This article originally appeared in Pyramid #11
GURPS Tékumel
by Brett Slocum
Editor's Note: This article assumes a certain familiarity with the world of Tékumel, and we encourage you to read the source material listed in the bibliography to flesh out your campaign.
After roleplaying in countless fantasy worlds based solely on the European/Celtic/Roman models, it is refreshing to play in a world that does not rely on these overused backgrounds. Tékumel, a world drawing heavily from Middle Eastern, Chinese, Indian and Meso-American cultures, fits the bill perfectly. First created by M.A.R. Barker as a child in the 1940s, Tékumel was first published in game form by TSR in 1975 as Empire of the Petal Throne (or EPT). Since that time, Tékumel has developed an international following and has seen several revivals, including two novels from DAW (Man of Gold and Flamesong) and the current Adventures on Tékumel game series from Theatre of the Mind Enterprises (TOME).
Playing in Tékumel is like living in a place with the politics and intrigue of the Roman Empire, the religions of ancient India and pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, the magic of the Arabian Nights, the monsters of the Cthulhu mythos, plus the technology of a good space opera thrown in just to keep things interesting.
History
60,000 years in the future, the vast Human star empire discovered Tékumel, defeated its hostile, space-faring native races, placed them on reservations, destroyed its poisonous native plant life and extensively terraformed the planet using power . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: January 1, 1995
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