HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu (Art Urban (PROFS))
Subject: Re: Improvisation!
Organization: Atmospheric Technology Division/NCAR Boulder, CO
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 15:37:16 GMT

In article <1992Aug17.205431.18999@iplmail.orl.mmc.com> dans@iplmail.orl.mmc.com (Dan Sullivan) writes:
%Sorry if I took too long to get to this, but my question is: how to you manage 
%to remember all the little details if they're not written down? Especially from
%one play session to the next, the mountains of detail (especially if you don't
%know what's going to be important) can get overwhelming, at least for me.

This is quite a quandry. All the GMs in our group either use a special
HyperCard stack or simple wordprocessor to record the game's events as they
happen. The hypercard stack is more elegant, as it records the date for each
of our game world calendars, and has some nice mass, die rolling. Anyway, the
point is, we handle much of the bookeeping via computer. 

To more directly address your question, where *do* you draw the line for
determining what you write down and what you don't. Is it important to remember
that a PC bought blue silk with silver fringe, or just that they bought silk?
Is it even important to write down that they bought anything at all?

Your really going to have to determine for yourself what is going to be
important for later reflection. I would *never* presume to write down
what npc's said. If a player's character remembers something one of my NPCs
said which would produce game holes, then the NPC was simply wrong, and the
players will find this out in game; not everything an npc says is true, or
even right!

In summary, I personally ignore the fine detail, and simply record basic plot
evolution. I burden my players with recording their own events and details
as they see fit. If they don't write it down, then the randomness of the
detail falls back into my domain as the GM.

PC: I have blue silk written down on my character sheet. Didn't it have a
    silver fringe on it?
GM: Let me see...(rolls dice, with unfavorable result)...apparently not.
PC: But I'm sure it had silver fringe. In fact, I remember paying extra for
    this feature.
GM: I don't remember if that was the case or not, but if you're sure you paid
    more, then it *does* have the silver fringe.

Just roll with the punches...

--
Art Urban 					       urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu
===============================================================================
 "What's Next? Chasing bunnies on a motorbike until their hearts explode? -Crow
===============================================================================
From: ward1@husc8.harvard.edu (Lester Ward)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Shadowrun Astral Adepts-
Date: 21 Aug 92 15:29:19 GMT
 inter.coe.northeastern.edu><ward1.714319815@husc8><RATINOX.92Aug20123759@splin
 ter.coe.northeastern.edu><ward1.714336868@husc8> <RATINOX.92Aug21095423@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu>

ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat) writes:

>Because your interpretation doesn't match Fasa's, obviously.

Obviously?

>Are you using the Grimoire? Check page 66, left column, under Astral
>Combat. It very specifically states that Conjuring can't be used as a
>Defense Pool against spells, and vice-versa.

Yes, but it doesn't say that Unarmed Combat cannot be used against spells.
Check pg 65 "Combat Skills" of the Grim, which says something like
"As an option, a magician can use Conjuring to combat spirits in the astral
plane. It is assumed that they will use whatever skill they have the highest
value in."

>--Rat

Wordman
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: lev0@kimbark.uchicago.edu (Ron Levy (Armchair))
Subject: Re: Supers and Heavy Weapons : was Re: Gurps Supers
Reply-To: lev0@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: Worshippers of Yig
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 20:41:05 GMT


>	*SO WHAT*?  Again, if they've got what it takes to rip off the Army,
>they don't need to!

Speaking as a player in that game: Having, say, clairvoyance
undetectable by technological means is wonderfully helpful for your
planning in getting in and ripping off people.  It doesn't help you
blow up anyone, or knock them out.  Having an impossibly efficient way
of carrying off goods (the dimensional warehouse power mentioned
earlier) is wonderfully helpful for ripping off stuff.  But it doesn't
help you directly stop 'the bad guys'.

>	No sane government, no matter how powerful the supers are, is going to
>let anyone just walk around with missile launchers or other military-level
>hardware.

So don't walk around with it.  Never use it until you have to and then
don't be traced.  I think we all agree that anyone fool enough to walk
around in broad daylight with an illegal missile launcher is going to
be receiving a hot lead injection from a sniper one click off, or will be
otherwise neutralized in as brutally effective and surgical a manner as
a highly trained government can put together.

>  But if you get CAUGHT using LC 0 equipment,
>you won't see daylight for a looong time at worse, or you'll get assigned to
>the Suicide Squad at best.

Unless you have the bestest political connections in the world,
getting caught with that sort of military equipment is going to leave
you six feet under.  It certainly almost happened to us.  Fontunately
we explained the matter to the nice, extra-governmental superheroic
operatives and they kindly let us do what we needed to.  Maybe because
it was so strange.



-- 
Snake Owner's Safety Tip #3: 
	Never, EVER say, "Do da wittle snakie-wakies wanna come out to pway?"
anywhere near their cage.
From: holmes@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Krishgan)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Shadowrun Astral Adepts-
Date: 19 Aug 92 17:17:47 GMT
Organization: the Night Crafters Associated Press

Concerning Lester Wards (Wordmans) "Astral Adepts"

->>[Ok Wordie, this isn't so bad, but I found a BIG thing that I would like
  to argue with here....

  Technically, an -Astral Adept- is someone who -specializes- in doing 
  everything on the Astral only (magic wise).  Then why the drek can't this
  guy have sorcery -on the astral- and -conjuring (at least banishing) on
  the astral?

  What you made, I and a few of my friends here call an "Assensing Adept"
  as that is basically all your -boyo- there can do.

  I have to agree with Rat here, this thing you made is not much beyond a
  "dead target."]<<
    -Reflex
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: doug@abby.chem.ucla.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Warhammer RPG info?
Date: 14 Aug 92 16:22:00 GMT
Reply-To: doug@abby.chem.ucla.edu
Organization: Department of Chemistry, UCLA

In article <1992Aug12.172805.28366@noose.ecn.purdue.edu>, tag@hermes.ecn.purdue.edu (Tony A. Gibbens) writes:
>Valid point.  However, just for a second, examine the viewpoint of a 
>WFRP player.  He has invested money into a product with the belief of
>a realistic level of support for that product.  The questions here 
>( the ones I can quickly think of) are the following:
>  1) did GW mislead the buyer into expecting more support than was
>     planned to be delievered?  

I can't comment on the other two questions, but the answer to this one is a
resounding YES.  Realms of Sorcery.  Need I say more?

-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.

"We have to tear you to shreds because we care." - EAC
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRun: Mag 3 Cyber Eyes in Combat
From: ward1@husc8.harvard.edu (Lester Ward)
Date: 12 Aug 92 22:18:48 GMT

rhunt@med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt) writes:

>anything about making the range shorter for fire combat, but did have 
>a short sentence that they "behave like Imaging scopes of the 
>appropriate rating."

We made a .loud. house rule informing everyone from the beginning that
we were .not. using this aspect of opMag.  Suddenly the Samuari didn't
want these anymore, but the mages and journalists were after them like
crazy.

>Rick Hunt

Wordman
From: sl9b4@cc.usu.edu (Deep Six)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Descriptions (from, but not related to Improvisation!)
Date: 21 Aug 92 14:15:27 MDT
Organization: Utah State University

In article <1992Aug21.122827.9895@u.washington.edu>, 
 surge@milton.u.washington.edu (Jonathan Sari) writes:
> In article <Bt3Dt6.BEL@acsu.buffalo.edu> 
 swann@acsu.buffalo.edu (Stephen Swann) writes:

>>GM:  There's [...] some bottles probably for injection, they've got 
>>holes through the stoppers..
>
> Anyone else here bothered by the description Stephen gives of the
> bottles?  Stephen is giving the players a conclusion, rather than just 
> a description.
> 
> As a player, I much prefer to make the deduction that the holes in
> the top were likely made by a syringe (minor, though it is) by myself
> rather than having it handed to me on a plate.  

Well, in that example the bottles were unimportant. Steve may not have
said it like that if he were really playing. He was moving on to 
another point, actually about something else in that bag which the
players DID have to figure out.

> As a GM, I try to leave all the deduction up to the player.  If
> necessary, I give a note to the player whose character would be able
> to make the deduction automatically, for him to share with the rest
> of the characters if he feels like it.

