HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: v054nn84@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Foto...Taking pictures again, and Happy for it!)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: FRP Fiction
Date: 7 Sep 92 21:01:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

To the poster that started this thread...

   Believe it or not, but today at the bookstore, I finally got to the shipment
that arrived Friday and there it was..the first novel based on EGG's newest
game Difficult Journeys!  Titled The Anubis Murders it is published by ROC and
sells for 4.99 (if memory serves correctly)...

Also for those who have already spotted the new Aliens paperback, Earth Hive,
relax, it is just a rewrite of the first Dark Horse comic book series with some
of the names changed; such as Wicks for Hicks...

Skeksis - Let me get this straight.  I'm driving a 91 Geo and he's driving a 93
Vette and you want me to drag?  What are you, some kind of optimist?
Xref: sparky rec.games.frp.misc:5018 rec.games.frp.dnd:3494
From: jgostin@eternal.chi.il.us (Jeff Gostin)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: NBB 2.0 was a HUGE success
Date: 5 Sep 92 00:14:53 GMT
Organization: The little node that could...

Hi! I wanted to drop all of you a line to let you know that the
Net.Bardsong.Book v2.0 was a *HUGE* success. In 48 hours, I recieved over
175 requests, setting a new record for the NBB. The previous record was
for v1.0, and was 153 requests.  Any suggestions/comments are welcome, by
post or email. Thank you for your support!

                                   Jeff Gostin
                                   Official Collector of
                                   The Net.Bardsong.Book


...From a tiny little node called Eternal!
--
    /|Email  to:   jgostin@eternal.chi.il.us, offline@infopls.chi.il.us
   / |Smail  to:   Jeff Gostin, 917 High Ridge Pass, Carol Stream IL 60188
   \ |Vmail  to:   708-293-5526
    \|Flames to:   trashcan@eternal.chi.il.us
From: v076jy2p@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Cosmo Of The Cosmos)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: champ: What if...
Date: 7 Sep 92 21:53:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

Hi Ho, Keeds!


	Question for all you guys out there who play champions.
	(replies can be posted or e-mailed. I don't care.)


Setting:
	Normal world, today.

What's going on:
	Normal people are waking up with funky new superpowers.
(ie. The PCs)  Why?  I'd post that except some of people who might
play might read this and find out.  Besides, it's not important.

Question:
	How would the world react to finding out that it had real,
live superheroes?  Please try to keep your replies semi-serious,
as this will be a semi-serious campain with a touch of black humor.
However, if your idea is either way funny or way dark, feel free to
post anyways.  All sugestions are welcome.


Tanks in advance!

						-C.Q.
From: smith@ctron.com (Larry Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Let's talk REAL sci-Fi systems
Keywords: The best
Date: 10 Sep 92 20:27:05 GMT
Reply-To: smith@ctron.com
Organization: Cabletron Systems, Inc.

In article <k-6y_gf@rpi.edu>, cleggp@aix.rpi.edu (Paul Jason Clegg) writes:

>2)  Though none really come to mind, these are games that have been designed
>for one purpose, and one purpose only, and to try to convert characters from
>that particular genre to another will be at least a HARD task.

Bunnies and Burrows
John Carter: Warlord of Mars

>3)  These are games that were written for a specific genre, but their systems
>are really, in all actuality, adaptable to other settings.  For example, would
>it really be THAT hard to play a Fantasy campaign with, say, Star Frontiers
>rules?

Space Opera
Traveller
AD&D
etc.

The trick is in how you adapt it.  Sometimes only the germ of the idea
survives the transition.  But that was all you wanted, usually.  Sometimes,
all I really want is the "feel", or the images.  I once had a size-reduced
paladin infiltrate the castle of a very wicked witch.  Though it had neither
castles nor wicked witches, many of the scenes were actually taken from the
movie "The Secret of Nimh".  I had thoughtfully determined beforehand that
none of the players had ever seen it, and later, after the game, I played
it for them. ;)

>In short, the style of the game is ultimately controlled by the GM.  For a
>while, I spent some of my spare time, "converting" 1st edition Twilight: 2k
>rules to a Cyberpunk setting (I preferred the Twilight skill system and
>combat rules to RTG's Cyberpunk 1st ed.).  I also worked on a far future 
>setting for the same combat system.  In most cases, changing the genre is
>a rather lengthy, but not difficult, process of creating new equipment for
>the genre, and possibly adding a skill or two here, and taking some others
>away.

