love of the setting sat idle until 2014, when I got back into gaming.   The group lasted about a year before collapsing—just as I was about to take over the DM slot and dust off my dormant EPT campaign. I have one player, my good friend Chris.   We don’t play as regularly as I might like, but often enough that my interest in Tékumel has remained rekindled.   Between sessions, I’ve taken the time to flesh out some of my 30+ year old ideas.   Chris isn’t familiar with Tékumel, so we decided to operate in more of a “one-off” mode so that adventures are kept short.   Once we get to a point where he is comfortable with the setting, I have a “campaign” mostly ready to go. We’re using Béthorm, a skill-based, points-buy system, with a 2D10, roll low mechanic.   Chris plays all PCs and I play the rest.