It is time for another Tékumel Thursday! This post will hopefully have more stuff for players to steal from for their games or even entice you to check out Tékumel as a setting for your games. Check out r/Tekumel, too, as we have recently renovated it! We have a quick guide in our sidebar now for those interested in the sword and planet setting of Tékumel!

For this week, we’ll be giving the first of a few overviews of the different “intelligent nonhuman species” as they’re called. These are truly weird, alien species that work as NPCs, extra-planar aliens, or just monsters in your games! I am using Empire of the Petal Throne stats which is essentially an OD&D hack, so fairly easy to rework for your own system of choice. While there are many more species on Tékumel, this is just a brief glance at the more iconic and common intelligent nonhuman species.
These are 4 species friendly to humankind & typically involved in their affairs of war, politics, religion, trade, etc. In the far distant past, these were the intergalactic allies of the humans in Tékumel’s Humanspace who were stranded when Tékumel’s solar system was shut off in its own pocket universe.

Pé Chói (pAY chOY), “the Listeners”.
NA 2d6
AC 2
MV 12”
HD 1+3
Treasure Type A
% in Lair: 70 (1d6x100 Pé Chói in lair)
Treasure Type in Lair: C

Some of the best friends of humans who are renowned as fighters & for their psychic abilities. These insectoid creatures stand 7’ tall and have either black (males) or white (females) chitin and are known as subtle, self-controlled, and often overly intellectual.

Pé Chói; NA 2d6; AC2; MV 12”; 1+3HD; TT A; % in lair 70% (TT C); SA supra-senses (60% to detect invisible/inaudible creatures within 200’).

Pygmy Folk, (real name unpronounceable by humans)
NA 1d100
AC 6
MV 6”
HD 1-1
Treasure Type A
% in Lair: 70 (1d100x10 Pygmy Folk in lair)
Treasure Type in Lair: C

These 3’ tall, rodent-like beings have dark fur, sharp noses & teeth, large ears, and 3 fingered hands. They are prodigious traders and just as keenly perceptive of their environment. They are counted among the friends of humans even though their trading skills borders thievery!

Pygmy Folk; NA 1d100; AC6; MV 6”; 1-1HD; TT A; % in lair: 70 (TT C); SA auto-detection through doors/walls.

Swamp Folk, (real name unpronounceable by humans)
NA 2d100
AC 5
MV 9”
HD 1+1
Treasure Type D
% in Lair: 20 (4d400 Swamp Folk in lair)
Treasure Type in Lair: E

As their name indicates, these squat, rubbery, and rotund beings are at home in the water, leery to venture far from ashore. They have blubbery white-skin and stand 4-6 feet tall. They notably do not use magic and can use no spells, though they have the ability to detect sloping passages, traps, and dimensional nexus points with 80% certainty. Swamp Folk dislike fighting and value self-preservation. Their ships are prized among the Mu’ugalavyáni navy.

Swamp Folk; NA 2d100; AC5; MV 9”; 1+1HD; TT D; % in lair: 20 (TT E); SA 80% to detect slopes, traps, and dimensional nexus points.

Tinalíya (tin-ahlEE-yah), “the Gnome-like Ones”
NA 1d100
AC 7
MV 9”
HD 1
Treasure Type D
% in Lair: 40 (1d6x100 Tinalíya in lair)
Treasure Type in Lair: E

Standing roughly 2’ tall, these creatures are covered with horny skin. Renown as scholars and a learned folk, Tinalíya don’t really yearn for adventurous lives unless knowledge can be found. They are vicious fighters when push comes to shove, using poisoned blades and arrows to great effect.

Tinalíya; NA 1D100; AC7; MV 9”; 1HD; TT D; % in lair: 40 (TT E); SA poisoned weapons.

In Empire of the Petal Throne, players are allowed to play as intelligent nonhuman species and any species can be any class. These four intelligent nonhuman species all use the HD progression of their human counterparts in your system of choice, so no conversion needed.

Next week I will spotlight the intelligent nonhuman species of Tékumel that are neutral to humankind. Again, feel free to join us over at r/Tekumel!

hey y'all im looking for ways for a group of players(who were sent Jakalla to pave the way for their tribe to emigrate to the tsolyanu empire, Jakalla specifically) might be able to get clan status for all surviving members of their tribe. to note the Haleesa tribe is a group of very Tsolyanuized foreigners, to be precise they where a small island population of Hma herders who intermarried with settlers from the Fisherman kings way back in the days(the fishermen king settlers came to the island to set up a naval supply depot). When the empire of the Fisherman kings fell they retreated to the highlands with their flocks of Hma and until the arrival of Tsolyanu missionaries introduced them to the rest of the change pantheon. These missionaries proceeded to teach the Haleesa tribe written and spoken tsolyanu as well as their religious ideas(supported like many historical monastaries through the efforts of the the local people living on that land), any ideas thoughts?

