Last time we were talking about the obscure science fantasy world of Tekumel and how it might achieve greater (or any) popularity if it were dumbed down to accentuate the swashbuckling fairytale elements that George Lucas exploited so effectively in the original Star Wars.
That’s not my personal preference. I’d change Tekumel, but rather than play up the creaky mid-20th century pulp elements I’d turn it into something more real. The Battlestar Galactica reboot rather than the silly ‘70s version. (You can see my take on science fantasy here and my opinion of pulp tropes in SF here.)
Point is, my preferred version would fail. We’re in a time when people want escapism and high camp. The frenzy over the Barbie movie (completely baffling to me, by the way) indicates that irony is in, seriousness is out of fashion. That’s why my recommendations about Tekumel in that recent post are opposite to my own tastes: I realize that I don’t have a mass-market mentality – and that’s a useful starting point if you’re trying to figure out how to take a cult favourite and turn it into a mainstream hit.
I just thought I should clear that up in case you’re one of the dozens of purists awaiting Jewelspider or Shadow King. Never fear, those are still going to be intensely personal projects; I’m not going to go chasing a big market at this stage. It’s always better to be true to yourself when creating something. So my suggestions regarding Tekumel weren’t because of a change of heart, but simply an intellectual exercise in how it might escape from the Negative Zone.
Will it? Probably not; Tekumel will go on selling in dribs and drabs to a dwindling and ageing band of fans till finally it crosses the event horizon and winks out. But that’s the fate of almost every book, game and movie. And the fate of every human being too. Better to have been than not!
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