Crossovers with "nongeneric" rules sometimes arise in play, too.  I ran
a Space Opera campaign once where the characters had to deal with a "role
playing game" setting, a sort of distant future "holodeck" adventure where
"magic" could work - within certain boundaries, anyway.  I occasionally
threw curves at my players with multiverse crossovers, as well, where SF
characters could reach the Fantasy universe (ever seen a dragon get tac-nuked?
It isn't pretty.) or vice versa (when that necomancer went into misty form
and got sucked into the starship ventilators I almost died.  They had to
clean every filter in the ship to reconstitute him...).

>The trick to life in RPGs is to find a SYSTEM you like, and then create your
>own background, equipment, and so on to fit your tastes.  If you can find a
>game that has both at the same time, then you're very well off.  Remember the
>golden rule:  "The rules contained within are only suggestions, and you, GM
>may alter or ignore any rules you wish."

Dare I note that that seems much easier with improv?  ;)  No, I guess not.

Larry Smith (smith@ctron.com)  No, I don't speak for Cabletron.  Need you ask?
-
How about we all do something reasonable?  I bet that'll confuse 'em!
From: lavonius@kruuna.Helsinki.FI (Ville Lavonius)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Let's talk REAL sci-Fi systems
Date: 11 Sep 92 16:16:15 GMT
Organization: Vidal Sassoon's Mosh&Go

In article <BuDznu.2IE@acsu.buffalo.edu> v057qkmm@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (BABBLING SAGE) writes:

   >>away!! I'm going to be brutally honest.
   > 
   >Oh boy, this is going to be a FUN thread!

	   I hope so.

It certainly is... Never has a game's reputation gone so low in so few 
messages. 

   >>	Battlelords has twelve of the COOLEST races you'd ever want to play,
   >>and they are all original, not based on some hokey elven lore!!!! I don't
   >>know about you, but I'd rather play my first level Mutzachan any day than
   >>some "elven decker" or "Ork". Leave the elves to D&D, I want ALIENS!
   > 
   >Au contrare.  Firstly, "Coolest" is a relative term.  Secondly, Star
   >Frontiers Alpha Dawn had the Vrusk, Dralasite and Yazirian races, which
   >I still think are the "coolest" and best developed races I've seen to date.

	   Matter of opinion I suppose. Anyhow I said twelve OF the coolest.
   not the twelve coolest. Who knows?

12 of the coolest... how many 'coolest' races do you have ? 
 
   >>	Battlelords has the best combat system of any Sci-Fi system on the
   >>market, bar none. I have fifty dollars that says so. No other system 
   >>simulates discharge combat so realistically. Its quick, efficient, and 
   >>deadly. It's not like some systems where you roll 30d6 and fail to do any
   >>damage. What kind of system is that, Yahtzee?? And theres none of these 

Seen Torg, able to calculate anything from a dagger to death star in ONE die
roll ? Or able to sum up 12 different attackers into ONE roll, 23c just seems
to be a die-rolling fest.
   
   >Quick, accurate, and deadly, while still retaining simplicity.  I ONCE
   >calculated the damage done by a 40mm HE grenade that hit an enemy in the
   
	   grenade to the head: quite fatal in most cases. helmet can save
   you, if its a hi-tech device.
	
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't 40+ mm G's anti-TANK weapons, there 
wouldn't be much left of a soldier in a 'deadly' game as you claim this to
be. Unless the deadliness is just confined to cool weapons...


   >And no "Real" vehicle rules, no "real" computers rules, no "real" robot rul
   >What kind of sci-fi game are you going to have without AT LEAST working
   >computer and robot rule systems?  I wouldn't DARE put out a sci-fi game
   >that didn't have complete rules conventions for AT LEAST computers...