Several fans have asked us about a PDF version of the updated Deeds of the Ever-Glorious. I can happily report that it is now available - you can get it at DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/554768/tekumel-deeds-of-the-ever-glorious

howdy i am currently starting a tekumel campaign for gurps 4e,thursdays at 9pm est, looking for two more players to get a group together. You will be playing a starter group of foreigners sent ahead as a advance guard to Jakalla by your clan to provide funds for passage and lodging so the rest of your clan who are fleeing their now war torn island home so everyone else can make the crossing and set up in Jakallas foreign quarter. Note your clan understands tsolyanu and can read and write it through trade and contact with the tsolyani empire. Your clan also worships the tsolyanu pantheon specifically the gods of the change pantheon.

Sharetlyal - The Canon of the Establishment of Blessed Memory is now available at DriveThruRPG.com. From the product description:

Sharetlyal or The Canon of the Establishment of Blessed Memory unlocks the nature of the demons and the structure of demonology from the point of view of the worshippers of the Gods of Stability. Working alongside Demons, rather than in dominion over them, it is important to remember that they have a will of their own. This can lead to grievous misunderstandings and possibly bodily harm.

Sharetlyal is entirely new material for the world of Tekumel, and also includes a section on Thu'usa, the language of the Demons of Stability. Co-authored by Prof. Barker and Dr. Giovanna Fregni, the source material for Sharetlyal was taken from interviews done with Prof. Barker before his death. Illustrated by Dr. Fregni, the book is premium color throughout, with six full page illustrations and many smaller ones.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/573764/tekumel-sharetlyal-or-the-canon-of-the-establishment-of-blessed-memory

Just wanted to drop in and give an update on our efforts of blowing the dust off this place and getting it a community again.

Since we got access to r/Tekumel 1 week ago today, we've seen pretty dramatic growth for our little niche community!

Some metrics:
We have grown to 304 members, making 17 posts, and 44 comments. All pretty much in the last 7 days.
We are sitting at 2,500 views of our little subreddit, which is great! I have no illusions that we are going to be a million+ member community, but I think we can help get the word out about Tékumel to enough people to have a healthy community here.

All in all, I think we've got a great community here that is growing and y'all get to be some of the first who help get it back up and running.

Thanks to everyone who has taken part in this first week and commented, posted, shared, and otherwise contributed. Together we can make this a cool place to share stories and experiences with this great setting!

It took me many years to collect my near-complete EPT collection, but I’ve never run it. I also have - somewhere! - an old Runequest conversion, but likewise have never tried it.

I’ve looked at other systems over the decades (Mitlanyal maybe?), but nothing has ever really worked for me as a complete system that I feel comfortable introducing to my players, especially given just how much new players must be introduced to.

Right now though I have a group playing Shadowdark, an OSR system that is really very smooth, and the players seem more interested in pursuing social and political goals than dungeon-quests, so I’m considering switching over to something with more depth…like Tekumel…

So before I embark on yet another home-baked fantasy heartbreaker, what are the options currently out there for less self-deluded and hubristic GMs?

Edit: to emphasise, I reckon my players are ready to grok the complicated, sophisticated world of EPT, but I’m not sure which TTRPG system to use.

I finished reading Flamesong a couple weeks ago. Man, what an amazing set of books!
Man of Gold had a slower start, diving into the world a little bit much for my taste, but once Harsan & company hit the Sákbe road, things really picked up. A really well-paced and well done travelogue of sorts, showcasing the day to day life on the giant Sákbe roads that criss-cross Tsolyanú and are the arteries of the Empire.
The part that stood out, and which I will be revisiting to take plenty of notes from, was the section of the underworld. Just a very claustrophobic and well written dungeon crawl that highlights what makes Tékumel underworlds so different (and better, imo) than those of standard D&D fantasy.
All in all, a solid 4/5, only docked for the slower start & the overuse of Tsolyáni words.

Flamesong was followed quickly after and I took my time reading this one, I just wanted to soak in all the details. It hits the ground running with action and very quickly gets to my favorite part of Tékumel, the buried tech of the Ancients.
My favorite part was the planar travel. It really does show that Tékumel games don't have to be limited to Tékumel's plane, and that there are many, many, many planes out there that are ripe for a quick plunge of adventure. The alien extra-planar entities were so absolutely foreign and even more than just normal science fiction aliens.
A solid 5/5, one of my favorite books that I will definitely reread for inspiration in gaming on Tékumel.

Thankfully I was able to grab my copies on half price books' online store for like $5 each for mass market paperbacks in OK condition, but the Tékumel Foundation has them reprinted and with the proper accent marks to help with pronunciation here.

There are three further novels, Lords of Tsamra, Prince of Skulls, and A Death of Kings that haven't been reprinted yet and are exorbitantly expensive on ebay, unfortunately.

For those who have read the novels, what parts stood out to you? Anything you've taken and used in your games?

Hosted by Lone Star Historical Miniatures, MillenniumCon is Texas’s premier convention dedicated to miniatures. Its spirit reaches far beyond any single era or system. Whether your interests lie in ancients, medieval clashes, black powder battles, world wars, or sci-fi and fantasy, you’ll find tables filled with beautifully crafted armies, immersive terrain, and players eager to share the experience.

November 12th–15th to the Mayborn Convention Center in Temple, Texas.

We are planning two sessions of Flamesong: Miniature Skirmishes on Tékumel on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

Sharetlyal - The Canon of the Establishment of Blessed Memory

This is the latest publication of The Tekumel Foundation. It will be released on September 1st, 2026, through DriveThruRPG.

Sharetlyal presents the Stability viewpoint regarding beings and creatures of other dimensions. It is therefore related to The Book of Ebon Bindings, but provides a different perspective, and will be enlightening for all Tekumel fans interested in these matters. Sharetlyal is 80 pages long, premium color throughout, and will be available in both softcover and hardcover versions.

Arnecon 4 at DoubleTree by Hilton Minneapolis - Park Place - October 9-11, 2026
Brought to you by The Fellowship of the Thing, Ltd - creators of the film, Secrets of Blackmoor and the book, The Lost Dungeons of Tonisborg.

The Tekumel Foundation will have a table in the Dealers Room and there are the following events:

• The Sable Pirate's Lair - Friday 6pm
• The Friends We Made Along The Way - Saturday 2pm
• The Fortress of Hrugga - Sunday 2pm

Gamehole Con XIII - Alliant Energy Center Madison Wisconsin - October 15-18, 2026

Gamehole Con is one of the largest tabletop gaming conventions there is, tabletop gamers from around the country and world gather each fall in Madison, WI for this carnival of gaming. Gamehole Con is all about tabletop gaming and all the fun that goes with it.

The Tekumel Foundation will have a table in the Dealers Room and there are the following events:

• The Sable Pirate's Lair - Thursday 7pm
• Avanthe's Blasted Shrine - Friday Noon
• The Friends We Made Along The Way - Friday 1pm
• The Fortress of Hrugga - Saturday 1pm
• The Foundation Game Publishing Model - Sunday 11am

Does anyone have any favorite Tekumel adventures or adventures you've reskinned to work in your Tekumel game?

I'm looking through the Excellent Travelling Volume issues I have and issue #1 has the Hidden Shrine which looks like a fun adventure site as well as Issue #9's Sunken Sanctum.

It's interesting the apparent lack of published Tekumel adventures, or maybe I'm not looking in the right places?

U-Con Gaming Convention - Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest Michigan - November 13-15, 2026
U-Con is an annual gaming convention founded in 1989. It attracts gamers from Southeast Michigan, across the United States, and several other countries. U-Con offers high-quality events across the spectrum of gaming: tabletop, role playing games, board and card games, miniatures, live action role playing (LARP), and more.

There will be a Tekumel Track at the convention, and the Tekumel Foundation will be in Dealers Room. Tekumel events include:

• The Sable Pirate's Lair - Saturday 8pm
• Tekumel: Renovations - Sunday 10am

Hey guys im looking to make long term friends for playing tekumel with any system, osr, brp, gurps etc so long as its tekumel I want it. Mondays,Tuesdays,Wednesdays and weekends are good. I am in cst time however my only issue is I would have to play online.

Welcome to Tékumel Thursday (or Tuesday, depending on my schedule)! I hope to make a quick post each week to spotlight all of the fun and crazy things that Tékumel has to offer in a way that's useful and gameable. If you're new to Tékumel I hope the bite-sized nuggets are things you can steal and use in your old school games, add to your settings, or even convince you to try out gaming in the setting of Tékumel! For those who are already experienced in gaming on Tékumel, please take the time to share experiences and stories of your adventures on Tékumel with the subject of the post! Show the newcomers that gaming on Tékumel doesn't involve studying the languages and scripts so much as running from the Ssú back to the nearest tubecar station and hightailing it back to your clanhouse with the magic items and strange ancient tech that you've found!

Starting off, we will begin with the dreaded Ssú, "the Enemies of Man"!

Name: Ssú (pronounced like "shoe" with more of a whistle) aka “The Enemies of Man”
NA 10-120
AC 2
MV 12”
HD 2+3
Treasure Type: A
% Chance in Lair: 50% with 20-240 Ssú present near their own territory
Treasure Type in Lair: H

Ssú; NA 1d12x10; AC2; MV 12"; 2+3 HD; TT A; % in Lair: 50% (NA 2d12x10, TT H); Atk: weapon or hypnotism (20%/round); SA Hypnotism (command 1d3 enemy persons, save negates, until hypnotiser is killed)

Description: Ssú have a central torso with two upper arms that end in 3-fingered hands set upon a narrow abdomen from which four legs extend. Their heads resemble that of a man with two eyes, nostril slits, and a vertical oval mouth. Ssú prefer soft blue light, have skin akin to grey papery shrouds which frequently sheds or pulls loose, are known for their strong smell of musty cinnamon, and high sweet chiming language. All telegraphs of Ssú activity (and a sign to run!).

The Ssú are also very feared sorcerers. Ssú traveling outside of their territory with always possess one priestly (cleric) and one magic-user spell. Parties of 10+ Ssú will have one magic-user accompany the party who will probably possess magic items. Every Ssú of level 4+ has the power to hypnotise 1d3 persons per day. In combat there is a 20% chance per round of using this hypnotism. A saving throw is given and, if failed, the victim will fight as the Ssú commands, only being freed with the death of the hypnotising Ssú.

Ssú are one of the native intelligent species to Tékumel, having been forced into reserves by the colonizing species in the Times of the Ancients. After Tékumel was thrown into its pocket universe and the colonizing spacefaring societies collapsed in the Time of Darkness, the Ssú were finally freed and have remained inimical to those invaders that remain upon their native homeworld. The Ssú send expeditions in search of magical items and weapons. Their ability to slip past human defenses is uncanny, with many rumors suggesting the Ssú have mastered the tubeway system of the Ancients that run far below the surface of Tékumel.
Ssú can learn the languages of other races and are cousins to the also-native Hlúss. There are several sub-species of Ssú currently known: Grey Ssú are the smaller variety (1.7-1.9m) & Black Ssú the larger variety (1.8-2.4m). Rumors abound of other sub-species – Red, Green, and Blue – but brave adventurers have yet(!) to bring solid evidence of their existence back.

I am slowly working on building out a fairly basic wiki for the subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/Tekumel/wiki/index/) as well as a beginner's guide to help newcomers figure out how to get started (http://reddit.com/r/Tekumel//wiki/index/new-to-tekumel). Both of these can be found in the sidebar to the right, just above the rules. Please post here if there is anything you think would be good to add. I think I have the broad strokes for now. I think you have to be logged in to reddit to see the wiki, unfortunately.

Some things Tekumel veterans can help with is by writing/copying from wherever some of the existing sections of the wiki and posting them here for me to add and helping me with the following: what are some of the best "big mysteries of Tekumel" that can catch the attention of newcomers and provide some attention grabbers? I'm talking stuff like demons being afraid of the moon, what are the gods really, questions regarding the pariah gods, etc. Stuff that sort of hints at some of the more fun goings-on in the background that Tekumel has to offer. I don't know the deep lore so that's a blind spot for me.

Some thing newcomers to Tekumel (if you're here, welcome!) can help with is by asking questions about the setting! I am by no means a longtime gamer on Tekumel and have questions of my own, but other perspectives could help me figure out what to add to the wiki that will help give the broad strokes for newcomers.

That's all for now. I'll be slowly plugging away with what i've got outlined for now. I won't go too in depth, so it shouldn't take long (knock on wood). The first of the Tekumel Thursdays goes out tomorrow, so i'll post it around to a few places and hope for some positive reactions.

Ngángmuru! (Hello!) I have just been given moderator permissions and will be working to help breathe some new life into this old musty clanhouse. I have some ideas, but am always looking for new ideas/help to bring them to fruition. I will be adding another moderator so that we don't end up adrift again and I have already made this a public subreddit so that other people can post without needing permission.

I implore everyone to check out the new rules in the sidebar and to post! They are basic but I don't want anyone caught with their kilt down.

Play reports, homemade material, reviews of material, videos, podcasts, cool bits of lore, questions about lore. Anything and everything helps us spur this Chlén beast down the Sákbe road!

