Is anyone planning a Tékumel Campaign…

[Elzair]

… now that M.A.R Barker is considered “based”?

The Tekumel Foundation Board of Directors wants to acknowledge that our research shows Professor M.A.R. Barker wrote Serpent’s Walk, an anti-Semitic novel that was published under a pseudonym in 1991. We have done our due diligence to ascertain the facts regarding Serpent’s Walk and Professor Barker’s affiliation with The Journal of Historical Review and we believe this needs to be recognized as part of Professor Barker’s past. While nobody today is responsible for the odious views Professor Barker presented in Serpent’s Walk, we are responsible for recognizing this book as part of his legacy.

That this acknowledgment was not done earlier was and is a mistake, and we apologize for that. We have been reaching out to several Jewish organizations to express our outrage over our findings and make our priority to work with them through this issue.

What Professor Barker did was wrong and forever tarnished his creative and academic legacy. As stewards of the world of Tekumel, we reject and repudiate Serpent’s Walk and everything it stands for and all other anti-Semitic activity Professor Barker was involved with.

The Tekumel Foundation has never been involved with or profited from the publication, distribution, or sale of Serpent’s Walk in any way, shape, or form. All of the proceeds from sales of Tekumel-related material have gone and will continue to go to the Foundation and its work, and not to any racist or anti-Semitic organizations or causes, in any way, shape, or form.

 

[MartinK]

I was never a fan of Tékumel and considering my people are on most neonazi to-exterminate lists somewhere between jews and blacks I am even less likely to ever touch it now.

 

[Silva]

I don't mind authors inclinations when consuming their works, but Tekumel always felt the least interesting of those 70s settings to me anyway. Always found Glorantha and Jorune more interesting personally.

 

[Elzair]

Yeah, I am currently working my way through the Guide to Glorantha. It is an interesting mythic setting!

 

[JarlFrank]

I love Tekumel and always respected M.A.R. Barker, and now I like him even more!

But I'm too lazy for all the preparatory work required to play Empire of the Petal Throne properly. You really gotta familiarize yourself with the setting and the cultures so you can get into the proper mindset for playing this. The game expects its players to think like a local, much more so than any other RPG out there.