"Tekumel/Empire of the Petal Throne--SF, Fantasy, or Horror?" Topic

Considering the complex makeup and backstory, how would you classify this gaming venue?

Over on the od&d message boards people who played with the professor says alll magic is actually advance science so sci-if horror. Me personally feel it's all three rolled into one.

Science-Fantasy. Sro (dragon equivalents) can fly by flapping their wings, for example. I think Carl Sagan referred to similar settings as the "sword and small spaceship" genre.

Definitely all three together.

Fantasy, with (hidden) sci/fi core. Horror? I guess that would be up to the GM.

I agree, it is a delightful melange of all three.

-Will

Fantasy with a bit of old science.

The Tekumel backstory is that the system was a Terran colony with some alien presence. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, the whole system fell in to a dimensional rift and was cut off from Terra. Then everyone adjusted and changed when technology stopped working through disuse/neglect. The planet was metal poor.

I consider it science fantasy, especially if you add in what Prof. Barker called "Graduate Level Tekumel" (e.g. the Men In The Silver Suits, the College At The End of Time, the Twin Columns, etc.). From there you can make of it what you want. If you prefer the more "magical" elements of the setting, it becomes fantasy. If you want to delve into the technology of the Ancients, it become more sci-fi. If you're interested in the darker aspects of Pavar's Pantheon, the Inimical Races, and the Pariah Deities, then you can certain add horror elements.

All three are present in the setting. Flavour your Tekumel to suit your own taste.