HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jlperkin@eos.ncsu.edu (JERRY LEE PERKINSON)
Subject: Re: SRII PhysAds
Originator: jlperkin@c00806-247dan.eos.ncsu.edu
Keywords: Physical Adept Abilities
Reply-To: jlperkin@eos.ncsu.edu (JERRY LEE PERKINSON)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 21:23:43 GMT


In article <C1CGqp.5BG@cerc.wvu.wvnet.edu>, tmont@cerc.wvu.wvnet.edu (Todd Montgomery) writes:
on dikote...
|>And a little more math.
|>100 cm^2 is just an area 10 cm x 10 cm. A combat axe would be, taking
|>a look at the size comparison in the SSC troll street sam with an axe,
|>about 1.5 m^2. That is 1.5 X 100 X 100 cm^2 or 15,000 cm^2. At 1000 Nuyen
|>per 100 cm^2. That means your axe would cost 150,000 Nuyen. Now I have
|>, admittedly no concept of how you have this gang of yours is set-up in 
|>your world, but I don't have a troll street ganger who lives in the sewer
|>carry around a 150,000 Nuyen axe. Now I do have an articulate street sam
|>troll who wears a Superman Outfit under his clothes because a little old
|>lady thought he was such a nice, _TALL_ young man. But that is a different
|>story. I try to forget the suit... Now admittedly a street ganger typically
|>has a good bit of money and cyberware, but a 150,000 Nuyen axe. He might just
|>have a problem keeping that when he is asleep if he is not careful. I have
|>known ACTUAL Street Gang members in real life and they would NOT think twice
|>about geeking a friend if it was for $150,000, leader or not.

You don't have to cover the entier axe, just the blade...

Killjoy, eater.
From: maillet@tls-cs.cert.fr (Luc Maillet)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Advise on Buying BattleTech
Date: 26 Jan 93 08:50:03 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: CERT, CS Dpt. Toulouse, France

In article <26JAN199314065316@v9001>, sa2263263@v9001 (ROLAND U) writes:
|> I'll be buying FASA's Battletech (hopefully 3rd edition) but I'm confused
|> about the tech readouts. There are man{_y tech readouts ranging from the
|> early ones to the latest 3050. Do the later tech readouts contain the earlier
|> mechs. I'm still pretty interested in the house mechs such as the Atlas or
|> Battlemaster. I can only afford one tech read out. Please advise.

  You should go to rec.games.mecha, but here's my advice ( I own 2750, 3025,
3026, 3050 and 3055 ) :

  If you want to play without Clan/advanced IS tech, buy 3025.
  If you want to play with Clans and all, buy 3050.
  If you put an emphasis on vehicles, buy 3026.
  If you plan to play in the late Star League Era, buy 2750.
  Buy 3055 only if you have bought 3050 and want further development.

  All in all, the first to buy is either 3025 or 3050, depending on the general
tech level.

  But please, move to rec.games.mecha. We'll get flamed here.

								Redwing
From: seurer@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (Bill Seurer)
Subject: Re: GURPS: Quick Melee Combat for High Defense Characters
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 02:13:39 GMT
Reply-To: BillSeurer@vnet.ibm.com
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM Rochester

In article <1993Jan22.232035.25733@news.columbia.edu>, jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim) writes:
|> 	However, I would like to comment that I find running combat as a 
|> mindless exchange of simple blows *BORING*!  If these people are the 
|> expert fighters that their defense rolls suggest, their fights should be 
|> at least as interesting as the fast-paced second-to-second fights of 
|> the less skilled. 

Me too.  And I think it is a result of boring players who are too reliant
on the combat rules.  Anyone can spice up a combat by doing things
outside of their normal skills.  GMs should have the "bad guys" do it
too!

For instance, in a swashbuckling game I played at at a recent convention
I was the only one in the group of 6 who did anything during the combats
besides using my weapons.  What did I do?  I...

..picked up a frying pan in the kitchen when we were sneaking in and
   brained a guy with it (with appropriate sound effects).
..knocked a table into a bunch of guards who were charging across the
   room at us.
..took a cup of flour (again from the kitchen) and threw it into the
   face of a guy I was dueling with.
..jumped on a table and kicked the dishes at the bad guys
..swung the chandelier toward the bad guys and then chopped the rope
   holding it up (while I was on the table)
..smashed a chair over someone.

and that was all in just one fight!

