Gaming In The Latter Times.

Richard Hescox's awesome cover art from my
favorite Barker novel: Flamesong

Brett Slocum recently blogged about his intention of running a campaign set in "The Time of No Kings," the period of Tékumelyáni history between the fall of Éngsvan hla Gánga the rise of Tsolyánu and the other "Modern" empires that we all know and love. I also have an interest in exploring other eras of Professor Barker's universe. While I already have some experience role-playing in the Humanspace Era (sniff, sob... DRUNE! WHERE ARE YOU DRUNE!?!?), I'd like to try playing in the mysterous Latter Times, the barbaric, post-apocalyptic period just after Tékumel was thrust into the béthorm (i.e. pocket universe) that imprisons the planet and its peoples:

Small empires and city-states came and went, and over time the various sentient species began to isolate themselves into their own enclaves and in environments that suited them best. This period became known as the Latter Times. It was during this age that some unknown scholar discovered that the mind alone could be trained as a tool. On Tékumel, magic is the skilled use of extra-planar power and it is possible because of the peculiar characteristics of the pocket dimension. The walls between the planes are thin here and with the right talent that energy can be shaped by the power of a human will. It is during this period of declining technology and increasing magic that some of the most exotic artefacts on Tékumel were created. Tékumel’s more outlandish species (for example, Rényu and Voródla) were created during the Latter Times. 

-Tékumel: Empire Of The Petal Throne, pg 145

To start, I pulled out my copy of the late Guardians Of Order's Tékumel: Empire Of The Petal Throne which has a section on playing in earlier time periods. It says the following about gaming in the Latter Times:

A game set in this period will be radically different from a modern era Tékumel game; even the positions of the landmasses will be different. This is when the first powerful magicians appear as they begin to explore and exploit the new potential of other planar power to affect reality. This is combined with the survival of considerable technological understanding and significant stockpiles of Humanspace-era equipment. This is a Tékumel where the new upstart magicians successfully challenge the old technological order for the first time and weird combinations of magic and science become almost commonplace. 

-Tékumel: Empire Of The Petal Throne, pg 224

Reminds me of another infamous piece of Sword & Sorcery fiction:

Know, O prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars... 

-Robert E. Howard,
The Pheonix on the Sword

Or perhaps this:

(Can't you imagine the Adventures of Thún'dar and his companions: the sensual sorceress Arél and Uk-Lah the Shén? I can.)

Eitherway, the Latter Times sounds like a time of mighy-thewed, coppery-hued barbarians wielding Chlén-hide swords (or uncommon, but not yet rare, steel) wandering the wastes between tiny empires and city-states in search of adventure. Where hordes of Ssú and Hlüss have broken loose from their ancient prisons to raid and destroy the alien interlopers who took their planet many millenia before. Meanwhile, insane scholars, flanked by ornate Ru'un bodygurads and kept entertained by a harem of Yéleth concubines, craft the first Eyes, search for stashes of Humanspace techonolgies, experiment with newly discovered "magics," and make horrific pacts with the Pariah Gods and their inhuman servants.

Sounds exciting? It sure does, but what rules do you use?

Of course, there is always one of the many Tékumel-based RPGs that are still available (and soon to be joined by Jeff Dee's Béthrom, still in development). The GoO rules suggest keeping magical powers restricted to Universal spells and making tem more difficult to learn/cast, while "special items" (i.e. "technological") are more common. With some minor tweeking of the treasure charts and magician/priest skills table, you can do this quite easily.

There are other options of course. You can always start with your favorite verson of the original game or OSR engine (Swords & Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord, LotFP, etc) and borrow what you need from the original Empire of the Petal Throne. As what amounts to a "post-apocalyptic" game you could use Gamma World or Mutant Future, stripped of mutations and associated powers and replaced with Tékumelyáni aliens and monsters. The magic rules in Crypts & Things (aka Akrasia's Sword & Sorcery rules) might be a better fit for Tékumel's non-Vancian spellcasting. I've heard tell that there is this new "Sword & Planet" RPG that might be useful.

There is nothing wrong with a good rules mash-up so long as it works and everyone has fun!

As usual, discussion welcome below.

Lálei? Is that you?

Hydra Miniatures is releasing a line of space amazons, the Valkeeri, for their Retro Rayguns line of pulp sci-fi figures.


She looks like a certain Imperial naval officer and Mentalik in the service of the Veritable Autocrator. She must be mine!

New Humanspace PC: Lálei Kardáma

Here is my PC for The Drune's HSE campaign: Spaceswords & Glory.

Cpt. Lálei Kardáma
Class/Level: Level 4 Astronaut
Homeworld: Tékumel Epsilon Eridani
Age: 27
HP: 19

Strength: 10
Dexterity: 14 (-1 AC Modifier, +1 Attack Modifier, +1 Saving Throw)
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 12
Psychic Ability: 15 (+1 Saving Modifer to PSY Effects)
Charisma: 10

Technical Skills: Air Pilot, Alien Contact, Bureaucrat, Courtesan +1.
Expert Skills: Astronomer, Scholar, Spy.
Astronaut: Skills: Engineer,Gunner. Space Swordsman, Energy Pistol, Navigator, Pilot, Psy Luck, Empathy, Control of Self, Bio-PK 1, Third Eye, Suggestion, ESP, Psychometry, Telepathy, PSY Weapon.
PSY Powers: Slow/Haste, Mind Bar, PSY-Kill, Inter-Planar Barrier.

Lálei Kardáma's was born on Tékumel Epsilon Eridani to retired Imperial Fleet Admiral Dör Varákka and Sóra Kardáma, one of his concubines. Sóra , a member of the Order of the Verdant Sphere--an exclusive cult of wealthy and powerful sybarists who seek spiritual enlightenment through sexual ecstasy, initially raised her daughter to become a poised and educated courtesan-priestess of the Order. However, Lálei had other plans than a life of just parties and orgies, and using her father's influence (as well some of the physical and psionic arts her mother taught her) was accepted into the Imperial Naval Academy at 16.

In the academy, Cadet Lálei was schooled in starship mastery and command. Eventually, her psychic abilities came to her instructor's attention and entered into the prestigious School of Special Intelligence were she honed her talents. Upon graduation, Lálei quickly rose through the ranks of the male-dominated Navy through a skillful application of merit and seduction (she had the unofficially-coveted role of "Captain's Woman" on two of her deployments). The Deeds of Glory is her first independent command and she is excited at the prospect for further adventure and advancement.

Lálei is a quiet but ambitious woman who uses her intelligence and sexuality as both a tool and a weapon. She is a fair leader, but is merciless when crossed. Physically, she is small but shapely frame with a dark complication, deep-brown slanted eyes, and long black hair she keeps tied back while on duty. As a legacy member of the Order of the Verdant Sphere, she has the sect's symbol tattooed just above her vulva and will often request the presence of a comely crew member in her quarters to assist her with her "mediations" where she uses her climax as a springboard to reach new states of consciousness where she briefly communes with... something joyous.

Slots still open for Humanspace Empires PbP game.

Artwork by Donald Newton

His most august Imperial Majesty of Science Fantasy Weirdness, The Drune, is setting up a pair of Humanspace Empires Play-by-Post/Play-by-Blog games. One of the games, a "looters" campaign, is all booked up. However, a naval campaign, has two slots open. Therefore, if you wish to travel the stars and expand the authority of the Veritable Autocrator to a savage, untamed galaxy, then contact The Drune immediately and enlist!

That is, unless you happen to like the dreary, regimented existence of a cowardly prole!

Transmitting LIVE from GaryCon… OK, not really.

I'm posting this a lot later than I wanted to, but I do have real life concerns (e.g. school, internship, back shaving) to deal with. So here it is: my recollections of GaryCon III!

Friday:

The trip was long, tiring, and arduous. I lost an ox while fording the Missouri River. I had to shoot a buffalo but could only take 100 lbs of meat back to the wagon. Mary Jane and Cornelius died of typhoid fever and I buried them somewhere in Utah Territory…

OK, OK, Lake Geneva was only 35 minutes away from my home in Muskego. I probably drive further to go to school each week. Still, I couldn't pass up the chance to make an Oregon Trail reference.

I arrived at the Ledge at Grand Geneva Resort early Friday morning and checked into a rather comfy looking room. Like the previous year, the main part of this mini-convention was held at the lower level of the resort's main building. I got my badge, my event's guide, and a swag bag full of back issues of Knights of the Dinner Table. Since this the first time I had come for the full weekend, I didn't know that you had to pre-register for any of my event. Therefore, if I wanted to play in any games, I was going to have to hope they had openings.

It was rather quiet this time of day with only a few games being run. I spotted Jeff Dee at a table playing Villains & Vigilantes. Since I was on his Facebook friends list and admired his Tékumel-related artwork as well as his work with the Atheist Community of Austin, I decided to briefly say "hi" and introduce myself. Besides V&V, I spotted a few D&D/AD&D games, a 1st Edition Gamma World game, Kenzer & Co. was there running Hackmaster Basic games, and one rather enthuastic fellow was running a Star Wars D20 game while wearing an Imperial officer's uniform. (This GM ran two other games during the con, each time dressing in a theme appropriate costume: Saturday, he ran the classic TSR Marvel Superheroes game dressed up as Bronze Age Tony Stark complete with dyed hair, fake moustache, 1970's-era tux open at the chest to reveal a plastic Iron Man chest plate, and a glass decanter of "whiskey." Sunday, he ran a D20 Call of Cthulhu game where he wore late 19th/early 20th Century attire. Now THAT'S dedication.)

Later that morning, I was able to get in on a game of  Mutant Future titled "Bring Me The Head Of Frank Sinatra." I played a mutated Badger with the ability to mentally project ice rays at its target. After being charged by a New Jersey warlord to bring back the head of the famed Rat Pack leader, our party quested to legendary Las Vegas fighting plant men, robot cops, and Elvis impersonators along the way.

After that, I did a little more work on my Humanspace Empires playtest game. I worked until evening when I decided to get involved a Hackmaster Basic demo. I had played the "original" AD&D-parody version, and I was curious on how this version differed from the first. With some help from the GM, I created a Dwarf Fighter and we had a brief combat session featuring a pack of kobolds. I found the game a little clunkier than what I'd expect from an "old-school" style game, but it was fun. Best of all, the GM gave out free copies of the game! Bonus!

About that time I was after 11 pm and I was feeling really tired. I went up to the hotel bar for a rum and Coke nightcap and slumped off to my room to sleep. The only thing that would made my day perfect was to find the gamer-girl of my dreams to share my bed with me.

Yeah, as if that was EVER going to happen.

Saturday:

When I woke up the next day, I noticed that a 1/4 inch of snow had been dumped on the area overnight. Ah! "Springtime" in Wisconsin!

Never mind that! Today was the big day: the Humanspace Empires Playtest! I got up, showered, checked out of my room ($100 a night!? Yeah, some "special convention room rate" you've got there. Next year, I'll just burn the gas and sleep at home!), drove into town for breakfast, drove back to hotel and found a nice quiet corner to sit down to put the finishing touches on my scenario. Somewhere along the way I ran into Victor Raymond, who was playing in a Moldvay game, while I was taking a break to stretch my legs. I told him about the game and, as president of the Tékumel Foundation, he was very interested in the project. We talked EPT for a while, and then I went back to work.

As is the case of most weekend events, there were far more people attending the con that day than there had been the day before. However, as the start time for my game drew nigh, I was worried that I wouldn't have enough players to be run a decent game. Well, Victor was good enough to send some players my way. With five eager gamers, most of who had never heard of Empire of the Petal Throne, we delved into the mystery and weirdness of the far future.

I posted a full report of my game here at the Ix blog.

Sunday:

I didn't intend to come back for Sunday. There wasn't anything on the events schedule that really interested me, so I thought I'd spend the last day of the convention at home. However, just before I left Saturday night, I ran into Victor Raymond again while he was playing one of Jim Ward's Metamorphosis Alpha games and had one last to tell me: "EPT, Sunday. Noon."

Of course, I had to come back. I NEVER pass up a chance to game in Tékumel, especially with Victor behind the screen.

I arrived just before Noon and found Victor chatting with Jeff Dee about things Tékumelyani. After they finished we set up in an adjoining room where myself and a few other EPT fans rolled up some high-level characters for a trip through the Jakállan underworld.

I created an Avánthe-worshipping human Aridáni fighter with a sea-faring background from the Ilse of Ganga who had in her procession a sentient magic sword. Our party included another fighter (actually he started as an NPC guard but was picked up by a new player who joined later in the game), a magic-user who worshipped Lord Belkhánu, and a priest of Thúmis (I think) who just so happened to be a Mihálli. We were charged by Prince Rereshqála to find the Garden of Weeping Snows and deliver a query to the undying wizard Nyélmu regarding the mysterious, magic-dampening Black Stones the Mu'ugalavyáni used in their conquest of Livyánu.

