Progress is made in small steps
The re-issue of the Tekumel Sourcebook is just about ready to go for proof production. The index will be in a two-column format, rather than three column, for readability. Additionally, the sections of the Sourcebook will be bookmarked, so readers of the PDF copy will be able to go right to the section they are interested in. Once the proof copy is reviewed and approved, it will be released through DriveThruRPG.com as a PDF ebook, as a POD (print-on-demand) physical book, and together as a bundle. Assuming the proof of production is approved quickly, the Sourcebook should be available by Memorial Day.
With the re-release of Ral Partha miniatures, and the availability of 28mm miniatures from the Tekumel Project, there is growing interest in building miniature collections for Tekumel. We are working on a re-release of the army lists for the Five Empires as well as the military-related articles which appeared after the publication of Empire of the Petal Throne.
Sales of The Man of Gold have been highly satisfactory – we’re working on making The Man of Gold available through the iTunes store as well as for Kindle, Nook, and Kobo. Choice of the Petal Throne has also been doing very well – there is a very positive review of the game by James Maliszewski on the Black Gate website. Many people over the years have asked for an introduction to the complexities of Tekumel; the Foundation hopes these two releases are a step in that direction.
Because of all of the production work required this spring and early summer, we won’t be able to attend North Texas RPG Convention. However, Jeff Dee will be there – it will be a great opportunity to play Bethorm with its creator, as well as getting some of the other marvelous products for Tekumel UNIgames has available. North Texas RPG Convention will be June 4th-7th, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Now make it YOUR Tekumel
The following excerpt is from The Tékumel Sourcebook; Prof. Barker presents some advice about how to approach playing Tékumel:
This advice is, if anything, more true today than in the past. What Prof. Barker wanted was for people to go out and play in his world, and then share the results with one another and with him. Trying to “get it right” is just falling down a rabbit-hole of needless worry. It’s understandable that players and game-masters would want to capture the essence of Tékumel, but that should include testing out your own Tékumel inventions and imaginings in actual gameplay.
From time to time, the Foundation blog will present various excerpts and notes from Prof. Barker which should be of value to Tékumel fans. This is the first in that series; we hope to provide some insights into what he thought was worthy of consideration as you explore Tékumel, the world of the Empire of the Petal Throne.