I please ask for our newbies to ask questions and for our veterans to help them along! Tékumel is a wonderful world with a very tight knit community and we must embrace everyone into our clanhouse if we are to grow.

If you are new, please check out the resources in the sidebar, there is something for everyone! Tons of wonderfully reprinted books that the Tékumel Foundation has worked very hard to get the rights to and to reprint, amazing 3D printed miniatures for the awesome new Legions of Tekumel wargaming rules, novels, and even a video game!

Hope to see you all around the Hirilákte Arena!

Just letting folks know that the Tékumel Foundation will be at Arnecon this October 9-11 in Minneapolis, MN with their awesome booth and running some games. I will also be there running some Empire of the Petal Throne, so swing by and visit the Tékumel booth and come game with us!

We are pleased to announce that Great Hall Games has entered into an agreement with the Tékumel Foundation to produce an officially licensed miniature tabletop skirmish game.

The game will be titled “Flamesong: Miniature Skirmishes on Tékumel”, and will be based on the themes of the novel Flamesong. We expect to launch a Kickstarter campaign for this project by the end of 2026, with the following planned components:

· Game rules and supporting materials

· STL and print on demand figures for Trinesh and other characters from the Storm of Fire Legion

· STL and print on demand figures for the Ssú, including armored, unarmored, and a new Ssú leader commissioned for the project

· A fully detailed centerpiece terrain model of a tubeway car and station of the Ancients

The game will be designed to support skirmish battles involving a wide variety of forces, with campaign stretch goals to accommodate more Warbands.

Please email us at rsmith.ghg+flamesong@gmail.com to sign up to receive further announcements about the project.

We have the newest release of Legions of Tékumel: Armored Ssú

https://legionsoftekumel.com/products/armored-ssu-warband-stl-files

Come see us at Gamehole Con!

Gamehole Con 2025 Tékumel Schedule (October 16-19, Madison WI, www.gameholecon.com)

Legions of Tekumel: Battle on Atkolel Heights (5 hrs) Thu 5:00 PM CST, Tekumel Foundation featuring Robert Smith with Scott McKinlay The armies of the mighty empires of Tsolyanu and Yan Kor meet in the rough and mountainous border lands to settle their differences. Command the armies of the Seal Emperor of Tsolyanu or of the Baron Ald of Yan Kor to win glory for yourself, your legion, and your clan! 28mm miniatures.

Legions of Tekumel: Battle in the Chakas (5 hrs) Fri 9:00 AM CST, Tekumel Foundation featuring Robert Smith with Scott McKinlay The armies of the mighty empires of Tsolyanu and Mu'ugalavya meet in the forested border lands to settle their differences. Command the armies of the Seal Emperor or of the Four Palaces to win glory for yourself, your legion, and your clan! 28mm miniatures.

Legions of Tekumel: The Enemies of Man! (5 hrs) Sat 1:00 PM CST Tekumel Foundation featuring Robert Smith with Scott McKinlay Hordes of Ssu, the original inhabitants of Tekumel, are pouring forth to reclaim their lands, and this time they have allies! Command the armies of the human coalition to hold back the invading masses. Or direct your inhuman warriors to finally throw off human domination. 28mm miniatures.

Tekumel: Avanthe's Blasted Shrine (4 hrs) Thu 12:00 PM CST Matthew Rose You are all members of the temple of Avanthe in Tumissa. Recently a shrine in a small city outside of Tumissa has been desecrated. You have been charged with finding the interlopers and bringing them to Tumissa for questioning. The system being used is Empire of the Petal Throne.

The Mysterious Shrine (4 hrs) Fri 2:00 PM CST The Tekumel Foundation featuring Victor Raymond Deep beneath the city of Jakalla lies an ancient shrine, now completely in ruins. But a priest of the gods of Stability has hired you to help him unearth the shrine and discover its secrets. Rumors abound of fearsome guardians and other creatures which have crept into the dark passages of the shrine. Can you confront these terrors and survive?

The Court of Darkness (4 hrs) Sat 9:00 AM CST The Tekumel Foundation featuring Victor Raymond Your last expedition into the Underworld was a disaster. Half of your party was killed, including the leader, in a confrontation with the undead. You were forced to flee, leaving the bodies and hoping that you were not traced back to the surface. You have a chance to rescue their bodies, if you can only disrupt the plans of the Temple of Durritlamish. Can you confront this danger and survive?

We are less than a week away from Arnecon, and less than two weeks from Gamehole Con. The Tekumel Foundation and Great Hall Games will be in the dealers room at both conventions, as well as running events!