HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Subject: Re: What Fantasy RPG to buy?
Reply-To: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 18:09:31 GMT

	I've already commented on Amber, I don't know about Mythos, but 
I have a few more comments. 

jmkaraka@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN MARTIN KARAKASH) writes:
>GURPS: It can be expanded easily if you decide to try other genre's. The 
>   rules are flexible and well designed.  You can play a fantasy genre 
>   with just the basic rules, though (as you intimated) getting some 
>   supplements/modules is a good idea. 

	While I would also recommend GURPS as one of the better systems 
out there, there are a few comments I thought I should make. 
	Depending on what sort of fantasy game you were planning on, you 
may well want GURPS Magic (which vastly expands the short magic section in 
the main rules) and GURPS Fantasy Folk (which is neccessary for playing 
other races, unless you make up your own rules for them). Many people are 
dissatisfied with GURPS Magic for being fairly science and number oriented. 
Magic does include an alternative Runic spell system, but it is not covered 
very fully. 

Runequest

	Among the list of games you played, this most resembles Harnmaster, 
I think - it is percentile skill based. I would also highly recommend it. 
Glorantha is an excellent world, but no longer an integral part of the 
system. 
	It does simulate more a 'low' fantasy (as opposed to 'high') - less 
flashy moves and more grit and realism. It features on more on primitive 
cultures than is seen in some other games. 

Ars Magica 

	This has no real analog in the games you mentioned. It is a game 
set in Mythic Europe, where the PC's are playing members of a covenant of 
magi - powerful wizards who have removed themselves from the affairs of 
men to study their arcane arts. 
	It is an excellent, simple system, IMO - with one of the best magic 
systems around, and a refreshingly different and workable take on player 
group dynamics: 'Character balance' is not followed - the mages are more 
powerful than mere mortals. Instead, players will have two characters - a 
mage and a non-mage 'companion'. Also, people may play one of the 'grogs', 
common soldiers who guard the mages. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Kim                    | "You're on the cutting room floor, Chaplin.
jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu | Not a good place to be."
Columbia University         |                  (from the movie 'Chaplin')
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: tbarnes@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (thomas wrentmore barnes)
Subject: Re: Burn, GURPS, BURN!, in a Computer-approved facility.
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 21:42:06 GMT

In article <1993Jan22.200425.17627@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> corleyj@helium.gas.uug.arizona.edu (Jason D Corley ) writes:
>Any person who plays GURPS or any other role-playing game is a Communist
>mutant traitor and should be reported as soon as possible to your nearest
>convenient local Internal Security Gulag.  Thank You For Your Cooperation.
>
>Have a Nice Day.

Geez! I'll bet YOU'RE the wrong person to talk to about a GURPS/Paranoia
conversion system. :)

Tom.
From: 9217088@ul.ie
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Test[Ignore Please}
Date: 25 Jan 93 17:54:51 GMT
Organization: University of Limerick, Ireland

This is a test
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: cdr@kpc.com (Carl Rigney)
Subject: Re: SRII: Comments & Questions
Summary: swatting pesky mages
Organization: Kubota Pacific Computer Inc, Santa Clara, CA
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 11:43:36 GMT

In article <lward.727483274@husc.harvard.edu> lward@husc11.harvard.edu (Lester Ward) writes:
>In short, if everyone's having
>a good time, fine; if sam samurai are beginning to get pissed because the
>mages can do everything, time to buzz some magical stuff.

Then there's always the Essence 0 sense of humor: if a mage gets on your
nerves slap a Tranq 10 patch on her; she passes out, his elementals go free
(and maybe they'll be grateful to you for freeing them from slavery; never
can tell), and she checks for magic loss.

You gotta be pretty good friends for the mage to ever speak to you again when
she wakes up, though.

--
Carl Rigney

"YOU JERK!"
	"Who's the jerk?"
"Well... OK.  Sorry I got out of line."
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: wljohnso@nyx.cs.du.edu (William "Hmph!" Johnson)
Subject: Re: Rolemaster
Summary: Check your product listings..
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Keywords: Screen, Roll Master
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 93 07:12:03 GMT

In article <C1JBJF.1I8@cck.coventry.ac.uk> esi102@cck.coventry.ac.uk (The Magician) writes:
>Hello .. I am glad to see someone from inside ICE on the Net..
>
>I've been using ICE stuff for a long time now, and i do enjoy the products
>alot...
>anyway, my only real gripe is that a gm's screen would be very nice,
>including a set of plastic covered attack & critical tables so that they 
>dont get F***ked up during play.
>
>
>Tim.

Uh Tim, you might want to look in a product listing.  As of last year I
had little troubles in finding a GM screen for Role Master, or Space
Master for that matter.  

As for the innumerable charts :) I suggest you coat them yourself.  Either
at a printer/copying place and get them laminated, or use shelf paper. The
latter is probably a little cheaper.

As for the quality of the GM screen for Role Master, well it could be a
lot better...A new one for Role MAster 3rd ed. would be nice (Monte?)  But
the pull out booklet of charts/crits is very very handy!

-------------------------------------------|
| William "Wes" "Arrr!" "Golden Earring"   |
| "Gener" "Sierra" "Mohican" "Mr. Kamikazi"|
| "Bite Me" "Deal With It" "Sentri" Johnson|
-------------------------------------------|
Net Address: wljohnso@nyx.cs.du.edu

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: David.Rapp@launchpad.unc.edu (David Rapp)
Subject: DragonQuest?!
Organization: University of North Carolina Extended Bulletin Board Service
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 01:03:03 GMT


Hi.  Does anyone know about this new TSR game? I was browsing through Toys
R Us and noticed it. Please send me info about it if possible..... 
Thanks.


Dave
in%"Dr4740@albnyvms.bitnet"




--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  laUNChpad.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
From: kbos@carina.unm.edu (K. Mitchell Bose)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Vamp / Ars Magica
Date: 25 Jan 1993 15:02:20 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
NNTP-Posting-Host: carina.unm.edu

In article <1993Jan25.050449.17827@news.uiowa.edu> durrell@pinball.arcade.uiowa.edu (Bryant Durrell) writes:
>In article <1jv58bINNjl4@darkstar.UCSC.EDU> gorilla@cats.ucsc.edu (Christopher John Arnold) writes:
>>The story behind the existence of Tremere vampires is that
>>a member of house Tremere in ARS MAGICA decided that he
>>would invent a ritual that would turn him in effect into a vampire.
>
>Uh, that doesn't mesh with the info in the Players Guide and World of
>Darkness and other sources.  As I recall, some poor Kindred took the
>risk of Embracing a Tremere mage and was promptly Diablerized for his
>trouble.  I don't recall if the entire House ended up Kindred.  It 
>may not be specified.
>
Okay, here's the scoop:

When the Great Loss (of magic) began to affect the world, Tremere (a wizard)
decided that his Order would survive the loss of magic.  After many failures,
he found that the only immortality that did not depend on magic was vampirism.
Some were fearful about being able to separate immortality from vampirism, but
they followed Tremere. In Transylvania, the assembled mages captured several
vampires from Clan Tzimisce and used them as vessels in a ritual to capture the
immortality of the Kindred.  The ritual was flawed, and the mages were turned 
into vampires.  When Tremere's vampiric wizards became power-hungry and rebeled,
Tremere forced them all into a Blood Bond and set up the pyramidal power
structure of the Tremere.

The Tremere were not accepted by other vampiric Clans, because they had not
descended from one of the Thirteen grandchildren of Caine.  Tremere found 
several of the third generation, and chose Saulot, founder of the Salubri line
of Kindred.  His Vampires called Saulot from Torpor, and Tremere committed
Diablerie upon Saulot.  Clan Tremere took the place of Clan Salubri among the
Kindred, and hunted all but seven of Saulot's children down.

(All this is from the "biography" of Etrius, one of the seven Inner Circle of
Clan Tremere, printed in Children of the Inquisition...)


-- 
Kurt Bose (as in Daisy, not Rose) * kbos@carina.unm.edu * Walks: not that sexy.
Me: "The relationship just didn't work.  She had this...Chaplinesque quality."
Lisa: "You mean, you didn't like her because she was always being funny?"
Me: "No. [pause] I didn't like her because she was a little tramp."
From: mfp+@CS.CMU.EDU (Michael Polis)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Rolemaster Power Points
Date: 22 Jan 93 20:16:40 GMT
Article-I.D.: cs.C19uzv.9sp.2
Organization: Carnegie Mellon University

|> So, what you're saying is that the more spells someone knows, the more PP he has? This seems to suggest that PP are learned or are gained from practice.
|> I like to think that they are a measure of inherent power. That's why I don't use the PP development system offered in Companion II
|> I think (base PP from stat)*level works fine. It reflects that in a world wheremagic is common (i.e., PP multipliers are everywhere), PP flow like water.
|> Conversely, in a low magic world where magic items are rare, casters must conserve their power like misers. No "crude displays of power."

I agree that (base PP from stat)*level works fine.  As I said in my
article, that is what I have always used.  The system I proposed was
designed to widen the gap between pure and non-spell users, which is
what I think the original poster wanted.

This system is just as consistent as the level based system is with
the notion of spell points as a measure of inherent power.  The
"inherent power" comes through increases in level, which result from
experience.  Presumably, some of this experience is applicable to
magic, so the number of spell points increases.  I am using spell
lists as a measure of the experience applied to magic.  Since I am
measuring a form of magical knowledge (indeed, the fundamental form),
I may have a more valid estimation of magical might.

Now, it is possible with the standard system to have a pure spell
caster which is high level, yet only has a few spell lists because
he is a specialist.  You can't do this with the formula I gave.
But is this really a specialist?  He has spent nearly all his DP
on things other than spells.  Maybe a specialist in a few lists
should buy those lists repeatedly, and get bonuses with the lists
he has bought repeatedly, like +1 level for purposes of casting time
and ESF.
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 15:13:00 EST
From: <CSD108@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Replies on various SR odds and ends

In article <93025.123058ELM113@psuvm.psu.edu>, <ELM113@psuvm.psu.edu> says:
>Also, dv52151@ uxa.cso.uiue.edu (RedSwordTarga) writes
>>>   Does anybody else hate the artwork associated with the game archetypes?
>>>   Geez, If I wanted to play a cheezy cartoon game, I would.  The first
>thing
>>>   The first thing I said, in my very first SR game was:"My Samurai does
>>>   * not * look like that"
>>
>>    Yeah, the SR archetype art is some of the worst stuff that FASA has.
>>
>     THANK YOU!  SOMEONE HERE AGREES WITH ME.  Jeff Laubenstein (I think he
>did
>"it") produces some of the worst artwork I've seen in FASA books.  (I'm a
>part-
>time freelance artist).  I can't see why FASA allowed Laubenstein's parodies
>of art to remain in Shadowrun Second Ed., especially considering all of the
>high caliber artist that do work for FASA.  My only comments on Laubenstein's
>work... EEgh ... Uurgh ... Oooh... Aagh!
>                                                 -Ed Mar
>==============================================================================

How about a vote for the worst artwork in a Shadowrun product?
I'd say Mike Nielsen in the RBB.

--Presto

_______________________________________________________________________
|  Trubble with speling? Trie  |  Internet: CSD108@psuvm.psu.edu      |
|       - N E R P S ! -        |  Bitnet  : CSD108@psuvm              |
|        Fore speling          |         "Monday's Bite"              |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Xref: sparky rec.games.frp.misc:11835 rec.games.frp.advocacy:3942
From: gharris@jade.tufts.edu (George W. Harris)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: Random Rolls
Date: 26 Jan 93 15:46:07 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.1993Jan26.154607.25880
Organization: Tufts University - Medford, MA

In article <1993Jan25.171130.8107@nastar.uucp> phardie@nastar.uucp (Pete Hardie) writes:
>In article <1993Jan24.171941.13751@news.tufts.edu> gharris@jade.tufts.edu (George W. Harris) writes:
>>	Yes, there has to be some effort made to improve, but character points
>>are not a good way of measuring this effort.  For instance, suppose our Group of
>>Hardy Adventurers (tm) is setting out on an Adventure (tm).  Now, one of these
>>Hardy Adventurers has taken the Poor disadvantage.  When our group returns from
>>their adventure, they have each gained 6 million zorkmids, and some small number
>>of character points.  Now, while everyone else is using their character points 
>>to improve their skills, our poor Poor friend must use his to buy off his dis-
>>advantage.  So, he can't learn any skills because he used to be poor?
>
>They get 6M zorkmids for this adventure, but only a few character points???!!!

	Think of zorkmids as lira.

>Look at it this way - if one of the characters was Filthy Rich, he would get
>only the CPs from this, as 6M zorkmids would be chicken feed.  The remaining
>characters (save the Poor one) would get money and CPs.  So the solution is
>to make the points mathc the money - or give Things worth that much cash,
>but not let them be sold.

	You've completely missed the point.  Why wouldn't the Poor guy get any
character points?  Or, to put it in other terms, if the other characters spent
their CPs on skills, why wouldn't the Poor character learn any skills?  He did
the same things as the other characters.  The fact that he was poor to begin
with is irrelevant to learning skills, so it shouldn't prevent him from 
learning skills just becuase he found money.

	Follow-ups directed to .advocacy.

>Pete Hardie:  phardie@nastar  (voice) (404) 497-0101
--
gharris@jade.tufts.edu          
George W. Harris              	"He'd kill us if he had the chance."  
Dept. of Mathematics            
Tufts University              			The Conversation
From: maillet@tls-cs.cert.fr (Luc Maillet)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRII PhysAds
Date: 22 Jan 93 08:47:42 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: CERT, CS Dpt. Toulouse, France
Keywords: Physical Adept Abilities

In article <C17u2L.HrK@news.cso.uiuc.edu>, dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (RedSwordTarga) writes:
|> uplink@cwis.unomaha.edu (uplink 2099) writes:
|> 
|> 
|> >are all TROLLS.  I'm wielding a Combat Axe.  Dicoted, of course.
|> >>all I care.  You'll never beat a maxed out sam with a dikoted weapon
|> >I'm using a Ranger-X compound bow with dicoted arrows, doing 12M
|> 
|> Just curious, but just how does everyone justify having Dikote on
|> everything? Especially if you are playing sewer-dwelling scum..er,   
|> shadowrunners that is.  Dikote isn't easy to lay your hands on,
|> and it's expensive. Heck, we here at Ares can barely afford to
|> Dikote our heavy security armor and helmets, and we're a huge
|> multinational that guns down shadowrunners like they were
|> paper targets. (*waves* Hi Redwing!) For a bunch of shadowrunners
|> to have that much Dikote, they'd have to be working for a corp.

  Don't worry, Axly. We've worked for Ares more'n'a couple of times. And, if
we ever have to work against you, you'll have to see us before mowing us down.
BTW, and about Dikote, no one among us use it ( wasn't in the 1stEd rules ).
Not that we don;t have our little surprises in stock, of course...

								Redwing.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: uplink@cwis.unomaha.edu (uplink 2099)
Subject: Re: SRII: Physical Adepts
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 23:38:35 GMT

<CSD108@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:

>Hell's bells! First you need 50 karma to bond that katana, then you need
>at least 46 more (according to my imprecise calculations) to inititate to
>level 4. You must have had some amazing runs to accumulate that much, or
>been around a long time.

	How much Karma does your GM hand out during adventures, anyway?  In
our games, we tend around 5-6 per scenario, and then individual Karma
awards to individual players (we each tend to pick up a couple here.)  Major
adventures add a couple (we just earned 21 for finishing _One_Stage_Beyond_,
but that was over a few game sessions).  So in a few weeks of playing,
our group could possibly have that many Karma.

	As to the argument that a dicoted combat axe would cost x number of
nuyen, well, we also got 150,000 Y each for that adventure (and the decker
and my street sam got a few bonuses --- mine amounted to another 50,000 Y).
So what?  It's only nuyen.  Besides, I need 3.5 MILLION Y to get Betaware
Wired 3 so I can get more cyberware out of Shadowtech (I currently have
regular Wired 3, and an essence of 0.04.  Lowest in my group.  HAH!)

uplink

--
*           _    / _/       /     * "It's been surreal!" - Gogo Dodo, TTA  *
*     / /  / /  /    '_ |  /' _/  * Please send all flames to someone else *
*    / /  __/  /  /  /  /    <    * email to uplink@cwis.unomaha.edu  . .  *
*  ___/ _/   _/ _/ _/ _/ _/|_/    * Hey! I _LIKE_ my pompous .sig!    ---  *
From: 3315943@QUCDN.QueensU.CA
Subject: When is Toronto Con?
Organization: Queens University at Kingston
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 15:18:03 GMT

Can anyone tell me when the University of Toronto holds/held it's gaming
convention?
 
 Thanks, from Dwight Robinson
 
Xref: sparky rec.games.frp.misc:11577 rec.games.frp.advocacy:3834
From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: Random Rolls
Date: 23 Jan 93 02:22:42 GMT
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@unixd1.cis.pitt.edu

In article <C1A06E.94H@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney) writes:
>In article <1993Jan22.163503.7783@news.tufts.edu> gharris@jade.tufts.edu (George W. Harris) writes:
>>	Now, requiring characters to *start out* with their positive and 
>>negative features reasonably balanced is ok, since there should be some
>>structure in character creation.  However, maintaining this balance with
>>`Character Points' after play has begun is entirely unnecessary.

>Uh, are there any GURPS GMs out there brain-dead enough to NOT run things
>in the way George suggests?

	All the ones I encountered.

	Example: character has disad, crippled. I was told flat out that
even if my character were to encounter and somehow do a great service for
some godlike being who could cure the paralysis complete with the muscle
and instinctive skill to use the body, I'd then be in point debt for a LONG
time until I managed to "pay off" the debt -- so for something like a game
year, I'd be unable to learn a damn thing.


                                 Sea Wasp
                                   /^\
                                   ;;;
From: pooh+@cs.cmu.edu (Will Timmins)
Subject: Re: Random Rolls
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 23:53:39 GMT

Point about wealth:
	Although I don't run GURPS, I find it handy, in the games I run, to
treat wealth as accumulated wealth/credit.
	Thus, you may suddenly get a lot of money, or a different/higher paying
job, but you don't have a life-time worth of accumulated wealth, or the skills
to keep/maintain wealth.

	If someone raises wealth, this reflects investing money in such a way
that they will KEEP ON being wealthy, rather than blowing it all on bad stocks
or food (I'm going to feed somalia for two years! Whee!)

-Me


-- 
[Pooh Bear incarnate.                                             ]
[H1 C+ F+ W G+ K+ S+ R- E+ P                                      ]
[                                                                 ]
[To email, please make sure to mail to pooh@seismo.soar.cs.cmu.edu]
From: mfp+@CS.CMU.EDU (Michael Polis)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Vampire Help Needed
Date: 22 Jan 93 20:58:37 GMT
Article-I.D.: cs.C19wxq.CGp.2
Organization: Carnegie Mellon University

In article <C18LA0.9JG@news.cso.uiuc.edu>, domnatr@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Kane) writes:
|> and is really pretty fun to roleplay.  (Conrad always slashes his
|> wrist and offers the Prince whose city he visits a good portion of
|> his own blood in a goblet... It's an honor thing)

Has he ever visited a city three times? :-)
From: jjas@acs.nntp-read.bu.edu (Jason Stephenson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: English as a Celtic language?
Date: 26 Jan 93 14:25:05 GMT
	<1993Jan25.025504.27335@wdl.loral.com>
Organization: Boston University Information Technology Boston, MA USA
In-reply-to: mab@wdl39.wdl.loral.com's message of 25 Jan 93 02:55:04 GMT


  Norman of course is French with aScandnavian twist,

How wrong you are.  Norman was nothing but a dialect of French spoken
in the North of France.  The Scandinavian have as much to do with its
development as they do with the development of Farsi.

Anyway, I wish you'd stop cluttering this group sith silly linguistic
discussions that belong somewhere else.  If anyone cares, they can
e-mail me and I'll try to tell you where English came from and why it
is such an odd-ball language.  (FYI: I'm a linguist and speak,
fluently, French, Italian, and German, and I guess I should throw in
Latin, as well as my native American dialect of English.)  Now go
somewhere else with this discussion.
From: jeff@pangea.Stanford.EDU (Jeff Freymueller)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: RQ: More Summoning Questions
Date: 21 Jan 1993 05:53:13 GMT
Organization: Stanford Univ. Earth Sciences
NNTP-Posting-Host: pangea.stanford.edu

In article <cluther.727573194@morticia> cluther@morticia.cnns.unt.edu (Clay Luther) writes:
>1) Does the summoner have to guess how many MP to spend when summoning, or does
>he know "this creature has a power of X, so I must spend X MP to summon it."

Yes, the caster must guess when "fishing" for spirits. On the other hand,
if he feels uncomfortable controlling a spirit with more than, say, 15
magic points/POW, he can make sure he won't get such a spirit by using 14
magic points in the ritual.
>
>2) Regarding Summon Skill; does the summoner need to make *both* a spell
>casting roll (POW x 5, 100%, or Spell Skill, depending on type of magic) *or*
>is the summoning based entirely on his summon skill roll *or* is it based
>on a roll that is the lowest of his magic roll or his summon skill roll.

According to the rules, page 53 of the Magic Book, only the Summon skill
roll is required. Summon works for any summon spell (you know all summon
skills at your Summon percentage.
>
>3) True or false:  The caster spends only 1 MP if the summons fails.

False. Again, from p. 53, the magic points are expended whether the Summon
succeeds or fails.
>-- 
>Clay Luther
>cluther@morticia.cnns.unt.edu

Jeff