	   Well, admittedly the vehicle rules are a patch. Computer rules
   are foun in LockNLoad, and only for body computers. And robots are also
   a patch. However, two points:

What kind of a SF campaign are you guys expecting us to run. Hack'n'slash,
with no computer reconnaissance or space/vehicular combat. This just seems
to be T2K + ~300 years for gun freaks. Print a sample character with (esp.)
all the skills so we get to see what kind of PCs is this system for. 

   Bluerazor
--
Ville Lavonius	        University of Helsinki, Dept. of Computer Science
lavonius@cc.helsinki.fi : And the road goes on forever and ever
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Bandwith and groups
From: ppugliese@pimacc.pima.edu
Date: 12 Sep 92 21:11:47 -0700

In article <12SEP199215555531@rosie.uh.edu>, lib1p@rosie.uh.edu (Tammy Stark Blandino) writes:
> 
> If everyone is so worried about bandwith, then why do we
> have groups like:
> 
> alt.wesley.crusher.die.die.die
> 
> alt.french.captain.borg.borg.borg
> 
> just a thought.
> 
> Tammy

alt.* groups don't follow the usual UseNet rules. Virtually
anyone can set up anything they want to under the 'alt' label.

You do have a point though. The alt.* groups are a real mess.

PHIL

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: stedee@auto-trol.com (Steve Deemer)
Subject: Re: SR: CAW Co. Fall Catolog
Organization: Auto-trol Technology Corporation
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 20:45:10 GMT

In article <68780003@hpcvnb.CV.HP.COM> moursund@hpcvnb.CV.HP.COM (David_Moursund) writes:
>>/ hpcvnb:rec.games.frp.misc / v076jy2p@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Cosmo Of The Cosmos) /  5:30 pm  Aug 25, 1992 /
>
>>Oh, by the way.  CAW Co. is stationed in Kent, Tacoma.  Just ask around,
>>everybody knows where my HQ is, ever since I revitalized the local economy.
>>And tell me what you buy, so I can write down how much my charater makes.
>
>
>Duhhh, I bought 320K nuyen worth of equipment from your company, but
>it was defective, and cost the lives of well over 100 good people,
>as well as the loss of millions of nuyen in property damages.
>
>I was considering taking you to court, but decided to have you
>assassinated instead.  Please be sure to write down that your character
>has been assassinated.  And your factory is now a smoking crater.
>
>dm
>
Yeah, me and the boyz wuz there, saw the place go up.  No one got
out, chummer.  They wuz all smoked.

skd
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1992 15:48:07 EDT
From: Renegade <RKR103@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: RM: Anyone know the mailing list address?

Does anyone out there know the email address to subscribe to the
Rolemaster mailing list (presuming it still exists) and, if so,
could you email or post the contact address?  Thanks!
-Renegade
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: braca2@cspyr1.cs.adfa.oz.au (BRAY CHRISTOPHER)
Subject: New RGP, survery
Organization: Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, Australia
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 23:51:59 GMT

This is a quick yes/no sort of survey.  I am trying to work out how I should
design a new rpg I am presently writing, independently of any publishing
house.  This is my market research.  The more people who reply the more
accurate this will be.

If you feel there is anything else you wish to add then please do so.
This is totally anonymous.

PLEASE REPLY BY EMAIL TO THE ADDRESS AT THE END.

If another game was to come out, what sort of genre would you like to play:

Fantasy	[  ]	Horror [   ]	Contemporary [   ]	Superhero [   ]

Science Fiction [   ]	Space Opera [   ]	Dark Futre [   ]

Mixed Genre ( ie Shadowrun, Torg) [  ]	Multi Genre (GURPS,etc) [   ]


How much time would you want to spend on character generation

<10 minutes [   ]	10-30 minutes [   ]	about 1 hour [   ]

2 hours [   ]	All day [  ]


Would you prefer:

random rolled characters [   ]		Point based system [   ]

a bit of both [   ]


What is your favourite system: ( explain why if you want to )


What is your most hated system: (why if  you wish)


Would you prefer your task system to be:

single die roll [   ]	Bell curve (2D6, etc) [   ]

Percentile(D100) [   ]	No. of successes (as in ShadowRun) [   ]


Would you like to see a basic system that could 'open out' with rules to 
suit your style of gaming? (i.e. a relatively abstract system that you could
focus on Magic, politics, horror, combat as you wished)



Would you prefer a large skill list, where a skill of 0 meant no or little
ability; or have each character with differing proficiencies, where a skill 
level represents some expertise, or understanding of a difficult field ?
(ie sport, theiving, physics, computing, combat)

Do you feel that social interaction should be governed by rules, or by 
roleplaying.\

Is there anything you wish to add?


