finarvyn Wrote:I've always found Tekumel as a RPG setting to be interesting but frustrating because of the language barrier -- I just can't handle those wacky names.
I'd love to look at "Gardásyal - Deeds of Glory" just to see the pretty artwork, but I know I'd never actually get use out of the thing particularly if the mechanics are awkward.
Combining mechanics I can't understand with language I can't fathom either ... well that just spells role-playing disaster for me. :lol:
Yes, it's been a long thirty-five years of bad games; I liked and enjoyed EPT, and I've been using it in my games for all that time. Quick, fast, and easy for GM and players - I think it's still the best of the Tekumel RPGs. (Gary and Dave liked it as well.) The rest, I am sorry to say, suffer quite badly from what I think people these days call 'rules bloat'; it does not help, either, that there wasn't all that much play-testing done - "Swords and Glory", for example, was never play-tested at all before chunks of it were published. Dave Arneson, in my time at AGI, put it quite well when he said "You can't design games in a vacuum!" I think he was right.
As for the language barrier, it's been around since the beginning. It reminds me of an encounter I had years ago, from my days flogging the merchandise at Gen Con (back in the MECC years):
We're at Gen Con, and we're selling stuff for AGI while Dave is off running Blackmoor; I'm out in front of the booth in my Tekumel armor, flogging the merchandise as usual, when I spot trouble coming down the aisle of the Dealers' Room. For the past two years running, starting back at UW Parkiside, we've had this guy come up to the booth and loudly complain about the languages used in our Tekumel products. He's been telling us, quite loudly and forcefully, that he won't buy our stuff unless and until we change all the names and such into something that he can pronounce. I've been polite and friendly over the years, as I have a responsibility and obligation to Dave, but this guy has made it very clear over time that he hasn't bought anything from us, he is not going to buy anything from us, and he is never going to buy anything from us. On the other hand, we do have people who do want our products, and this guy is really annoying them.
So, the guy comes up to the booth, and starts in on his Annual Tirade. I let him go on for a bit, and when he pauses for breath I hold up a polite hand and ask him to stop, and to please move on down the aisle as we know full well he's not going to buy anything; could he please make room for the folks lined up behind him who would like to buy something from us. The ranter launches off into a tirade about how important he is in gaming, and a big name contributor to "The Dragon", and people are starting to get really annoyed as he's both loud and obnoxious.
He's just hitting full speed when a bearded middle-aged man holds up a hand and stops his ranting, and asks him to move along. The ranter just about spits in the man's face, and asks him "just who the f*ck are you, anyway?" The man simply smiles, and holds up his convention registration badge for the guy to read.
It says "Gary Gygax".
Gary tells the watching crowd - we have quite the audience, by now - that he really likes Tekumel and that folks should have a look at our products. gary shook my hand, told me that it was good to see me again at Gen Con, and sees Mr. Ranter Guy off. (
I still have the miniatures carrying case that Gary gave me, too. Thank you, sir!)
So, the language barrier has been around for quite a while, and I agree with you that it's a very real barrier to commercial success for Tekumel. Oddly enough, we never used the languages while gaming out at Phil's; we just let the names and such wash over us, and got on with the adventures. In my experience, American gamers have the most issues with the languages; Asian, European, and our British cousins seem to have a lot less trouble with them..
I don't think this is a solvable problem; while it's quite possible to play Tekumel with only a passing familiarity with the languages - I've been GM for a number of Tekumel game groups where we've been able to get around it - I think that since most players and GMs have to rely on printed media for their infomation it's going to continue to be an issue. I've been very well aware of the issue as I've been writing my book about our adventures ("To Serve The Petal Throne", of course) and I've been quite careful to skirt the languages as much as I can and only mention them when and if they are a plot point. We'll see, I guess. By the by, have you read the little snippets of the book I've posted here, about our adventures with Dave / Harchar? Do they help you, at all?
And, Fin, I am not trying to flame you or anything; you've pointed out a very real issue that a lot of gamers have talked to me about, and I would be very interested in hearing what you have to say! I like Tekumel, obviously, and I'd like to be able to tell folks about the fun we had in the world-setting. I'd love to hear what you think!
- chirine
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