I used to actually trawl through lists of published RPG’s on Wikipedia, to get a more complete picture of the hobby, so that could be it. I have been aware of Tekumel since my college days, although I don’t remember how I stumbled across it exactly. Tens of millennia after this event, humans and other species now live at a level of roughly bronze-age technology, with ancient sprawling empires, magic, gods, and a general sense of unchanging tradition and ritual. Related to that disaster are actual god-like beings, and actual magic which flows from another dimension. Tekumel is based on the science fictional premise of a futuristic world populated by humans, and many other alien species, which is then cut off from the rest of the universe by a mysterious cataclysm. I tend to think of Tolkien as fitting into a category of “mythic fantasy,” given that his world and invented cultures are based on a tradition of mythological storytelling, with gods creating the world and so forth. He was an avid fan of science fiction and fantasy, drawing inspiration from Jack Vance and corresponding with writers like Lin Carter. Rather than settle for a pseudo-European fantasy world, or a sword-and-sorcery pastiche, Tekumel features rich, ancient cultures steeped in history and hoary tradition.īarker as a worldbuilder is also strongly influenced by the trends in fiction that came before him. Tsolyanu, the Empire of the Petal Throne itself, feels like equal parts Indian, Aztec/Mayan, and Persian/Arabic. Unlike Tolkien, Barker studied South Asian and Native American languages rather than European ones, and his setting is an interesting amalgamation of the cultures and histories of those places. The most developed of these is Tsolyani, the language spoken within the default starting region for Tekumel games. Tolkien, he was a linguist, and created numerous constructed languages to go along with his setting. He passed away in 2012 unfortunately, but he left behind quite a legacy as a writer, linguist, gamer, and builder of worlds. This original edition of the game was one of the earliest tabletop RPG’s ever published, and featured the first complete setting paired with rules.īarker was a fascinating guy. The D&D crowd at TSR decided to publish Barker’s setting, along with an original RPG rule set, in the “Empire of the Petal Throne” box set in 1975. He was a friend of the original designers of Dungeons and Dragons, including Dave Arneson, who was an occasional player in his games. It is an exotic science-fantasy setting that the Professor has been developing for most of his life. Professor Muhammad Abd-al-Rahman Barker (born Phillip Barker, and known as “Phil” by friends and family) is the creator of the world of Tekumel. Barker, which will be the primary focus of this post. In recent months I’ve gotten back into Jack Vance, and now, the works of M.A.R. While I was in grad school, I didn’t have much time for escapism (although I did wrap up a long-running D&D campaign). Namely, writing, and immersing myself in other worlds.
Indeed, many great changes are occurring!īut in the midst of all this, I finally have more time to devote to other things I love. My wife and I are also expecting our first child in a few weeks.
EMPIRE OF THE PETAL THRONE BOX SET LICENSE
I have finished a grad program, and I nearly have my license to teach elementary school in Massachusetts. Much has occurred since my most recent post, nearly a year ago. At last! I have decided to revive this blog, at least temporarily, to get myself writing again.