                              -=[   hook   ]=-
-----------------------------                  ----------------------------
 braca2@cspyr1.cs.adfa.oz.au          |    "If you've got it shake it" - hook
       ========			      |    "My heart beats just like yours, 
      /        \                      |    When I dream, my mind soars,  
      |        |                      |    but no fantasy will pay my bills
      \        /                      |    Another dream unfulfilled"
       ---  ---                       |                - Living Color
	 / /                          | "Right now there are hundreds of
	 | |                          | sceptics falling of the edge of the 
	 \ \   /|                     | Earth"  Clem Turner (LEUT, RAN)
	  \ --/ |                     |
	   \---/                      |
copy this sig and help `Just Say No' to Big Brother monitoring public bandwidth
      NSA KEYWORDS:  AVIARY, OCELOT, KIT GREEN, JOHN ALEXANDER, ED DAMES

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: davis@cwis.unomaha.edu (James J Davis)
Subject: Re: Healing Vampirism (was 
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 08:13:14 GMT

Punk Rocketeer writes:
[has a healing PC in a game he's running, using Transform]
>     The problem came up when I turned one of the PC's into a vampire. 
[dud(e) tries to 'heal' the vampire.]

I treat Vampirism like any other collection of powers: almost any set of
powers can be removed in some really esoteric way.  It's a -0 limitation
that all powers have.  Vampirism is has a way of getting rid of it, just
like, say, Superman's powers.  All of these are pretty rare, but are still
an element in comics...

-james
From: lib1p@rosie.uh.edu (Tammy Stark Blandino)
Subject: Re: r.g.frp.* and sci fi games
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: University of Houston
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1992 00:04:00 GMT

>>The you could have r.g.rpg.sf.board.  Sounds like Batletech
>>and Warhammer 40K to me.



>Gee.  Where does rec.games.board fit into this scheme, them?
> 


If you play Battletech and/or Warhammer 40K and all you think
it is is a board game then your missing half (or more) of the
fun.  

Tammy
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.advocacy,rec.games.frp.dnd
From: cmeadows@nyx.cs.du.edu (Chris Meadows)
Subject: Re: Alignments
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.
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 01:22:22 GMT

In article <1992Sep2.123736.387@access.digex.com> dzik@access.digex.com (
oseph Dzikiewicz) writes:
>In article <1SEP199219354030@rosie.uh.edu> lib1p@rosie.uh.edu (Tammy Sta
k Blandino) writes:
>>I have a new topic if anyone would like to discuss it.  Alignments.
>>
>>Remember Alignments from AD&D?  Well my gaming group has often
>>had heated discussions on alignments.  Now I'm not interested in
>>a flame war.  I just want some other opinions.
>
>I tend to think that alignments are only meaningful in gaming universes
>where they have metaphysical meaning, such as Moorcock's Eternal Champio

>series (Elric et al, where a major running plot was the battle between
>Law and Chaos).  In that case, alignment determines which side you are o
.
>
>In other cases, I think they simplify role playing too much.  If a chara
ter
>does not kill a captive, it should not be because the character is of "G
od"
>alignment, but it might be because the character is a good person.
>
>Joe Dzikiewicz
>


How to deal with alignment tongues with no alignments, though?  If an
intelligent monster understands alignment, and that's the only language
you have in common, it can be an invaluable aid to communication.

When I play D&D (regular, not advanced), I tend to emphasize the selfish
side of neutrality, rather than the philosophical (I mean, let's face it,
if characters spent all their time philosophizing and considering exactly
what they should do so good and evil would be totally balanced, they would
have no time to go adventuring with!), and Good can be anything from
angelic
to slightly "Dirty Harry"-ish.

