HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: z_copeab@ccsvax.sfasu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: net.GURPS.spellbook
Date: 30 Sep 92 17:28:27 CST
Organization: Stephen F. Austin State University

I pulled the net.GURPS.spellbook off the old eklektik site well before it died,
and I still have it in more or less intact form on a Mac disk. I've seen
several people intrested in it, and was wondering if there might be an FTP site
I can send it to so people can get their hands on it if they want it. As far as
I know, the file isn't on any anonymous FTP site.

Brandon Cope

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: quirk@pioneer.unm.edu (Gym Z. Quirk)
Subject: Re: MegaTraveller society design question
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 02:10:44 GMT
Organization: Nit-Pickers for a Better Tomorow Afternoon

In article <1aamrqINNcm0@uwm.edu> aragorn@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Strider) writes:
>I've been going through the MegaTraveller system for quite some time now.
>Something that I find lacking, among other things, is the design
>capabilities for societies/cultures.  Does anyone know of any source books
>that will assist in this?  Even sources that aren't necessarily cannon to MT
>would be fine as long as it's somewhat applicable ... maybe one of the GURPS
>volumes?

The _World Builder's Handbook_ (Not from GDW, the 'other guys' - Name
escapes me - put this one out) had a section for randomly generating
societal 'tidbits' such as degree of Xenophilia/-phobia, religous
practices, etc. based on the population, law, and gov't levels.  It
also has a section that varies the tech level (usually no more than
+/- 2) in various fields for land, sea, and air travel technology,
power generation, etc.

>			Steve J. White
>			aragorn@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
>			aragorn@convex.csd.uwm.edu
>			skeptic@large@9600bps

-- 
Capt. Gym Z. Quirk  (Known to some as Taki Kogoma)  quirk@pioneer.unm.edu
 I'll get a life when someone demonstrates that it would be superior to
                          what I have now...
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu (Art Urban (PROFS))
Subject: Re: Clerics in GURPS (Was Re: a GURPS question)
Organization: Atmospheric Technology Division/NCAR Boulder, CO
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 15:45:22 GMT

In article <1992Sep29.131156.5397@zip.eecs.umich.edu> charles@zip.eecs.umich.edu (Charles Jacob Cohen) writes:
%On the other hand, a cleric in the depths of hell would be probably 
%at -7, which means a VERY powerfull priest could do a lot of good, but
%it would be tough.  Back on earth he would be at -1 to -3 at pagan 
%altars, for example, and maybe -3 to -5 at consecrated shrines of
%demon worshipers (goodness, I really hope this isn't offending anyone).
%
%This system also helps if, say, demon hords were attacking church grounds.
%If the church grounds say gave a +4 for the priests there, then the attackers
%would also be at -4 with their magic.
%
%Does anyone else use a similar idea?  I kinda of like it because you sort
%of want to go back to your home familiar territory to rest, recover, and
%cast all your major spells. - Chuck

Yes, I, too, use such a system. In fact I still need to write up my own
Sanctification spell. I don't grant quite the bonus and penalty that you do,
because that makes temple wars almost imposible to pull off; +4 with the -4
makes for an 8 point swing!

One other benefit I bestow upon clerics when in a sanctified location: Holy
Symbols recharge at double normal rate. (I should mention that Holy Symbols
act just like powerstones, if enchanted with the Holy Symbol spell I wrote.)


--
Art Urban 					       urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu
===============================================================================
 "Oh no! The canary exploded!"                                      -Tom Servo 
===============================================================================
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: WereVamp->Ars?
From: tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Tim Dunn)
Date: 3 Oct 1992 18:37:49 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: cscihp.ecst.csuchico.edu

Deus Imperator writes:
>Peter Wake writes:
>>Waiting for Vampire Hero :-)
>This last statement is funny coming from someone who didn't like the potential
>rules lawyering of Vampire.  I have encountered five lawyers in my 12 year
>RPG career, and all of them play Hero.  It tells me something.

Five rulesy-types out of 12 years isn't bad.  I'd postulate that they also
played D&D, Palladium, RQ and Shadowrun.  Unfortunately, so do a lot of 
non-rules-lawyers.  I'd say that you are way *below* average if you've only
encountered 5 out of 12 years, but I don't know how many you've seen.

See, I can easily count 100 people (well, faces at cons with forgotten names
count, right?) that I've played Hero with, and I can say that 10 of them 
were rules-lawyers.  10% is a good margin.  

Then again, I don't think of myself as a rl (who does?) but I do appreciate
a good, steady set of mechanics that allows the referee to determine *exactly*
what is/is not allowed, and for the player to create a character knowing 
what the character is capable of doing.  

Unfortunately, the VampWolf system fails in that regard -- sure you're good,
but if the referee tosses a Diff 9 at you, you're screwed.  And don't think
it doesn't happen.  One character had a 10 Willpower and was cheeky to an
Elder.  The elder tried to Dominate him.  No go.

The difficulty system is too contingent on the referee's whimsy.  Is it a 
6 or a 5?  No, wait, it's written in here _somewhere._  Look in the book,
I'll look through the _Player's Escalation Guide._  This brings up another
point -- has anyone noticed the severe power disparity that the Player's
Book introduces?  It's as bad as Champs3.

And bringing this back to Hero, Champs3 is no longer canon.  It was a
book for, by and of the munchkin, but it is no longer accepted.  What
consists of the Hero system today is strongly structured, true. However,
it is structured for the referee to run the sort of game s/he wishes, and
most referees I know run roleplaying adventures.

(now if only Hero can figure out a way to get combat shorter...)

-- 
She's genuinely bogus.
From: v121mhb5@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (D.O.G. of S.A.R.P.A.)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: A few minor SRII points
Date: 29 Sep 92 05:26:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

To get myself accustomed to the SRII rules changes, I ran a group of
characters through the FASA module _Elven Fire_ yesterday.  I'm
not including any spoilers, but I will mention the following:

	Converting NPC stats to SRII terms was no problem, although
some Magic spells in use are no longer in the rules.  The biggest
problem was balancing the lethality of the combat.  Before, shooting
a PC from ambush with high powered rifle was a good way to give them
a scare and maybe hit them up for a serious wound.  Now, because
the NPC (in all fairness) has combat pool dice that he adds to the 
test, and the new armor rules, the wound is generally deadly and
invloves spending Karma points for re-rolls in order for the PC
to survive.

	Another note about lethality:  In the adventure, one of the
PCs got hosed for a deadly wound, so our friendly mage casts a heal
spell.  Note how the new "Heal" spell works.  You have one heal
(and one treat) spell for all four wound categories.  The degree
of the wound merely determines drain code.  Now, for a cybered
ork with 3.3 essence, the spell target is 10-3=7.  Our mage, who
already had a light stun, only forks up one success.  In the past,
our hosed ork would have felt much better after twenty turns or
so, springing to his feet.  Now, one success means he gets back one
wound box.  So our ork sucks in his guts and goes on his merry way.
Sure, if your mage rolls enough successes to cure you outright,
he or she can still spend additional successes to halve the time.
Still, all this has a major effect on lethality.  The ork in question,
because of the timeline, was left being a bystander for the rest of
the adventure.  

	I'd be interested to hear other people's playtest stories
regarding SRII, now that you've all had a chance to read through
the rules and maybe even run the game.

	P.S.> If you play with Metahuman race priority 2, and take
priority 4 attributes, and a mild allergy to sunlight, you could get 33
points to split between 6 attributes.  This leaves you 3 points
short of completely maxing out your 6 attributes.  I've found this a
little suspect, so for now I'm keeping Metas at priority 4, but
priority 2 for magic metas.

						Jim Scannell
						Killer GM at large
From: thantos@runic.via.mind.org (Paul Williams [SysOp])
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: WereVamp->Ars?
Date: 4 Oct 92 12:43:44 GMT
Organization: Runic Writings / Lawrenceville, GA



swaim@owlnet.rice.edu (Michael Parks Swaim) writes:

> >Granted, the index is horrible, but Vamp II will rectify that...
>   Look at the table of contents for AM III and say that again with a
> straight face.

   Aside  from  all  the other very good rebuttal in your message (most of
        which I agreed  with  in  one  degree  or  another)  I  must  take
        umberage with this comment.

   I rather  like  the  organization  of  AM  ]I[.  Simple, modular, and a
        really nice index.  Perhaps its just me...


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thantos@runic.via.mind.org (Paul Williams [SysOp])
From: ringrose@femur.ai.mit.edu (Robert Ringrose)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: LARP: Vampire
Keywords: n
Date: 29 Sep 92 17:10:31 GMT
Article-I.D.: life.28573
Organization: MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab

In article <1992Sep28.180145.14719@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> npalmer@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Nicholas P Palmer) writes:

>I am a GM oa LARP game currently recruiting players in The OHio State
>University area.  
>  One of the scenarios (Seriously modified KILLER [tm] version of the
>vamre) is  going to be vampire oriented.  It is a week long game,

[*snip*]

>For example, I'm walking down west 10th ave in Columbus and someone is walking
>behind me, moving closer.  I'm walking back from a girlfriends house and I
>am alone, I'm nervous and this other person is cruising up closer and closer.
>I think the person may be the vampire and not just some ordinary mugger,
>so I slow down and wait the person to get closer, they do and if they start to
>attack me, I say "Hold" as I pull out my butterfly knife and get ready to 

ACK!  Given this description I would _never_ play.  I have played in Assassin
games here at MIT, and we have to be careful.  Even without any physical
combat, there was an incident where a player got mugged on campus.  Real-world
mugged, not in-game mugged.  I don't want to add the chance of getting hurt by
one of the other players to that.

By their nature, killer and assassin games occur in times and places where
people are isolated, and therefore real-world vulnerable.  But making it center
around a vampire walking the streets could make things even worse.  Also, you
need to consider what other people will think of this.  Sure, you might not
care now, but when they call the police you will.

>in the game (except forwho the vampire is, this person remains anonymous)
>and know who to trust and look out for. In this way, we have some control,
>but not full.  The GM's are looking into making the game into NO physical
>contact whatsoever, to further reduce the risk of bodily harm.  This will
>be the mosy likely occurance, but we're still working on how the biting
>mechanics are going to work.

Vampires are supposed to be able to hypnotize their victims, no?  Give them
something at range they can show to a player, come up with some mechanic to
give them a chance of resisting.  Or give the vampires a disc gun: when they
shoot, they are running while the victim is entranced and biting him.
Something along those lines.




	- Robert Ringrose
	  (ringrose@ai.mit.edu)

"There's always one more bu6."
From: rwalton@tehmi.next.com (Robert Walton)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Searching for GURPS Historical Games in SF Bay Area
Date: 28 Sep 92 20:39:39 GMT

I'm a player looking for an SF Bay Area group playing historical GURPS.   
Worldbooks that come to mind include Swashbucklers, Scarlet Pimpernel, Old  
West, Vikings, Middle Ages (historical, not fantasy), Imperial Rome, or  
Cliffhangers (Nazis make great enemies).

What games are being run by really good game masters in the SF Bay area  
(preferrably on the peninsula) with reasonably normal, mainstream people  
for players?

If you have a lead, please reply to robert_walton@next.com

Thanks.
From: v124jw4y@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Benjamin R Pierce)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Battle Lords of the 23rd Century
Date: 2 Oct 92 16:08:00 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <BvI2tt.C11@acsu.buffalo.edu>, v116qhth@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (I'm not evil...I'm just good looking) writes...
>In article <1992Oct1.191938.12873@sbcs.sunysb.edu>, smccauli@csws15.ic.sunysb.edu writes...


>>game in that respect.  Character generation tends to be centered around which
>>alien race one pics to be at the beginning of the game.  The races themselves
>>tend to fall into fairly standard sterotypes.  You have the noble warrior,
>>the psychotic, the basher, the small puny intelligent masters of the known
>>universe, the werido, the con man, and of course, one can be a human.  These
>>are not the actual names of the aliens, but a fairly good representation for
>>them.  This tends to lock people who would rather role play than just
>>shoot things into this reather drab character molds.  This is one of the
>>weeknesses of the system.  If, however, you like to blow things up then and
>>not waste anytime on chracter development then you should definitely look at
>>this as an advantage.  There are also a few neat quirks to the character
>>	Final score: The game is ok.


>  The game is not only for shoot'em up gamers. The races are all fairly well
>detailed and just because the first supplement was the weapons manuel is mostly
>because the shoot'em up gamer is very abundant and VISIONARYIES is one of
>the up coming books that is devoted soley to the role-playing gamer.
>VISIONARYIES is already partialy written and will have so much info
>on the races and role=playing that your head will spin.
> 
>				Psycho (company liason)





..this is the one I want to get my teeth into; Larry has claimed the book as
his territory, but I'm going to try to do as much of it as he'll let me get 
away with (heck, both of my parents are cultural anthropologists--I've been
hearing "sociocultural structure" and "ethnography" since I was born!  And boy,
do I have some ideas.  Take, f'rinstance, the Cizerack.  Didja ever wonder just
how...(Ben is muffled by ODS Security personell before he can give anything
away about the new book).



                                                      Mmmmffffggbblll,
                                                      Ben

P.S.: Seriously, though, what sorts of things do people want to see on the
      races?  There'll be a good number of new races, but the old ones will
      also be dealt with in much more detail; mail me with suggestions and
      I'll see to it that they're passed on.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRII: Some Questions
From: wildcard@vax1.mankato.msus.edu
Date: 29 Sep 92 20:43:27 -0600
Organization: Mankato State University

In article <1992Sep24.024825.20532@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>, dmgirard@nyx.cs.du.edu (David Girardot) writes:
> 
> 
> Question 1:  If a mage is casting a spell upon himself does he have to
> resist.  Note, there is a line in the manipulation descriptions that
> suggests otherwise, it sez something "if the mage is casting a
> transformation against the targets will the target MUST resist".

casting on yourself is voluntary, t# 4

> 
> Question 2:  Argh!  Where is shapechange?  I postulate a drain code of
> [(f/2)+2]M for the basic spell, and [(f/2)+2]L if the change is limited to
> one form.  Can anyone give me stats for an owl, eagle, ?
> 
> Comment:  Cripes.  No target mods to the drain resistance roll.  IMHO this
> is an important point an deserves BOLD FACE.  That is, if Neddy is
> severely wounded and just casted a force 3 HellBlast (f/2)+6D his target
> number would be SEVEN and not ten.
> 
> Question 3:  Where are the darn archetypes?!  Where's "gang member",
> "rocker", "burned out mage"?  Damn.  I liked the B.O. Mage, he was cool.

the archtypes and contacts not in srII are in the new GM screen

> 
> Question 4:  Whats' that 13 in parenthesis by the Combat Mage's combat
> pool of 7.  I see how his combat sense ought to add 2 dice, but where does
> the rest come from?
> 
> And is it me or does the Dwarf Merc really suck?  

Its a dwarve, what do you expect

> 
> What, no Phys. Ad. archetypes?!
> 
> --David
> 
> (please reply here on USENET rather than thru email)
> 
> --
>                     dmgirard@nyx.cs.du.edu
>                  Girardot@Vax.Dickinson.Edu
> 

Wildcard 2
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim))
Subject: Re: PARANOIA:  Is it still around?
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 92 03:43:00 GMT

In article <mumble> rjung@aludra.usc.edu (Robert A. Jung) writes:
>In article <grumble> spivey@stortek.com (Jerry Spivey MS2286 x8008) writes:

>>Has WEG stopped supporting
>>their product?  Did they drop the line?  If not, what are their plans for 
>>this game in the future?
>
>  WEG's support for PARANOIA seems to be slowing, IMO, but it's not quite
>dead yet. I think most PARANOIA fans are a small but very energetic group,
>so they have some incentive to keep pumping out new stuff. On the other hand,
>I don't think _any_ of WEG's RPGs are going very well now; what's the sales
>figures for TORG, for instance?

According to WEG, TORG is selling quite well.  They have also had a
resurgance in interest in the Star Wars RPG (which I think is still
their biggest seller) and will be releasing the 2nd edition rules next
month.  WEG will also be releasing a new game system next year called
Shatterzone, a sci-fi space RPG.  They are still planning on
supporting Paranoia but with four games to support they're going to be
spreading out their work force kind of thin and their release schedule
up through next spring is for one or two items a month, tops.  Most of
that will be for TORG and Star Wars, at least until Shatterzone comes
out and then it will probably be their main focus for a while.

-- 
Kansas Jim (Jim Ogle, TORG guru)                               /|
jogle@aoc.nrao.edu (NRAO-VLBA, Socorro New Mexico)           o| |-
"I'd be apathetic if I cared."                              /|\\|
From: sl7sg@cc.usu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SJG and Secret Service
Date: 4 Oct 92 00:22:04 MDT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Utah State University

In article <BvK9Jt.I35@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu>, dbasinge@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Mike Basinger) writes:
> I don't think they will make one. Not enough sex to sell the show
> (unless Loyd B. has something kinky to tell :-). Personally The last 
> thing I want to see is another anti RPG TV show.
> 
> Mike 

	Actually, it would probably be the best thing that could happen for
SJG.  Think about it, cost free promotion.  And don't say it is bad for the
games, it may be anti RPG, but that is only for the adults who think that way,
how many teenagers do you know who actually listen to their parents when they
are told not to go look at something.  Dont get me wrong, I am against the Anti
RPG stuff all the way, when it is incorrect, but it can be EXTREMELY good, why
do you think any non RPG person knows about D&D, but not about any other game?

...Yep, you got it right.

	Later;	
			Shade Pendragon

	"We dont like our homes; Its nothing but a joke.
	 We won't do what were told; Leave us all alone."
		-Rebellious inciting lyrics from Saigon Kick's Hostile Youth...
From: cm182s182@pdrome.UUCP (Clayton Miner)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: RE:  Stormtroopers
Date: 1 Oct 92 11:06:09 GMT
Organization: The PowerDrome BBS [(716)825-3614 Excelsior]
X-BBS-Software: EXCELSIOR! v0.960

After reading the Imperial Supplement to STRPG, I thought it was the average 
Army and Navy personnel that were supposed to be the 'red shirts'... ;)
 
Skeksis
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Date: Thu,  1 Oct 1992 17:33:49 -0400 
From: William Henry Timmins <wt0b+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Rifts
	<BvFp5K.EuC@news.cso.uiuc.edu>

Is it just me, or does the current thread on Rifts make it sound like
the biggest munchkin-haven since Unearthed Arcana came out for AD&D??

-Me
[Donning his ceramic undies]
From: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Amber: Question
Date: 5 Oct 92 22:42:56 GMT
Reply-To: ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu
Organization: 3WA, Boston Office. Or Nu Meta Chi. Take your pick.
In-reply-to: baj@acfcluster.nyu.edu's message of 5 Oct 92 21:39:04 GMT
X-Get-A-Clue: Have two, they're small.
X-Signature-Virus-Protection: Version 1.51
X-Posting-Software: GNUS 3.14.1 [ NNTP-based News Reader for GNU Emacs ]

>>>>> "b" == baj <baj@acfcluster.nyu.edu> writes:

b> For anyone who's running an Amber campaign, a question:

b> Scenario: Player character wishes to locate another Amberite
b> character in Shadow.  PC walks the Pattern and asks to be sent to
b> the Amberite's location.  Should it work?  Why or Why not?

][t should work. Now the PC has problems: he's exhausted. Even Corwin
is strained by walking the Pattern, and the PCs are no where near his
Endurance.

Does the target Amberite want privacy? ][s he one of the PCs enemies?
][t would be fairly easy to run the PC through in his weakened
condition.

b> If it works, how do you hide anything in Shadow?  None of the
b> amberites in the books used the Pattern in this manner, but Coral
b> was able to ask the Pattern to send her where it thought best.
b> Should the Pattern only take you to locations you have clearly in
b> mind, so you can't find items or characters in this manner?

Generally, the elter Amberites are considerate enough of each other's
privacy and smart enough not to try a stupid stunt like that. Hiding
things in shadow usually revolves around setting up subtle detours and
blocks in adjacent shadows so that someone passing through will go the
way you want rather than the way they may want. This is one way that
personal shadows are made inaccessable to outsiders. ][t is also how
Eric blocked Flora, and latter Corwin and Random out of Amber; none
knew the proper sequence of shadows, though Corwin and Random's
persistance and good stuff eventually got them to Arden.

The Pattern can transport someone anywhere that it has any effect at
all. This covers all of shadow out to the Courts of Chaos, but
possibly not into the direct presence of the Logrus. Nor would it take
someone to the Abyss. Hellrides are usually easier than using the
Pattern just to find something, though; hellrides are tiring, walking
the Pattern is exhausting.

--Rat
||||| | | | |  |  |  |   |   |    |    |    |   |   |  |  |  |  | | | | | |||||
Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat          ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu
Carpe Joltem! (Seize the Caffeine)                                         --Me
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc