I shall try and step into the breach, but let us first have a few votes about what sort of game people would like to play…
Knowledge of Tekumel.
Tell me how much you know…
1 Tékumel? Isn’t that a kind of processed cheese?
2 No it isn’t, it’s the alternate dimension next to Erewhon.
3 Been on holiday there; drank the spiced buttermilk, threw up on my souvenir kilt and then got chased by flying zombies. Majorca next year.
4 How dare you question my lineage? How dare you even glance at me, nakomé! I am of the Sea Blue! Guards, impale this oaf!
5 Túsmi dóm másun, tlatsolyáni né?
Focus:
What brings the PCs together? How do they know each other and why are they doing silly things like poking their snotty snitches into the underworld?
1> Clan sibs. We are all in the xxx clan, and we stick up for each other, when one of us wins honour it reflects on the whole clan, when we face dishonour it shames us all, and we have but one purse between us, to support our respected elders and children. (All same status, usually similar religions)
2> Temple. We are the personnel of the xxx temple, scholars, sorcerers, ritualists, managers and guards. When the High Priest calls we are ready to drop our petty clan interests and work for the greater good of our deity – and if that means stretching the rules of the Concordat and doing down some other gods’ followers, so be it. (Same or very similar religion, vary social status, some quests, some temple politics)
3> Army. We are the xxx legion, and we are undefeatable. Where the general commands, we march! We serve for glory (and loot), and we don’t take any nonsense form any d**n foreigners! (similar religion as some legions are temple sponsored, similar social status (elite legions are nobles, archers and light infantry usually low clan), get sent on dangerous missions).
4> Government. We run this place, we are the law enforcers, the law makers, we are judge, jury and if necessary executioners. Of course, if there is serious disorder the higher ups from Avanthár will want to know why, and we had better get the taxes in on time, oh yes, and the little matter of the ‘bonus scheme’ and ‘sealing wax tax’ that they’ve been running in the Market Overseers’ office, well they don’t need to know about that… (similar status, varied religion, much in-group conflict)
5> Accidental. We are the poor sods who got shipwrecked together, the miscellaneous travellers kidnapped by bandits, fellow travellers on the same refugee boat to Jakálla, acquaintances at the same art appreciation society, fans of the same Marotlán (Tsolyáni football) team. (suggest status not vary too much, may be railroaded somewhat to make group stick together)
Social status
A game based around nobles and their peculiar antics will not be the same as one based on the gritty life of a Chlen cart driver; what kind of thing do you want?
1> Nakomé scum; the ‘classic’ start, persons of no status or consequence trying to climb the social ladder to the point where people stop spitting on them.
2> Low clan. Proles and proud of it. We are the backbone of the empire, stalwarts of the temple. We know our place - the nobs’ll have you impaled if you don’t – but we can make money any way we see fit, as long as we are willing to stick together and defend our own.
3> Mid clan. We are the backbone of the Empire, the connection between the exalted realms of the government and nobility and the grubby oiks and ignorant peasants. We are educated, sober and responsible(ish), We are the officers and the administrators, we are the one hand that washes the other, the ones who do favours and are ‘in the know’.
4> High clan. Who runs this place? WE do. We own everything, we have oodles of cash, and need not worry about anything - except the hordes of social climbers trying to take our lands and plum jobs, the rival nobles clans trying to embarrass us in front to the Imperial authorities, making a faux pas by wearing the wrong sandals to wrong banquet, getting assassinated, getting skewered in a duel, losing your villa at the gaming table…
5> Don’t care. GMs choice.
Religion
Religion is very important in Tékumel, one’s temple member ship has a major influence on what is and is not honourable action. The first five choices are ‘good’ or ‘stability’, the second five ‘evil’ or ‘change’. Different religions can cooperate within limits, especially if they have an overriding loyalty to a clan or legion, but some have a definite enmity (Hrü’ü and Hnálla, Thúmis and Ksárul).
1. Hnálla and/or Drá. Hnálla is god of light, hierarchy, pride, political power, Drá the Uncaring is mystical sect. Honest and upright, but condescending and judgemental.
2. Thúmis and/or Keténgku. Gods of wisdom and education. Scholastic, fussy and over-precise, well meaning old duffers.
3. Belkhánu and/or Qón. Gods of the afterlife and other planes. Well versed in occult and demonic knowledge, often money grabbing sometimes distant and eccentric. Qón is a militant sect dedicated to biffing evil demons.
4. Avánthe and /or Dilinála. Goddess of the elements, fertility, harvests etc. Conservative and dull, but also most charitable towards poor. Dilinála are militant feminists.
5. Karakán and/or Chegárra. God of Glorious War, honour, violence in the cause of the state. Prickly and prone to duelling over almost anything, arrogant, impulsive, but undoubtedly brave and unflinching in the face of the enemy. Chegárra are legally minded and promote what they regard as good governance; inclined to impalement as a solution to most problems.
6. Hrü’ü and/or Wurú. Gods of darkness, randomness and mystery. Look forward to the apocalypse of the Coming Forth of Infinite Diversity, wherein all Things Must be Separated and Different One From the Other. Also socially conservative, given to interminable rituals involving parading about in demonic masks. Unashamedly ambitious for themselves, but within the structure of the Empire. Wuru-ites like assassinating people.
7. Ksárul and/or Grugánu. God of knowledge, being a smartarse and fibbing to people. Whole temple is riven by conspiracies and secret societies, and they spy and manipulate everyone else too. Grugánu concentrates on esoteric magic. Snister, slightly mad, but with undoubted genius of a self serving sort
8. Sárku and/or Durritlámish. God of Death, or more precisely Undeath and Immortality. Durritlámish defends tombs and cities of the dead where the worshipers of Sárku spend their undeath shambling about going ‘uuuurgh’.
9. Dlamélish and/or Hriháyal. Goddess of beauty, enjoyment and pleasures of all kinds. Hrihayal is pretty much entirely devoted to sex, including numerous kinky practices summed up in the 32 Unspeakable Acts. Stoned hedonists willing to die having a good time.
10. Vimúhla and/or Chiténg. God of Violence and burning things. More prone to massacre and wanton destruction than Karakán, even more likely to start duels over points of honour, extremists are brave to the point of being suicidal beserkers. Chiténg likes torturing people, and includes the Empires official executioners.
11. No preference
12. ‘Good’
13. ‘Evil’
12. No religion, make up mind later on.
Please vote for each of these categories, with a second preference stated where appropriate, and I will devise a suitable adventure or two. Looking for at least three players, preferably five.
Will be using my social class based skills variant (see
www.doubtful.org.uk/), and I reserve the right to mess with the rules as necessary.