---Chris Meadows

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: mxr@neptune.dsc.com (Max "Vicious Audacious Melon" Rible)
Subject: Re: SR: Non-animal totems
Organization: Digital Sound Corporation
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 22:23:01 GMT

ins894r@aurora.cc.monash.edu.au (Aaron Wigley [Wigs]) writes:

>I don't suppose anyone has designed non animal totems, 
>such as what is hinted at in the London Sourcebook om page 143 under
>Druids:Totems?

Well, I've got a Fog shamaness (from San Francisco, of course), with
bonuses for summoning Mist spirits and illusion.  If you have Road
spirits, you might have fun playing a Car shaman (we've had them long
enough that they're part of human consciousness by now).  (Road spirits
are capable of using the Movement power on anything native to their domain:
this includes cars, trucks, bicycles...)  A fun thing for a Road shaman
to do is to hire several blacksmiths with a very large amount of nuyen
to put together an old Rolls Royce--- Silver Phantom, I think an
appropriate one would be--- by hand, and enchant the thing into an Ally.
(I wouldn't permit turning a modern rigged vehicle with lots of fancy
high-tech materials into an Ally, but having an antique-style hand-built
car has *style*!)  Just think of the advantages inherent in having a
car that's also an Ally:  it doesn't need gas, it's worth a good deal
of armor protection, it can drive itself...
/-------------v-----------------------v---------------------------------------\
| Max Rible   | mxr@dsc.com           | "Powerful big rats, gentlemen."       |
|             | rible@vorpal.ucsb.edu |                         - Neil Gaiman |
\-------------^-----------------------^---------------------------------------/
--
From: v057qkmm@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (BABBLING SAGE)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Let's talk REAL sci-Fi systems
Keywords: The best
Date: 11 Sep 92 17:37:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <BuF9qB.Axn@rice.edu>, swaim@owlnet.rice.edu (Michael Parks Swaim) writes...
>In article <BuF4rw.KD7@acsu.buffalo.edu> v057qkmm@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (BABBLING SAGE) writes:
>>	About the background: I didnt suggest that you junk it, I merely
>>noted the fact that a lot of GMs change the background of ANY game you buy.
> 
>  Let's put it this way. If I use a particular system, I'm quite likely to 
>throw out the mileu and insert my own. Given this, is Battlelords worth the
>cash JUST for the system.

	Yes, IMNSHO. 

> 
>>The skill system is very effective, with most characters being able to get
>>a wide variety of skills both combat and non-combat.\
>>	Advancement is handled by our old friend xp; for every 1000 you get 
>>another skill point to spend. MC characters advance their skills at half
>>this rate because their powers also increase.
>  Do skills increase linearly, or does increasing them become more
>expensive as they get better? Can you "wildly succede" with something
>like 1 meaning roll again and double it?
> 

	Generally, if the GM decides that you could possibly perform a
task or action, an 01 always succeeds and a 100 always fails. Skills increase
linearly, each level of skill adding 10% to your chance for most skills. 
each level of difficulty of a task subtracts 10% from your chance. So if
you have the same skill level as your difficulty attempted, you have a 50%
chance to succeed + attribute modifier.

>>"Winging it" is handled by the GM deciding a base percent chance to 
>>succeed at a task and then adding the characters appropriate modifier 
>>based on his stats.  
>  So your chance to do something is skill+attribute? Ug. I was hoping for
>something better.

	Well, its simple. Perhaps I havent explained it thoroughly enough
but i can't do so without copying large sections of the book, which of course
would be frowned upon by ODS. Obviously if a character defines his actions 
very carefully and thoughtfully, the GM can apply a bonus to his chance.

> 
>>Bluerazor
> 
> 
>-- 
>Mike Swaim            | Canada will become the next world power
>swaim@owlnet.rice.edu | and they will work to ENSLAVE all the nations
>Disclamer: I lie      | of your planet. -Ricardo
>Cthulhu in '92! The stars are right!

Bluerazor
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc