HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Tim Dunn)
Subject: Re: HERO - increasing acceleration
Organization: California State University, Chico
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 20:23:27 GMT

Wayne Wallace writes:
>Simon Seah writes:
>>In HERO, one can buy movement, and then get non-combat multipliers. How  
>>do you accelerate faster?  
>Ok, from what the rules say, your acceleration never gets any better, but
>you can always accelerate your combat movement per phase.
>
>If you really need the acceleration, combat flight, only for acceleration,
>is more legal than a 5pt acceleration multiple which isn't even in the rules.

So, here's an idea: if you purchase Flight without a NCM, the rules don't
say that it doesn't add to your acceleration. Thus, you can have a character
with a few inches of NCM flight, and can attain their max airspeed in a short
time. 
-- 
I am ready to meet my Maker.  Whether my Maker is prepared for the
great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
		-- Winston Churchill
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: heintzelman-george@CS.YALE.EDU (George Heintzelman)
Subject: Re: Psionics
Organization: Yale University Computer Science Dept., New Haven, CT 06520-2158
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 13:25:14 GMT

In article <1992Jul31.121502.9765@waikato.ac.nz> mperry@waikato.ac.nz writes:
>In article <13873@mindlink.bc.ca>, Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca (Nick Janow) writes:
>> al@calsci.UUCP (Al Petterson) writes:
>> 
>> 
>>> How do you extrapolate the existence of FTL without the existence of time
>>> travel?  By rejecting general relativity?
>
>The start of the topic was SF, then it developed to an argument of mainly two.
>The theory of realitivity is based on evidence gained at speeds well less than
>the speed of light - to be more explicit, at speeds close to no speed at all.
>From this small amount of data a theory was made - making projects upto light
>speed and beyond. Can we rely on this theory based on the limited data at close
>to 0 speed.

	The theory of relativity was developed based on strong
evidence that the speed of light was constant in all reference frames,
this arising out of both Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism and
demonstrated reasonably convincingly by the famous Michaelson-Morley
experiment (which by the way was an attempt to show the opposite.).
	Recently, the theory has been extremely well confirmed by
experimental work at particle accelerators using particles moving at
99.99+% of light speed in the laboratory reference frame. 
	So, yes, the theory is quite well-supported at high
velocities.

George Heintzelman
heintzel@cernapo.cern.ch

Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 16:53:30 -0400 
From: "Mark A. Baxter" <mb8p+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re:Cyber HERO

   Does anyone out there in netland know if the Hero system has made an
entry into the Cyberpunk genre?  I seem to remember hearing about it
somewhere but I could be wrong.  If you could tell me what you thought
of it (the more detail, the better) I would really appreciate it.  No
need to waste bandwidth though, just e-mail me.  Thanks, Mark
Mark Baxter              |One is for sorrow,
<mb8p+@andrew.cmu.edu>   |Two is for joy,
ext #4690                |Three for a girl,
                         |Four a boy,
         I               |Five is for silver,
       Have              |Six is for gold,
         A               |And Seven's a secret
      Secret             |Never to be told.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: gil@smtc21.engr.scarolina.edu (Gil Young)
Subject: Re: Psionics
Keywords: kneejerk psi
Organization: USC  Department of Computer Science
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 92 12:36:36 GMT

I'd like to point something out about this whole "Is psi or FTL
travel a real 'science fiction' skill?" thing:  You keep saying
that no one can prove that psi/FTL exists.  You can't prove it
*doesn't* exist.  You can only argue possibilities, and in fiction,
possibilities become realities.

Gil Young
"There's nothing in Science that can't be explained by magic."
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: pjk39593@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Jud Kenney)
Subject: Re: HERO - increasing acceleration
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 01:39:41 GMT

seah@fraser.sfu.ca (Simon Seah) writes:

>In HERO, one can buy movement, and then get non-combat multipliers.  It's
>not impossible to buy 10"x1,024.
>My question is, how do you accelerate faster?  I believe the rules state that
>acceleration per phase has a maxima of combat movement per phase.
>That means, in the above example, it would take 2 phases to reach 10" (5" acc.
>base), then another 1,024 phases for max. speed.  For a SPD 5 character, that's
>1,026 phases or about 205 turns, or 41 minutes!
>Correct the math all you want, but no flames over it, please.

[four options deleted]

>Any other options?

>Simon

In my current group, we use a house rule for acceleration and deceleration
multipliers, at the same cost as the normal non-combat multiple.  Sure, you can
buy 10" x 1024 non-combat, or 10" with x32 non-combat, x32 acceleration and
deceleration.  Both cost 70 (quick add, not near rules) points, but one is a
lot more useful in a tactical situation.  The other will get you where you are
going a lot faster, but stopping is kind of hard.

The interesting note is that most "long fliers" (large non-combat, normal 
acceleration) will be accelerating for a long period at the start of their
trip, and decelerating for a long period at the end.

-- 
The opinions stated here are my own, and not endorsed by or supported by
the University of Illinois.

pjk39593@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu			Jud Kenney, Student-at-Large
From: hapa@cats.ucsc.edu (Doug Easterly)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: SF roleplaying--fave system (GURPS)
Date: 22 Jul 1992 17:10:44 GMT
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucsco.ucsc.edu
Keywords: GURPS, HERO, number crunching


In article <gdfm#6n@lynx.unm.edu> lundgren@vesta.unm.edu (Chad Lundgren) writes:
>I find this hard to believe.  I've used both systems, and GURPS is 
>much easier.  With GURPS, you *know* right away whether you've made
>a roll or not; in Heros I had to consult a little chart to see if
			 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>the roll made it.  Could you give me some examples?  I don't mind a
>few simple calculations *before* play; HERO requires you do some
>*during* play.
>
>I'll shut up now before I overdose on **'s.
>
>Now this I like.  But either you copied it or someone copied you.
>-- 
>Chad Lundgren:  lundgren@ariel.unm.edu BITNET:	lundgren@unmb.bitnet 
>To my consciousness, they [people] are merely ascii files that show up on my 
>computer every day. --Doug Quarnstrom

I'm not sure I know what you are talking about here... the mental
powers tables? That's never been a problem. In Champions v.3, you
just had to know if you did 2x EGO, 3xEGO, etc. and in Hero v.4
you have to roll EGO +10, EGO +20, etc. This is pretty simple, and
the effects are just a matter of being able to make consistent
guesses/estimates on how difficult a task is. If you are talking
about the formula to hit, I certainly wouldn't call that a table.

I think this is sounding too much like a flame, which I don't 
intend. But there is nothing I can think of in HERO that requires
a table. 

There are reasons to pick on Hero system, but this isn't one of
them. 

-- 
______________________________________________________________________
The Preacher,the Politician, the Teacher,		Doug Easterly
        Were each of them once a kiddie.		hapa@ucsco.
A child, indeed, is a wonderful creature.		  ucsc.edu
        Do I want one?  God Forbiddie!
                -- Ogden Nash
From: Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca (Nick Janow)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: Psionics
Date: 23 Jul 92 21:35:38 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Distribution: world

(sjm8118@ritvax.isc.rit.edu) writes:

> Does anyone else out there think that psionics is the copout of a SF world
> designer that cannot work within the framework of his own SF world's
> technology to provide a good story/adventure?

I don't think it's a cop-out for that reason.  I think it's often a cop-out in
terms of tacking on some psi rules simply because other games have psi rule
sections (and just as bad, and tacked on for the same reason).  I haven't seen
psionics included properly in a game, whereby they are an integral part of the
rules and background.

Psionics, as offered in many games, would have major implications for many
facets of everyday life.  It would have social, political, economic,
technological and military implications.  It would be on the order of us
discovering a way to use quantum mechanics to send instantaneous messages, or a
way to control gravity with a small, low-power device.  Does any rpg reflect
this?

The designer of Legacy was going to add a hook for psionics (a PSI attribute)
and a few mentions of it here and there, but I talked him out of it.  I argued
that unless he was going to put sufficient effort into designing rules for psi
and make it a definite part of the background, he might as well leave it out
and let the individual GM's add whatever they wish.

Besides, the way psionics is usually treated in games and books, it's fantasy
(magic) and not science.  If you want it as a science, you'd have to provide an
adequate scientific explanation and make the effects of those "new forces"
apply consistently throughout the universe.

--

Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: apearlma@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Andrew Pearlman)
Subject: Re: Psionics
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 19:43:07 GMT

In article <13740@mindlink.bc.ca> Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca (Nick Janow) writes:
>you could have a detailed, comprehensive rule system and background that offers
>both high-level psionics and no psionics as equally playable options.  Choosing
>one possibility or the other is the price of having a detailed background/rules
>system.

I think you can.  The idea of a galaxy ruled by reasonably powerful psis 
with some well-known blocker to psi would work well.  Another would be allowing
'norms' to interfere with psis trying to directly affect them.  In other words,
if a psi tries to mindwipe a norm, he risks getting it done to him first or
taking so long that the norm can shoot the psi.  If a psi tries to telekinesis
a bullet away, he would have to deal with the shooter of the gun, who wants
the bullet to hit the psi.  Psis desperately need some rare substance where
demand exceeds supply by a factor of 10.  Psis are the witches of the future,
hunted down and killed by psi-nulls.  Turn 'magic' in SR into psionics and
there's a system with high order psionics and no psionics as equally playable.
Psis can't take cyber well, so the non-psi usually has a speed edge on a psi.

Andy Pearlman







Xref: sparky rec.games.frp:24311 rec.games.frp.misc:2999
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp,rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: MIKE POLEN please read this (The Edge)
From: f00022@TIGGER.STCLOUD.MSUS.EDU (M. Shanmugasundaram (F00022@TIGGER.stcloud.msus.edu))
Date: 28 Jul 92 13:59:02 -0600
Reply-To: f00022@TIGGER.STCLOUD.MSUS.EDU
Organization: St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN

I am having trouble sending mail to your email address. 

It was in your header as (mpolen@emubus). 

I tried Send and Reply. Both bounced. I tried a third time, 
using the Return-Path. This last did not bounce, but I have 
received no reply from you, although I requested an acknowledgement. 

If you would like to play on The Edge, please reply to this message, 
and I will try to find some other method of communicating with you. 

Merwin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M. Shanmugasundaram  	       	 | There are at least two kinds of games. One
Participant: Infinite Game %@	 | could be called finite, the other, infinite.
				 | A finite game is played for the purpose of 
St. Cloud State University	 | winning, an infinite game for the purpose of 
Dept. of Instructional Media	 | continuing the play. . . . There is but one 
f00022@tigger.stcloud.msus.edu	 | infinite game. ---James P. Carse
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: acadams@afterlife.ncsc.mil (Arthur C. Adams)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: TFT-Metagaimings Unicorn Gold Contest?
Date: 30 Jul 92 22:18:40 GMT
Organization: The Great Beyond

In article <1992Jul30.115543.1@wharton.upenn.edu> millerl@wharton.upenn.edu writes:
>In article <5vnmjp#.ric@netcom.com>, ric@netcom.com (Richard A. Bretschneider) writes:
>> Metagaming produced a module for TFT called Unicorn Gold, hidden
>> within which were supposedly clues to where Metagaming had actually
>> hidden a real gold-cast unicorn somewhere within the US of A.
>
>I didn't ever read these clues but I do have a friend who claims that
>the clues pointed to some parkland in Tennessee that was destroyed in a
>big forest fire at the end of the contest. He suspects that the unicorn
>melted and was lost in the fire.
>
I've also heard that several of the dedicated solvers accused MetaGaming 
of refusing to award the prize to people who sent them the location, since
at the time, MetaGaming couldn't afford to give away the prize.

Apparently, just sending the location was enough...

-- 
The world is not analog. The world is digital,
with an incredible number of bits.
Arthur C. Adams (not the comic-book artist)                        <fnord>
E-Mail acadams@afterlife.ncsc.mil
From: wwallace@ucrengr.ucr.edu (wayne wallace)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Champions - Using weapons
Date: 26 Jul 92 04:38:07 GMT
Organization: University of California, Riverside

In article <1992Jul25.183706.9717@ecst.csuchico.edu> tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Tim Dunn) writes:
>That was from the head article that started this thread. Rather than spelling
>things out so clearly and cleverly, mayhaps I suggest you read the thread all
>the way through before spouting off?

I read the article. I decided to ignore that statement, in hopes of helping
any champs newbies who might be reading the thread. THIS is what I get for
being kind? Tsk. In the future, I'll be sure to point out when I'm ignoring
what a poster is saying. Btw, I'm ignoring you. :-)

Wayne

P.S. No flame war, 'kay? Good. We've had enough of those.



-- 
*    // Only /\      |Lord Zar,Commander Of All He Surveys|Stay Alert! Trust  *
*\\ //      /--\MIGA |(and hater of spaces near commas.)  |No One! Keep--AHHHH*
* \X/ Internet: atra@ucru1.ucr.edu wwallace@ucrmath.ucr.edu GEnie:W.WALLACE9  *
* I'm a Purple Hearts & Yellow Moons kinda guy; I'm vay-teeng for you, dahlink*
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: joshua salter <jsalter@silver.ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Thanks for the system, Ian! (sorry about the bandwidth)
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 21:53:21 GMT


	This post is meant for Ian Brown, (I have been having E-mail problems,
so sue me).
	Thanks for the system, it is not dissimilar from the system I use
(excepting a few magic system discrepancies & scale differences).
	One question though: why percentile?

								-jsalter

PS To any helpless bystander be read at by this, sorry again.
From: m0054@tnc.UUCP (TERILEE EDWARDS)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Live-Action RPG
Date: 24 Jul 92 07:15:19 GMT
Reply-To: m0054@tnc.UUCP (TERILEE EDWARDS)
Organization: The Next Challenge, Fairfax, Va.

>In article <23@generic.UUCP>, psavoie@terranet.cts.com (Pierre Savoie) writes:
>|>    Yes, live-action groups are springing up everywhere, probably spurre>|>    I happen to know of a live role-playing group that engages in entire
>|> week-ends of in-character gaming, in the Toronto, Canada area.  They call
>|> themselves NARA (North American Role-Playing Association) [you can expe>There is also a live-action group in Massachusetts called NERO (New Englan>Role-Playing Organization).  They run weekends and adventure days at a cam
>pretty fun, but you have to -really- be into it to deal for any length of time.

And there is also the ILF (the Interactive Literature Foundation)
which puts on conventions and puts out information about live action
role playing games!  
  The ILF has two conventions coming up: INTERCON 7.5, Dec. 4-6, 1992
in Fairfax, VA, which will have mini-games (about 2-4 hours long each)
and INTERCON VIII, on March 12-14, 1993 at the Marriott Hunt Valley
Inn, in Balticon, MD.  That convention will have weekend length games.
It should be lots of fun!
  The ILF also does a magazine and Calendar-Newsletter.
For more info about the ILF: write PO Box 196 Merrifield, Va
22116-0196.
  Whew!
ciao, Terilee
-- 
The Next Challenge - Public Access Unix in Northern Va. - Washington D.C.
703-803-0391 To log in for trial and account info.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: ed@cwis.unomaha.edu (Ed Stastny)
Subject: Illuminati
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 06:34:01 GMT

Are there any net versions of ILLUMINATI floating around?
 
...e
--
| Ed Stastny                   | SOUND Now available via: email (from me), |
| ed@odin.unomaha.edu          | gopher (odin.unomaha.edu), and snailmail. |
| edsty@ids.net                |===========================================|
| SOUND newspaper and netzine  | Death has far too short a fuse...live.
From: markk@sagredo.West.Sun.COM (Mark Kampe)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: excessively split personalities
Date: 31 Jul 92 15:47:55 GMT
Organization: SunSoft South
NNTP-Posting-Host: sagredo.west.sun.com

For no good reason, I was reflecting this morning on minor irritations and
a strange one jumped out at me.  I find that it really grates on me when
a player creats a character who they cannot play.  A timid person playing
Conan or a hack-n-slasher playing a wise and pious sage seems to scream out 
at me for help/rebuke.

One of the neat things about FRP is that it gives us the opportunity to 
live out other personae, and so it is not surprising that we often chose
to explore characters who are vastly different from ourselves.  It delights
me when people's play style trancends their life style.  The quirks with
which we embue our characters often end up being more important than the
formal character description.  I definitely do not feel that people can
only play a limited range of characters, or that any given character can
only be played in a limited way.

Yet somehow, when a character is played in a way that falls well short of
the description, it offends me deeply.  I recognize that this is 95% my
problem ... but none the less I thought I'd bring it up.

	What can/should a GM do to guide such characters/players?

	What can/should other players to to assist such players
	and characters?

	Is it a good thing for people to explore characters they cannot
	play, or would it be better for them to use a less extreme (and
	more attainable) character?

	Has any one had good experiences with learning from such characters
	or helping such players?

I realize that I should "get over it", and if possible, "get a life" ...
but is there more than that involved here?

---mark---
From: gmayer@wpi.WPI.EDU (Gary R Mayer)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Vampire
Date: 30 Jul 92 22:22:54 GMT
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Has anyone out there tried playing Vapire by WhiteWolf?  I've heard mostly
positive reviews thus far but want to get a more in-depth idea of what it
is about prior to going on a spending spree for game and numerous modules
that have sprung up.  Thanks in advance.

**=**=**=**=  Gary R. Mayer, gmayer@wpi.wpi.edu, b.k.a The DROW  =**=**=**=**
|    "May Lloth be with you and spread darkness and evil upon your day."    |
*TWANG* ---------- - - -- ----  ---- ----- - ---- - -- ---  >:>>------------>
(A Black Shafted Arrow Flies Through The Air Marking The Passing of The DROW)
From: jcrowley@leotech.mv.com (Jon Crowley)
Sender: uucp@leotech.mv.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: DM computer aids
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1992 01:34:00

TMS>   We're really interested in just any sort of DM planning aid for
the
TMS>   386 that we can find.  NPC generators, map generators
(interactive or
TMS>   not), Name generators, treasure hoard generators, etc.
TMS>   Thanks,
TMS>               TIM

You are in luck.  I am a programmer in learning, and I am doing
character generators for practice.  Maybe I could send you a copy or
something.

- Jon       jcrowley@leotech.mv.com

  SLMR 2.1a  Mary had a little lamb.. The doctor died of shock!


 * Origin: Leo Technology (603)432-2517/432-0922 (HST/V32)
(1:132/189)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp,rec.games.frp.misc
From: oroboros@acca.nmsu.edu (The Wyrm Ouroboros)
Subject: Icons and Spells
Summary: Magic and the Matrix
Keywords: Shadowrun, SRun, SR
Organization: The Clearing House, Ltd.
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 09:10:45 GMT


PART THE FIRST:
---------------
Well, I didn't collect it before -- but I'd like to collect them now.

This is a call for any and all deckers out there -- whether ShadowRun
or Cyberpunk, they both (in my mind) can be fairly interchanged -- to
show us what you are, how you work, why you work.  We want to see you
flash, see you flicker, and hope to hell we don't see you fail.

We already have a score or so Icons, but hell, there are more than 20
hot netrunners out there.  Send them by, and I'll be happy to compile
the next listing of them.

We already have:

Death Machine
Dodger
Dreamstalker
Fat Cat
Glass Tarantula
"The Glytzch"
HiBeam
Jack the Ripper
John the Dick
Lucifer
Melpomene
Mycroft
Porky Prine
Reflex
Scarecrow
Seraph
Shining Path
Thenomain
Valerie Valkerie
Wildcard!!
The Wyrm Ouroboros
Xavier "Jet" O'doul

Hmmmm.  Thought we had Xastur or something like that around here, too....
Well, .I. don't have him.  Let's see you new people.  Minotaur, how about
you?  Angel?  What about that fireman I've seen running around in SF?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART THE SECOND:
----------------

As well, I'd like to make the first .net.shadowrun.spellbook, so to speak.
I've the spells out of the NAGEE's, but that's not the most fantastic way
to start -- I know that there are a lot more of them out there.  Send them,
wierd, funny, dangerous, funky -- if there's a need, there's a spell.  You
know it, you've studied, you've created them.

Of course, you're not going to get paid for them -- but what kind of a mage
goes into business for himself, selling spells?  Certainly not the SINless.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ouroboros,
Wyrm of the .Net
Xref: sparky rec.games.frp:24151 talk.politics.misc:35075
From: doug@abby.chem.ucla.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp,talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: Your favorite hobby is unpatriotic! (was Re: Bill Clinton and gaming
Date: 21 Jul 92 19:54:12 GMT
Reply-To: doug@abby.chem.ucla.edu
Followup-To: rec.games.frp
Organization: Department of Chemistry, UCLA

I hate to be the one to let you in on this, but Dan Quayle is the
VICE-PRESIDENT of this country.  If that doesn't count as "taking over,"
what does?

-Doug Gibson
 doug@abby.chem.ucla.edu

Neither UCLA nor the National Science Foundation has a clue what I am doing.
They just pay me to do it.

This is a properly spelled version of the mimetic signature virus.  Copy it
into your .signature file and join in the fun today!