I could have gone out there like everyone else and hacked away with
my cutlass.  *YAWN*

Now then the actions I took WERE (in many cases) less effective than
just hacking and stabbing away.  But they were LOTS more fun and fit in
the genre (during duels they ALWAYS throw stuff at each other and jump
around on the furniture in the movies).  Why didn't anyone else do
this?  I dunno.  They all seemed to enjoy the stuff I was doing and I
really hoped they would get fired up too.

Maybe it was just too late in the day and they were all tired.  :-(

This sort of thing can work in ANY genre, too.
-- 

- Bill Seurer     Language and Compiler Development      IBM Rochester, MN
  Internet: BillSeurer@vnet.ibm.com    America On-Line: BillSeurer@aol.com
From: lward@husc11.harvard.edu (Lester Ward)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: SRII: New FAQ list
Date: 23 Jan 93 07:10:01 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc.lward.727773001

A new version (2.0) of the FAQ list has been posted to r.g.f.announce.  Sorry
it's been gone so long.

Wordman
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com (Joe Carl Jr.)
Subject: SRII: Threat Dice
Organization: Harris Corporation - ISD
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 18:18:28 GMT

I was preparing for one of my SRII sessions last night and ran in a problem
with critters.  I generated a scene with Ghouls and a Banshee, and was
trying to work out how the combat would work.  So in the combat with critters
section it states that critters use threat dice instead of dice pools.  So
I look in the critters section and absolutely nothing is stated about
threat dice.  There is a section on threat dice for NPC's, but that's 
different.  NPC's are extremely varied so I can see how it would be
subjective.  Most critters shouldn't vary that much.  A wolf is a wolf!

Granted he may bigger than other wolves so maybe there would be a range
for the threat dice based on size.

My question is this.  What values have people used for threat dice for
critters.

How do you hand calculating a Threat rating for NPC's?

--
Joe Carl Jr.               "It ain't what a man don't know that makes him a
jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com   fool, but what he does know that ain't so."
                                                           -- Josh Billings
From: bkdavis@eos.ncsu.edu (B K DAVIS)
Subject: Re: SRII: Mage w/Trauma Damper
Originator: bkdavis@c00053-100lez.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: bkdavis@eos.ncsu.edu (B K DAVIS)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 00:26:19 GMT


In article <C1BIu0.FxH@visix.com>, gray@visix.com (Gray Jones) writes:
> Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
> Path: taco!gatech!paladin.american.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!spool.mu.edu!uunet!psinntp!viper!visix!gray
> From: gray@visix.com (Gray Jones)
> Subject: Re: SRII: Mage w/Trauma Damper
> Sender: news@visix.com
> Message-ID: <C1BIu0.FxH@visix.com>
> Date: Sat, 23 Jan 93 12:49:11 EST
> Reply-To: gray@visix.com (Gray Jones)
> References: <1jfjf7INNcc0@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> <lward.727484460@husc.harvard.edu>
> Organization: Visix Software, Reston, Virginia
> Lines: 21
> 
> |> by670@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Marc-Eivind Cruz Evensen) writes:
> |> 
> |> 
> |> >    I hate to pound on the "bible", but what is a snake shaman doing with
> |> >cyberware/bioware? These people (shamans and many NAs in general) are
> |> >supposed to be the most heavily into the purity of the flesh and all that
> |> >jazz. Just about the only mage, in fact, that should be able to justify
> |> >cyber/bioware is the hermetic mage (usually one who focuses on combat).
> |> >Purity of essence, etc. is usually highly regarded by shamans, a character
> |> >point that shouldn't be ignored when talking about them. If I were the
> |> >GM, I might make it a little harder on the shaman when he contacts his
> |> >spirits (unless they're toxies), since they will recognize the tainting
> |> >of his spirit and probably react poorly towards it.
> 
> 
> Remember, Snake loves secrets and will take extrordinary risks
> to obtain them.  Desecration of the flesh is often the cost
> of rare and priceless secrets.
> 
> 
> --gray
> 
Yeah right. When you start to lose bits and pieces of yourself your magic
goes down. You had best read Grim II "Da way of the Shaman".  
Oh and btw good luck in finding your own path.


  Khan
From: chuahl@ocf.berkeley.edu (Chua HakLien)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: History of WotC (Was: Arcanum <----- What ever happened to it?)
Date: 23 Jan 1993 23:01:09 GMT
Organization: U. C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
NNTP-Posting-Host: bigbang.berkeley.edu


*Sniff* Now that was a great story... =)

Ok, John, your turn..

