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Episode 4, “Jeff Dee”
Episode 4: “Jeff Dee”
Welcome to The Hall of Blue Illumination, the podcast dedicated to the world of M.A.R. Barker’s Tékumel. In our longest episode to date, veteran game designer and illustrator Jeff Dee joins our hosts to talk about his experiences with Professor Barker’s setting.
Jeff is one of the two-person creative team behind Béthorm, a new, comprehensive rules set for gaming on Tékumel. Béthorm utilizes the Pocket Universe framework, a contemporary RPG system of Jeff’s own design.
But before we get to Jeff, our hosts provide an in-depth response to questions submitted by listener Kevin Leung.
Show Notes:
[00:00:39] Our first email! Listener Kevin Leung is devouring Tékumel material, but still feels that he does not “get” the cultural aspects of the setting.
[00:02:21] Victor’s advice to Kevin: the level of detail in Tékumel is often distracting; everyone finds it daunting at some point. Even Professor Barker didn’t always pay attention to every detail in game sessions.
[00:04:19] Scott’s observations on learning large amounts of information: there are limits to the amount of information a human can consciously assimilate. But steeping oneself in the material, while certainly enjoyable in and of itself, can yield fortuitous results.
[00:05:55] James’s advice: you learn more from actually playing and refereeing Tékumel than from merely reading about it.
[00:07:01] Use mistakes in prior sessions as an opportunity to innovate new material.
[00:09:09] Don’t try to remember every detail going into a game. A little spice goes a long way. Tease out one specific detail of the setting and focus in on that to provide players with a flavor for Tékumel.
[00:10:23] An example of the above using the Tsolyáni concept of shámtla.
[00:12:02] Another example, using the smell of musty cinnamon and high chiming sounds — farázhli!
[00:12:49] Another suggestion from James: Before every session, make up a list of names and clans with short descriptions of characters the player characters might encounter. This way, you won’t have to create a non-player character on the spot.
[00:15:00] Scott: “People on Tékumel are still people.”
[00:17:30] Wisdom from the Professor: “There are no non-player characters on Tékumel,” i.e., e
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Episode 4: “Jeff Dee”
Welcome to The Hall of Blue Illumination, the podcast dedicated to the world of M.A.R. Barker’s Tékumel. In our longest episode to date, veteran game designer and illustrator Jeff Dee joins our hosts to talk about his experiences with Professor Barker’s setting.
Jeff is one of the two-person creative team behind Béthorm, a new, comprehensive rules set for gaming on Tékumel. Béthorm utilizes the Pocket Universe framework, a contemporary RPG system of Jeff’s own design.
But before we get to Jeff, our hosts provide an in-depth response to questions submitted by listener Kevin Leung.
Show Notes:
[00:00:39] Our first email! Listener Kevin Leung is devouring Tékumel material, but still feels that he does not “get” the cultural aspects of the setting.
[00:02:21] Victor’s advice to Kevin: the level of detail in Tékumel is often distracting; everyone finds it daunting at some point. Even Professor Barker didn’t always pay attention to every detail in game sessions.
[00:04:19] Scott’s observations on learning large amounts of information: there are limits to the amount of information a human can consciously assimilate. But steeping oneself in the material, while certainly enjoyable in and of itself, can yield fortuitous results.
[00:05:55] James’s advice: you learn more from actually playing and refereeing Tékumel than from merely reading about it.
[00:07:01] Use mistakes in prior sessions as an opportunity to innovate new material.
[00:09:09] Don’t try to remember every detail going into a game. A little spice goes a long way. Tease out one specific detail of the setting and focus in on that to provide players with a flavor for Tékumel.
[00:10:23] An example of the above using the Tsolyáni concept of shámtla.
[00:12:02] Another example, using the smell of musty cinnamon and high chiming sounds — farázhli!
[00:12:49] Another suggestion from James: Before every session, make up a list of names and clans with short descriptions of characters the player characters might encounter. This way, you won’t have to create a non-player character on the spot.
[00:15:00] Scott: “People on Tékumel are still people.”
[00:17:30] Wisdom from the Professor: “There are no non-player characters on Tékumel,” i.e., e