HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: uphrrmk@Msu.oscs.montana.edu (Me)
Subject: Re: Titan - who does NOT like it?
Reply-To: uphrrmk@Msu.oscs.montana.edu (Me)
Organization: Montana State University
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 21:46:43 GMT

In article <1992Sep7.152955.28341@uni-paderborn.de>, jerry@planck (Gerald Siek) writes:
>
>       [Tell me why I shouldn't buy Titan.]
>

  Ihateithateithateithateit!

    Actually, most of the people in the last group I played it
  with rather enjoyed it.  Several were new or less experienced
  players, one or two were quite familiar with the game.

  In re several points already raised:

  {Wait Time} :  Most of our group have played enough Wait intensive
                 games to be familiar with appropriate techniques.
                 In particular, planning ahead & watching the combat
                 strategies of your opponents. (Often players will 
                 reveal characteristic stacking tendencies)

                 Also, we ALWAYS played Titan in a house with Beer 
                 on tap, and usually had another (kibbitz-friendly)
                 game going in another room.

  {Novice Play} : Above notwithstanding, the game is SLOOOWWW with
                  greater that one new player.  The strategies
                  needed are best learned from experience (as usual),
                  and thus require thought. ( Get me a beer while
                  you're up ?)

  {# of Combats} : Our group was fairly timid about engaging in an
                   attack. In fact, most combats were forced by a
                   (bad) die roll.

  {# of Dice} : Good thing several of us used to play Champions.  

  And now my own Bias:

    I am always the first player eliminated.  ALWAYS. EVERY G***D*****
    TIME! It's Uncanny! 

    
  Conclusion:

    Find at least three people who want to play, too.

    Go quartersies.

    Whoever likes it can buy the others out.

    Don't invite me.

======================================================================
  Michael Kellen       (Look at it this way, I got home before 2 am!)
From: richardt@Apple.COM (Richard Threadgill)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Looking for Dark Nebula Errata
Date: 13 Sep 92 19:17:22 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA

I recently purchased an early copy of Dark Nebula, only to discover
that the rules were something of a shambles.  Apparently, I managed to pick
up an earlier edition than the one I used to own back in '80.  Is there
anyone, perchance, who has either an errata sheet or just a consistent
rulebook for DN running around?  (Believe me, you'll notice the
inconsistencies - they make it so that you basically can't build any sort
of star empire with most of the possible board layouts because you can't
get production back to your home planet)

RichardT
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: desj@ccr-p.ida.org (David desJardins)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Marsh/Plains
Date: 12 Sep 92 21:18:15 GMT
Organization: IDA Center for Communications Research, Princeton

Bo-Yin Yang <maboyiny@ccvax.as.edu.tw> writes:
>A call for votes here--- who really thinks that Minotaurs are better than
>Warbears?

As I said in my previous posting, in the standard game I think the
warbear line is slightly better than the minotaur line.  I base this in
large part on the significant superiority of giants over dragons.  (Is
there is any question about this?)

Whether warbears or minotaurs themselves are better is another question.
IMO the answer is that they are incomparable.  Early in the game I think
that the warbear is better.  That is because it is more survivable in
hand-to-hand combat.  A small group which has just recruited its first
warbear seems to be more survivable, and more able to protect the
warbear, than a similar group with a minotaur.  Note that in order to
get any advantage out of the rangestriking of the minotaur, you have to
put it in the front and expose it to attack.

Later in the game, in a stack with other rangestrikers (e.g., rangers),
it can be very nice to have the minotaur.  Rangestrikers draw a
significant advantage from numbers, particularly on attack of course.
The most important thing in combat is to gain (global or local)
numerical superiority.  A critical mass of rangestrikers which can kill
a unit in a single turn is thus very effective, much more so than a lone
rangestriker.  (Warlocks are of course a special case.)

>[Note, when playing the Bo-Yin expansion, people tend to grab the third
>Mino (which if you remember gets good recruits) but not as often the third
>Bear.  The reason is that Minos actually fights better in our games...]

I think this is consistent with my opinions, both that rangestrikers are
more effective in numbers, and that giants are better than dragons (thus
more incentive to recruit just two warbears, but a third minotaur).

                                        David desJardins
Newsgroups: rec.games.board,rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: dzik@access.digex.com (Joseph Dzikiewicz)
Subject: Re: Hostility in Gamers toward Certain Games
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 15:40:40 GMT

In article <vm6pbdkl@csv.warwick.ac.uk> bsrae@warwick.ac.uk (Dave Lockwood) writes:
>My observation (which may be biased or unfair) is that most role-playing
>gamers have never had to work (outside academia) in the real world. Having
>done ten years in industry before becoming a mature student, I had to
>do enough role-playing and making up the rules as I went along 
>during working hours to want something more mechanistic as a hobby (see above).
>There is a definite tendency to give up RPGs at graduation. 
>One (very rude) view is that most people have
>to grow up at that point ;-) Another (equally rude) is that once you have a
>salary coming in you can afford something better :-). 
>It might be interesting to note how many flames
>of this paragraph have .edu or equivalent addresses ;-)
>

I suppose it depends on what you do working in the real world.  I work
as a software engineer/computer programmer and have been doing so for
many years.  There is something very mechanistic about computer programming -
more similar to board games then to RPG's.  Therefore, I find RPG's to
be more different from my day job and therefore more of a release.

Second, part of the fun of RPG's for me is the theatrical aspect.  I
used to act back in college, but with a full-time job, three small kids,
and working towards a PhD, I do not have time for rehearsal schedules
(back in school it could range up to six nights a week, three hours
a night).  RPG's make a good compromise.

Finally, I would observe that there is a definite tendency to give
up all games at graduation - not just RPG's.  (How many times have you
gotten the LOOK from people when you tell them that your hobby is
gaming - any kind - whether RPG's, board games, or miniatures
("You mean that, for fun, you play with little metal soldiers?")?).
And as to affording something better, I had more disposable income back
 when I lived off handouts from parents and summer jobs - I didn't have 
to worry about mortgage payments and buying my own food back then - 
let alone food for wife and three kids.  But then, there are degrees
of "growing up".

Joe Dzikiewicz
Not with a .edu address
From: tw1r+@andrew.cmu.edu (Timothy C. Worsley)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Marsh/Plains
Date: 14 Sep 92 17:50:34 GMT
	<1992Sep14.100637.28986@galois.mit.edu>
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

Excerpts from netnews.rec.games.board: 14-Sep-92 Re: Marsh/Plains Bo-Yin
Yang@ccvax.as.edu (1364)

> Let's put this to a rest sometime soon as the net is probably  tired of

	It's not like we're in a flame-war.  This seems like a valid arguement.
 The only real problem is that I'm saying "I like chocolate." and you're
saying "I prefer green."  We're not really discussing the same issues at
all, because we play really differently.

ZZnew guy
From: demented+@pitt.edu (Scott E Berry)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: BTech: MS-DOS Version Beta 0.2 ready (not)
Date: 14 Sep 92 16:57:45 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

I successfully FTPd the file and unzipped it.  It takes a while
to unzip and produces over 500 files.  The text based programs look 
horrible but the maps look pretty good.  The maps include roads and 
buildings.  The graphics programs take a long time to load the Icons.

I think that the files are being garbled in transmission it took several
attempts  to get the complete file.  I tried ftp ing directly from
a PC and ftping to my unix account multiple times but I eventualy
got the program.  

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Scott E. Berry
                               demented+@pitt.edu
From: rday@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Robert E Day)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: BTech HELP BAD HEADER
Date: 11 Sep 92 15:27:54 GMT
Distribution: rec.games.frp.misc
Organization: The Ohio State University

I saw this on r.g.f.m & thought that someone here might help.

In article <BuEz3p.Ap3@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de> kabreuer@cip.informati
k.uni-erlangen.de (Klaus Breuer) writes:
>Aaargh!
>
>I have now uploaded my BTech game (which is nearing completion) three
>times (at 1.5h each), and still the thing had a bad heder!
>
>Can anyone PLEASE PLEASE tell me what I'm doing wrong?
>
>--- [ Transcript Start ] ---
>
>(login)
>$ kermit 
>$ VMS KERMIT READY >set file type binary
>$ FILE TZPE SET TO I >SERVER
>$ SERVER READY, TYPE BYE TO DISCONNECT > 
>(Uploading with PC-KERMIT, using binary, too)
>$ ftp medusa
>(entering login, etc)
>$ type binary
>$ put mech02b.zip
>
>--- [ Transcript End ] ---
>
>Guys, any help is *much* appreciated. This is driving me (and
>probably some of you, too) beserk.
>
>Ciao,
>Klaus
>
>PS. I currently can't send email, sorry can't reply to your mail.
-- 
If the price that I must pay to obtain my *  Robert E. Day/Syr Otto von    *
freedom, is to acknowledge that the Gov-  *  Schwartzkatz, Shire Mugmort   *
ernmet was granted the power to infringe  *  Barony Middle Marches,        *
on them, then I am not free. Paul Anderson*  Middle Kingdom                *
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: taia_a@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Subject: BTECH:Rifleman II
Organization: Welligton City Council, Public Access.
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 00:03:16 GMT


 Saw the Rifleman variant with the LB-10Xs, but I think mine is better :)
but everyone says that of their meks! :) I posted this one several months
ago, but I thought that people would enjoy this again. I'll just post the
stats as I need to refer to my hardcopy for the history etc.

RIFLEMAN II RFL-3K
80 Tons
                         Criticals  Locations  Tonnage
IS Endo-Steel               14   2RA/2LA/5RT/5LT 4.0
Engine 240                   0         -        11.5
 Walk 3
 Run  5
 Jump 0
Gyro & Cockpit               0         -         6.0
Heat Sinks  11 ( 22 )        6      3RT/3LT      1.0
Armor         240            0         -        15.0 NB: Use Awesome Stats.

LB-10X                       6         RA       11.0
Ammo (LB) 30                 3       1RT/2RL     3.0
CASE                         1         RT        0.5
Large Laser                  2         RA        5.0
Medium Laser                 1         RT        1.0
LB-10X                       6         LA       11.0
Ammo (LB) 30                 3       1LT/2LL     3.0
CASE                         1         LT        0.5
Large Laser                  2         LA        5.0
Medium Laser                 1         LT        1.0
Guardian ECM Suite           2         CT        1.5

 I designed this mek to include the beloved LB-10X, but drastic changes
had to be made. But it maintains the basic shape of the mek without
having to reconfigure the mek totally. My group has the policy that you
can field it if you have the figure! 100% accuaracy is needed here :)
This was due to always having a new design a week :) I like this mek a
lot as it shows with a little brainpower and a little common sense you
can produce a well designed mek.
 I will endeavour to post more often with additional designs, but I am
pushed for time :( especially as school work gets in the way!

BTW can the person requesting designs mail me, I lost all my mail in the
last site-disk crash!

 And will someone post on the GENCON/Origins. I want to know what FASA
is up to! Attention here Stephane! :)

Cheers
      Tony

Tony Taia
 tai-shu@kauri.vuw.ac.nz, TAIA_A@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
3067:When the Combine begins the counterattack! :)
From: stone@gershwin.cs.unc.edu (Donald Stone)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Civil War Strategic games
Date: 8 Sep 92 13:04:34 GMT
Organization: UNC Department of Computer Science
In-reply-to: casper@vxcrna.cern.ch's message of 8 Sep 92 09:20:00 GMT


In article <8SEP199210203026@vxcrna.cern.ch> casper@vxcrna.cern.ch (CASPER,DAVI./PPE) writes:

   From: casper@vxcrna.cern.ch (CASPER,DAVI./PPE)
   Newsgroups: rec.games.board
   Date: 8 Sep 92 09:20:00 GMT

   The VG game "The Civil War" is managable and fairly complete.  The physical
   quality is good, as usual for Victory Games.  It contains all the necessary
   military, leadership, and naval elements.  I recommend it as the best game
   I have seen on the Civil War.

   There is also GDW's A House Divided, which is much simpler, yet still somewhat
   historical and a very challenging game.

There is a new game out from Clash of Arms:  War for the Union (???)

Anybody played this one yet?  Impressions?

--
Donald Stone (stone@cs.unc.edu)
From: m91kgh@tdb.uu.se (Karl-Gunnar Hultland)
Subject: Re: BTECH - machine gun mechs
Organization: Dept. of Scientific Computing, Uppsala Univ.
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 23:59:04 GMT

cpbeaure@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu (Chris Beauregard) writes:
: Did they actually document the effects of jumping further than you can
: walk?  I always thought that it was just plain illegal to build a mech
: like that...Of course, we had a house rule for that sort of thing.
: Jumping futher than you can walk requires a piloting skill roll, wsiith
: a +1 modifier for each hex past max walking distance, of you do a
: standard fall (similar to missing in DFA).