Well, like a lot of things, there are levels to this. Having the players
deduce everything would be tedious. Let's say..

GM: You find an object, long and metalic.
Player 1: Ah ha! It is a knife or sword!
GM: Wrong. It is round and smooth.
Player 2: Oooh. Then it's a scroll case!
GM: Wrong again. It's pointed on one end.
Player 3: Well why didn't you say so? It's a spear.
GM: Nope. It's too small for a spear, silly.
Player 1: An arrow!
GM: Nope. Smaller still.
Player 3: Tent stake?
GM: Guess again.
Player 2: Letter opener?
GM: No..
Player 3: A dart! A pen! Hell just leave the thing. What else is there?
 
> A minor point, perhaps, but I feel that small details like this are
> significant in creating the feeling that you are experiencing a pseudo-
> reality rather than just a game.

It's a good point. I have played in games where the GM did all the work
for the players. But there's a limit to what the players can deduce simply 
on description. Sometimes you should just tell them what it is. Unless 
maybe you're trying to throw the players off or something. The bottle used 
for syringes would be immediatley recognized by any character who had ever 
been given a shot. Minor detail, not necessary to describe and describe,
waiting for the players to figure it out.

Okay,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Chadd  VanZanten  SL9B4@CC.USU.EDU  +  ``The  hardest part about fishing is 
that all the fish are underwater.'' -- 3m Sportsman Bassmaster how-to video
From: mancinis@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (steven mancini)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: SRUN: Questions from the Minotaur (Part X)
Keywords: Shadowrun, SR, SRUN,
Date: 12 Aug 92 21:44:56 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: The Labyrinth (Bigger is Better! Ask Any Troll!)

>>>>>[ Okay folks, I know I have been kinda quiet lately. Been busy
      working on some outside stuff. So here is the latest barrage
      of questions. As usual, please none of that "Up to your GM"
      answers, I am the GM. (well, one of them.)]<<<<<
						-Minotaur

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-

1. How do you calculate the range on Drones? I have had one rigger wish
   to send a drone across Seattle? I am unable to locate a maximum range 
   or any range for that matter. Somehow this seems to be an important
   fact that would probably vary according to make/model of the Drone as
   well as possibly the Remote Deck/Rigger.  Has anyone out there come
   up with a range table?

2. Okay this is a bit of a stretch, but something that I have become 
   curious about. The -Clout- Spell from the Grimoire delivers a
   'telekinetic' punch. The target for the spell is 4. Now this sounds
   like a standard melee attack target number:
	- Should it be modified as melle combat is? (ie partial cover)
	- Could you adjust the target to 8 for a called (head) shot?

3. This has been covered before, but no one ever came up with a definitive
   answer.  Do you other GM's allow Physical Adepts who have purchased
   astral perception to:
			-Engage in Astral Combat?
			-Dispelling?

4. Does anyone else out there think that when you split your dice, it
   should lower the target to be resisted? For example, Neil the Ork
   Barbarian has an Armed Skill of 6, but has a speciality in Combat
   Axe of 9. He decides to slag 3 opponents at once; 3 dice into
   each of the guys. Now it is time for their parry, do you think that
   they should resist a target of 9, or a target of 3? It kinda makes
   sense to me that the split should reduce the resistance target....
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRUN: Questions from the Minotaur (Part X)
From: covin@tartarus.uchicago.edu (David Covin)
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 18:33:10 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Chicago Computer Science

In article <ward1.713714254@husc8> ward1@husc8.harvard.edu (Lester Ward) writes:

   >3. This has been covered before, but no one ever came up with a definitive
   >   answer.  Do you other GM's allow Physical Adepts who have purchased
   >   astral perception to:
   >			-Engage in Astral Combat?

   Yes, but he is constrained to meatworld initative.  (i.e. he does not get
   the bonus to reaction for projecting.)  Also constrained to meatworld
   movement, which in Astral Combat will usually eat your lunch.  Basically,
   any Astrally Percieving (not Projecting) entity is treated as a Dual
   Natured Being for the duration.

