HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: mmcalees@cs16.UVic.CA (Michael McAleese (One of 'Those Dudes'))
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: LACE AND STEEL ?
Date: 31 Jul 92 02:27:37 GMT
Organization: The Forgotten Legions of... uhh... umm...

In article <1992Jul30.120623.27122@oz.plymouth.edu> sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan) writes:
[stuff deleted]
>Things I like about Lace & Steel:
>
>It's aimed at a lot of social interaction.  There's actually a lot
>for a courtly lady character to do in this game.

   Perhaps this points to a difference between male and female gamers that
is not apparent in most genres/systems, but playing this game with females
is interesting.  The introductory scenario deals with a court ball and for
the female characters the conflict involves getting a really impressive 
gown for the affair (rules for this) and compteting with an NPC lady for the
attentions of a mysterious and handsome man at the ball.  Running this was
strange, I'm not quite sure how to explain it.  The two female players had
immense fun flirting with NPCs and being 'bitchy' to the NPC lady.  No 
combat, none of the usual (for me) interactions.  There was a serious 
repartee combat beween a female player and the NPC lady, ending up with the
PC devastating her with a cutting remark about her over-done makeup, causing
her to flounce off in a huff and leaving the PC to flirt with the mysterious
stranger.  It was straight out of a Harlequin romance novel, and they loved
it.

>Repartee "combat."  For players who want their characters to be able to
>have cutting remarks, impaling wit, and crushing retorts but can't
>think of anything at the moment . . . the game allows using the combat
>cards to cut someone down socially!

  Repartee combat does damage to Self Image.  You can destroy someone with
a withering comment.  In that session a male PC who was actually involved
with a female PC's player in real life was trying to flirt with her 
character - she was having none of it.  A handsome Count started paying 
attention to her and the male PC entered repartee combat with him to drive
him off.  The Count cut him down with a series of amusing remarks and left
him stumbling off to the garden, practically in tears.  Safety tip - do 
not engage in repartee with the wittiest man in court.

-- 
*     mmcalees@csr.uvic.ca (Michael McAleese) : I speak only for me...       *
  "Man can believe the impossible, but never the improbable." - Oscar Wilde
From: bsercomb@neumann.une.edu.au (You'd better believe it!,,,)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Military Mechs?
Date: 29 Jul 92 03:46:27 GMT
Reply-To: bsercomb@neumann.une.edu.au
Originator: bsercomb@neumann.une.edu.au

From article <1992Jul28.161435.89577@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au>, by jwadsley@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au:
> In article <27JUL199217362646@elroy.uh.edu>, chem7l@jetson.uh.edu writes:
>> In article <55239@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, jacobus@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney) writes...
>>>In article <1992Jul25.002200.1503@news.columbia.edu> jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim) writes:
>> 
>> require drive equipment equal in weight to half the weight of the engine -- 
>> larger fusion engines produce more electricity and therefor require larger 
>> electric motors to convert that electricity to mechanical energy.  On the other
>> hand, internal combustion engines produce mechanical energy directly, but they
>> may want to make IC engines smaller.  However, you should also make power 
>> amplifiers MUCH larger, as lasers, PPCs, etc. use MUCH more electricity than an
>> IC engine will provide.  In the interest of simplicity and game balance, I tend

This argument is one of the things I like least about the battletech system
of power. The Fission and [theoretical] fusion engines would both require 
nasty big systems such as those that power stations use: 

i.e. convert matter to heat energy, then heat up water [or some such substance]
and use the steam to drive turbines, which produces your electricity.

Fit all of that in a locust!

