Ghostwind
First Post
Posted on behalf of d20 Magazine Rack staff reviewer, Thomas Gafkjen.
Initiative Round
Tekumel: Empire of the Petal Throne is a 240 page world book for the Tri Stat system from Guardians Of Order. Based on Professor M.A.R. Barker's fantasy world of Tekumel, the author credits go to Patrick Brady, Joe Saul, and Edwin Voskamp. The cover features an Aztec priest summoning a vision of a man, with torn robes, climbing steps while peering over his shoulder by Raven Mimura. Tekumel: Empire of the Petal Throne retails for $39.95.
Tekumel takes place some 60,000 years in our future. 30,000 years in Tekumel’s past, after space colonization by various races, something terrible happened and the system went through some worm hole and now exists in a pocket universe. When this happened, major catastrophes occurred (earthquakes, volcanoes erupting, etc). As a result from being cut off from the rest of the universe, the population slid back into barbarism. This period was known as the Time of Darkness.
Now, 30,000 years later what emerged from then is a world strong in culture and history. The sentient races are reduced to using muscle power rather than machines. Also, with dimensional walls thinner here, humans and others have discovered how to manipulate extra-planer energies with their minds.
In writing up this game, the authors draw a lot of cultural material from Ancient Egypt, the Aztecs, and Moghul India to give it a different feel then the typical Western European myths.
They start out by breaking character creation down into eleven steps;
1st is character concept. What type of character do you want to play and give him/her a name.
2nd is choosing a clan. A big emphasis is placed on who you are and where you rank in society.
3rd is choose a religion. There are 20 deities in the world of Tekumel. They are described in another chapter of the book.
4th is assign stats. Depending on the level of realism the GM wants to run determines how many points the character can assign to his stats which are Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Psyche, Willpower, and Charisma.
5th is assign attributes. These are more specific acquired or innate talents or abilities like ambidextrous, blessed, magical ability, etc.
6th is assign defects. These are disadvantages which give you bonus points.
7th is choose a career. This is based on the campaign. The four career areas are clan, military, priesthood, or government. They are described in another chapter of the book.
8th is assign skills. This represents your character’s training and experience.
9th is determine resources. This determines what kind of wealth your character has and what he can purchase.
10th is determine rank. This is how far your PC has advanced at the start of the game.
11th is calculate derived values. These are values based on your PC’s stats and modified by certain abilities, like initiative, Health Points, etc.
A variety of aliens share Tekumel with the humans. Some are considered equals and others are looked down upon. Each alien has a description, its relation to humans, stat changes, attributes, defects, and default careers. They are; Ahoggya – hairy 4 legged, 4 armed creature topped with a carapace. Hlaka – look like flying monkeys. Pachi Lei – 4 arms, 4 legged, pear shaped turtles without the shell. Pe Choi – 4 armed 2 legged humanoid insect. Shen – scaled humanoid reptiles. Tinaliya – short, fat, 4 legged, 2 arms, sloping head creature with vaguely humanoid features.
The next chapter covers equipment and economics. The currency Tekumel uses is described here along with job income. There is a listing of items and their prices to include weapons, armor, talismans & charms.
Specific game mechanics is covered next. This included stat checks, skill checks, combat basics, optional combat rules, rules for Respect and what it means, magic rules and a description of spells.
Chapter 7 covers the World of Tekumel. This includes a brief history with descriptions of various eras. There is rough guide of the Tsolyani Empire which has descriptions of several cities & their features, and its relation with the four other human empires. There is an explanation of the climate and seasons, along with a calendar.
This book includes a bestiary which has 27 creatures broken down into the following groups; found anywhere, wilderness, horrors, and inimicals (intelligent native creatures that lived on the planet before the humans and aliens arrived).
There is a description of the 20 deities divided into Gods of Stability and Gods of Change. There are 10 of each. In each listing there is what the god’s focus is, depiction of what they look like, their color, their symbol, and what their priests wear.
The next chapter covers Cultural Values. These are the core values and practices to include; noble action, honor, religious tolerance, sex & gender, family live, group over individual, clothing, social status & changing social status, the law, clan & family, and finally lifestyle by clan (low, medium, & high). Also listed here is a description of the various careers that the character chooses from in the priesthood, military, or government.
The last chapter gives us information on how to run Tekumel. It covers campaign creation, level of magic, time period, character creation, social levels, playing non-humans, using the respect & favor rules, character advancement, gaining rank, and aging rules.
At the end, the book includes a page worth of other resources, from novels published to additional online resources. Attached to the back inside cover is a large, color, foldout map of Tekumel.
Note; the company plans on releasing a d20 version of Tekumel in June.
Critical Hit
To me what stands out is the cultural values of Tekumel. I thought they did a great job creating a culture that is different than what we are used to. You could be a powerful person but if you don’t have the respect or honor, than you are nobody in society and will be treated as such.
Critical Fumble
I wasn’t a big fan of the aliens they choose to include. I thought they were a bit cheesy. Why does everything need multiple limbs? In my campaign, I plan on sliding most of these aliens to the bestiary and using them as creatures rather than sentient beings.
Coup de Grace
Most of the existing gaming material produced draws upon Western European myths. That is where this product stands out. By drawing upon material from Ancient Egypt, the Aztecs, and Moghul India it creates an atmosphere where group outweighs individual. Being a part of a clan and raising your status within that clan is a big factor. This opens a lot of opportunity for those who like roleplaying rather than rollplaying their characters. I found this book to be very well done and would recommend it to anyone who wants something a little different than what you are used to.
Final Grade: A-
--
Steve Creech
Exec. Chairman, d20 Magazine Rack
Initiative Round
Tekumel: Empire of the Petal Throne is a 240 page world book for the Tri Stat system from Guardians Of Order. Based on Professor M.A.R. Barker's fantasy world of Tekumel, the author credits go to Patrick Brady, Joe Saul, and Edwin Voskamp. The cover features an Aztec priest summoning a vision of a man, with torn robes, climbing steps while peering over his shoulder by Raven Mimura. Tekumel: Empire of the Petal Throne retails for $39.95.
Tekumel takes place some 60,000 years in our future. 30,000 years in Tekumel’s past, after space colonization by various races, something terrible happened and the system went through some worm hole and now exists in a pocket universe. When this happened, major catastrophes occurred (earthquakes, volcanoes erupting, etc). As a result from being cut off from the rest of the universe, the population slid back into barbarism. This period was known as the Time of Darkness.
Now, 30,000 years later what emerged from then is a world strong in culture and history. The sentient races are reduced to using muscle power rather than machines. Also, with dimensional walls thinner here, humans and others have discovered how to manipulate extra-planer energies with their minds.
In writing up this game, the authors draw a lot of cultural material from Ancient Egypt, the Aztecs, and Moghul India to give it a different feel then the typical Western European myths.
They start out by breaking character creation down into eleven steps;
1st is character concept. What type of character do you want to play and give him/her a name.
2nd is choosing a clan. A big emphasis is placed on who you are and where you rank in society.
3rd is choose a religion. There are 20 deities in the world of Tekumel. They are described in another chapter of the book.
4th is assign stats. Depending on the level of realism the GM wants to run determines how many points the character can assign to his stats which are Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Psyche, Willpower, and Charisma.
5th is assign attributes. These are more specific acquired or innate talents or abilities like ambidextrous, blessed, magical ability, etc.
6th is assign defects. These are disadvantages which give you bonus points.
7th is choose a career. This is based on the campaign. The four career areas are clan, military, priesthood, or government. They are described in another chapter of the book.
8th is assign skills. This represents your character’s training and experience.
9th is determine resources. This determines what kind of wealth your character has and what he can purchase.
10th is determine rank. This is how far your PC has advanced at the start of the game.
11th is calculate derived values. These are values based on your PC’s stats and modified by certain abilities, like initiative, Health Points, etc.
A variety of aliens share Tekumel with the humans. Some are considered equals and others are looked down upon. Each alien has a description, its relation to humans, stat changes, attributes, defects, and default careers. They are; Ahoggya – hairy 4 legged, 4 armed creature topped with a carapace. Hlaka – look like flying monkeys. Pachi Lei – 4 arms, 4 legged, pear shaped turtles without the shell. Pe Choi – 4 armed 2 legged humanoid insect. Shen – scaled humanoid reptiles. Tinaliya – short, fat, 4 legged, 2 arms, sloping head creature with vaguely humanoid features.
The next chapter covers equipment and economics. The currency Tekumel uses is described here along with job income. There is a listing of items and their prices to include weapons, armor, talismans & charms.
Specific game mechanics is covered next. This included stat checks, skill checks, combat basics, optional combat rules, rules for Respect and what it means, magic rules and a description of spells.
Chapter 7 covers the World of Tekumel. This includes a brief history with descriptions of various eras. There is rough guide of the Tsolyani Empire which has descriptions of several cities & their features, and its relation with the four other human empires. There is an explanation of the climate and seasons, along with a calendar.
This book includes a bestiary which has 27 creatures broken down into the following groups; found anywhere, wilderness, horrors, and inimicals (intelligent native creatures that lived on the planet before the humans and aliens arrived).
There is a description of the 20 deities divided into Gods of Stability and Gods of Change. There are 10 of each. In each listing there is what the god’s focus is, depiction of what they look like, their color, their symbol, and what their priests wear.
The next chapter covers Cultural Values. These are the core values and practices to include; noble action, honor, religious tolerance, sex & gender, family live, group over individual, clothing, social status & changing social status, the law, clan & family, and finally lifestyle by clan (low, medium, & high). Also listed here is a description of the various careers that the character chooses from in the priesthood, military, or government.
The last chapter gives us information on how to run Tekumel. It covers campaign creation, level of magic, time period, character creation, social levels, playing non-humans, using the respect & favor rules, character advancement, gaining rank, and aging rules.
At the end, the book includes a page worth of other resources, from novels published to additional online resources. Attached to the back inside cover is a large, color, foldout map of Tekumel.
Note; the company plans on releasing a d20 version of Tekumel in June.
Critical Hit
To me what stands out is the cultural values of Tekumel. I thought they did a great job creating a culture that is different than what we are used to. You could be a powerful person but if you don’t have the respect or honor, than you are nobody in society and will be treated as such.
Critical Fumble
I wasn’t a big fan of the aliens they choose to include. I thought they were a bit cheesy. Why does everything need multiple limbs? In my campaign, I plan on sliding most of these aliens to the bestiary and using them as creatures rather than sentient beings.
Coup de Grace
Most of the existing gaming material produced draws upon Western European myths. That is where this product stands out. By drawing upon material from Ancient Egypt, the Aztecs, and Moghul India it creates an atmosphere where group outweighs individual. Being a part of a clan and raising your status within that clan is a big factor. This opens a lot of opportunity for those who like roleplaying rather than rollplaying their characters. I found this book to be very well done and would recommend it to anyone who wants something a little different than what you are used to.
Final Grade: A-
--
Steve Creech
Exec. Chairman, d20 Magazine Rack