We wandered about the dark catacomps of the deep, deep underworld working off only the vaguest of directions. Due to some fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it) random encounter roles, we only ran into a single underworld monster, a dread Nshé. We soon discovered Nyelmu's strange abode and was given an audience with the esteemed wizard. After enduring his condescending insults and thinly veiled threats to make us part of his "collection" (i.e. tortured beings, frozen in time at the height of their torment vis-à-vis Nylelmu's Excellent Ruby Eye) he opened a nexus point and told us that the answer to Prince's query lay within. Our party gathered it's equipment and nobly marched into the point to…

At that point, Raymond closed the game on a cliffhanger, promising to pick it up again next year.

That's a game I dare not miss.

Humanspace Empires Playtest: The Morning After

After sorting out some technical difficulties with Skype at the start, we delved into ckutalik's HSE playtest game. No PCs died and the citizens of Maub IV were spared destruction. A few Saturday-Morning GM thoughts:

• It was cool and helpful to have The Drune on board for this one to answer questions and get direct feed back on issues with the rules.
• While I'm sure to hear shrieks of "sacrilege" from some gamers, I think that miniatures and a map would be useful in games like this. For online gaming purposes, I'd recommend a program like MapTool that features interactive mapping, text-based chat, initiative tracking, a dice roller, and other features. While it requires a little more preparation, it can be a huge help. I played in a Hellfrost campaign using a Skype/MapTools combination and it was loads of fun.

On that note, I've got my own HSE game to prepare for.

Raise the GM Screens!

Since I'm going to be running my own Humanspace Empires game at GaryCon, I've created my own handy, dandy GM screen. I made this by taping a pair of 9x12" Elmer's Bi-Fold Foam Boards together at the middle and printing out the relevant tables along with various pieces of art work and pasting them to the boards.

The Front View

The Rear View

Why spend $30 for one of those vinyl pocket GM screens that fall apart after a few months when you can do the same for less than $10?

Humanspace Empires Playtest PC: Chwé Ek Kt’tet

I'll be taking part in ckutalik's Humanspace Empires Skype playtest game March 18. I've decided to try something a little different and created Chwé Ek Kt'tet, a female Pé Chói scientist. Here's a look:

Image by Talzhemir

Chwé Ek Kt'tet
Race: Pé Chói
Level/Class: Level 2 Scientist
Gender: Female
Homeworld: Procyon 3

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 9
Intelligence: 15 (+1 Additional Language, +1 Skill/Power Selection)
Psychic Ability: 16 ( +2 PSY Saving Throw, +1 PSY power success rolls)
Charisma: 14 (-1 Reaction Adjustment, 5 Retainers, Morale 8)

AC: 6 (Skin Suit)
HP: 15
Languages: Pé Chói, Sunúz

Background Skills: Agriculturalist, Cook, Hunter, Alien Contact, Comms Tech, Lab Tech, Medic, Entertainer (Dancer), Musician.

Scientist Skills: Biologist-Botanist, Physician, Energy Pistol, Chemist, Astrophysicist, Inter-Planer Physicist.

Scientist Powers: Holographic Scanner, Attractor Field, Y-Ray I, Hea t Ray.

Gear: Lens, Laser pistol. Skin Suit, Air Tablets, Utility Belt. 2 Doses of Flask.

CR: 95

Humanspace Empires Playtest Pick-Up at GaryCon!

INCOMING MESSAGE FROM HUMANSPACE HIGH COMMAND ANSIBLE FREQUENCY 3.45X10^23:

A Humanspace Empires playtet is landing at GaryCon!

Humanspace Empires is a pulp science fiction game set in the space opera "pre-history" of Prof. M.A.R. Barker's classic fantasy world of Tekumel. Thousands of years before there was ever an Empire of the Petal Throne, the Humanspace Alliance and their alien allies ruled the cosmos, explored strange worlds, and battled weird alien menaces from beyond space and time.

Drawing from the science fantasy traditions of the 1930s and 1940s--when a young Phillip Barker was first conceiving of Tekumel--and using on a rules engine that implements the best aspects of the original fantasy role playing system and Empire of the Petal Throne, Humanspace Empires rockets players into the far future in a galaxy of danger and excitement! 

Since this pick-up playtest is being done on the fly (the current rules draft was just finished a couple of days ago), I'm going over the event schedule trying to figure out the best time/s to play. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

In the meantime, for more info on Humanspace Empires, log onto the creator's blog at http://ixians.blogspot.com/ . Also, you can download the current playtest draft here.

Hope to see you there!

Humanspace Fiction

The Drune over at Ix has graciously allowed me to post some Humanspace Empires-inspired fiction on his blog. My first submission can be found here.