HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se (Bertil Jonell)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: Just me? (lack of RPG)
Date: 15 Oct 92 09:39:52 GMT
Organization: Chalmers Tekniska Lekskola, G|teborg, G|taland

In article <1992Oct14.164059.16638@unislc.uucp> stv@unislc.uucp (Steve Spencer) writes:
>Hi all, I have a question for you,
>Is it just me, or have the numbers of people who are interested in role
>playing drastically declined in recent years?

  It is possible that the hobby is passing from the 'growth' stage when 
neophytes were climbing on the walls to get into a campaign to the 'stable'
stage where the new recruitment is equal to or slightly larger than the
loss, and most people are involved in campaigns and don't have to go out
and randomly try to find one.

  One thing that some people (me among others) have noticed here in Sweden is
that those who started with RPG's at a very early age, while more numerous than
the 'pioneer generations', treat it more as a leisure interest among others 
than as *the* leisure activity.

  This might be a sign that RPG'ing is becomming accepted by the mainstream
over here, because on the same time, the 'pioneer generations' are getting
positions in society: There is for example an old traveller curmudgeon on
the Go"teborg City board.

-bertil-
--
"It can be shown that for any nutty theory, beyond-the-fringe political view or
 strange religion there exists a proponent on the Net. The proof is left as an
 exercise for your kill-file."
From: loydb@fnordbox.UUCP (Loyd Blankenship)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: ATTN LOYD BLANKENSHIP!
Distribution: world
X-NewsSoftware: GRn 1.16e (7/4/92) by Mike Schwartz & Michael B. Smith
Date: 11 Oct 92 21:18:34 CST
Organization: Texas Net Illuminati

uplink@cwis.unomaha.edu (John M. Scheibeler) writes:
> Okay.  CAR WARS SECOND EDITION SUCKS!  There.  I insulted something.
>

Thank you. I feel much better now. :-)

> Seriously, Loyd, when are the map sheets coming out?	I ran out a long time
> ago, and I just recently got ahold of a used copy of L'Outrance.  I'd
> dearly love to create a full-scale copy of Flying Fortress!

They ship in about 3 weeks.

> And is there any way I can get in touch with you through the email?  I tried
> once but our server couldn't reach yours.

Try replying to this!

Loyd

***************************************************************************
* loydb@fnordbox.UUCP	     Once you pull the pin,  *	Loyd Blankenship  *
* GEnie: SJGAMES	    Mr. Grenade is no longer *	PO Box 18957	  *
* Compu$erve: [73407,515]	 your friend!	     *	Austin, TX 78760  *
* cs.utexas.edu!dogface!fnordbox!loydb		     *	512/447-7866	  *
***************************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: twiddyd@carn17.alleg.edu (David Twiddy)
Subject: Re: First game (was Re: Who do you game with?)
Organization: Allegheny College
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 01:44:56 GMT

	
	I can't remember when I first learned about gaming, but I know I  
had a vague idea about what it was by 1982, when the "Mazes and Monsters"   
TV movie came out.  I always wanted to try it, but could never get anybody  
to play with.  Then my family moved and it turned out my new home was full  
of avid gamers, which was cool, if not more so.  I got the Star Frontiers  
and original Marvel Superheroes game in those dull years I didn't have  
companions, but the first game I actually played was AD&D.  Currently I  
can't play (being a college student with a schedule from Yuggoth) but I  
really like Call of Cthulhu, Villians and Vigalentes (a friend of mine ran  
several awesome campagins in that one using a Doom Patrol style universe)  
and plain ol' D&D.  I like D&D for the Gazetteers, which I think are the  
most fun fantasy supplements I have ever read.  Anybody else out there  
like them?  Let's get a thread going!  



--

David "master of obscurity" Twiddy <twiddyd@alleg.edu>
"Small wheel turn by the fire and rod
 Big wheel turn by the Grace of GOD"
 			-Jerry Garcia
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (SilverFang Ahroun)
Subject: Re: WereVamp->Ars?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 21:40:01 GMT

jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney) writes:

>>>4)  Combat system does not work.
>>>5)  Damage system does not work.

>Yeah, stupid enough to use the combat and damagy system as they appear in
>Vampire.  The system in the Storytellers' Companion does work, sort of.

Umm..just as a general info thing, that system is the one that is already
in Werewolf. I figured I'd say that so no one who owns Werewolf drops any
ducats for that book just for the combat system (Some neat idea on plot,
etc. that I wouldn't mind seeing a few GM's read though)

>>Granted, the index is horrible, but VampII will rectify that...

>Too bad they couldn't GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.  Lordamighty, an index is
>one of the most basic, bone-headed things an editor can do.  Of course, we
>are talking about White Wolf here, with the Ars Magica 3rd edition Zen Index
>from Hell.  I don't think a SINGLE reference in that index was correct.
>I like their games, but they do need to invest in a professional editor.
>(10^10 kudos to Wizards of the Coast for doing that--it shows, believe me.)

Ditto, ditto, (ditto)^ditto !! I really like their games, but darn it all,
let's get a professional editor down to Georgia ASAP.
Maybe this falls under immediate disaster relief?

>Uh, maybe you're just a twit.  I have read the scenarios, and I would agree
>that they are the following:

>Overdosed on atmosphere at the expense of substance.

Here, here.. Gosh, some of the stuff I've read makes me think they were
writing for Cyberpunk 2020 in a past life (Joke Decoder : Style over
Substance joke, not a slam on their published scenarios)



Axly


********************************************************************************
*   Axly      *  "Is Axly tough? Yes. Talented? Yes. Brave? Oh, certainly.     *
* Red Sword   *   He is also erratic, irresponsible, accident-prone, and a     *
*   Targa     *   constant threat to public safety. The trick is to keep him   *
*             *   pointed in the right direction. "                            *
*             *         -Niki                                                  *
********************************************************************************

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: cleggp@aix.rpi.edu (Paul Jason Clegg)
Subject: Re: First game (was Re: Who do you game with?)
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 18:03:39 GMT

I started out with Star Frontiers (back before it was called Alpha Dawn rules).
I got it in, oh...3rd or 4th grade...  It sat in my closet for occasional
reading for about 4 years before I finally got a grasp on the concept of
roleplaying...  But then I could never find any players (still having trouble
doing that, believe it or not...)  My lack of players is probably what made
my interest in RPGs more of a interest in the rules conventions that various
people have come up with...

...Paul
From: tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Tim Dunn)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: What is the best Psionics system?
Date: 12 Oct 92 20:35:34 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: hairball.ecst.csuchico.edu


FGU's Other Suns seemed to the the first one that I saw, and I liked it.
I've not seen it for a while (the game book was one of those things that
go bye-bye when I moved so many times since.)  Another FGU product, Psi
World, would seem to give the most detailed treatment, or so I'd hope.
It would be sad if a game so named did not adequately treat it's primary
topic.

I'll surprise some people when I suggest that Hero psionics are not that
great.  They are fine mechanically (though a little on the whimpo side
now that they've revised them in 4th ed.) but they don't really play on
the mystery and suspense side that psionics seem to so often do.  I guess
I've become picky in my old age.  =)

-- 
Nothing is faster than the speed of light ...

To prove this to yourself, try opening the refrigerator door before
the light comes on.
From: tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Tim Dunn)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: First game (was Re: Who do you game with?)
Date: 13 Oct 92 18:44:11 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: hairball.ecst.csuchico.edu

WildCard writes:
>Did anyone else start out with a game other than DND? If so, how do you think 
>your game preferences and attitudes have been influenced by it?

I started out with Champs, and I think it shows in my game-think til now.

o	I liked detail and complexity, but OD'd on it a while back and am
	now an ardent KISS'er.  Amber uber alles (strike that comment, clerk!)

o	I used to like a rule for everything and everything by the rules, but
	some of the supplements (*esp* Champs 3) went too far.

o	I still have an appreciation for a system that is internally consis-
	tent, extensible, yet balanced (disclaimer: balanced *under* *normal*
	*play*.)  This is a reason for me to dislike Vampire, but my def. of
	"normal play" seems to be unique to that of the net. 

o	I still like Champs for a Generic Universal System, and find that the
	damage disparity ("Can I have another clip, I think he's stunned.")
	can be easily remedied when playing a more gritty setting.

o	I've noticed that people are (at time, irrationally) proctective of
	their first games, and I will claim the same fault.  

-- 
"I drink to make other people interesting."
		-- George Jean Nathan
From: loydb@fnordbox.UUCP (Loyd Blankenship)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: Thanks Loyd!
Distribution: world
X-NewsSoftware: GRn 1.16e (7/4/92) by Mike Schwartz & Michael B. Smith
Date: 9 Oct 92 14:51:35 CST
Organization: Texas Net Illuminati

cpearce@nemesis.acs.unt.edu (Chris Pearce) writes:
>
> Thanks Loyd for a great sourcebook!

Ack! Someone said something *nice* on the net! I may faint. :-) :-) C'mon,
insult Supers or something, so I know I'm not dreaming.

Seriously, I'm glad you like it. Paul Hume swears he's mailing me the first
draft of _Cyberworld_ this week, so hopefully, we'll get a good world back-
ground to go with it now...

Loyd

***************************************************************************
* loydb@fnordbox.UUCP	     Once you pull the pin,  *	Loyd Blankenship  *
* GEnie: SJGAMES	    Mr. Grenade is no longer *	PO Box 18957	  *
* Compu$erve: [73407,515]	 your friend!	     *	Austin, TX 78760  *
* cs.utexas.edu!dogface!fnordbox!loydb		     *	512/447-7866	  *
***************************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: Rannou@info.polymtl.ca (Patrick Rannou)
Subject: Re: Sexism in Gaming
Organization: Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, Canada
	<1992Oct08.014221.24355@rchland.ibm.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 22:05:33 GMT

In article <1992Oct08.014221.24355@rchland.ibm.com> seurer@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (Bill Seurer) writes:


   In article <batemanc.718459790@p4.cs.man.ac.uk>, batemanc@p4.cs.man.ac.uk (Mad Chris) writes:
   |> 
   |> "If a player wishes his character to do <action> he must <action>."
   |> 
   |> becomes
   |> 
   |> "If a player wishes to do <action>, they must <action>."
   |> 

   I hate to be picky, but that is not proper English since "a player" is
   singular and "they" is plural (or used with indefinites like "everybody").
   Substitute something other than "a player" (like "Sally" or "Joe") and it 
   is more obvious then.

   Try,

	"If players wish to do <action> they must <action>."

   or
	"If a player wishes to do <action> the player must <action>."

   (I get burned by stuff like this all the time in my technical writing but
   it must be starting to sink in...)


Heck, even then it's not PPolytically Correct because we all know that
there is a MAJOR difference between what Jack the player want to do and
want Selenior his elven character wants to do. There is a big difference
between a player and a character and if you haven't learned it yet, well
you DON'T have such a big problem.

Pak.
--
/---------------------------\
| Patrick "Paradak" Rannou. |
| Rannou@info.polymtl.ca    |
\---------------------------/
From: Mark E. Johnson <mjohnson@force.decnet.lockheed.com>
Subject: Re: First Gaming System
X-UserAgent: Nuntius v1.1.1d9
Organization: LMSC
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 92 01:01:56 GMT
X-XXDate: Wed, 14 Oct 92 18:10:43 GMT

>Someone asked about people whose first RPGs were not *D&D.  I'm one.

Oops, I forgot to mention the important fact that I'm a GURPS fan, now.
I still have a place in my heart for Hero and TFT, though!
From: torban@csuvax1.csu.murdoch.edu.au (Torban Bennett)
Subject: Re: Who do you game with?
Organization: Murdoch University
Date: 12 Oct 92 09:55:34 GMT


I wanted to reply to the discussion on sexism in gaming, but now I get 
to reply to two topics at the same time!

Well it all began waaay back in primary school.  My best friend found
out about D&D from some friend of his family.  He started telling me
about it, but I didn't have a clue what he was talking about.
Anyway, he showed me the books one day, and we started playing.  There
was a group of us at school who would play it together at lunch time
and stay up all night at each others houses playing.  We even started
reading books like The Hobbit, LOTR and "The Wizard of Earth sea"
(Prior to D&D we were Sci Fi nuts.)  Needless to say - Munchkin was
an apt description of our playing style, but what the heck, we were
just kids having fun ;-)

Then some new neighbours moved in, and I got to be friends with their kids
(a brother and sister) well eventually I introduced them, and another guy
who lived nearby to D&D.  So I had two seperate circles of friends who
played D&D (our only RPG in those days!) those who I went to school with
and those who lived near by (funnily enough, none of my neighbours went to
my school)

A couple of years went by, and it was time for High School, and boo hoo
(sob etc :(   our happy primary school group broke up, as we went to
different high schools.  At high school I got a new set of friends
(how convenient ;-) some of who played RPG's and we would play regularly.
(meanwhile I sill played at home with my neighberhood friends)

Anyway people grow up, move away etc and thats exactly what happend at
home.  One guy moved intersate, which just left the 3 of us in the 'home
circle' but we still had great games.  (And this is where the sexsim thread
comes in, or lack of it.) 'cos it was me and my neighbors, the brother and
sister, and I have to say in my gaming history, she was one of the best
players I have had the pleasure to DM (BTW I always DMed our little group)
and unfortunatley I have never been involved in a group since then where
the players weren't all males.  Sadly she recently moved to the other side of 
Australia.  This means I introduce important female
NPC's to redress the balance and play the occasional female character
myself. (as they all play males)  

Now at uni, I still have the two old circles of friends to RPG with as well
as socialise (read-> act out a 'normal' life with ;-).
Even though the last of the neighbours changed suburbs,  I still play
occasionaly with his circle of school friends.  Really I should have a 
third circle of RPGer here at uni, but haven't got round to it.
Anyone reading this message at Murdoch uni - email me now ;-)
(I do however, PBeM accross the planet, long live the net !!! ;-)

Woah!!!  I seem to have rambled on long enough.

Torban Bennett      torban@murdoch.edu.au

Lister: 'Come on, what are you, a man or a munchkin?'
Rimmer: 'I'm off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz.'
    - "Red Dwarf"
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: 911087e@ace.acadiau.ca (JOHN ANTHONY ENZINAS)
Subject: Re: Thanks Loyd!
Organization: Acadia University
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 22:32:54 GMT

In article <1992Oct14.165136.20056@rchland.ibm.com> seurer@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (Bill Seurer) writes:
>-- 
>I think you have missed the difference between the two kinds of GURPS
>supplements.  There are the ones like Space, Magic, and CyberPunk which
>are truly "generic" in that they don't describe a world but rather how to
>make one and what tradeoffs there are.
>
>Then there are "worldbooks" like Fantasy which do describe a specific
>campaign.
>
maybe: 
space at least gave example governments, as well as methods for creating 
starships and and planets (the latter being rather useful). anyway it did 
contain enough for a world.
magic although i have not read the book sounds like a rule book. sort of 
an enhancement and expanation of the basic rules.
cyberpunk did not even have as much fleshing out as space. for example no 
real rules for law enforcement, no example corporations, no rules for 
corporation size or reasources, and other minor lackings. it
basically told them: here, read these cyberpunk books and model your 
campaign on them. but it did not tell you how! this is my biggest complaint.

another minor thing that irked me was the fact that in baic gurps a very 
heroic human has 100pts. in cyberpunk a low level character has 150 pts
the extra point are not necessary in any of the other world books. what are 
the extra points for?

--johnny vague
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: tbarnes@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (thomas wrentmore barnes)
Subject: Re: Thanks Loyd!
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 17:53:09 GMT

In article <loydb.09bq@fnordbox.UUCP> loydb@fnordbox.UUCP (Loyd Blankenship) writes:
>cpearce@nemesis.acs.unt.edu (Chris Pearce) writes:
>>
>> Thanks Loyd for a great sourcebook!
>
I concur. Also thanks to Steffan O'Sullivan for doing a really good job
on GURPS Swashbucklers. It's a fun book. 

Thanks, 
	Tom

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: wallacew@ucsu.Colorado.EDU (Dave Tolmie)
Subject: Re: Who do *you* game with?
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 22:46:17 GMT

bets@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Beth Schwindt) writes:

>I'm interested in seeing who people game with and why.  Do you have
>a specific group of friends that the only time you see them is to game? 
>Will you only game with people you have known for a certain amount of time?


I play in a D&D campaign with a group which I only knew one person from before
before the first day.  And, I play in a GURPS campaign in which I've known the
players for an average of about 8 years (I'm 20).  I live with and/or hang-out
with the GURPS players, but I only see the D&D players at the game (though,
that's starting to change(.



Dave
-- 
David Tolmie				
dtolmie@nyx.cs.du.edu
wallacew@ucsu.colorado.edu
From: Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca (Nick Janow)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: Sexism in Gaming
Date: 7 Oct 92 07:15:04 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Distribution: world

cn0n+@andrew.cmu.edu (Cynthia K. Neelan) writes:

> However sexism in roleplay games very much DOES exist. ....  The problems
> that I have experienced are two fold:
>
> I)  Obvious lack of Female NPC's
>
> II)  Male answer syndrome, or No *YOU* can't do that... but *I* can.....

Yup, there are still male chauvanists out there.  Such mindsets have been
supported--even encouraged--by society for a long time.  The recent Barbie
doll foolishness ("Girls are no good at math...") just goes to show that
society still fosters male dominance.

Hopefully, you'll be able to change the attitudes of at least a few gamers.
A few more normal female NPCs here, a female leader PC there; eventually the
guys will accept that as normal.

I've always liked having female players in games.  I'm not quite sure
why--probably several reasons--but their contributions to the games make the
games more enjoyable.

Our gaming group (4 male, 1 female) doesn't seem to have any gender bias,
though I haven't really looked carefully.  There seems to be no bias in the
number and types of NPCs; a tough Navy officer or a wimpy clerk is as likely
to be female as male.  Our female player is chief mate aboard our ship, while
my player is the purser.

Good luck with your group

Now what can we do to encourage more female participation in this usenet
group? :)

--

Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca
From: tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Tim Dunn)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: (Hero) What is the best Psionics system?
Date: 14 Oct 92 07:07:11 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: hairball.ecst.csuchico.edu

John J Cassidy writes:
>Really, Tim, 'Hero Psionics'?  Where did you ever get the idea that
>Hero had made a psionics system?

If they had, it'd be "Psionic Hero" not 'Hero Psionics.'  =)  Love them
original and creative names, doncha now?

>I write:
>>I know I'm starting to sound like Sea Wasp here, but the mechanical feel
>>of the rules are wrong.  Psionics IMPO are like magic -- rare, mysterious
>>and secret.  For a structured rules system to deal with them is to have
>>players (myself *and* most Hero players I've gamed with) say, "Oh, I know
>>how to do that, it's a <blank> with a <blank> advantage and a <blank>"
>>and so forth.
>	If you hate to sound like Sea Wasp, then why do it? (*)

It's addictive?  =)  =P

>	Anyway, you say the feel is all wrong.  I don't understand this.
>Take the Hero mechanics and MAKE the feel right. 

There we go to where the deadly jellyfish and I differ.  I don't mind
premaking characters, giving mystery powers, experiences, backgrounds
or allowing them to have powers and giving them mystery limitations on
it.  (One game I ran I allowed them a free +1, mandatory.  The limitation
was a Cumulative summoning.... Heheheh.)

>	Anyway, you can make a package of rules, and add it to the Hero 
>system.  It doesn't resist it. Besides nothing keeps them from looking in `
>Space Opera rulebook, and learning what THOSE powers can do, anyway.

That's rules you add in.  I'm not saying that you can modify Hero to 
suit.  You can do anything.  However, in answering the question that
originally started this thread, I assumed a basic level of play.  I
don't recall (and the article has expired on my site) where I got that
from, either it was explicitly stated or I inferred it from the wording
of the article, but I wanted to address a basic level of play.

As such, I'm trying to steer the person towards systems that I feel
best capture the feel, the atmosphere of psionics.  Hero, with it's
"all hands on the table" feel, does not do this well.  Sure, it is 
possible to modify Hero to better fulfill this requirement, but that
may be more than what the person wanted.

-- 
Putt's Law:
	Technology is dominated by two types of people:
		Those who understand what they do not manage.
		Those who manage what they do not understand.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy