Empire Of The Petal Throne Pdf
Here, folks, we have a blast from the past.Jump with me in the way-back machine, and return to the year 1975.Two years before the release of Star Wars, two years before the death of Elvis Presley, two years before the discovery of firewe are talking history here folks.We are talking about the original release date of the second RPG ever published ( Empire of the Petal Throne), and Tekumel, the setting on which it hung it’s coat.Now what I can recall of Empire of the Petal Throne is mostly positive. Firstly, it was nothing at all like Tolkien. Nothing.No Elves. No feudalism. Even the swords are made from specially-treated Dinosaur hide rather than steel.The culture was very complex, well-detailed and unique almost to the point where it defied summary. Thanks for the Review.Great review, Billy.Now I want to dig out my TSR boxed set of Petal Throne and pore over the beautiful maps.(My dad bought the game for me for Christmas in 1977, along with about 100 minis, many of which I still have).I have a soft spot for Tekumel - it's just so damn brave to put out a fantasy setting that doesn't rely on the used furniture of Tolkien and his imitators. That strangeness is both Tekumel's biggest draw and biggest drawback; I've always had trouble getting players to try a Tekumel campaign because they are intimidated by its unfamiliarity, the very quality that attracts me to it.
Fantastic review, TB!I got to play in a demo game of T:EotPT at GenCon 2004. At first I was bit taken aback at how unrelated to 'real' Tri-Stat the system seemed. This was kind of a good thinbg, though, as normal Tri-Stat can seem a bit bland sometimes. Anyway, I found the system easy to pick up and pretty transparent during play. You roll a d10 under your stat or skill rating, and you want to roll low. The greater the margin by which you make your roll, the greater your success. Pretty simple.I used to own the Swords & Glory incarnation of Tekumel, and the GoO version is waay better.
The sourcebook on Tekumel (systemless) is still a great resource, though. People who are interested in this new editionof Tekumel should head on over to and look into their extensive library of Tekumel reprints.I can only hope this new product will lead to a Tekumel revivial. Tekumel has never been paired with a better system. Non-d20-phobic folks should be aware that GoO plans a d20 edition to come later in the year. Great review.It is really hard to explain Tekumel to anybody who's coming at it with any kind of pre-conceptions about rpg settings. I think you did convey its truly unique nature with your comments on how it made you realize your own assumptions about settings.I first got it a couple years after it came out, and I was fascinated by it. But I could never find enough people willing to climb the steep cultural learning curve necessary to play it.Maybe it'll find broader appeal now than it did in the late-'70s, when, compared to the setting standards of the time, it was even much weirder!Carl.
Empire Of The Petal Throne Review
I think it will. This is first version of Tekumel since 1975 that's actually matched its contemporaries in terms of art and layout. The Swords & Glory version in particular was pretty homely looking even compared to other boxed RPGs of the 80s.
The TOME edition wasn't too bad, but, again, not nearly as nifty-looking as other 90s RPGs. The new GoO edition looks as good as any other B&W GoO product, and has arguably the best system ever paired with the setting. And the coming d20 version should have broad appeal. Ergo, I thnk both quality and nostalgia will give Tekumel:EotPT more recognition than any previous edition. I can only hope that we see supplements at a less glacial pace. This edition has been 'coming soon' for many years now.Thankfully, it was worth the wait.
Posted on behalf of d20 Magazine Rack staff reviewer, Thomas Gafkjen.Initiative RoundTekumel: Empire of the Petal Throne is a 240 page world book for the Tri Stat system from. Based on Professor M.A.R. Barker's fantasy world of Tekumel, the author credits go to Patrick Brady, Joe Saul, and Edwin Voskamp. The cover features an Aztec priest summoning a vision of a man, with torn robes, climbing steps while peering over his shoulder by Raven Mimura. Tekumel: Empire of the Petal Throne retails for $39.95.Tekumel takes place some 60,000 years in our future. 30,000 years in Tekumel’s past, after space colonization by various races, something terrible happened and the system went through some worm hole and now exists in a pocket universe.
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When this happened, major catastrophes occurred (earthquakes, volcanoes erupting, etc). As a result from being cut off from the rest of the universe, the population slid back into barbarism.
This period was known as the Time of Darkness.Now, 30,000 years later what emerged from then is a world strong in culture and history. The sentient races are reduced to using muscle power rather than machines. Also, with dimensional walls thinner here, humans and others have discovered how to manipulate extra-planer energies with their minds.In writing up this game, the authors draw a lot of cultural material from Ancient Egypt, the Aztecs, and Moghul India to give it a different feel then the typical Western European myths.They start out by breaking character creation down into eleven steps;1st is character concept. What type of character do you want to play and give him/her a name.2nd is choosing a clan. A big emphasis is placed on who you are and where you rank in society.3rd is choose a religion. There are 20 deities in the world of Tekumel. They are described in another chapter of the book.4th is assign stats.
Depending on the level of realism the GM wants to run determines how many points the character can assign to his stats which are Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Psyche, Willpower, and Charisma.5th is assign attributes. These are more specific acquired or innate talents or abilities like ambidextrous, blessed, magical ability, etc.6th is assign defects. These are disadvantages which give you bonus points.7th is choose a career.
This is based on the campaign. The four career areas are clan, military, priesthood, or government. They are described in another chapter of the book.8th is assign skills. This represents your character’s training and experience.9th is determine resources. This determines what kind of wealth your character has and what he can purchase.10th is determine rank.
This is how far your PC has advanced at the start of the game.11th is calculate derived values. These are values based on your PC’s stats and modified by certain abilities, like initiative, Health Points, etc.A variety of aliens share Tekumel with the humans. Some are considered equals and others are looked down upon.
Each alien has a description, its relation to humans, stat changes, attributes, defects, and default careers. They are; Ahoggya – hairy 4 legged, 4 armed creature topped with a carapace. Hlaka – look like flying monkeys.
Pachi Lei – 4 arms, 4 legged, pear shaped turtles without the shell. Pe Choi – 4 armed 2 legged humanoid insect. Shen – scaled humanoid reptiles.
Tinaliya – short, fat, 4 legged, 2 arms, sloping head creature with vaguely humanoid features.The next chapter covers equipment and economics. The currency Tekumel uses is described here along with job income. There is a listing of items and their prices to include weapons, armor, talismans & charms.Specific game mechanics is covered next.
This included stat checks, skill checks, combat basics, optional combat rules, rules for Respect and what it means, magic rules and a description of spells.Chapter 7 covers the World of Tekumel. This includes a brief history with descriptions of various eras. There is rough guide of the Tsolyani Empire which has descriptions of several cities & their features, and its relation with the four other human empires. There is an explanation of the climate and seasons, along with a calendar.This book includes a bestiary which has 27 creatures broken down into the following groups; found anywhere, wilderness, horrors, and inimicals (intelligent native creatures that lived on the planet before the humans and aliens arrived).There is a description of the 20 deities divided into Gods of Stability and Gods of Change.
There are 10 of each. In each listing there is what the god’s focus is, depiction of what they look like, their color, their symbol, and what their priests wear.The next chapter covers Cultural Values. These are the core values and practices to include; noble action, honor, religious tolerance, sex & gender, family live, group over individual, clothing, social status & changing social status, the law, clan & family, and finally lifestyle by clan (low, medium, & high). Also listed here is a description of the various careers that the character chooses from in the priesthood, military, or government.The last chapter gives us information on how to run Tekumel. It covers campaign creation, level of magic, time period, character creation, social levels, playing non-humans, using the respect & favor rules, character advancement, gaining rank, and aging rules.At the end, the book includes a page worth of other resources, from novels published to additional online resources. Attached to the back inside cover is a large, color, foldout map of Tekumel.Note; the company plans on releasing a d20 version of Tekumel in June.Critical HitTo me what stands out is the cultural values of Tekumel. I thought they did a great job creating a culture that is different than what we are used to.
You could be a powerful person but if you don’t have the respect or honor, than you are nobody in society and will be treated as such.Critical FumbleI wasn’t a big fan of the aliens they choose to include. I thought they were a bit cheesy. Why does everything need multiple limbs? In my campaign, I plan on sliding most of these aliens to the bestiary and using them as creatures rather than sentient beings.Coup de GraceMost of the existing gaming material produced draws upon Western European myths.
Empire Of The Petal Throne Pdf Torrent
That is where this product stands out. By drawing upon material from Ancient Egypt, the Aztecs, and Moghul India it creates an atmosphere where group outweighs individual. Being a part of a clan and raising your status within that clan is a big factor. This opens a lot of opportunity for those who like roleplaying rather than rollplaying their characters. I found this book to be very well done and would recommend it to anyone who wants something a little different than what you are used to.Final Grade: A-Steve CreechExec. Chairman, d20 Magazine Rack.
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