Sounds like a useful houserule IF you allow jumps to go further than
your walking allowance.

: 
: Personally, if someone wants to play with an obviously munchkin mech, I
: let them...by themselves...of with other munchkins if they can find
: them.

Yeah, but what is a munchkin mech anyway? What could be a perfectly
logical mech for me, designed to do a specific task could really be
a totally stupid mech for another. I personally would not get into
a 40 MG mech outside of the arena, but the fact is, in an arena giving
the short distances a MG mech IS useful. The Steiner arena for
instance is only 3 1/2 BattleTech hex across and in such a limited place
MG are perfect.

			Karl

-- 

Karl-Gunnar Hultland              Vox Dei, Vox Populi
m91kgh@bellatrix.tdb.uu.se
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: shoham@ll.mit.edu (Daniel Shoham)
Subject: Re: Titan -- non-game-altering house rules
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 04:59:52 GMT

In article <QefwtSG00VpEA_C1gq@andrew.cmu.edu> tw1r+@andrew.cmu.edu (Timothy C. Worsley) writes:
>
>	Here at CMU, we have some simple house rules to avoid stupid random
>hoseage early in the game.
>
>Are there any such other house rules out there (ie. no extra peices etc.)?
>
>ZZnew guy

We never allow tower-to-tower teleports on turn 1. (we call this "the
no T-to-T T on T1 rule").

If a player rolls 1 (or sometimes other numbers) and moves his two stacks
out of the tower, and a later player rolls 6, a VERY good move for the latter
player is to teleport his Titan to the home tower of the first player and
muster a warlock. With his freedom of movement 67% curtailed, it is very
likely the at least one of the first player's stacks would fail to muster an
additional creature on his next turn or move very far from his home tower. The
latter player will then attack using his superior firepower and angel-call. He
almost always wins. The first player is out of the game or out of an Angel
stack and is seriously injured. The latter player may lose some basic
creatures, but as this is SO early in the game, it does not set him back far
at all. The hefty number of points, (and possibly the additional stackmarkers)
give him a definite advantage over the field (and particularly the poor chap).

Dan Shoham
shoham@ll.mit.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: tjz20735@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Tom Zych)
Subject: Re: Star Fleet Battles: strategy
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 15:24:25 GMT

quirk@pioneer.unm.edu (Gym Z. Quirk) writes:

>In article <1992Sep10.133138.2286@wkuvx1.bitnet> traveja@wkuvx1.bitnet writes:
>>All SFB players,
>>
>> I want to know if anyone knows it I can launch
>>these drones from my D-7D cruiser, tractor them at speed 20, and ram
>>my hapless opponent with them. 

>Tractoring your own drones breaks the lock-ons, rendering them useless.
>(Re-read the Drone and Tractor beam rules.)

Just for my edification, can someone explain why tractoring _your_ drone causes
it to lose tracking, while tractoring your _opponent's_ drone doesn't?

Tom Zych   tjz20735@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu

Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: daily@a.cs.okstate.edu (DAILY STEPHEN RICH)
Subject: Re: Star Fleet Battles: strategy
Organization: Oklahoma State University, Computer Science, Stillwater
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 22:16:15 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.133138.2286@wkuvx1.bitnet> traveja@wkuvx1.bitnet writes:
>All SFB players,
>
>I am interested in talking with anyone concerning SFB.
>I recently posted to alt.games.sf2, and got several nasty
>letters via e-mail.
>I am currently playing in a Klingon civil war scenario. We do
>have smuggled technology, but the year is approx. 130. 
>Because of my most recent investments, I have technology for
>speed 15 drones. (I know it may sound boring, but part of the 
>fun is dealing with the smugglers and trying to out-develop the
>other Klingon factions) I want to know if anyone knows it I can launch
>these drones from my D-7D cruiser, tractor them at speed 20, and ram
>my hapless opponent with them. 
>Any ideas about strategy would be greatly appreciated. Remember, our
>technology is some what limited (for now). Currently, no one has ADD
>technology. 
>
>(Thanks in advance)^3
>
>Jeff Travelstead
>Department of Physics and Astronomy
>Western Kentucky University
>Bowling Green, KY  42101
>
>"Prick us, do we not bleed. Tickle us, do we not laugh. Wrong us,
>shall we not avenge."  -most recently, General Yang, ST VI
>
>

If you tractor a friendly drone it immediately loses tracking, becomes
inert, and is removed from the board.  In the FAQ for this group there
is information on how to contact Henry Cobb who runs a SFB service which
runs play by E-mail games and runs a e-mail strategy forum.  I don't
remember how to get hold of him off hand but just look out for the FAQ or
any articles he authored for his e-mail address.
__
SRD
From: SATELLITE@eldi.epfl.ch (Uncle Alias)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Clay O'Rama
Date: 10 Sep 92 09:08:59 GMT
Organization: Satellite -- Enjoy!.. -- EPFL Students pub
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.22

In <SUMMERS.92Sep9151851@chinook.cs.utah.edu> summers%chinook.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu writes:

> In article <1992Sep8.000200.21008@unixg.ubc.ca> educ@unixg.ubc.ca (Vicki Domansky) writes:
> 
> >   ** please note cross-posting
> >   Has anyone ever played Clay O'Rama?  It is a game published in the
> >   September 1987 issue of Dragon magazine, by Zeb Cook, I think.  
> >   I watched it at a local mini-convention at UBC this weekend, and
> >   thought it was the most hilarious game I've seen in a long time.  The 
> >   roleplaying aspect of this game is almost non-existent, but it was 
> >   so much fun to watch I thought I'd share it anyways.
> 
> This sounds like a nice break from our games!  Can anyone post
> the rules or suggestions on play?
> 
> jim

	There was a time when, here in Switzerland, our minor conventions
usually ended with a 20+ players Clay-o-rama. There were usually a lot of
colored clay flying across the room ("How far can I make it roll", "As far as
you can", "OK, open the window...").
	One minor inconvenient: you usually end up with a very greasy table, or
room, or whatever, not mention people stepping bits of clay, etc...

	Lots of fun anyway.

	"Fire in Harmony!.."					Alias

SIG v.2.5   //||              |||||||||||||||||  ## Stephane "Alias" GALLAY
          //  ||         ()    \\                ## c/o satellite@eldi.epfl.ch 
        //    ||                 \\              ##
      // \\|||||||||     ||  ||\\  \\            ## "Tout est dans rien
    //    \\  ||  ||     ||  ||  \\  \\          ##  et rien est dans tout
  //       \\ ||  ||     ||  ||        \\        ##  et reciproquement..."
//          \\||  |||||  ||  ||||||||||||\\      ## (Pierre DAC)
"Stay not on the precipice with the dress of matter, for there is a place for
thy image in a realm ever splended." (the Chaldean oracle of Zoroaster)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: cummings@milton.u.washington.edu (Michael Cummings)
Subject: Games for Sale
Organization: University of Washington
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 02:34:13 GMT

	I have a few games I want to sell.  The first person to offer me my
asking prices gets the game.  Lower offers will be considered, and if after
one week I get no better offers, the game is yours.

Axis & Allies - Excellent condition, only played once. $25 + 3 s/h.

Gladiator (Avalon Hill's Game of Man-to-Man Roman Combat)   Excellent
condition, unpunched.  $15 + $2 s/h. 

Castle Risk - Good condition, complete.  $10 + $1 s/h.

Statis-Pro Baseball - Good condition, with 1990 season player cards.
Missing the little pawns used for baserunners.  $20 + $2 s/h.

Ambush! (Solitaire tactical WWII wargame from Victory Games).  Excellent
condition, complete.  $20 + $2 s/h.

221B Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes mystery game) + 2 expansion case sets.
Excellent condition.  $20 + $2 s/h.

War of the Ring - SPI.  Unfortunately, this game is not complete.  8 cards
are missing.  I believe all the counters are there (punched and in their
tray), but I can't guarantee it.  The components that are there are in
excellent condition.  I'll sell this one to the highest bidder.  New bids
will not be accepted after midnight, 9/16.

-- 
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Mike Cummings VP, PNOAD			|  "Now take two forkfuls
cummings@u.washington.edu		|   of cooking oil..."
cummings@mailhost.hsas.washington.edu	|   - Julia Child
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Newsgroups: rec.games.board