Welcome to The Hall of Blue Illumination, the podcast dedicated to the world of M.A.R. Barker’s Tékumel.  In this episode our hosts welcome special guest Dave Morris.  Dave is a legend in RPG circles, and among other things, the author of Tirikélu, a rule system for roleplaying on Tékumel.  Dave relates some of his experiences with Tékumel, as well as some of his thoughts on roleplaying systems in general.

Show Notes:

[00:00:54] Dave tells us about his first experiences with Tékumel and Empire of the Petal Throne.  EPT was Dave’s first encounter with a true RPG.

[00:02:38] “You’re not Conan, you’re the bones that he crunches under his sandals as he climbs the temple steps.”  Dave’s group originally played EPT with the referee giving each player a 30-minute turn.  Dave describes this odd method of play and initial forays into the Temple of Hrúgga.

[00:04:07]  “Cooperatition.”  Dave’s group had a culture of player-versus-player games, to the extent that their PCs took different sides during the civil war that followed the death of Emperor Hirkáne hiTlakotáni.  Players actively working against other players goes against the assumptions of most RPG campaigns, where players are considered to be allies.

[00:06:56] The Tékumel scene in England in the late 1970s.  People were curious about Tékumel, and Dave’s group got so big that they almost had to turn players away.  In the dark, barbarian days before the Internet, groups didn’t often compare notes on how they played.

[00:09:50] Dave is the author of Tirikélu, a rules system of his own design created for the world of Tékumel and released in 1992. Dave describes his correspondence with Professor Barker, and how early hints at the system that would become Swords & Glory influenced the development of Tirikélu.

[00:12:50] Dave uses GURPS 4th Edition now, although he’s concerned about how much emphasis it places on “roll-playing” and how slow it moves.  Dave discusses what he likes about Tirikélu, including the speed with which combat is resolved.

[00:15:23] Dave prefers systems where the results of player’s attempts at skills like Oratory aren’t wholly decided by die rolls.

[00:16:15] Dave decided to rerelease Tirikélu because it was different from those subjects he was currently writing about.

[00:17:47] It took Dave’s original group a while to get into Tékumel.  He thinks that most people need a couple of passes with Tékumel to get it right.

[00:18:53] He discusses how he likes smaller scale campaigns, that aren’t focused on grander themes like saving the world.

[00:20:01] Players of younger generations don’t have as much experience with “science-fantasy” and Dave feels that they have trouble getting into it.

[00:21:00] Dave discusses stealthily introducing his players to Tékumel.

[00:21:35] “Don’t drop them in the deep end of the pool yet.”  Victor has started a new Tékumel group, and it brought him to the realization that he should resist the urge to introduce players to the larger world of Tékumel right away.

[00:22:40] Sometimes it’s useful to go back to basics.  By seeing Tékumel through the eyes of someone new to the game, you can gain a different perspective on it.

[00:25:30] Dave discusses the unique “moral” aspects of Tékumel, by comparing it to one of his own creations, Dragon Warriors.  The gods of Tékumel aren’t really concerned about the lives or actions of player characters, and if things t