I think we could keep it going all week - it's the comedy circuit for us!Originally Posted by AsenRG
The 'weirdest' on Tekumel? Probably the Ssu 'broadsword', as it's got edges all over the place. The 'weirdest' I've ever seen? The Sudanese throwing axe Phil had up on his dining room wall (southeast corner, on the plate rail). Yes, there was a handle, and a good thing, too; you would not have known where to pick the thing up, otherwise...
Huh! You learn something new, every day! And true point, that last.
I keep hanging in there. The layout will arise, some day. I have to do something with all that stuff...
Agreed about Phil's troubles with his publishers. He was voted "Most Difficult Author in the Game Industry" by GAMA; Mike Stackpole ran the 'awards' ceremony, and I got to get up and give the acceptance speech. I still have the 'Ralphie' in the basement; they'd managed to get a heap of the Ralph Cramden figures from the TSR "Honeymooners" board game, and Stackpole used those as the 'trophy'.
Phil's basic problem with 'external' publishers was that they ran their businesses as businesses, and were in business to make money. Phil had lived and worked in academia for almost all his working life, and tended to think of 'publishers' as being like the in-house press shop that most universities had. Phil had a very 'academic' approach to publishing, which - I suspect - is why most of his Tekumel publications have such a 'textbook feel' to them. He kind of got away from that with his novels, as he wrote with a very 1940s - 1950s voice in them; they do read like a lot of the texts that are from that same period in F/SF history. Phil had kind of the same issues with us 'internal' publishers; he had his ideas, and we tended to treat the thing as being a business that had to pay for itself. It never did, of course; it took about thirty years to sell off all 250 copies of "Deeds of the Ever Glorious".
Personally, I think Phil would have been delighted to have the modern version of the Internet to work with; he could have done anything he'd wanted to, put it up on his own website, and sold the PDFs or files with little or no overhead. Back in our day, the economic and production hurdles to get anything published - let alone marketed! - were why there never were any really economically viable Tekumel products. Aside from EPT itself, of course, but that was - by Brian Blume's own statement - the right product in the right place at the right time. The only other product that sold well (for the game industry, of course) was "Ebon Bindings", with about 1,000 of the four editions being sold over the decades.
Miniatures were a very different story, but that was because of the very intense marketing effort and the very low barriers to having product. Back in the day, Phil had a very hard time getting his head around the notion that the lead was what was supporting his books, not the other way around.
These days, it's a very different story; I've watched all too many Kickstarters founder over the high costs of miniatures production. It's a very different market, and a very different hobby these days.
I remember that thing. You can't MAKE stuff like that up. And against non-metal-armored targets it would have been very, very nasty.
I don't care if you respect me, just buy my fucking book.
Formerly known as Old Geezer
I don't need an Ignore List, I need a Tongue My Pee Hole list.
The rules can't cure stupid, and the rules can't cure asshole.
Thank you Glorious General. As we say in the old country: Навистина воскресе! (Truly, He has risen).Happy Easter from a Western schismatic!
Shemek.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
I know what you mean. You'd think that they were printing the product themselves!
Shemek
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
Chirine,
A good weekend is a wondrous thing. We finally got some nice weather up here yesterday and I was able to cut the grass, to take a good look at the yard and see what's the damage from the winter, and what's needed to get it it up to speed. The Spring just won't come this year. Today barely reached 11, and it was a rainy, misty, damp cold day. Terrible day to grill, unless you have a steady supply of wine and beer on hand of course.
Stay the course. I for one find this thread great. Where else can you get TWO great contemporary sources? If you are willing to keep providing the answers, I am willing to keep asking the questions! I know that I am not the only one on this thread that feels this way.
Shemek
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
Last time I spent a wad was when WoTC came out with the "Star Wars Spaceship Game" with some really nice, but expensive, miniatures.
I knew they were "collectible" miniatures (an idea I hate) but they were still nice Star Wars spaceships. So one day over at Chez Thornley four of us, all long-time miniatures gamers, sat down for a game.
Worst excuse for a rule set I ever saw. Range didn't matter, maneuver didn't matter, and there was only one ship in something like six sets I bought where facing mattered. The combat system was "Roll this number (usually 14 to 16) on a d20." Your ship had a bonus of +2 or +3, usually.
In other words, the entire game system was "Roll high numbers on a d20."
After about an hour I actually said, "Is it just my imagination, or does "tactics" in this game amount to "roll big numbers?" " My compatriots agreed unanimously.
Haven't bought any gaming stuff since.
I don't care if you respect me, just buy my fucking book.
Formerly known as Old Geezer
I don't need an Ignore List, I need a Tongue My Pee Hole list.
The rules can't cure stupid, and the rules can't cure asshole.
Today was wonderful, even though I drank too much wine and beer, ate too many kebobs, and had too much pecan pie (my all time favourite pie, right up there with apple pie), and scoffed one too many baclavas.Agreed! And it's been a great day, too...It's only once a year that I eat too much, well actually twice if you include Christmas.
She who must be feared was not impressed. Fortunately I'm not working tomorrow (rank doth have its privileges and all that rot) so I can finish off that last bottle of wine that is looking at me so mournfully as I type this reply. Ahh, one more dead soldier.
Shemek
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
Bren,
Never has a truer statement been said. Like the Glorious General, it was the "filth" in the Ivory Tower of Academics that kept me from making academia my career. Never in all my years have I met so many hypocritical, perfidious, snivelling, back-biting and down right nasty sods as when I was finishing my Masters. Even though I got accepted into a doctoral program I walked away from it. Some times I regret it, but then when I hear the stories some of my university professor friends tell me I feel vindicated.
Shemek
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
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