My heart bleeds for the poor Physical Adept constrained to snaillike
meatbody initiative. :)  In the game in which I currently play, *no one*
is faster when astrally projecting than when moving physically;
everyone is significantly slower on the astral plane.  This is because
when astrally projecting, you lose those nifty initiative bonuses for
Increase Reaction +4 or (better) the Physical Adept's equivalent.
This matters a lot more than the puny +5 initiative bonus for astral
projection.

   >			-Dispelling?

   Dispelling requires a Sorcery success test.  The question becomes is this
   test like casting a spell (which PhysAds cannot do) or like using sorcery
   for astral combat (which PhysAds can do).  I tend to think it is like the
   former, so no PhysAds cannot dispell.  (Besides, you need a grade higher
   then the force of the spell anyway; who's got that?)

Well, the description of Dispelling says it replaces the risky method
of fighting the spell in astral combat; which a physical adept who
could assense would otherwise be able to do.  I would have thought
this makes it something PhysAds *could* do, in the same way that
Shielding, which is the Initiated version of spell defense, is
something they cannot.  Just another POV.

--
David Covin                           covin@despair.uchicago.edu
From: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Appleseed for GURPS...
Date: 20 Aug 92 01:37:54 GMT
Article-I.D.: splinter.RATINOX.92Aug19213754
	<1992Aug19.233057.10006@cs.uow.edu.au>
	<RATINOX.92Aug19213527@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu>
Reply-To: ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu
Organization: 3WA, Boston Office. Or Nu Meta Chi. Take your pick.
In-reply-to: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu's message of 20 Aug 92 01:35:27 GMT
X-Get-A-Clue: Have two, they're small.
X-Signature-Virus-Protection: Version 1.51
X-Posting-Software: GNUS 3.14.1 [ NNTP-based News Reader for GNU Emacs ]

Oh, BTW, the last thing I heard was that Palladium Books has the rights to
do sourcebooks for Appleseed and Dirty Pair (and maybe a few other things
that Studio Proteus has rights to). I've almost figured out a way to
reasonably convert Palladium's MDC mecha over to HERO in a reasonable
fashion, so I'll be set if/when that book is released.

--Rat

||||| | | | |  |  |  |   |   |    |    |    |   |   |  |  |  |  | | | | | |||||
                                                   __        ___ 
Richard Pieri, Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat/   | /| / /   | The Worlds
Internet: ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu   /__  |/ |/ / /| | Welfare Works
    UUCP: ...!northeastern.edu!meceng!ratinox  /   | /| / / / | | Association:
  BITNET: UA_RLP@NUHUB{.BITNET}               /__  |/ |/ / /  | | I will solve
  USNail: 14 Westdale RD  Holbrook, MA 02343 /   | /| / / /___| | any problem
 ICBMnet: 42 deg 1 min N, 71 deg 0 min W    /    |/ |/ /_//_____| for you.
From: sl9b4@cc.usu.edu (Deep Six)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Improvisation!
Date: 20 Aug 92 00:06:58 MDT
Organization: Utah State University

In article <1992Aug19.174818.20479@samba.oit.unc.edu>, 
 Elizabeth.Mccoy@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Elizabeth Mccoy) writes:
> In article <1992Aug18.023221.58228@cc.usu.edu> 
 sl9b4@cc.usu.edu (Deep Six) writes:

>>How about a definition of ``railroading?''
> 
> <grin> How about an example.

[example deleted]

>>Additionally, if you are improvising a lot because the players are doing
>>things so fast that you can't prepare, then aren't they railroading you
>>into doing things their way? So what is the harm in doing things your
>>way?
> 
> The trick is doing it within the constraints of reasonable behavior of
> NPCs and the outside world.
>
> I've been in one game (same group, different GM) where it *was* a
> *total* railroad! But it didn't *feel* like one because everything
> seemed to fit some version of reality. (It was also an "inside-job" by
> afore mentioned computer expert...) And there was no-one pressuring us
> to do [X] or else.  

So you've completed my point. You can ``railroad'' players (if that is
an accurate word for it) in an interesting, realistic and consistant
way. In my games, the players usually will ``stay on the map'' because
that part of the game world is the most interesting part at that 
moment. It is also very often the part they wanted to explore, but
they indicated so days or weeks before.

Okay,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chadd VanZanten SL9B4@CC.USU.EDU  ``You know, I thought this was a
good idea but this is one weird mama-jama.''  -- TV's Frank, MST3K
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: oroboros@acca.nmsu.edu (The Wyrm Ouroboros)
Subject: Re: Speaking of ambushes II
Organization: The Clearing House, Ltd.
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 16:47:58 GMT

Deep Six writes:
>Ambuses have been a hot topic in my campaign lately, both for the GM
>and the players.
>
>(Discussion of all sides -- long-range freak, short-range freak, middle
> distance people -- cut out for brevity)
>
>I've suggested a mix, where the PCs use both close range and distant 
>range weapons to ambush, but they can't agree on which is more important.
>I'm not necassarily looking for a discussion on the merits of close
>range or long range combat, I'm more looking for examples from other 
>campaigns of ambushes that worked well, backfired, etc., from both players
>and GMs.

I could not help but reply to this one -- simply because the most effective
ambush with a group like this is so obvious.

Displayed thusly:

          CoverCoverCoverCover |  R  | CoverCoverCoverCover
              Mid-Range Party  |  O  |  Mid-Range Party
               CoverCoverCover |  A  | CoverCoverCover
                 Short Ranger  |  D  |  Short Ranger
                    CoverCover |     | CoverCover
                               |     |
                     Targets ---->X  |
                               |     |
                    CoverCover |     | CoverCover
                 Short Ranger  |  R  |  Short Ranger
               CoverCoverCover |  O  | CoverCoverCover
              Mid-Range Party  |  A  |  Mid-Range Party
          CoverCoverCoverCover |  D  | CoverCoverCoverCover
			  Long-Range Party
				  |
				  |
				  V

The long-ranger opens fire first; when the first target falls, everybody else
can open up.  Gives everybody a piece of the action.

Ouroboros
The Wyrm of the .Net
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: hachiman@milton.u.washington.edu (Matt Downer)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Ala genre....
Date: 18 Aug 92 04:18:36 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Aug18.041836.13504
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

In article <1992Aug17.114837.29692@ugle.unit.no> toriver@flipper.pvv.unit.no (Tor Iver Wilhelmsen) writes:
>In article <dlaird.15uk@terapin.com> dlaird@terapin.com (Delbert Laird) writes:
>>
>>I was wondering what you loyal .frp.misc'ers think about the current trends in
>>roleplaying games. As a hack designer, I've currently been working on a game
>>similiar in nature to the anime/manga work "Appleseed" with quite a few
>>variations in theme...but I'm beginning to see some futility in marketing such
>>a game (and I had SUCH high hopes).
>>
>RPG backgrounds with such rather limited (no offense) audience would do
>better as a supplement for one of the "generic" RPGs IMHO. Maybe GURPS,
>HERO, TF2V or the BTRC system. Why not check on some of them??

	Yes!!!  Appleseed for Hero!!!  Or GURPS (it would even be worth buying
GURPS for).

 _______________________________
|  Matthew B. Downer       	|
|  hachiman@u.washington.edu	|
|  				|
|  Ore no denwa bango wa 911 da.|
|_______________________________|
From: porterg@gems.vcu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Modeling a GURPS power
Date: 17 Aug 92 09:57:39 -0400
Organization: Medical College of Virginia

Re: Mindswitch

I can think of a couple ways to model this in Hero System, depending on
exactly how it works:

Transformation:  The target and caster are transformed into each other
(more or less).  This stays put until the reversing condition is met.

Summoning: Summon an exact duplicate of the character, while simulatneously
dumping the original in another dimension.

Mind control: Lots of dice.

Multiform: You add a copy of them while they get a copy of you.

Your big problem I suspect is how to model the reverse of the mental control.
This can be handled by the limitation "Caster is affected in same way as 
target", which is a pretty good limitation if the power has negative effects.
Obviously, it wouldn't be a limitation for a power which helped the caster.

I guess you also have to define exactly what gets transferred.  If all mental
traits get moved, then "spells" would be too, but not body-dependent
"powers".  For instance, if you keep Energy Man's plasma blast, what about
the skill levels he had with it?  Or do you just say the personality (and
psych lims) go, but skills don't transfer because you are unfamiliar with
the new body?

Greg

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc