From: ahabig@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu (Alec Habig)
Subject: 1rst draft of the FAQ/introduction to the group
Keywords: FAQ
Organization: Indiana University Astrophysics, Bloomington, IN
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 14:37:34 GMT

Hello again all,
	Here's the first draft the the promised FAQ.  Actually I think it's
more of an introduction than a FAQ, but well, here it is anyway.
	I am posting this at this point to get input from all you folks.  If
you have a piece of missing info or a nitpick, please email me.  If you have a
comment that is best solved by discussion, please post a followup.  If you have
found a spelling error, go away (I haven't spell checked it yet - it's a first
draft, after all :)
	My editorial comments are in [ ] 's.  These will go away in the final
version, and are put there now as explanations/requests for help.
	Well, go to it, and I'm looking forward to more input!

Alec
===============================================================================
		rec.games.board FAQ and introduction
		------------------------------------

Welcome to the rec.games.board newsgroup!  This is a group in which board games
of all sorts are discussed (with the exceptions of certain popular games with
have their own groups, see below).  This is a group with unusually large scope,
given the huge number of different board games.  Games that have popped up in
the past include such varied titles as (INPO) : Monopoly, Scrabble, Battletech,
anything from Avalon Hill, Awari, Checkers, Junta, Illuminati, miniatures (just
think of the table as a really big board), Axis & Allies, Risk, Boggle, 
and many, many more.

[note : no flames 'cause your favorite game isn't listed here - I'm trying to
just give a wide, shallow representation]

Due to the fact that there are so many different games to talk about, and few
people are interested in every one of them, please keep a few items of
nettiquite in mind to make reading this group easier for all.

1) Put the name of the game in the "Subject :" line of your post.  This allows
uninterested people to quickly skip over your posting to get to the ones they
want, and the interested parties to easily find your post.  Included below are
quick introductions to kill files and threaded news readers, the use of which
can make your usenet life much easier.

2) Make use of the "Distribution :" line with your posts.  Announcements of
conventions, games for sale, opponents wanted, or questions about directions to
gaming stores are of only limited use to people outside of a certin
geographical area.  The distribution line prevents, for instance, an
announcement of "CAPCON XIX, a gaming convention at Ohio State University" from
tantalizing those in Sweden who couldn't possibly attend.  See below for a
quick description of how to use this ferature.

3) the "C" key is a good thing.  If you make a dumb mistake in a posting,
accidentally cross post it, or accidentally post two copies, cancel
bad/extraneous ones.  Do this by hitting "C" while reading your own post.


There are several games which have their own dedicated discussion forums.  If
you have a question or want to discuss these games, you'll get a much better
response from the specific forum than you will from rec.game.board.  Here's a
listing of such games :

Games which have their own newsgroups :
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Backgammon			:	rec.games.backgammon
Chess				:	rec.games.chess
Cosmic Encounter		:	rec.games.board.ce
General game design		:	rec.games.design
Go				:	rec.games.go
Play-by-Mail games		:	rec.games.pbm
Role-Playing Games		:	rec.games.frp....
Trivia games			:	rec.games.trivia

Mailing lists (and where to write to be included) :
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advanced Squad Leader		:	asl-request@tpocc.gsfc.nasa.gov
Command Decision		:	cdmailer-request@godzilla.quotron.com
Star Fleet Battles		:	hcobb@fly2.berkeley.edu

[Please let me know what I'm missing.  For instance, there's a diplomacy list,
but where does one write?]


FAQ's :
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Is it worth doing FAQ's, what with so many games that get talked about?  I can
easily see this one getting entirely out of hand and unreadable.]


Threaded News Readers
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[anybody got a got explanation to stick in here?  I use one, but not to it's
fullest potential, and so would appreciate some help]


How to use a Killfile
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[I have a really good discussion of this, but am awaiting the author's
permission to include it]

[sidenote - should we include some sample r.g.b killfiles for examples?]


How to use the "Distribution :" feature
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[again, awaiting an author's permission to repost a decent article on the
subject]

Newsgroups: rec.games.board