[From A to Z in Kalamar] Joto II

What would you call somebody who refused to believe the existence of the gods, when their followers are all over the place using powers which should tell all and sundry that the powers they follow are the source of them?

Let's take a look at King Joto II of Shynabyth. He wages a long and bitter war on a nearby theocracy and don't tolerate any religion in his realm. Quite an odd fellow in the polytheistic realms of common rpg fantasy. Consider that the majority of my readers are from the US, another realm where the refusal to accept the existence of a god probably will forever lock you out of higher office. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but in the western world, the US is about as religious as it gets. King Joto would be odd even there.

But, imagine he is right?

No, I'm not going to make this an issue about American culture, but investigate an uncommon twist in fantasy rpgs. Let's for a moment consider that the king is right. This could happen in many different ways.

The first way would of course be that the divine magic is nothing but arcane powers in different garb. Lots of fancy robes, mitre and other garb it is. Then the question is why not everyone can wield all kind of magic? Maybe it's just a question of training. I could see interesting campaigns happening when the players find the ancient way to unify all the forces of nature. Eh, magic, I mean.

The second way could be that in the realm of Shynabyth the divine powers are just imaginary, and their powers useless. Is there a anti-magic aura radiating from the king himself? Ars Magica, a game I usually am not that fond of, had this idea about how arcane magic didn't work around people of strong and pure faith. Now, imagine something in the same vein, but opposite in effect. Is it a curse, or a blessing? What would happen should the king meet his end? Would divine power suddenly start working? Would it seep back into the culture?

The third option, just to pick some, could be that all those powers are really psychic powers channelling the inner energies of the caster. Both Tunnels & Trolls and Talislanta have wrought their worlds of fantasy out of that mould. Talislanta is actually the only fantasy rpg that I know of where the very existence of the gods is undefined.

Now, how could you use this in your game? Just imagine an idea out of option two up there! How would you win that war against the theocracy? By extending that aura of non-belief into their lands, of course! Back in the 2nd ed era there was at least one Planescape adventure where the player characters could make a village slide into the abyss by furthering the idea of chaos! I see opportunities like that here.

Talislanta!

Through a veil of blue mist did I first behold Talislanta: dreamlike and surreal, as if suffused in amberglow.

Many years ago, I bought a slim volume called The Chronicles of Talislanta. Is is a book which opened my eyes to a new world, literally, and have brought me much fun. It's not uncommon for fans of fantasy rpgs to have heard of Tekumel, but for me the lands of Talislanta is just as weird and mysterious.

The Chronicles is a book totally devoid of rules content. It's just the dreamlike story of the wizard Tamerlin as he travels the lands. The combination of Stephan Michael Sechi's prose and P.D. Breeding's marvellous illustrations is a heady brew. I usually re-read it once in a while to remind myself that fantasy should be strange, surreal and fantastic.

Some have complained that Talislanta is something of a kitchen-sink-setting, and in a way they are right. It's a small island, with a lot of cultures. Many of them are archetypal fantasy and might not break much new ground. But, the way they are presented makes them retain a sense of wonder, which makes me dream. What more could you ask for?

For quite a few years I have now been a member of the Talislanta e-mail list. It have moved around a few times, and now reside on Yahoo. Now I am a moderator and even though I'm not as active as I once was, it still feels like home. One reason is the incredible cool atmosphere there. SMS, as the Creator is known, is very friendly and gladly answers questions and is probably one of the most generous game designers I've ever had the fortune to interact with. Now he have decided to give away all there is of Talislanta, the RPG!

Having been through a few editions, the game have had a few books published for it. For a while now, volunteers have been scanning them all, and SMS is presenting them all for free download at the new Talislanta site! Check it out.

Whatever you feel about the whole of the game, it's rules or the world, this is almost too good a gift to imagine. Go to the site and grab some pdfs, cut some things out and use in your own game. There are quite a lot I think any lover of fantasy would like. Steve have many times talked about his love for the fantasy of Jack Vance, and if you have read his stuff I think you will like Talislanta.

If you happen to meet Tamerlin on your travels, tell him I said hello. Bon voyage!

Talislanta - wonderful and weird

Through a veil of blue mist did I first behold Talislanta: dreamlike and surreal, as if suffused in amberglow

That is how Tamerlin begins his travelogue and journal across the fabled lands of Talislanta. I first encountered Tamerlin and the strange lands he travelled, in a booklet, published by Bard Games, called Chronicles of Talislanta. Reading it was a totally new experience for me. It was styled as a collection of manuscripts by someone who had travelled to other worlds and then putting it on thickly while telling of his exploits. Surreal it was, and dreamlike as well.

When I look back in the electronic archives, I realize that since the earliest message I have saved is from 1998, I have been a subscriber to the Talislanta e-mailing list for eleven years. This is a long love story. No wonder I have seen the ups and downs of the line.

After Bard Games it was actually WotC that published the game. Since then it has been through so much it's a wonder it's not dead and buried. But, Stephan Michael Sechi, the creator of Talislanta is correct in that this is the Rasputin of rpgs. Through all the events where publishers dropped it and different other projects never materialized, the fourth edition managed to get published. Not only was it the biggest rpg ever, it was also the first time I saw my name in print. I love that edition.

The love the game and the setting invoke in me is something special. The fact that SMS (as Steve Sechi is known) keeps watch over the game and always communicates with the fans, makes it feel like a very close knit tribe. Talislanta is home to me. Even though I'm not as active any longer, I still keep in touch.

What's so special about this fantasy setting then? I guess some of you have seen the old ads saying "No elves!", right? Even though some people think that the amount of fey creatures with pointy ears kind of invalidates that claim, it's still a signpost saying "this is not your daddy's fantasy rpg". Using the evocative illustrations of P.D Breeding-Black, and the chatty and conversational style of "Tamerlin", the game come across as different more than anything. No cows, no horses and no knights. On the other hand there are avian humanoids, a genetically engineered warrior race, faeries with gossamer wings and other outre things. It's a hallucinogenic feast and marvel, which is both funny and sometimes satirical. It makes fantasy feel fantastic again.

So. Why do I bother to proclaim my love for this setting? Well, apart from just wanting to share some knowledge of an under appreciated and fun setting for adventure, there are things happening with Talislanta. SMS have promised that while he is planning new and interesting stuff, all of the old books are going to be available for free, online! The idea of all that weird and wonderful stuff being shown to the world outside our tribe is exciting. While it might take a while to happen, you can go and bookmark the Talislanta web home so you know where to find it. I don't know about you, but for me it is a setting that always made me want to play a game there right now! We can dream together with Tamerlin.

Tamerlin, evidently anticipating the scepticism of future generations of scholars, had only this to say in defense of his work:

"As to the authenticity or value of my writings, I leave it to the reader to decide. Know only this: Talislanta exists, for I have been there, if only in dreams."