Players not Pawns.

The first rule of putting together a new RPG campaign, and one that I had forgotten, is that one must collect players, not miniatures. It really doesn't take many. I figure 3-6 should make a good start. Three is really the sweet spot for RPGing, in my opinion. Over 6 can get cumbersome, though I have done it, with some success, back when I was in form. One player and a DM is a bit clunky, the player lacks anyone to play off, aside from the DM, and so, the DM gets tired more quickly. When you add a second player, the DM can compose his thoughts when the two interact. This is even more pronounced in a group of three players. Four and five are manageable, but, as we add players the tendency for the players to tag off on demanding the attention from the DM increases. There are still slack times when the DM can think about aspects not immediately pressing, but they get more rare.

At anyrate, these thoughts are prompted by my attempt to form a Group for my Tekumel campaign. I have a room at the FLGS for the 1st. I have one player. I put up a poster, but have had no emails. I have a growing short tonne of miniatures. Short tonne being a Euphemism, in case I have sensitive readers. I plan on launching on Thursday even if we only have me and Geo. I have no idea what we will do, or what system we will use.

A large part of the problem is that I am no longer a "figure" in the local gaming scene. There was a time, back in College, when I was president and founder of the campus club. Finding players then was easy. But most of the people I knew then are gone from here. And the online networking has not helped much (read "at all"). The Freeforum group has been overrun with spammers, and another forum seems to consist of players in a Pathfinder campaign. Few people my age have time for more than one campaign, I find. And Gaming is kind of a personal activity, so I think finding strangers to travel to strange new lands is, socially, a bit daunting. It would be much easier if I were pitching a more familiar world - something a bit..oh Tolkien.

Other news, I won an Ebay auction for Lou Zocchi's copy of Swords and Glory Volume 1, in Box with Maps. I am hoping it comes autographed. As the story goes, the seller is a friend of Lou's and gave him a heads up on the current market value of some Old School Goodness. Lou allowed him to sell two copies of SGV1, to test the waters. I got the game cheap, in my estimation. Much cheaper than online retailers are asking for copies. That surprised me, and I suspect it may disappoint Lou. Don't know what he was expecting, of course. Still, I am pleased, because Lou has been an icon in my world for a while. I would love to get the Professors autograph on it as well, but I am thinking that will be unlikely.

I have been painting some, but mostly low caste and slave figures. I have some Asar figures in the Que, but I am not sure what I will do with them, so I am delaying. I did realize that all these poor clansfolk could probably also stand in as natives when I get some pirates painted, in a year or so.. But I need to get painting if I am gonna get the Tek stuff that I have done by years end. I should set up a camera, and there might be a pic if you come back to this post in a day or two.

I have also begun discussions with the Tekumel Project to sponsor a Legion. Not cheap, but, if I can find the money, I am gonna do it. For the moment, I will keep details hush hush.. Wouldn't want the Red Hats to know.


On April 10th, I think, Chirine and his pals have organized the Dave Arneson Maritime Memorial event at the Source. I hope to be there. But the next week I will be gone to school for work, and I am not sure I want to travel right before hand.

Gut Shot

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Originally uploaded by kokigami

Chip Hosted a Game of Gut Shot recently. He felt it necessary to look the part.. Texas Belt Buckle and all. The scenario was a train robbery/kidnapping. The terrain was provided by Chip and the miniatures by his friends.

Things began when when a group of bad guys, who felt they had been wronged by the railroads owners, blew the tracks at the end of Royal Gorge, a narrow rail pass running parallel and sometimes hanging over the Arkansas River in Colorado. A lot of the terrain was left unused, as the focus of the activities was the train. We simply placed cardboard "floors" on top of the cars to represent the insides. First contact was made when a bad guy mounted the train in the caboose (no snickering..) and found the Caboose Crewman smoking a roll your own, and the Assistant Engineer taking a nap. This lead to a close quarters fist fight cause no one had time to reload after an initial round of missed shots.

I seem to be having a problem with linking to Flickr images, so I am going to send you here to view the pictures..

Spending money, but not playing..

This seems to be a perennial problem. Of course, when switching from my traditional bit of not playing all games to a focus on not playing tekumel, there will obviously be some need for purchases. I have been getting minis that either are, or will serve well, for tekumel. Four units of Tsolyani and three Yan Kor, from Tita's House of Games, when they had a Holiday sale at the end of the year. And some Ghost Miniatures Elves from Old Glory who, so far, are mustering out to be Temple Guards for Karakan and Belkanu (and probably their cohorts). I have even begun painting these. Further down we see some Priestesses of Dlamelish and her Cohort from Bronze Age Miniatures. Paint work is ongoing, but good enough for now.

Several times I have found nice figs on Ebay from a "buffy's mommy" who seems to have no end of old 70's figures. I have purchased a pile of bearers, some Amazons (Aridani), and Numidians, who will function as poorer clans men. I also have some Asar from crocodile games for generic guards. These from the Noble Chirine.

Most recently, on Ebay, I won a set of old PHD figures, non humans. This means I will have some Ahoggya, Shen, S'su, Pygmy Folk, and a host of Tinaliya. The competition was fierce, especially for the Ahoggya, everyones favorite from Tekumel, I suppose.

Much Painting ahead, I see.

I also purchased, from Tita's again, the army books for Tsolyanu, Yan Kor and Mu'ugalavya, and the Tsolyani Primer, which, it turns out, is a really sound basic course. Now I need to track down some people who have a pretty firm grasp of Tsolyani, who have time to do some recordings.. I think that training vids based upon this book could be a very good thing..

These purchases have put me over budget on gaming at the moment. And yet, I bought three copies of Junta when it was on Tanga for 9 bucks..

I also realized I only have a few months before my Old Glory Army membership lapses. So, I need to make a list of things to buy from them, and do a bulk purchase. I am also looking at sponsoring a legion via the Tekumel Project. All this, and I haven't gotten a game together yet.

In theory, I am scheduled to run a game this Thursday. I have one player, for sure. One I have invited who has not replied. I have done no advertising. I have an adventure idea, but it isn't for one person, really. What to do, what to do...

Twenty Ten, the Time of Tekumel

It's all the rage, mentioning that this is a new year. Not one to buck the trend, so, I formally announce my Year of Tekumel. So, what, exactly, does this mean. Well for starters, Tekumel will be my primary focus for gaming. I don't know how this will work, as far as time is concerned. I figure it will be 80% of my new gaming budget*. I resolve to paint a Several Tek related miniatures for each non tek related miniature. And Most of my terrain projects will revolve around Tek usable items. I may even go so far as to create some original (derivative) Tekumel stuff.

This does not mean I will do no non tekumel stuff, of course. I still have projects that need tending to. But, Tekumel wi

Ideas along those lines include a Gazetteer for Penom. It would be modeled on the wonderful Butrus Gazetteer. Penom is oft the oft referenced, but seldom detailed armpit of Tsolyanu. I may also do -for my own benefit, but potentially useful to others - a series of educational powerpoints, or pod casts or something. This is all very ambitious.

I plan to spend some cash on this, though, for the moment, I don't know from whence it will come. Projects already in the works. I haven't updated the minis counts, but I do have a fair pile of both Official, and Proxy Tekumel figures now. I have plenty of Low class figures. A few and sundry potential temple guards and merchant guards, that need painting. And a box of goodies I bought from Tita's, that I haven't even opened, cause I need to figure a good way to organize them. I figure since I didn't open em, I can count the expense as a 2010 expense. They were about 200 dollars in figs, and that was taking advantage of a 50% off offer he made just prior to the Holidays.

On the terrain front, I have a fair number of conifers, from last year post christmas sales, and I have a nice wreath I will disassemble for creating shubbery, and maybe some exotics. I need to hit the thrift stores and such for more wreaths and such. Project for this week, when this stuff is still common, and cheap.

I also have a lot of Poly styrene packing, that I can convert up for temple fronts, and such, I think. I don't know what else to do with it, though some may be tasked for non tekumel terrain. Chirine showed me a trick for making quick and painless temple exteriors, so that will probably come up. And I am hoping to make some dungeon pieces. More on that as the plan develops.

And I plan to go to Ann Arbor this year. I think I will even take vacation for that up front.

Well, this was pretty rambling. Probably up too late last night. I will edit it later. Maybe add a bit. Later fans.

The Riot on the Avenue of Uplifting trade

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Originally uploaded by kokigami

On the 28th, Geo and I went to the Twin Cities to take part in the annual Tekumel miniatures event. I ended up running my own table, using the scenario I had created "The Riot on the Avenue of Uplifting trade". Rather than do another write up right now (it is getting late) I will, without further delay, direct you to the Flickr set that contains a narrated account of the fight. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the account given by Herechi of the Clan of Saffron light, who was there, but is known to be a bit of a zealot. Still, the pics are commented to coincide with his testimony to the Tomb Police on the subject.

This is a quick post to say that, in response to GamFnordes WorkFnordshop (TM) C&D orders to everyone and their knickers (except me) to remove GaFnordmes WorFnordkshop (TM) IP from their sites, I have rendered a pre-emptive Games WorkshFnordopectomy (trademark mFnorde) on the site. You will find that all GamFnordes WorkFnordshop IP references have been neatly hidden from view via a little trick I learned from the IlluFnordminati (TM SJgames... and of course also TM the BavFnordarian IllumFnordinati, which might be the same thing)

More to Come

This is a filler post, to some degree. I had planned to post about Recon, held in Anoka, hosted by MMGA. I did attend, and played a few games of SBH with Mike Z, who provided D&D pre paints in a battle between a Dragon bent on burning homes and a small band of dwarfs. It was a good scenario. Surprisingly complex. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a camera, and Mike has not responded to my request that he send me pics or links. So I have no bling to bring on that front.

I then was transported by Chirine (pronounced Cheer in nay) to his Tekumel haven, where he and his cohorts were preparing for the November game (scheduled for the Source on the 28th). His terrain in progress is fantastic. And I marvelled at the logistics of maintaining the vast collection of figures, props, and artifacts of Tekumel and M.A.R. Barker lore that he has amassed, while still trying to live in his home. In the past week I have put a good deal of effort into painting some figs I bought off Ebay for low clans folk, so I can add them to the Skirmish game in November. I have approximately 60 now that I would feel unashamed to field. They will add to the force of unaffiliated rioters. I will have pics of them soon.

Looking forward, Next year will be a year of Tekumel at the Superior Force. This year I spent a good deal of money on projects unrelated to Tekumel, money that could have gone to buying nice figs from the Eureka line. Soon Eureka will be adding Shen, Ahoggya, and other non humans. I plan to make a big purchase sometime in Jan or So. What this means, in practical terms, is that my spending and game time will be focused on Tekumel. Realistically, I plan to spend 80% of my gaming budget on Tekumel appropriate fair, with 20% reserved for other sundries I may need. My gaming time will probably be less focused. I have a reasonable force of Fnord, and lots of troops to build HOTT, and enough Samurai to do some skirmish in that genre. And, of course, there are the various board games that we play as family, and possibly some more generic SBH using Mage Knight figs not already assigned to a HOTT army. But, I plan to have a Tekumel RPG game going by spring, on a bi weekly basis.

I would also like to offer a belated Happy Birthday to Professor Barker, here, though I know he will never see it. Tekumel has always been my inspiration in gaming. It is the reason I have always believed that the act of Gaming can rise to the level of fine art. A form of improvisational readers theater. Professor, be well.