HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: phaedrus@blegga.u.washington.edu (Mark Phaedrus)
Subject: Final Call--RPG Experts Wanted
Followup-To: poster
Summary: includes revised system list
Reply-To: phaedrus@blegga.cac.washington.edu
Organization: Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 21:13:49 GMT

     This is the final call for gaming experts to help with the writing of
integration notes for the TPO Bestiary, the new TPO supplement by Nigel 
Findley.  For those who have not seen TPO (which is in stores now), it's a
capsystem (a system-independent set of rules) dealing with all aspects of
deities in your RPG campaign, including deific PCs.  The integration notes
describe how to apply this information to a variety of specific gaming systems;
this is the sort of material we will be writing for the new TPO Bestiary.
     Here are the systems that we are currently soliciting knowledgeable gamers
for; some systems have been added since the last posting, and we are also 
looking for help for any other published fantasy RPGs that might be 
appropriate for inclusion.  Numbers in parentheses are the number of gamers
currently signed up for that system.

          AD&D(7), Arduin(2), Ars Magica(5), Chivalry & Sorcery(3), D&D(4),
     GURPS(7), Harnmaster(2), Hero System(7), MERP(1), Palladium(5),
     Pendragon(0), Rolemaster(6), RuneQuest(3), Shadowrun(4), Synnibarr(0),
     Talislanta(2), TORG(1), Vampire(2), Warhammer(6), WarpWorld(2).

     I am particularly looking for more authors for Pendragon, Synnibarr and
TORG; since those systems were supported in TPO, they need to be included in
the Bestiary too, and I don't relish the thought of having to do Pendragon and
Synnibarr alone. :)
     All those who join and contribute useful suggestions will receive proper
credit in the TPO Bestiary, as well as a free copy of the product after
publication.
     If you have replied to my previous post, you should have already received
more information from me, including a very short message saying "if you receive
this, you are on the <insert system here> list" for each system you expressed
interest in.  If you did not receive this, it means that either there are mail
problems or that I somehow misplaced your message; please accept my apology and
contact me again, and I'll resolve the problem.
     My thanks to all those who have offered to help, and thanks in advance to
all those who decide to do so in the future.  We are on a tight time schedule,
so if you are interested in helping, please contact me now.

                                  Mark Phaedrus
                                  Subcontractor for Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
                                  phaedrus@blegga.cac.washington.edu

     TPO, The Primal Order, and TPO Bestiary are trademarks of Wizards of the
Coast, Inc.; Wizards of the Coast is a registered trademark of Wizards of the
Coast, Inc.; other game systems mentioned are trademarks of their respective
compenies.  Your actual mileage may vary.
Mark Phaedrus           phaedrus@blegga.cac.washington.edu  
  Integration note coordinator for the TPO Bestiary(TM)
     Subcontractor for Wizards of the Coast(R), Inc.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: jwtlai@jeeves.waterloo.edu (Jim W Lai)
Subject: Re: Shadowrun security (Re: Shadowrun: Controlling magicians)
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 06:17:26 GMT

In article <BMtFBs.LA@world.std.com> grex@world.std.com (Mark J Urbin) writes:
>   An article was posted on another newsgroup about a current piece of tech.
>A subdermal transponder.  It would respond to a signal on a set frequency.
>Range was given as `several blocks'.  Current use is to track down lost pets.
>The article claimed that it was to be marketed at a way to keep track of kids.
>Take this tech to 2050...

And, well, gosh, now ripperdocs have yet another reason to have clientele.
I'd imagine it'd be a minor surgical operation in most cases.  But would
they bother implanting?  Think of the PR consequences and the effect of
decreased morale.  And the magical types would absolutely refuse.
Organization: North Dakota Higher Education Computer Network
Date: Monday, 6 Apr 1992 13:33:20 CDT
From: <UD137927@NDSUVM1.BITNET> (David R. Henry)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: SRUN: Magicalness and Dianetics

Two different subjects for the price of one convenient post! First off, some
more from our Comparative Religions Department:


People who want a good real-world basis to fit their SRUN Universal Brother-
hood scenarios around could do worse than to study L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics
and Scientology. Here is a scary bunch of people, folks, and they don't need no
silly insect spirits to make them so.

A retired science fiction writer decides that the best way to make money is to
build a cult and then siphon all the profits to him. So, he borrows a few
"feel good" sociological sophisms and adds a large mix of pseudo-science
babble (Dianetics) and suddenly you've got the numerous Bridges that lead
you to enlightenment. You also get, after a few decades of this nonsense, a
group which has tried to kill high-ranking members who decide to go get out,
who run smear campaigns against journalists who investigate them to try and
prevent stories from getting out, have their own members buy copies of
Dianetics and then give them back to the company so the books can be
redistributed again so the members can rebuy them again, to boost the book's
sales records so it looks like a lot of people are buying into the cult, and
have plotted to overthrow sections of the FBI and United States Government.
It's like Lyndon LaRouche on steriods and bad 'shrooms. I mean, they don't
even admit that Hubbard is dead in their official cult memos -- he's merely
been transferred to a higher plane to "continue his research unimpeded."
Scary stuff, well worth studying for a GM if you want the UB to be as
behinds-the-scenes powerful as it could be (or if you want to start your
own religion :-).

On a different note, I noticed this recent exchange:

> thornt_g> Basically, mages in shadowrun are gods. They can do whatever they
> thornt_g> like, whenever they like, and better than anyone without magic.
> thornt_g> You let a plauer design a mage, just watch him assign particular
> thornt_g> priorities in the right place, and BANG! He has a mage that can
> thornt_g> do anything! You name it! Dial-A-Spell!
>
> Here, eat my 1/2 level fireball (tosses a grenade). Scratch 1 mage.

What Shadowrun are you playing, and how can I get your grenades which
actually *kill* somebody? :-) :-)



>>>>>  CTHULHU IN '92! -- Why vote for the LESSER evil?  <<<<<
In related news:  George Bush is the Anti-Kate. Details at 11.
David Henry/Rogue Fan Club/Chaos Anonymous (ud137927@ndsuvm1.bitnet)
                                          (ud137927@vm1.nodak.edu)
What was your question? --K //Thanks... for the memories. -- Rogue
Organization: Freshman, Drama, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1992 04:24:23 -0400 
From: Anthony Russell Rosania <ar2j+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Inter-Party Conflicts
	<10APR199210152545@zeus.tamu.edu>
Distribution: usa

As an side note I would like to point out we had a huge number of
players and there were conflicts which resulted in the party spitting
into two and each took on some of a new group of players who had
finished one module together... Hell on the DM (three parties then two
in the same world) but it was fun, about a year later (real time)  we
all met again and there are ven more conflicts, it hasn't been game
destroying though, personal conflicts may end in a couple dead
characters but those are the trouble makers anyway.
				Ant
From: khise@caravan.ksu.ksu.edu (Martin Andrew Shobe)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: CHAMPS: question on turn sequencing
Date: 6 Apr 1992 18:13:54 -0500
Organization: Kansas State University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: caravan.ksu.ksu.edu


In article <1992Apr6.165538.16825@ctr.columbia.edu>, vcf1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Victoria C Fike) writes:
>In article <ro3ojINNnvp@festus.ksu.ksu.edu> khise@festus.ksu.ksu.edu (Martin Andrew Shobe) writes:
>>
>>In article <k6TqiB1w164w@seanews.UUCP>, caladan!seanews!monorail@seattleu.edu (Brannon Boren) writes:
>>>
>>>        We have always played the rules this way.  The alternative
>>>(saying that if you dodge on segment 2, blowing a phase 3 action,
>>>that the dodge is only effective until your dex on segment 3 -
>>>because that's when your "next action" is)  proved to be silly.
>>>
>>>        Having the dodge end then, left the PC without the
>>>benefit of a defensive move for a whole phase.  In the example
>>>above, the hapless PC can be clobbered by someone after her
>>>dex on segment 3, because she's no longer dodging.  This is
>>>death for low speed PCs.  Letting the dodge continue gives
>>>lower speed PCs a chance.
>>>
>>[stuff deleted]
>>
>>	No it doesn't.  She can always abort her next action to continue
>>dodging.  Also, she can hold action to avoid having to abort in the first
>>place.  
>
>No she *can't* abort.  She's already performed an action in that segment.  Held
>phases and aborts notwithstanding, YOU CANNOT PERFORM TWO ACTIONS IN ONE 
>SEGMENT!!  
>
She only performs two actions in the same segment if she aborts and her next
action occurs in the same segment as her abort.  Otherwise the abort occured 
in a previous segment and the one action per segment is NOT violated.
	
>>	If you allow the dodge to continue someone with Martial Dodge becomes
>>nearly unhittable (unless the attack is area affect.).  And, they only give
>>up half thier attacks to stay that way all the time.  Which is really silly.
>
>If that happens--if your players are so rotten as to do that constantly--
>well, that's why God made Ego Attacks and Area Effects :-) :-)
>
I have always played that if you dodge on segment 2, blowing a phase 3 action,
that the dodge last until you would normally have had your next action (i.e.
the aborted one).  So if someone is constantly dodging, they cannot attack. 

Either way Ego Attacks and Area Effects are nice against players with high DCV. 
:-)

>>Khise@matt.ksu.ksu.edu
>
>Tori
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Victoria C. Fike                    |  "I heard a murmuring in the night
>vcf1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu         |   Black swords hanging cold as ice
>"If you have to be a hero, always   |   Will they lead me to Paradise?"
>remember what the word hero means." |      --Hawkwind, "Song of the Swords"
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>

Khise@matt.ksu.ksu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: brunner@kazoo.ssd.loral.com (Brian Brunner)
Subject: Re: ADND2: Help with Dual-Class
Keywords: ROLL vs ROLE
Reply-To: brunner@kazoo.ssd.loral.com (Brian Brunner)
Organization: Space Systems/Loral
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 05:33:09 GMT

Wildcard stumbles on a serious question, one that has an 
answer which, like all other answers, is smudged with
<gasp>
uncertainty.

If you play for roll playing, with the game rules defining
the game, then take the written rules literally and when
progressing in the new class, the only ONLY ==>ONLY<==
thing you take with you is your hit points and hit dice. You get
no use of any old proficiencies or skills, no matter how
mundane, since this is reverting to the old class (or what you
gained while in that class) and it will cost you xps, which are
critical to the roll-playing game.

If the rules are handy guidelines and not much else, just tools
to help keep the confusion to a minimum, take a look at the
two classes (the one left and the one gone to) and the
proficiencies involved... A Priest (famous for his mace)
becoming a Warrior who chooses to specialze in the mace
might be allowed to melee at the old Priest thac0 until the
Warrior thac0 got better. I would do this if the 1st level Priest
(excuse me... Warrior) had 6th level companions and 8hd
opponents. If the companions were all 1st level I would not
grant that gift. The guiding purpose of it all is that nobody feel
their character is painfully out-classed (note, and note well,
unless that is FUN! Role-playing a newbie acolyte amongst a
bunch of brick-eating troll-decking bonemunchers, when you
used to be one yourself, should involve NUMEROUS 'slips' into
the old persona, and projecting the person who is wrestling with
the slips should get you more xps (if they're worth anything) than
faultlessly sticking to the new class... after all what the hell is a
class? Am I a 10th-level software engineer? A 5th level daddy?)

As to the non-weapon proficiencies... if any are from the general
set, I would allow their use, but not for a proficiency from the
group pertaining to the old class, unless and until the (new) Warrior
pays one more proficiency slot for the (old) Priest skill the Priest
paid normal cost for... because this skill IS open to Warriors, if
they pay a little more for it.

There are some who will tell you that the Warrior (in this example)
gets no new proficiency slots until the Warrior level exceeds the
Priest level... take YOUR pick. Its' YOUR game.

I allow a character taking on a new class to re-roll hit dice as new
ones are gained in the new class and to replace the old rolls with
the new on a level-by-level basis... since after all the character
IS paying full price for the new levels. But then again, we powergame
because it is fun for us... your smilage may vary.


--
HELP!! Somebody slapped a "stop payment" on my sanity check!!
brunner@kazoo.ssd.loral.com; Space Systems/Loral; Palo Alto, Calif.
Black Holes... the /dev/null of the Universe; the opinion of 65534.
From: dfrancis@tronsbox.UUCP (Dennis Heffernan)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: AD&D Char Death < GURPS Char Death
Date: 7 Apr 92 09:25:26 GMT
Organization: Xanadu Enterprises Inc.

|  Just as a harmless test, ask yourself which would more of a pain in the
|  butt: losing a GURPS character during the very first session of play, or
|  losing an AD&D character during the first session of play?

	Either one would hack me off.  I don't find the math in GURPS to be
especially onorous, at least not at the 100-pt level, and I spend more time
on character background and such than on the math in any case.


dfrancis@tronsbox.xei.com   ...uunet!tronsbox!dfrancis     GEnie: D.HEFFERNAN1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I don't understand why you make such a big deal out of everything...haven't
you learned; if it's not happenning to me it's not important?" -Murphy Brown
From: cosc143u@rosie.uh.edu (91F9774)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Silly GM tricks
Date: 10 Apr 92 18:52:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: rosie.10APR199213523066
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Houston
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Apr10.161314.8520@meaddata.com>, douglash@meaddata.com (Douglas Holzworth) writes...
>In article <1992Apr9.222313.25130@sol.UVic.CA>, mmcalees@cs16.UVic.CA (Michael McAleese) writes:
Silly piercer post...

Uh... I put some monsters called "plak" into my game.  They were modeled after
the Dopey Joe's (stobors) in Heinlien's Tunnel in the Sky.  After a while, they
went from being dopey little cat-lizard like creatures to vicious things.  When
the things started looking like the town like they would overrun the town the
party went off to find the magic sword "Plak Fighter."

The sword was used in the past to protect the city of Listar by a hero who 
got it from a crystal golem.  Of course, when the party arrived, the sword had
been lost and was held by a green dragon in the mountains nearby.  Green dragons
in my world are named things like "Scolus" and "Scorn" so this particular dragon
was named, "Scope."  After the party defeated it, the town was grateful and made
them honorary citizens ("Listarine/Listerine").  Finally, when they got back
to town, they had to go on an expedition into the tomb of the mage "Lavoris" to
get another plak fighting tool (a reptile charming flute for the bard).

It was painful to run (all  those names are american mouth wash products).  I
of course described the "GLEEM" of the sword and how "Close Up" the plak were
as they came over the "Crest" of the hill. (Various American Tooth Pastes) and
a few others.

The sword comes from a Listerine commercial.  I ran the adventure entirely
straight and didn't acknowledge that there was anything more special about a
mage named "Lavoris" and one named "Takloris."  It was painful but fun.  The
party really likes "Plak Fighter" even though it's only a +1 sword (Special
ability, causes the owner to appear clean with occasional gleams of light off
points of armor, teeth, etc).
My ... silly adventure.
---
Stephen McLeod
The Eternal Student
From: weeks@astroatc.UUCP (Pat Weeks)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Ravenloft info
Summary: Necromancers in Ravenloft, neat idea huh?  Not!!
Date: 13 Apr 92 16:42:37 GMT
Reply-To: weeks%astroatc.UUCP@spool.cs.wisc.edu (Pat Weeks)
Organization: Astronautics Technology Cntr, Madison, WI


	From one Ravenloft necromancer to another:

Boy are you in for it!!

1.  Each necromantic spell in ravenloft has modified effects in that demi-plane
 eg.  Spectral hand (double duration)
    Vampiric Touch - Takes 1 hp per die permanently from character as well as
	working normally, so don't fumble and hit one of your friends...
2.  Every time you commit an evil act you may gain an ability and disadvantage
	I now have cat eyes and never have to eat ever!!
3.  Necromantic spells can be considered evil acts so every time you cast
	a necromantic spell, you have a percentage chance or getting on of
	those abilities/disadvantages... 
4.  When you gain 5 or 6 of these abilities you become evil and an NPC of
	of Ravenloft forever!  Bummer Man!


					Ghostwheel Speaks

P.S.  I've been playing for 25-30 gaming sessions so far, and I only have one
	of those things, but it's only fair to warn you!!!

P.P.S.  And no I'm not one of those people who won't cast a necromantic spell
	for fear of that happening.  I'm a necromancer darnit, if I can use
	one of my spells, I'll use it and I'll memorize as many necromantic
	spells as I can if I think they will come in handy.  Just hope your GM
	doesn't roll good/bad for you on your percentage chance!!
From: smith@ctron.com (Larry Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Insipid character names
Date: 17 Apr 92 17:55:48 GMT
Reply-To: smith@ctron.com
Organization: Cabletron Systems, Inc.

In article <1992Apr17.001707.54559@cc.usu.edu>, sl9b4@cc.usu.edu (Deep Six) writes:

>Of course, all this was to me was a very generous invitation to make a 
>mockery of their little fantasy world.

There is a lot to be said for the consideration of new players and the care
they might take when joining an established group already far along in the
creation of a shared fantasy.  Too bad Chadd didn't say it...

Larry Smith (smith@ctron.com) No, I don't speak for Cabletron.
-------------------------------------------------------------
I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a "disgrace",
that two are called a "law firm", and that three or more become a "Congress".
Organization: University of Maine System
Date: Monday, 6 Apr 1992 23:36:36 EDT
From: <IO92668@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: STEVE JACKSON NOT GONE!!!!

I don't know where this all started.  SJG is alive and well.  They just
signed on Ral Partha to cast minitures for them for Gurps, Car Wars
and others.

Besides, Partha hates TSR.  As a matter of fact, most casters hate TSR.
Thats why they had to start producing their own figs.

This news just came out 4/3/92.


Although Steve still is having a problem with backstock printings.
From: ward1@husc8.harvard.edu (Lester Ward)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Srun Magicalness reisited.
Date: 8 Apr 92 17:54:04 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc8.ward1.702755644

tkelly@unix2.tcd.ie (Rincewind) writes:
> Question:Does his magic pool consist of his MAGIC + SORCERY skill,or
>just his Sorcery.

Gaa!  Just his sorcery.  I thought the first way when I first started,
but I realized that I was getting confused by power foci.  Power foci
do two INDEPENDANT things 1) raise magic rating, 2) augment the magic
pool.  Pools and Magic Rating are completely separate in ALL ways.

>  E.g. If you're mage started off Sorcery-6 and takes a specialisation
>in Combat spells,his combat Spellcasting is 8,but all other Sorcery
>activities are 4.
Actually, it breaks down into
Combat Spellcasting: 8
Spellcasting: 6
Sorcery: 4
So, this character will suck at ritual sorcery.  And can you use specializations
for astral combat skill?  I don't think so, but maybe you can.  If not
he is really gonna suck at astral combat.

Wordman
From: cripe@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Richard Cripe)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Inspired Character Names
Date: 17 Apr 92 19:21:53 GMT
Organization: Columbia University

In article <1992Apr16.212302.15383@gtech.com> caw@gtech.com (Christopher A. White) writes:
>A rather pale, regal type:  Prince Rigor Mor'Tise
>A large, stupid type:       Bigndumme
>A not so successful brewer: Bud the Dumber (his cousin was Bud the Wiser)

I especially liked my psionicist, Milo Minderbinder.  

For those who enjoyed Catch-22, my Milo was completely neutral in all things,
making sure no one got too powerful while maintaining his own agenda of power 
pursuing...

}:)

--Rick!



Rick Cripe			:I must not fear.  Fear is the mind-killer.
cripe@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu	:Fear is the little-death that brings total
				:obliteration.  I will face my fear.
				:  --Duke Paul Muad'Dib Atreides
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: Dakin Burdick <burdickd@copper.ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Re: Some older Riddles
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 20:51:29 -0500

In article <1992Apr7.185028.20978@aio.jsc.nasa.gov> mark@trillian.jsc.nasa.gov (Mark Manning) writes:
>A REALLY old riddle from Ireland:
>
>As I was going to Saint Ives,
>I met a man with seven wives,
>With each wife were seven sacks,
>In each sack were seven kids,
>With each kid were seven cats,
>Kids, cats, sacks, and wives,
>How many were going to Saint Ives?

Are you insinuating that Irish traditionally stick their kids into
sacks with cats?  Are they heading to the river to drown all of them
or what?

For the record, the riddle should be:

"In each sack were seven cats,
with each cat were seven kits,"

Dakin
burdickd@copper.ucs.indiana.edu

PS:  Stop Child Abuse!  Outlaw Sacks!
From: smithmc@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Lost Boy)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: GURPS: UlTRA Tech ?= Ultra Death??
Date: 16 Apr 92 18:17:28 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center

In article <sduohxw91JYsMcWupK@rchland.ibm.com> "Bill Seurer,905161 " <billseurer@vnet.ibm.com> writes:
> [cool idea deleted; sorry about that]
>
>Maybe some adjustment for using a lower tech weapon against higher tech
>armor should be made.  If you shoot the guy in the battle armor with a
>LAW it won't hurt him as much as an equivalent TL 9 weapon.
>
>- Bill Seurer    Language and Compiler Development     IBM Rochester, MN
>  Internet: BillSeurer@vnet.ibm.com          America On-Line: BillSeurer

Why? A .357 is a lower TL weapon than a Glock 9mm, but they both 
penetrate TL7 armor just the same; a .357 *magnum* would do an even
better job. There's already enough of an arms and armor race in GURPS.
THis is why weapons do more damage at higher TL's and armor can absorb more
at higher TL's. A TL6 or 7 handgun won't do anything against a TL10 suit
of powered armor as it is (it would have to do 15 pts of damage); why should
someone punish a poor TL6 barbarian even more than necesary by having his/her
bazooka rocket have less chance of causing bruise damage than a TL10 Xraser
pistol?

Lost Boy