Chua
+==+

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: veltyen@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Richard Kershaw)
Subject: SR: Sasquatch(2)
Organization: Monash University General Access Unix
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 05:54:32 GMT


Sasquatch Phsiology

The Sasquatch male stands 2.8 metres or taller. Young males are quite
thin averaging 100kgs. However older males gain weight with age and can weigh
up to 300kgs.
The Sasquatch female is slightly shorter (2.7 metres+). They normally weigh
120 kgs, However they do not gain weight rapidly like the males, and normally
weigh approximately the same all through their adult life.

Diet

The Sasquatch are more vegetarian than humans, normally only eating meat on
cermonial occasions. (It is a matter of conjecture whether the Sasquatch
hunt for the ceremonies, or the ceremonies are because the Sasquatch Hunters
caught something.) Hunters, who normally count only 2-3 members of a troop,
only bring back meat about once a month. Hunters tend to still "hunt" every 
day, though most of this seems to be scouting and keeping tabs on the
movements of "meat" herds. The Hunt only brings back the healthiest of animals
who have been tracked by the Sasquatch for several weeks.
Otherwise Sasquatch mainly eat leaves and bark, and of course fruits
when they are in season.

History

Archelogy is a futile pursuit in the case of the Sasquatch. Sasquatch leave
no tracks of their passing, have no permanent camps past a week old, and on
leaving on a campsite remove all evidence of their passing. However their
"verbal" history is quite intricate, and long.

Genetic Assays have shown that the Sasquatch family(Sasquatch in North 
America, the Yowie in Australia, the Yeti in Asia. It is also thought
there are branches of the family in Africa, South America and a probably
extinct branch in Europe) are (Non-Awakened) Humans closest relatives.
Anthropological thought at the present time is that the Sasquatch is the
direct descendant of Australopithecus Robustus which was a competitor with 
Homo Habilis and a descendant of Ramapithecus. Ramapithecus is also an 
antescendent of Humans.

This hypothesis comes from the closeness of the genetic links with humans
and also the ecological niche in which Robustus is thought to have lived.
Robustus was a (almost?) complete vegetarian, and much larger than Homo
Habilis, which holds a direct comparison to the Sasquatches place at the
present time. However at one stage Homo Habilis seems to have wiped out or
subsumed its two closest relatives, Robustus and Africanus(A smaller Homo
branch. It is thought that they may have become the Leshy, though that
is a matter for another time). The only way that Robustus could have survived
is to hide, and hide well, from the smaller but more vigorous Habilis.
This from the Sasquatches point of view has continued to the present day,
although Habilis has become humans, and robustus Sasquatch over the last
million or more years.


Coming soon: Later History of the Sasquatch (post 2000) and their own
personal view.

-Veltyen
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: cluther@morticia.cnns.unt.edu (Clay Luther)
Subject: RQ: Reining in Player's Spell Goals
Organization: University of North Texas
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 18:33:20 GMT

I see trouble on the horizon in my RQ group.  I just received e-mail from
the Storm Bull initiate player that read:

1)      Protect 4
2)      Heal 4
3)      Flame Blade
4)      There are other spells I do not konw the names of,
	but are religiously specific to the storm bullers.
	any such as vanquish chaos or things like that, I would
	like to get.

Does this seem like a reasonable request from a recently begun 21-year old
initiate of Storm Bull?  (To me, it seems almost *gross*).

What rules and tricks would you suggest I use to thwart this greed when the
Storm Bull enters his friendly Storm Bull temple in Pavis?

Or am I overreacting?

Note, I beleive the fellow's INT is in the low teens (13 or 14), so he
can technically afford these spells.

I also assume Storm Bull teaches Flame Blade (I just got the request and I 
haven't checked (I don't have material with me))..


-- 
Clay Luther
cluther@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
From: cook@shaman.nexagen.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Rolemaster
Date: 21 Jan 1993 23:16:42 -0700
Organization: NeXagen.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: shaman.nexagen.com
Summary: Rolemaster
Keywords: Rolemaster

Hi. Just thought I'd let you know that I'm now on the net. If you want to ask any questions or make any comments, I'd love to hear from you here or at:

	cook@shaman.nexagen.com

Monte Cook
Rolemaster Editor

PS Oh, BTW, Iron Crown is doing much better financially, and is NOT bankrupt, going out of business, or anything else. These rumors are simply not true.

I can answer any questions (well, I can try...) regarding ICE as well. I'm no longer working with them "in house" but I'm still sort of "on staff." in a freelance sort of way.

As a newbie to the net, can someone tell me if there is a way to view past articles on a particular subject?
I'd love to hear whats been said about Rolemaster, as well as Hero/Champions, since I've worked with that game line too.

In any event (for my first post this is quite rambling and incoherent, isn't it), I'll be posting here and at rec.games.frp.announce to tell you about upcoming products and to ask your opinions about the existing ones.
From: snewton@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu (Steven E. Newton)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: GURPS Fantasy II
Date: 25 Jan 1993 21:45:26 GMT
Organization: UT Health Science Center Houston

In article <C18oHB.C8E@csugrad.cs.vt.edu> dripton@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (David Ripton) writes:
>
>I just read Fantasy II and I'm curious what people think of it and 
>whether anybody's using it yet.

For grins, please take a look at the gods and compare them to the
characters in A.  A.  Milne's "Winnie the Pooh" series.

s
-- 
+      +      +      +      +      +      +    |snewton@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu
     You can make it foolproof,                |Nobody else speaks for me,
  but you can't make it damnfoolproof.         |and I speak for no one else.
                                               |     +     +     +     +     +
From: whitley@acsu.buffalo.edu (John Whitley)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRII:  Fetishes
Date: 26 Jan 93 00:07:18 GMT
Organization: UB

In article <C1F1G5.E34@visix.com> gray@visix.com (Gray Jones) writes:
>[Stuff about grounding via spell locks deleted]

>A fetish has an image on a astrally projecting magician, so I think they
>do have a link from astral to physical space.  They aren't bonded,
>so an argument could be made they aren't linked to the mage's aura.

>I don't think you should be able to ground throught them either.
>
>--gray

   Only foci can be astrally active, and thus subject to spell
   grounding.  A fetish is not a focus; note that fetishes are not
   made using the artificing concentration of enchanting.  However,
   assensing a fetish will reveal the fetish's nature immediately,
   as it does have a distinctive aura.

-- John
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: gray@visix.com (Gray Jones)
Subject: Re: SRII: Mage w/Trauma Damper
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 17:49:11 GMT
Reply-To: gray@visix.com (Gray Jones)
Organization: Visix Software, Reston, Virginia

|> by670@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Marc-Eivind Cruz Evensen) writes:
|> 
|> 
|> >    I hate to pound on the "bible", but what is a snake shaman doing with
|> >cyberware/bioware? These people (shamans and many NAs in general) are
|> >supposed to be the most heavily into the purity of the flesh and all that
|> >jazz. Just about the only mage, in fact, that should be able to justify
|> >cyber/bioware is the hermetic mage (usually one who focuses on combat).
|> >Purity of essence, etc. is usually highly regarded by shamans, a character
|> >point that shouldn't be ignored when talking about them. If I were the
|> >GM, I might make it a little harder on the shaman when he contacts his
|> >spirits (unless they're toxies), since they will recognize the tainting
|> >of his spirit and probably react poorly towards it.


Remember, Snake loves secrets and will take extrordinary risks
to obtain them.  Desecration of the flesh is often the cost
of rare and priceless secrets.


--gray
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: esper@cs35b.cs.umn.edu (Dave Sherohman)
Subject: SR2: Variant dodging rules
Organization: University of Minnesota
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 02:14:42 GMT

As promised, here's my (current) version of the system which was posted some
time ago for basing dodging TNs on how clumsy the attacker's weapon is, rather
than on how hard it hits.  The basic rationale behind it is that bullets move
fast enough that if the gun is pointing at you when it fires, you'll get hit,
but bigger, clumsier guns can't follow you as easily if you're moving semi-
randomly (also known in some circles as dodging).

Hold-Out or Light Pistols: TN 7
Heavy Pistol: TN 6
SMG or Taser: TN 5 (Tasers aim quickly, but they fire slow projectiles)
Shotgun, Sport Rifle, or Assault Rifle: TN 4
Sniper Rifle, LMG, or any Heavy Weapon: TN 3 (I'm considering dropping Heavy
	Weapons to TN 2)
Explosions: TN=Power Level (Not so much dodging as taking the hit on tougher
	parts of your body/armor)
Bow or Crossbow: TN=Power Level (Quick to aim, but slow projectiles, getting
	faster at higher Power)
Thrown Weapon: TN=Power Level/2 (Very quick to aim, but very slow projectile)
Melee Attacks: TN=Attacker's Quickness

Short Range: +0, +1 per 4 shots in autofire burst
Medium Range: +1, +1 per 3 shots in autofire burst
Long Range: +2, +1 per 2 shots in autofire burst
Extreme Range: +5, +1 per shot in autofire burst

Questions, comments, omissions, anyone?

esper@ima.umn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: barnett@mummy.agsm.unsw.OZ.AU (Glen Barnett)
Subject: Re: GURPS Paranoia
Organization: The Australian Graduate School of Management
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 06:25:57 GMT

In article <1993Jan25.011419.9411@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> corleyj@helium.gas.uug.arizona.edu (Jason D Corley ) writes:
>In article <loydb.0any@fnordbox.UUCP> loydb@fnordbox.UUCP (Loyd Blankenship) writes:
>>dripton@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (David Ripton) writes:
>>>
>>> Actually, I kind of like the idea of GURPS Paranoia...
>>
>>Me too, but they wouldn't sell. :-)
>>
>
>1st Edition Paranoia was perfect.  2nd Edition Paranoia was also perfect,
>much more so than 1st Edition Paranoia.
>
>GURPS is not perfect.  GURPS is a complicated, point-filled, Communist
>mishmash of many different not-fun rules.
>
>Paranoia is perfect.  Paranoia is simple, has only a few attributes and
>a few skills, and has many rules that are simple, safe, fun, and
>enjoyable.
>


1st edition Paranoia was very good, but hardly perfect.

2nd edition  Paranoia was a substantial weakening of the
initial 'clean' feel. It has been all down hill from there.
I think they peaked around the time of Acute Paranoia.

Many of the Paranoia rules aren't all that simple, but
all the good GM's just ignore the inconvenient ones (and
soon cease to notice they are doing it.)

If you don't like the idea of GURPS Paranoia (which sounds like it
will never come to be), then don't buy it! To claim a rule system
is perfect is just silly (and probably belongs on advocacy, where
we should take the discussion if it goes any further). You 
either like it or you don't. All the rest is mere rationalisation.

Glen
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: jlperkin@eos.ncsu.edu (JERRY LEE PERKINSON)
Subject: Re: SRII: Mage w/Trauma Damper
Originator: jlperkin@c00806-247dan.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: jlperkin@eos.ncsu.edu (JERRY LEE PERKINSON)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 20:45:47 GMT


In article <1993Jan21.104054.16717@uumeme.chi.il.us>, drac@uumeme.chi.il.us (Bruce Maynard) writes:
|>Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
|>Path: taco!gatech!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!mcdchg!laidbak!tellab5!vpnet!uumeme!drac
|>>However, I see no reason for such a character to not start out with cyberware.
|>
|>Of course, with under 1 pt of Essence, he'll have a magic attribute of ZERO... meaning any time he takes drain, it shows up as PHYSICAL damage. Later on, of course, he could (if he survives long enuff with a handicap like that) Initiate to heighten his magic attr... but, of course, Essence does NOT "come back" with cyberware removal...
|>

Sorry, zero magic means ZERO (NO) magic.  No spells, no worry about drain,
no ability to do anything dealing with magic, you are cut off from the astral,
you can not even initiate to become magical again.  Thank you for playing.

Killjoy, eater of small fish.
From: peters@physics.ubc.ca (Dan Peters)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: DragonQuest?!
Date: 27 Jan 1993 04:27:41 GMT
Organization: The University of British Columbia
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: physics.ubc.ca

cwatters@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Coyt D Watters) writes:

>The WolF writes:
>>In essence, DragonQuest is a stripped-down version of D&D (not AD&D). It's
>>intended to be a gateway into D&D. Seems T$R is aggressively pursuing the
>>novice gamer. :)
>>

>Exactly.  The old SPI _DragonQuest_ game (which is ok BTW) is not the same as 
>the current TSR _DragonQuest_ game.  Since TSR owns the rights to the name, 
>they can slap it on anything they choose.  It's a simplification of D&D, 
>intended to compete with HeroQuest and BattleQuest, and provide a stepping
>stone to D&D and/or ADnD2.  Term it "D&D Lite."

What makes this all so confusing is that T$R _did_ release a version of the old
SPI _DragonQuest_.

Rough DQ chronology:
1979 (I think) SPI releases 1st ed. DQ RPG.
1981 or 82 (??) SPI releases 2nd ed. (significant improvement in combat system)
mid or late 80's (?????) T$R releases 3rd ed. (sanitized - no demons)
1992 T$R commits blasphemy by slapping the DQ name onto something unrelated to
     the original game - a "D&D Lite" to use Coyt's description.

Drin
--
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