1) Legal Notices:
1a) Tekumel is a registered trademark of Prof. M. A. R. Barker, and is used here on this blog without prejudice to any intellectual property or any other rights.
1b) The Tekumel Foundation is a Minnesota Statute 317a Non-profit Corporation, and has been appointed by Prof. M. A. R. Barker and Mrs. Ambereen Barker to be the sole manager of the Tekumel (tm) intellectual property by The Barker Family Trust, established by Prof. M. A. R. Barker and Mrs. Ambereen Barker to manage their estate and properties. (Think ERB, folks, and you'll get the idea.)
2) Disclosures:
2a) I have a one dollar a year renewable agreement with The Tekumel Foundation as a consultant on Tekumel matters; I provide historical information and advice in the capacity of an Archivist. I am responsible for the restoration, preservation, and indexing of Prof. M. A. R. Barker's collection of Tekumel materials and items on behalf of the Foundation. I have no executive or other decision-making powers within the Foundation, so if you want to do something for Tekumel go talk to them and not to me. I can offer you historical information and advice about Tekumel as well, and that's the limit of what I can or will do: I cannot release any unpublished Tekumel materials belonging to the Foundation without their express approval.
2b) My wife has a renewable one year contract with Ambereen Barker to act as her agent in selling the Professor's book collections, including an agreement to act as Mrs. Barker's agent with auction houses. My wife gets a percentage of the sales, per Mrs. Barker's instructions. If you are interested in finding out what books are available, e-mail me and I'll send you the website they have set up.
2c) My wife also provides secretarial, graphics, and administrative services to The Tekumel Foundation on a volunteer basis; she does not receive any compensation for this work, and also has no executive or other decision-making powers within the Foundation.
2d) The Aethervox Gamers meet at our house on the second and fourth Saturdays in a calendar month, and are kind enough to donate some money to Janet and myself to pay for the utilities costs (heating, cooling, internet access, electricity, and water) each month. The other Saturdays in a calendar month are also open for Tekumel-related gaming; for more information, please e-mail me through this blog. Please note that I do not receive payment for my game-mastering or other activities; I do what I do for the love of the thing.
2e) Guests are always welcome, provided that they contact me in advance and can provide references. We regret that we can no longer provide overnight lodging to any but family members.
2f) There are about 4,600 25 and 28mm miniature figures in the game room. Many, if not all, have lead in them in varying concentrations. Please wash your hands in the provided sink before you eat anything, and I'd take it kindly if you'd wash the snacks off your hands before you handle the figures; some of them are well over thirty years old, and I don't want to have to clean gunk off them. Nor do I want to have you treated for lead poisoning, so don't eat the figures. (They taste sweet, like sugar.)
3) Policies:
3a) Yes, I will answer your questions about Tekumel.
3b) No, I will not paint Tekumel figures for you, make Kevuk dice or other Tekumel items for you, make Tekumel costumes for you, or any other activities of a similar nature. I have neither the time, nor the energy, nor an agreement with the Tekumel Foundation to use the Professor's intellectual property to do so, and the most I can do is teach you how to do these things for yourself. On occasion, I may paint figures as gifts for people, for which I can not accept payment or other reimbursement; I do it because I want to, as a gesture of respect for them.
3c) Yes, I will be happy to provide comments and advice on your Tekumel-related project and how it might or might not match what the Professor has written or said about Tekumel, provided that you have informed the Tekumel Foundation about your project. I will not accept 'cold calls' on Tekumel-related projects, so contact them first and get an introduction.
3d) No, I am not interested in any sort of business agreement or activity with you relating to Tekumel. Again, I have neither the time or energy for such activities, and I do not have any sort of funds available to invest in your idea. If you want to use my time for any sort of commercial or business activity, you will have to pay for it; I don't think you can afford my usual rates, which start at $25 USD per hour or the non-refundable $1,000 deposit to cover any future legal expenses that I might incur and which I will have to require you to post in advance. Nothing personal, but I'm tired of getting burned by people who think they know everything; I've been at this for some thirty-five years, and I have yet to see anything new under the sun.
3e) Yes, I will be happy to talk with you if you are a published journalist, documentarian, researcher, historian, or gaming blogger. I will be happy to give interviews to you and provide photos from my collection to you, and assist you in any way that I can. I will require either copies or links to your published work, or a reference from someone I know (like the Tekumel Foundation or one of the Aethervox gamers); I will also require a copy or link to the final published material that you do using material you have obtained from me for my archives. An example of an interview that I have done is:
4) The House Rules:
4a) My house, my rules. Appeals of my rulings may be filed with the Supreme Authority of the House, The Missus; her decisions are final, and are enforced with vigor and enthusiasm.
4b) If you don't like the brick-and-board shelving, the bathroom and front lawn full of pink plastic flamingos, and my habit of dressing casually on game days because I have to work like a demon to get things set up for your amusement, please don't come by here and complain to me about how I should be doing things in my own house. We don't have a dress code, we don't have grooming standards, and we don't have a means test to keep the riff-raff out. If you need to consort with well-dressed and immaculately-coifed people of a more affluent social class in order to have a good gaming experience, please don't let us stop you from finding such. Ditto for this blog, too; it is what it is, take it or leave it.
4c) I believe in the creed of providing "Action! Adventure! Romance!" in my games, RPG or miniatures. I don't know if anyone's told you, but Tekumel ain't a 'fantasy' setting; it's what I think they call 'sword-and-planet', these days. If you don't get a little excited by the battle cry:
"Kaor, my Princess! Helium, now and forever!!!"
then maybe you shouldn't set foot in the game room and so avoid all the swashbuckling, swordplay, fell sorcery, scientifictional super-science, and general mayhem we tend to wallow around in during game sessions.
4d) Why, yes, I do run what people seem to call "open-ended" "narrativist" "sandbox" game play. All I know is that I do the same kind of happy anarchy that Dave Arneson and Prof. M. A. R. Barker used to have at their game tables; if you like that sort of thing, then you'll be welcome here. And probably have a lot of fun, too.
4e) Why, no, I don't run "gamist" "directed" play with a "consistent level of game play" and "predictable combat simulation" in order to provide "a premium game play experience". Sorry; try elsewhere.
4f) I try to treat all my guests in my game room with fairness and politeness; I expect the same in return. If you insult my guests, friends, and family in my presence in my house, you have only yourself to blame for the results. Keep your feuds, hatreds, bigotry, prejudices, tirades, and insults out of my house. Thank you.
4g) Bring your own dice, or use mine if you like; we have plenty.
4h) A fridge is provided for your use; it's considered customary to bring something to share with the group, as you might need them to save you at some point during the game session.
Thank you for your time and attention!
- Chirine
