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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!hplabs!well!lflgames
From: lflgames@well.UUCP (Lucasfilm Games Division)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Tekumel
Message-ID: <804@well.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 19-Mar-86 15:09:40 EST
Article-I.D.: well.804
Posted: Wed Mar 19 15:09:40 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 21-Mar-86 07:19:30 EST
References: <334@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Organization: Whole Earth Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
Lines: 36
Summary: Great world, awkward game system

In article <334@umcp-cs.UUCP>, tewok@umcp-cs.UUCP (Wayne Morrison) writes:
> Could someone/anyone give me any info on the two Tekumel games, please?
> They are called "Empire of the Petal Throne" and "Swords and Glory".
> I have read and enjoyed the books the game's author wrote.  I was wondering
> whether the games were worth having or if they were just D&D clones.
> Thanks for your help!
> 
> 
> Wayne Morrison
> Parallel Computation Lab
> University of Maryland
> (301)454-7690
> 
> ARPA: tewok@brillig
> UUCP: seismo!umcp-cs!tewok


	I played EPT (which incidentally predates the Early Pregnancy Test)
back in 1975 when it had just come out.  I had a wonderful time as the
world is delightfully alien - much more so than the D+D hodgepodge of every
mythology and fairy story in existence.  It also has a fairly reasonable
basis for blending technology (albeit often defective) with magic. 
Unfortunately, the game system was very primitive and both combat and magic
were pretty awkward.  The referee I played with just improvised his own,
and that worked quite well.  I'd personally recommend using Dragonquest
rules, but as that's a defunct system it's probably not a great idea.

	The new Swords and Glory books have immensely more detail about
Tekumel, and a completely new and apparently no more workable game system.
I haven't played it (been waiting for the third book to come out) but I
still heartily recommend the games as background material for a campaign.
I still remember being hunted by a pair of Serudla, and the horror of
realizing I had forgot to check the ceiling of a room as the mantle-like
Biridlu settled about the shoulders of my character...

					Noah Falstein