Brad.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Weapons (Big & Small vs. Medium)
From: steiner@jupiter.cse.utoledo.edu (jason steiner)
Date: 27 Jul 92 18:08:11 EST

ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat) writes:
> MM> What can be done to change this?
> 
> Make the benefits of using these "undesirable" weapons tangible within game
> mechanics. SMGs use the same rounds as handguns, generally doing slightly
> more damage (no diatribe on barrel lengths, etc). In single-shot modes
> they're a bit less accurate, but not by much. In full automatic modes
> someone with minimal skill will hit with around half of the rounds fired
> (assuming no civilian hostages in the way).

wrong. wrong. wrong. suggestion: subscribe to rec.guns or go to a
range sometime instead of watching Rambo. -you- try firing a MAC-10
full auto sometime. 15 hits out of 30 rounds -might- be possible
at a range of a metre or 2, but anything beyond that & we're talking
pipe dream status. range tests indicate more like 5/30 hits for a
-skilled- person.

the REAL uses for an SMG:

   o capacity: 30 rounds are better than 15.
   o suppression: you may not hurt them, but their heads will be down.
   o -controlled- 3 round bursts: semi-accurate & plenty of damage.

the sorry bastard who buys the Hollywood myth of "full auto rock 'n roll" 
is going to get wasted by the first fel' he runs across who's got a bit of 
cool and a semi-auto.

jason "the Friday Night Firefight intro should be a FAQ around here
       or something..." steiner

--
`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,
`, "Get off the cross. We need the wood." steiner@jupiter.cse.utoledo.edu `,
`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,
From: aq061@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Scott Devine)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Best Super system
Date: 21 Jul 92 21:59:23 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)


No one has mentioned another super-hero game: Enforcers
This game, though I have only played once is a faster and simpler game
than Champions (Which one battle I had took two hours!) or Heroes Unlimited
(Ugh! Not Palladium).  I don't know the specifics but this seems like
a good alternative to MSH which is still too simple for me.

I currently play HERO systems which I use to create my super-heroes and 
also have the Super-Agents and Gadgets book that I use to make a non-
unhumanly possible characters.  Super-Agents is good but is hard to
understand without having played either the early Champions (3 books)
or the new HERO rulebook or Champions 4th ed. 

Even though I play HERO and Champions I like MSH simplicity.  That is is
the problem with it I like detail.  Unfourtunately, I want a quick game 
with lots of detail.  I want a Champions campaign to last less than
four hours.  This will never happen but anyways I mention three games
I have played two of which I own and one I know almost nothing about
and since I mentioned Enforcers is Super-Twerps any good?
##
-- 
-------------------------------------------------
_  //   Scott Devine (aq061@cleveland.freenet.edu)
\\//                                              
 \/ Amiga, the world's most perfect machine.      
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: tomscud@owlnet.rice.edu (Thomas Reid Scudder)
Subject: Magic system idea
Organization: Rice University
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 05:31:08 GMT


Here's an idea for a magic system which I have been toying with in my head for
a while, but haven't gotten around to putting on paper or otherwise
rationalising:

Casting spells does not use up endurance, nor does a caster have a limited
number of spells or a limited 'mana pool' to cast from each day.  Instead,
with each spell cast, the caster gains some "magical charge" which dissipates
at a slow and constant rate.  As the charge accumulates, various things
happen to the caster, for instance, he may, at the lowest level, radiate magic
until his charge drops below that level, at a medium level being affected by
various antimagic measures, and at a higher level he could be unable to stand 
the thought of shaving, or washing himself (or herself), and so on.

This is somewhat similar to the Ravenloft "corruption" rules.

This would end up being very similar to a "mana pool" system, except that a
mage could go far beyond the normal daily limit, after which she would have
to ration herself for a month or so to bleed off the excess energy.  If a 
character didn't, he would gradually become more and more isolated from normal
life, eventually being carried away to Faerie or something.

Just some 1AM ramblings in hopes of provoking some discussion...
From: hummell+@pitt.edu (Andrew G Hummell)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: WANTED: frp map maker
Date: 24 Jul 92 12:41:39 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <1992Jul23.192111.26789@news.columbia.edu> bbk3@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Bradley B Kohn) writes:
>
>   I was wondering in anyone out there uses a computer program to create
>detailed maps for frps. I am trying to find one that works in a hex map
>format and can also be exapnded to show terrain, cities, etc. Any ideas
>would be appreciated, and if anyone knows of anything for an IBM-PC I
>would appreciate the info.

There is a set of Windows programs for doing just that.  They are called
Hexview and Hexmap (and can be found on various ftp sites, like
oak.oakland.edu -- I think).  They are shareware, however, you will have
to register them before you get the full capabilities.  They can still
be used, but it takes a lot more work.  I can't vouch for the fully enabled
versions, since I haven't the room in my budget to register them yet.

Hope this helps.
Andy
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  "I'm not insane...just a reasonable facsimile."  | Hummell@unix.cis.pitt.edu
  "Character is what you are in the dark."         | Andy Hummell ...that's me 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: v131p9t3@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Ninstar Cybermage - Back Again from the Mists!)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Military Mechs?
Date: 29 Jul 92 14:41:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Jul28.152532.27643@burrhus.harvard.edu>, canders@isr.harvard.edu (Carl E. Anderson) writes...
>In article <Bs323p.GC3@acsu.buffalo.edu> v131p9t3@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Ninstar Cybermage - Back Again from the Mists!) writes:
>	Tanks in BattleTech can be pretty annoying, and the self-propelled
>guns are a bitch too.  I was in a game where a light Mech Lance ran into a
>Lance of tanks (big mean tanks mind you) and the Mech's nearly got taken
>apart.  Even more recently one of the players in my Lance decided to ignore
>the tank in favour of attacking the nearby Mech.  Got shredded next round
>by the tank ...

Never ignore a tank unless there's a big hill between you.  And even then, well 
anyway.  Like I said.  They both have their uses.  You'll probably never get
rid of tanks, but I can see where mechs could be useful as a supplement to
tanks.  All my Mech companies are usually supported by tanks.  And infantry.

James Shank           	#		v131p9t3@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
AKA: Ninstar Cybermage  #	or	shank@acsu.buffalo.edu
###############################################################################
"Ten thousand years old...He could be trouble." -Vampire Hunter D
"Every night I say a prayer, in the hope that there's a heaven..."-Styx
"How do you make ammends for a god's sins?"-Forgotten Realms
##############################################################################
Sneaky Types,Inc.:Clandestine operations for the common man.
	"Don't call us.  We'll just bill you when it's done."
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Axly)
Subject: Re: SR: Blood 'n guts games
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 15:07:17 GMT

gt9405b@prism.gatech.EDU (Lord Goodgulf the Ma-a-a-agical Wizard) writes:

>     I don't buy the arguement that deckers and such will become prime targets
>if they have guns.  If two or three people in the group I encounter have whipped
>out their smgs or whatever and layed down a burst or two while another two or
>three are ducking and still fumbling for their guns, I'm damn well going to
>shoot at the ones who're already moving.  The rest (unless they start doing
>something that looks like it might be spell) can wait.  And if the group you're
>up against has enough spare fire-power to divert some to the people who play
>a smaller role, you're hosed anyway unless they're not very good.  At which
>point your decker/rigger/other-non-combat-character isn't an assured blood
>spot.

Well, I shoot the ones who are going slow first. Why? Because the fast ones
tend to run out of Dodge pool when their actions are over and MY slow
people can geek them. I shoot their slowpokes to prevent the same thing
from happening to me. Two SMG bursts from a Decker can mess your day up
if you have run out of Dodge pool. Most speedDemon characters are pretty
well armored and they'll have their full Dodge pool when I'm shooting at
them. I'll bet on my armor, my dodge pool and team spell defense to keep
their lightning lads at bay for one turn. Our Decker can then splash
their speedsters. *sigh* Now if anyone in our group realized this..

Axly 


>-- 
>Lynn Richard Akers
>"Justice is lost, justice is raped, justice is gone.
> Pulling your strings, justice is done."   - Metallica, And Justice For All
>uucp:	  ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt9405b          Internet: gt9405b@prism.gatech.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: nigel@rs733.GSFC.NASA.Gov
Subject: Re: Cyberpunk (was: SR: SRII combat mods)
Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md, USA
	<wilder.711507993@mik.uky.edu>
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 19:52:24 GMT

In article <wilder.711507993@mik.uky.edu> wilder@mik.uky.edu (jeff wilder) writes:

[lots deleted]

   And that's part of the point.  There are bound to be exceptions, of course,
   but *most* non-combat oriented characters are going to have no *interest*
   in *becoming* combat-oriented.  All you are doing is making yourself a large
   and easily removed target.  What the fuck are Samurai *for*, anyway?

Upi brought Case up before...if I remember correctly (probably not but
hey) didn't he pick a shotgun up at some point of the book and
remember which end went bang?  I remember Sally (Molly? damned if it
hasn't been a long time) being indisposed at the time.

I distinctly remember Case buying a nasty hand-to-hand weapon before he
met Sally and was really hankering for a pistol from a back street
dealer...

I'd say that you're star example knew which end of a gun was the
business end and spent his 4 points in Firearms eh? 

>| Jeff 


Nigel
--
Nigel Tzeng
.sig under construction
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: macgyver@turtle.cis.ohio-state.edu (MacGyver)
Subject: Mythus of GDW
Summary: it's shipping!
Organization: The Ohio State University, Department of Computer and Information Science
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 23:27:48 GMT

Mythus, the magic book for the Dangerous Journeys by GDW is now shipping.
 
                                Mac
-- 
Wilson MacGyver                      |"I do like a road, because you can be 
Internet:macgyver@cis.ohio-state.edu | always wondering what is at the end
=====================================| of it."
Disclaimer:All opinions are mine only|=======================================
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: covin@tartarus.uchicago.edu (David Covin)
Subject: Re: Champions
Organization: University of Chicago Computer Science
	<COVIN.92Jul28124227@despair.cs.uchicago.edu>
	<1992Jul28.203315.11937@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 20:48:31 GMT

In article <1992Jul28.203315.11937@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> apearlma@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Andrew Pearlman) writes:

   In article <COVIN.92Jul28124227@despair.cs.uchicago.edu> covin@tartarus.uchicago.edu (David Covin) writes:

   >however, since as noted there are many INT-based skills which should
   >be based on how smart you are, and buying up your INT flat-out makes
   >you better at them, INT must represent how smart you are.

   No, no, no.  Correlation does *not* imply causality.  If you don't have many
   INT-based skills and a high INT, does this mean you are exceptionally smart?
   Maybe, or perhaps you figure out simple to moderately complex things rapidly.
   There are some physicists I know who wouldn't notice a bomb going off in the
   next room, provided they were thinking about something else.  Incredibly
   bright, but methodical and slow thinkers.  Simple test:  make a character
   with a 53 INT and *no* INT based skills.  Is this character smart?

Well, in modelling correlation can imply representation.  I claim that
the INT stat in Hero gives the effect of character intelligence, and
that no other stat does, and that INT does not give solely the effect
of "quick-thinking"; therefore INT represents intelligence.

Your character with a 53 INT may be a natural genius with no training.
Notice that for the same effort (character points) required for a 13 INT
character to learn an INT-based skill at 12-, your character could
learn the same skill at a roll of 20-.  Seems to me, that means your
character is incredibly smart.

Now, you could get the effect of an "absent-minded genius" by either
buying down your 20- perception roll, or buying 5-pt levels with INT
skills instead of INT.  If your GM won't let you buy the PER roll
down, then you are effectively being penalized in point costs for a
character conception that's a staple of many genres.

In sum, Hero should probably have a separate mental stat for
Perception, since many literary/comic/cinematic genres dictate that
perceptiveness and intelligence do not necessarily go hand-in-hand.  I
would argue that the ability to think quickly under pressure is the
one that should *not* be represented by a game mechanic, since it
really cannot be implemented in game rules-- the player has to be the
inspired one.

--
David Covin                           covin@despair.uchicago.edu
From: grendel@uhuru.uchicago.edu (Cliff Winnig)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Dark games
Keywords: Batman, Superman, Watchmen, & you
Date: 30 Jul 92 15:21:27 GMT
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations

Andrew Weiland writes:
>Sorry if this was an in-depth response to what was meant as a fluff
>thread. I do that sometimes.

No problem.  We're versatile.  :)

>Chic logos aside, I think that this reflects a bit of maturity in the
>world of game design.

I agree, but it's only one aspect of that maturity.  The industry as a whole  
has been moving from "bash 'em for experience points" games to games for  
playing interesting, 3D characters.  Amber, for example, provides an  
excellent environment for creating interesting characters, and it very much  
gets away from the good vs. evil theme, but it doesn't have a dark  
atmosphere.

Edward Ross argued this point rather eloquently, so I won't reiterate.

>Eventually players began to yawn, ready to face down Yet Another Evil
>Wizard.  Some GMs, and eventually some game designers, responded to the
>challenge by making the opponents more interesting....
>This is the origin of "Dark" games.

A friend of mine postulated that trends in gaming are closely tied to comic  
book trends, and that current FRPs reflect things like Watchmen and Dark  
Knight Returns.

Edward Ross writes:
> 	The trend is not limited to roleplaying games: compare the Batman
> movies with the Superman movies of the early eighties. It might be
> economically caused... it could just as well be fashion.

Intersting how comic-inspired movies reflect and affect mainstream American  
culture.  I think they're part of an overall disillusionment here in the  
States.  Anyone want to speculate on what trends in British culture affected  
the development and popularity of Warhammer FRP?

Edward Ross adds:
> I personally think that the
> dark games have overdone darkness, stylized it to the point of silliness,
> and so I find the "Dark Darkness" lampoons very funny! :)

Thanks!  And with that, I'll fade to black....
--
Cliff "Darker Than Thou" Winnig	       ||  	 ,     ___     .    -------_
cliff@uchicago.edu		       ||    	 \_|__/_ _\__|_/     \    //
or, for mail with NeXT attachments:    ||            /  >  \ 	      \  //
grendel@uhuru.uchicago.edu	       ||	     \^-^- /           \//
From: bret@technix.mn.org (Bret Indrelee)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Champions
Date: 30 Jul 92 03:17:00 GMT
Organization: /usr/usenet/organization

In article <COVIN.92Jul28124227@despair.cs.uchicago.edu> covin@tartarus.uchicago.edu (David Covin) writes:
>Irrelevant, actually.  If I can buy +1 to all INT-based skills for 5
>points, or buy +5 INT for 5 points which will give me +1 to all
>INT-based skills *and* +1 perception, and +1 perception costs 3 points
>otherwise, then I'm ahead 3 points if I buy the INT.  If I didn't want
>to have that high a perception roll, and the GM won't let me buy it
>down, it's somewhat less efficient than it could be, but unless I'm 
>playing in a hero-level campaign where there are characteristic
>maxima, *there's never any good reason to buy 5-pt levels with
>INT-based skills*.  They're just not as good as buying INT.


Unless you later want to expand to an 8 pt or 10 pt skill level later.

Then you might want to think about it...


-Bret

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bret Indrelee		    |	This space left intentionally blink.
email: bret@technix.mn.org  |	                               ;^)
I am not an employee of Technix, nor do I represent them in any way.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: oroboros@acca.nmsu.edu (The Wyrm Ouroboros)
Subject: Re: SR: Blood 'n guts games
Organization: The Clearing House, Ltd.
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 09:48:33 GMT

In article <ward1.711900340@husc8> ward1@husc8.harvard.edu (Lester Ward) writes:
>Oh, but we do. (heh, heh, heh).  Mages in our campaign have quickly learned
>that foci are Bad Things to own.
>
>Wordman

I dunno.  Lots of foci can be bad, esp. if they're stolen.  But one or three
foci, perhaps stacked....

I've a question for the .net.  Is it just me, or does the concept of blowing
everybody else up with a fireball grounded through a lock seem kind of funky?
I can see nailing the wearer of the lock, but the entire .area.??  For some
reason, I see something wrong, there....

Ouroboros
The Wyrm of the .Net
From: brian@odie.cs.mun.ca (Brian Paquet)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Genres
Date: 21 Jul 92 14:56:52 GMT
Organization: CS Dept., Memorial University of Newfoundland

A justification for mechs??
I got one, instead of using them for was, use them for sport.
They could be used for meaner versions of football
or perhaps teams can be set up to fight each other with
full realism [ammo that works] or simulated damage,
Have the players be sport heros who also get into trouble
outside the field..
 
I FLEX IN YOUR GENERAL DIRECTION!!! :)
VOLCANO