Yet another Tekumel-based 'Braunstein' - photos

[Deleted]

I have photos from Saturday's 'Braunstein'-style game up on my Photobucket page:

s1283.photobucket.com/user/chirinebakal/library/?sort=2&page=1

And yes, the game was played in the dark, with only the light of the 'torches' and 'lanterns' the little lead people had to carry...

yours, chirine

[akooser]

Very cool. I've wanted to run some like this. Do you build all the terrain? Can you tell me more about the scenario and setup? Ruleset?

[Deleted]

Mar 26, 2014 17:45:29 GMT -6 akooser said:

Very cool. I've wanted to run some like this. Do you build all the terrain? Can you tell me more about the scenario and setup? Ruleset?

Let me apologize for not getting back to you on this much sooner - I've changed the setting on my notifications, so I should be getting notifications much sooner!

The terrain and scenery I use is a mix of both 'bought' and 'built'. I look at everything in terms of time, and if I can buy something that will work in a game and which will save me time, then I buy; having said that, I also look outside the game hobby for both inspiration and sources. Many of the buildings used in this game are from the 'historical miniatures lines', bought at deep discounts when my FLGS has a sale; the rest are from the big-box pet supply stores, where the aquarium and terrarium sections have an amazing array of stuff that looks good and is usually pretty cheap - again, check for sales, as you can get some very expensive items for next to nothing. My 'record is a $20.00 'native hut', about a cubic foot in size, for $5.00 on closeout.

The basic table is a sheet of paper, painted a nice sand color, and the water is from a crafts supply store - again, on seasonal closeout from one of the 'Christmas village' lines. The docks and slipways came from the same source - after-Christmas and after-Halloween sales. The lovely - and real! - reed boats are tourist knick-knacks from Bolivia, bought at the Minnesota State Fair, and the galleys are game items from the middle 1980s; I have been at this for a very long time! ( Just ask Gronan!)

The scenario has a bit of a backstory; it's taken from my time playing with the Professor, and is written up in my book about life in Tekumel, "To Serve The Petal Throne". The Tsolyani are having a very uncivil civil war, and me and the family are sitting out the unpleasantness in The Senior Wife's home islands. It's been a lovely vacation, but the Salarvyani thrown their own civil war (which gets started in the Professor's last published novel, "Death of Kings") and one of the factions comes a-callin' to try to get Chirine and his family (and their legion) to stay neutral and let them get on with killing each other. We all thought that this was a great idea, as we were going to do it anyway, but hey - if they want to bribe us to do it, who are we to say "no"?

As usual with anything having to do with Tekumel, there are wheels within wheels; one of the Salarvyani sent to talk to us is a traitor in the pay of the other faction in the Salarvyani civil war, and he gets the Bright Idea that killing all of us would really help his side. So, after dispatching a gaggle of not-very-professional assassins up to the palace to try to do us all in, he has his mercenaries attack the seacoast town and the Navy Yard to cause as much damage as possible. Since this is a Braunstein, this gives us six 'sides' or 'factions' for the game:

Lady Kia hi Chaishayni, naval commander, and her sailors; The Local Townspeople; The Local Militia (such as it is); The Traitor's First Boatload of Salarvyani Mercenaries; The Traitor's Second Boatload of Salarvyani Mercenaries; The Loyal Boatload of Salarvyani Mercenaries. This worked out very well, as I had six players in for the game itself; the two boatloads of disloyal mercenaries can be combined if there are fewer players, and the townspeople can also be deleted if need be.

The game starts with the boatloads in their boats, the sailors in the Navy Yard, the townspeople in their houses, and the militia on patrol - fire watch, really - anywhere on the board. All figures move six inches per turn, and each player was given - you guessed it! - a six inch ruler.

The sting in the tail of the scorpion is that this is a night game, and being a very naughty man I turned out the lights and handed the players little LED lights for their lanterns and torches. Pandemonium ensued. (Again, ask Gronan what happens in these things; he's suffered through them.)

Rules are just plain old Original EPT, right out of the box. You can use any set of rules that you like - the key is that the game must move fast and furiously!

Does this help?

yours, chirine