Eberron = Tekumel?

[Hellcow]

You see, there is more than one person in Denver. Indeed, there is even more than one gamer in Denver!

And hey, I'm in Boulder, so that makes at least four of us! We should run a game sometime! Has anyone picked up the Tekumel setting from Guardians of Order? I've been hearing good things about it.

Actually, I'll be talking about Eberron at It's Your Move at the Westminster Mall this Saturday, and running an Eberron game in the afternoon (I'm not sure how they'll figure out who gets to play, if more than 6 people show up... perhaps they are banking on that not being the case). So if anyone wants to drop by and compare notes on Tekumel, throw rotten fruit, or what have you, come on by!

 

[rogueattorney]

Just out of curiosity, if I wanted to read a Tekumel book, can anyone recommend which should I start with? If it can be likened to the Playboy Mansion, it can't be that bad.

I'd start with the original game, Empire of the Petal Throne. The 1975 original box from TSR is pretty hard to find, but the 1987 reprint by Different Worlds (?) is still out there in pretty good numbers. The rules are an OD&D variant. (Which is good thing for us grognards, but might give the 3e-philes out there headaches.) As others have noted, there is a new game in the setting out in August by Guardians of Order.

R.A.

 

[Khayman]

Wait. There aren't Gor-esque scantily clad submissive chicks in Eberron? Not even constructs? Aren't there supposed to be Pleasureforged as a kind of counterpart to the Warforged? No? You're sure?...

Hmm. Sounds like a twisted anime concept. Maybe in Robot Circus versus Supernatural Beast City...

Tekumel is a vastly detailed setting (dauntingly so). It was invented by an anthropologist/linguist who was Professor of South Asian Studies at the University of Minnesota. TSR produced a game called The Empire of the Petal Throne back in the 70's, which was basically D&D with a number of changes to the system. It subsequently went through numerous rulesets and spawned a pair of novels.

If features an insane amount of detailing with an Indian/Mesoamerican feel, complete with Lovecraftian gods and demons (The Book of Ebon Bindings is hands-down one of the best supplements ever written, both in its plunderability and its not being tied to a ruleset). However, thusfar, Eberron shows few similarities with any of the incarnations of The Empire of the Petal Throne...

For more details, see http://www.weirdrealm.com/tekumel/

 

[Dinkeldog]

If I have offended, I apologize.

Just for the curious, if you call someone an "idiot", I think we can agree that that is inherently offensive and name-calling and against the board rules, okay?

 

[Hypersmurf]

I love the Tsolyáni script from Tékumel.

But I was put off EPT at an early age.

I've partaken in two LARPs. The first was fairly generic fantasy, and was quite fun. I did some tabletop roleplaying with people from the same group, and some months later, was invited to come along to a Petal Throne LARP they were organising.

A weekend around a woman playing a Priestess of Dlamelish, in traditional dress, was just creepy, though. Put me right off.

-Hyp.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

From what I've seen of Tekumel (which is basically two books I used to own, then sold as they gave me an icky feeling, like reading a Piers Anthony novel), it's not even remotely like Eberron.

Ha! Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way after reading an Anthony novel.

IMHO, Tekumel reminds me of Gor (or the Playboy mansion)

Either you know something I don't about Hugh Hefner, or you're being really unfair to Playboy comparing it to Gor.

Nubile young women who happen to like dressing scantily != slave women

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

You see, there is more than one person in Denver. Indeed, there is even more than one gamer in Denver!

WILL THE LIES NEVER CEASE?

 

[Paragon]

um...no...wait...everything blows.
there i said it

 

[Incenjucar]

That's all very well and good, but does this mean we can call Hellcow/Keith "Doc" from now on?

 

[francisca]

That's all very well and good, but does this mean we can call Hellcow/Keith "Doc" from now on?

No!! Don't confuse people. His name is Richard Barker, PHD