HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: laurence@cco.caltech.edu (Dustin Lee Laurence)
Subject: Re: Dealing with "you're sick" syndrome...
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 00:17:33 GMT

v124jw4y@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Benjamin R Pierce) writes:

>In article <1992Apr10.145832.8789@aio.jsc.nasa.gov>, mark@trillian.jsc.nasa.gov (Mark Manning) writes...

>>4. Finally, I'd end with this:  "Let's talk reality for a moment if
                                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>   you would.
     ^^^^^^^^^^

Yes, condecending to someone is always a good way to have a rational
conversation.  Snicker.  I wouldn't touch this sort of advice with a ten
foot pole.

>Actually, the very far right wing _has_ suggested banning of some of the books
>mentioned, as well as The Lord of the Rings, the Chronicles of Narnia, and the
>Wizard of Oz (the rationale behind this last being that the book portrays a 
>witch as good...)

Which is why is is just as silly to generalize about christians as about
any other group.  JRRT was a devout Roman Catholic, and C.S. Lewis is
considered in many christian circles to be one of the finest _conservative_
christian thinkers of this century.

I remember mentioning JRRT to a christian of a pretty fundamentalist
bent who responded: "Tolkien?  Wasn't he a witch or something?"  How
quickly we forget.

-- 
Dustin Laurence            "Someone please stop me, before I net again."

laurence@alice.wonderland.caltech.edu
From: zweldron@ruhets.rutgers.edu (Matthew Charlap)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: AD&D 2ed. Weapon Specialization
Date: 7 Apr 92 14:26:15 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

brunner@kazoo.ssd.loral.com (Brian Brunner) writes:
>We allow double specialzation from Unearthed Arcana and specialization
>in as many weapons as you care to, if you are JUST a fighter.
>Choose your milage. Its' in the rules.
In my campaigns, I allow 2 specializations for a fighter.  Restrictions on
these: cannot specialize in more than one melee weapon.  Cannot specialize in
more than one projectile weapon.  Punching specialization counts as melee.
Basically, fighters can have a weapon of choice for close range and long range
combat.  Also, the weapon he's specialized in MUST be used in all combats, 
except in unusual conditions (eg he's specialized in long sword, but the
moster they are attacking is immune to edged weapons)
--Matthew
From: seawasp+@pitt.edu (Ryk E Spoor)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Talislanta
Date: 8 Apr 92 14:55:56 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <ku5f75INN7c3@utkcs2.cs.utk.edu> wrasman@cs.utk.edu ('Walker Of Change') writes:
>I've got all the books I think for Talislanta but I'm unsure.

	"Young fool. Only now... at the END... do you understand."

	See below.

>In the World Book they mention a new GuuideBook coming out. I've also heard
>that Bard Games isn't around anymore. Did this book ever come out and is Bard
>Games still around? Also are there any other books out? Has the game system
>been bought by a different company?

	Bard Games has been bought by the new company Wizards of the Coast
(HI PETE!), and _Talislanta_ is the second of two major things being published
by WotC (the first being the Deity Capsystem _The Primal Order_).

	The new edition of Talislanta has been revised and I believe expanded
as well as modified; it's set 20 years after the original.

	Advance publicity on it looks real good.

                                 Sea Wasp
                                   /^\
                                   ;;;
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: cjudd@esk (Craig Thomas Judd)
Subject: Re: Weapon for RIFTS or similar Palladium game...
Organization: University of Tasmania at Launceston
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 92 22:29:38 GMT

In article <1992Apr9.172628.17452@njitgw.njit.edu>, crl0195@hertz.njit.edu (Curt R Lindmark) writes:
>
>In article <1992Apr8.114442.4776@cam.compserv.utas.edu.au> cjudd@esk (Craig Thomas Judd) writes:

>>2 d10 + 1 d4 MD
>  Paah! My cyberknight character has a PEC (Particle Energy Cannon) mounted
>in his left arm that did 6D6+6 per hit.  That was so good, I stripped off
>the rail gun from my SAMAS and installed another one, hooking a power bleed
>from the nuke plant on the back.  I was slagging everything in sight.
>One restriction, though.  I couldn't use my PEC in my arm with body armor on.
>That meant I only had 50 MDC.  (Cyberarmor is a wonderful thing.)  I could
>go on about all that stuff that character had, but I won't waste the
>bandwidth.  E-mail me if you are that interested.

>>the RIFTS world, so she also had a Wilts 320 Laser Pistol. 
>I liked the Plasma Cannon myself....as a sidearm *evil cackle*
>>And Martial Arts, of course, which with a PP of 25 and various other skills 
> Kick-boxing...Thai style
>>gave her +5 to strike and +10 to r/f with damage/impact.
>That's IT?  I had +8, bare handed..+13 in my Samas...

Yeah, but that was a CYBERKNIGHT. THIS was an OPERATOR!!! Not too bad for a
bloody mechanic! Anyway, with a single touch on your cybernetic systems she
would know every electronic pathway in your entire body, assuming they were
all wired together in your brain or a neuro-adapter... Also, she would have
considered you a freak (but may NOT have told you that directly...).

>>(Confederation, or whatever they're called; the ones with Deadboys) on their
>  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Coalition.  Close enough.  
Well, I knew it started with a 'C'. Come on, I never played the game!

Yours reminiscently;

-- 
   \/\  "Men, we're going to the Olympics."  The Colonel, Akira (movie)  /\/
====\/\       "You REFUSE to drink my wine...?"  Kahm, Outlanders       /\/====
=====\/\      *** WANT ANY MANGA ARTWORK DONE? Just email me! ***      /\/=====
      \/\   cjudd@esk.compserv.utas.edu.au    a.k.a. Kuro to Shiroi   /\/
From: malloy@NPRDC.NAVY.MIL (Sean Malloy)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: CHAMPS: question on turn sequencing
Date: 7 Apr 92 19:51:34 GMT
Organization: Navy Personnel R&D Center, San Diego

In article <rqkvfINNhns@caravan.ksu.ksu.edu> khise@caravan.ksu.ksu.edu writes:
>
>In article <1992Apr6.171316.15991@noose.ecn.purdue.edu>, dunning@chainsaw.ecn.purdue.edu (GALACTIC COMMANDER) writes:
>>Any self-respecting MA that gives up half her actions is the biggest
>>fool in the universe.  For a minor +5 DCV (assuming M. Dodge) you just
>>lost 1/2 of your phases.  I would prefer to take those 30 points and buy
>>+6 all combat DCV only.  More effective as you get these levels even
>>while attacking.  Now you still get your 3 attacks, but you just ALOT
>>harder to hit.  Even on the phases I attack I am still +6 DCV (really
>>nice).
>>
>And, you have spent 26 more points for a +1 to DCV.  Add twenty points to your
>SPD, and spend the other six points on your martial arts skill (+2 to MA).  
>And you can now have a +7 DCV while still getting off 2 1/2 attacks per turn.
>With a +4 DCV in the segments when you attack.  (But only after your attack 
>has gone off.  Before your attack, your DCV that segment is still +7).

Or take those 30 points and buy 15 points of DEX (if you keep your SPD
constant, DEX costs a net 2 points -- +3 for +1 DEX, -1 for -.1 SPD);
that way you not only get the same +5 DCV _all_ the time -- for _both_
melee _and_ ranged attacks -- but you get the benefit of a +5 _OCV_ for
all your attacks. Yes, you can get the effect of Dodging _and_ get a
better attack too!

You'd think some people never looked at a cost/benefit ratio for some
of the ways to spend points. Spending 5 points for +1 DCV is a big
lose when you can spend 1 more point and not only get the +1 DCV
against both ranged and HTH attacks, but get a +1 OCV everywhere.

-- 
random sig #69:
Sean Malloy                                  | Let me control a planet's oxygen
Navy Personnel Research & Development Center | supply, and I don't care who
San Diego, CA 92152-6800                     | makes the laws.
malloy@nprdc.navy.mil                        | 
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: ktko@athena.mit.edu (Kwanghyon T Ko)
Subject: WANTED: SPG and MA
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 03:21:42 GMT


   I'm looking for the old Leading Edge Games game Sword's Path: Glory.
   I'm also looking for a copy of Metamorphosis Alpha.

   Both games should be complete but don't have to be in mint condition
   (only playable.) 

   Thanks

   K. Thomas Ko
   Dept. of Biology
   Massachusetts Institute of Technology
From: khise@caravan.ksu.ksu.edu (Martin Andrew Shobe)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: CHAMPS: question on turn sequencing
Date: 6 Apr 1992 19:09:07 -0500
Organization: Kansas State University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: caravan.ksu.ksu.edu


In article <RATINOX.92Apr6123550@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu>, ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Stainless Steel Rat) writes:
>>>>>> On 5 Apr 92 23:50:43 GMT, khise@festus.ksu.ksu.edu (Martin Andrew Shobe) said:
>
>khise> [stuff deleted]
>
>khise> 	No it doesn't.  She can always abort her next action to continue
>khise> dodging.  Also, she can hold action to avoid having to abort in the
>khise> first place.
>
>khise> 	If you allow the dodge to continue someone with Martial Dodge
>khise> becomes nearly unhittable (unless the attack is area affect.).  And,
>khise> they only give up half thier attacks to stay that way all the time.
>khise> Which is really silly.
>
>You are forgetting that a martial artists' primary defense is NOT BEING HIT
>IN THE FIRST PLACE. This means high DEX and dodging like crazy. 

True.  They should have a high DCV before they start using dodge manuevers (sp).  But,
by using a dodge manuever (sp), they are not attacking in favor of being REALLY
hard to hit.   

>This is
>also why leaping/jumping in 4th ed is now considered a controlled movement
>without the DCV cut. Before, it was way to easy for a brick to take out
>martial artists: brick rips up a handy telephone pole and swings at martial
>artists, the MA must leap out of the way of the area attack. Then someone
>pops the martial artist while he's airborne. Hell, two 50-point agents used
>to take out 400-point, combat optimized martial artists this way, armed
>with 1 grenade and 1 assault rifle.
>

That will work on anyone who is not a brick. :-)

>--Rat
>--
>||||| | | | |  |  |  |   |   |    |    |    |   |   |  |  |  |  | | | | | |||||
>                                                   __        ___ 
>Internet: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu  /   | /| / /   | The Worlds
>    UUCP: ...!northeastern.edu!splinter!ratinox /__  |/ |/ / /| | Welfare Works
>  BITNET: UA_RLP@NUHUB{.BITNET}                /   | /| / / / | | Association:
>  USNail: 14 Westdale RD.                     /__  |/ |/ / /  | | I will solve
>          Holbrook, MA  02343-1031           /   | /| / / /___| | any problem
> ICBMnet: 42 deg 1 min N, 71 deg 0 min W    /    |/ |/ /_//_____| for you.
From: os361065@wvnvms.wvnet.edu (Shadowcat)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: SRUN magicalness
Date: 9 Apr 92 19:37:27 GMT
Organization: West Virginia Network for Educational Telecomputing

In article <thornt_g.702535580@kultarr>, thornt_g@cs.uwa.oz.au (Sebastian Nobwit DeLaBler) writes:
> I would like to say something in light of all the discussion about
> magical/astral stuff in shadowrun.
> 
> Ahem.
> 
> The shadowrun magic system is SILLY.
 [comments of magic-bashing nature deleted]
> Comments, anyone?

   You bet!!
   
   I played a Combat Mage in SRUN for a year. I've never had more fun
   with a character, not because of his powers, but because of his 
   weaknesses. First off, a magician does pay a price in SRUN. Your
   Astral signature marks you as a possible shadowrunner a mile away,
   where as it's harder to spot a decker or a sam. Deckers and sams
   get to spend their karma on their skills and attributes and staying
   alive. Mages have to learn spells, get foci of sorts, bind spirits,
   summon allies, and initiate (whew!!). we don't have much karma left
   over to play around with.

   Casting spells may be fast, and it may be powerful, but have you
   ever seen a mage blow a drain roll? All you have to do is take
   Light drain, and forget the rest. Your target numbers start 
   climbing, you blow more drain rolls, and pretty soon, you're
   passed out with physical damage.

   Just my 0.2 yen!

					Eat My Bandwidth,
					   Shadowcat
-- 
_____________________________________________________________
    Dave Shemenski
    Wheeling Jesuit College
    World's Worst Chem Major          
    os361065@wvnvms.wvnet.edu

    "Everything is destined to
     reappear as simulation"
                      -Jean Baudrillard, America
_____________________________________________________________
From: esper@cs35b.cs.umn.edu (Dave Sherohman)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Stupid PC Tricks
Date: 11 Apr 92 17:49:38 GMT
Article-I.D.: news2.1992Apr11.174938.12449
Organization: University of Minnesota

Then there was the time that my Shadowrun players were sold into slavery in
Arizona...  They're locked up in a little (20' square or so) adobe hut, in the
most desolate part of the desert, and they start making a ruckus.  Their guards
come in - one neo-cowboy type with a pair of .44 mags, one insane mage, and one
kill-crazy ork carrying an assault rifle and half a dozen grenades with a fire
elemental for backup.  One of the PCs quickly deduces that the ork is the most
dangerous of the group and grabs him.  Not having any weapons, he was left with
the problem of what to do to the ork, and decided to throw him at the elemental
and fry the ork...  Five grenades going off in an enclosed space...  Nasty...
From: mark@trillian.jsc.nasa.gov (Mark Manning)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Ok!  Even More Riddles
Date: 13 Apr 1992 19:11:12 GMT
Organization: Simulacron I

1.  I can hit you in the eye,
    Yet twinkle in the sky,
    Expanding when I die,
    What do you think am I?

2.  Squishes,
    Squashes,
    Wishes I washes,
    Can get it in my hair,
    Makes me not look too fair.

3.  White on black,
    And black on white.
    Helps you to know things,
    By using your sight.

4.  Up a hill,
    Down a hill,
    Over them I may roam,
    But after all my walking,
    There's no place like my own.

5.  This thing is a most amazing thing.
    For it can be both as sharp as a knife,
    Or as flat as a floor.
    And yet, for all that it can be,
    It is as natural as a bee.

6.  Deep, deep, do they go.
    Spreading out as they go.
    Never needing any air.
    They are sometimes as fine as hair.

7.  Oh Lord!  I am not worthy!
    I bend my limbs to the ground.
    I cry, yet without a sound.
    Let me drink of waters deep.
    And in silence I will weep.

8.  Shifting, Shifting, Drifting deep.
    Below me great and mighty cities sleep.
    Swirling, Scurlling, All around.
    I'm only where no water will be found.

9.  I bubble and laugh
    And spit water in your face.
    I am no lady,
    And I don't wear lace.






====================================================================
The answers are below this line!  Don't look until you have had a
chance to think about them.






Answers:

1. A star
2. Mud (Your mom wishes you'd wash it off)
3. A monitor. (Not a D&D type of riddle - more like Traveller.)
4. Your home
5. Music
6. Roots
7. A Weeping Willow
8. A desert
9. A fountain
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: goodwin@orionsci (Ben Goodwin)
Subject: Re:  Shadowrun: Looting bodies
Reply-To: goodwin@orionsci.UUCP (Ben Goodwin)
Organization: Orion Scientific, Inc.
Date: Mon, 06 Apr 1992 15:33:19 GMT

Speaking of looting bodies, we just played our first ShadowRun game,
which I had the honor of GMing.  It seems that atleast 2 of our group
are closet SRun groupies, but couldn't figure out the dice rules.

Oh well, on the subject of taking time to loot bodies, these chummers
broke into Aztec to get something, and at some point were seen and
attacked by an Aztec astral mage.  They knocked him out quickly, at which
point I started the clock running.  They were standing around, arguing
over whether the vial they had found was what they came for, and after
about 5 minutes I said "Its been 5 minutes since you  KO'd the mage".
They then decided to explore the section they were in, rather than get
the hell out of Dodge.  Oviously my hint wasn't direct enough.  After
5 minutes of searching some other rooms, they got back out into the sewer
and I stopped the game for a second and told them that in ShadowRun, you
get in and out fast.  And once you're discovered, you get out even
faster.

It was interesting, because when I used to play D&D we would basically
explore the whole dungeon a room at a time and geek any monsters we
found.  

Well, to make a long story short, as soon as they hit the sewer I told
them they heard noise from in front and behind about 80 meters away.
The mage astrally sensed, and was informed that 5 guards were coming
from one direction and 4 from the other.  I got my combat dice ready,
and smiled at them.

I forgot that the troll had two portable missiles. :(  He looks at
me and says, "No problem, I just fire a missile down the tunnel at the
5 guys.  Then I turn the other way and fire bursts with my Ares LMG."
He took everyone out in about 3 actions and took one round which bounced
off his partial heavy armor.  One of the Sams took the dead guy's
AK-98s with laser sights.  Gotta be worth a few bucks.

Looks like I have to do some studying.  I thought the 8 guards would
inflict some pretty good wounds before getting geeked.

Love Shadowrun.  All the players loved it, and we come from lots of
backgrounds, Dark Conspiracy, AD&D, Gurps, Rifts ...
-- 
============================================================================
| uunet!orionsci!goodwin        | you with your hair that's always combed,
| Ben Goodwin                   | your suit is always white, your car is
| Washington DC (703) 524-0504  | always clean.  You I hate!!! -Great Race
============================================================================
From: millerl@wharton.upenn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Steve Jackson Games is gone?
Date: 6 Apr 92 21:05:29 GMT
Organization: Newt World Order

In article <44079@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney) writes:
> Sorry, but it's true.
> 
> TSR has gobbled up SJG, and rumors abound that they are putting out feelers
> for Glorantha from AH/Chaosium.
> 
> Of course, they will completely re-write Glorantha to only be compatible with
> AD&D3 (which will still have all the hallmarks of AD&D1 and AD&D2.)

Late breaking news from Lake Geneva indicates that in order to appeal to
the same munchkins who have made GW's Space Hulk and Warhammer 40K such
a success, AD&D3, which was already expected to hold everything from the
D&D, AD&D1, AD&D2, GURPS and RuneQuest lines, will also be merged with
BattleTech, FASA's game of battling giant robots, and Marvel Super
Heroes, TSR's licensed roleplaying collossus of weenie superheroics,
thus producing the ***GREATEST GAME EVER***, with the possible exception
of Spawn of Fashan!

In a parallel move, FASA has decided to skip v.2 of Shadowrun
altogether, and plans are in the works to progress directly to Shadowrun
v.3. Set 100 years after Shadowrun v.1, in 2150, Shadowrun v.3 will
merge the shadowrun mechanics with those from RoleMaster. Rather than
D6's the resulting system will use multiple rolls of D100's, with
rerolls on 96+. FASA/ICE, the newly merged company, claims that their
decision to change rules mechanics was in no way influenced by their
purchase of The Armory, the largest manufacturer of dice in the USA. You
fans of Shadowrun and RoleMaster will have to buy all new supplements,
since the 2150 shadowrun world is completely different; even the
awakened races have changed, inexplicably, to Lionmen, Hawkmen,
Sharkmen, Wombatmen, and many other races from TMNT and Flash Gordon.

Finally, in a completely unexpected move, IBM has purchased the rights
to Harn from Columbia games. In a moment of unexpected candor, IBM
representatives stated that the company plans to maintain the quality
that has always been Harn's trademark, but that you are going to have to
pay double the price of most gaming supplements to get it, and the
production of new modules will be about two or three years behind
schedule. In other words, nothing will change.

Remember where you heard it first! If it ain't true, why would I say it?

-- 
whoah,
+++++++++++++++++++++++23
Loren Miller                  internet: MILLERL@wharton.upenn.edu
Throw this screen against the wall, right now!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Subject: Re: CHAMPS: question on turn sequencing
Reply-To: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 20:32:20 GMT

In article <1992Apr15.170209.16543@watdragon.waterloo.edu> vehaag@crocus.waterloo.edu (Viktor Haag) writes:
>In article <32886@darkstar.ucsc.edu> demian@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Anthony Jackson) writes:
>>You can abort to a defensive action.
>>Suppose I have, say, +20/+20 armor, cannot attack while using armor.  
>>I can abort to activate this power.  Now, when does the power end:
>>a: when the phase I aborted comes up?
>>b: when my next phase comes around, and I decide to turn it off.
>>
>>Obviously, b is correct.  Why should dodge be any different?  It's just a
>>DCV bonus, cannot attack while using extra DCV.
...
>Because, dodge requires your half phase action per phase to maintain.  It
>costs anyone this. 
...
>Its really a movement power, *not a DCV or defensive bonus,
>as you suggest, so, like constant movement, it must be maintained.

	The rules list dodge as a combat maneuver just like any other - 
the way it's CV modifiers apply should be no different than, say, a 
martial punch. Anyhow, this still allows you to have your dodge bonus on 
almost all the time. 
	Let's say you have a character of SPD 4, DEX 20. On phase 4, he 
aborts to a dodge, thus using his phase 6 action. His dodge bonus will 
continue until his next action on phase 9. 
	He attacks on phase 9, then on phase 10 aborts to a dodge again. 
He can be hit without his dodge bonus, but most of the time he still 
has it. 

	Remember that he can always be hit at the time he attacks by 
those who are holding actions. Thus by sacrificing half his attacks, 
he can dodge those who are not

	I suspect there are those who will say that his dodge bonus goes 
away on phase 6. Does this mean if he aborts to a dodge on phase 6, DEX 23, 
that it lasts only until DEX 20? If he does not abort, but instead takes 
dodge as his normal action, does this mean that he gets the bonus for no 
time at all? I don't think so.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Kim                    | Alice: "But if I wasn't real, I shouldn't be
jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu | able to cry."  Tweedledee: "I hope you don't 
Columbia University         | imagine those are *real* tears."