Damn this cold!

...or is it Flu? How does one tell the difference anyway?

So I went into work for two days and then was off sick for the last three. I *am* felling a bit better this morning but I still have this persistent cough. IIRC, I seem to remember hearing that the cough can hang with you for weeks afterwards. :-(

In the meantime if you raise your gaze slightly you may notice the addition of some tabs. :-)

I'm breaking out the Band of Joyous Heroes and Kérdu stuff and editing it into a hopefully more coherent form. 

Also, you may have noticed that I've started using Pinterest to display images that I think are in some way inspiring or evocative of Tékumel. When I first started, I guess a few months back, I wasn't sure if I should be changing the comments of the pins I was re-pinning. I didn't know if there was some sort of etiquette that applied on Pinterest. Recently however I  have realized that I don't need to touch the original Pinner's comments at all. I can just add my comment when I repin it to one of my sub-boards. Ideally I would like to do this for all the pins because for some it might not be clear why I selected them, and for many only certain aspects of the image apply. Another W.I.P. I'm afraid...

Stratagems in "Kérdu"

I've been tinkering away at "Kérdu" again - that is, the big battle rules for Tékumel wargaming.

One thing I have been thinking about is the various stratagems that are such a big feature of Tékumel themed battles. Or which should be in order for them to be "authentic". An example is the "Bow of Hrúgga  which is described in the "Battle of Ry" account. This stratagem employs two adjacent phalanxes separated by a relatively narrow gap. The concept is that once the phalanxes have struck home the rear ranks wheel and charge up the gap - becoming the "arrow" - to strike home, presumably with some additional effect though, in truth, it is hard for me to see what actual benefit would be achieved by doing this in a Real World battle. So the question is: do we model such fantastical ideas or not? If not, then any ancient rules would be appropriate as long as it can handle the basic elements of melee, missile fire and phalanxes. All one need do is tack on a magic system and perhaps some modifiers to account for the various races and "voila" - it is complete! On the other hand, if we choose to model these various stratagems that are part of the flavour of Tékumel-themed battles then I think we also have to allow for a little suspension of disbelief. Just as when playing Space 1889 we accept that Mars is inhabited, that we can travel across the ether and that "liftwood" exists, so to, to properly wargame on Tékumel, we must accept that certain things "work".

Comments?

Grrr...

I tried to post yesterday, but after a lot of typing a technical malfunction (damn mouse) caused me to lose everything. I was so disgusted I didn't try it again - heck, I don't even know all that I typed - "I was on a roll", as they say! *sigh*

Anyway, basically I want to start using this blog for what it was intended - Tekumel gaming. I am hoping to post something daily - either on Kérdu, or on A Band of Joyous Heroes (BoJH).

Not sure if that is actually "doable" but I'll give it a try. And there is a "Short Adventure Challenge" coming up in September that I am thinking of joining, so if I want to use A Band of Joyous Heroes for that I'll have to set out at least the basis of the rules so people at least know what I'm talking about.