HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: at731@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Troy L. Nothnagel)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Brain Games and the Intellectually Challenged
Date: 19 Nov 1992 08:45:26 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: at731@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Troy L. Nothnagel)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, uplink@cwis.unomaha.edu (uplink) says:

>	I have a problem, and I'd like some advice with it.
>The problem:  I am dense.  I have very little common sense (a psychologist
>report stated that I have less common sense than most toasters), and my
>problem-solving capabilities are nil when it comes to mental puzzles.
>For this reason I tend to like physical, hack-n-slash games.  When faced
>with a puzzle, I tend to get frustrated unless it's simple enough I can
>solve it.  The trouble is, I'm fairly immature, enough that I can't deal
>with my frustration in an adult manner.  (Three years ago, I threw temper
>tantrums when I got frustrated.  Now, I can manage to hold it together long
>enough to make it outside.  THAT'S how immature I am.)  When I get frustrated
>I also tend to give up.  In the game we're in, the team is hunted by Lone 
>Star.  At a certain event, I wasn't allowed to carry in my sword.  (I'm
>playing an elven Paladin who has very little shadowrunning experience.)
>I got frustrated, and decided to go to Lone Star, turn myself in, and rat
>on the players.  Because I wanted to get revenge on my gamemaster, by
>making his life, and the lives of the other players, hell.
>
>The question:  I know I'm immature, and am dealing with the problem, and
>have improved remarkably.  That's not the problem.  My problem has to
>do with the propensity of "intellectual" games out there.  What should
>I do?  Is it my fault I'm dense?  I like role-playing games yet I'm not
>half as smart as most GMs I've played with.  Is it my fault I like
>RPG's?  Your opinions, advice, etc., would be most welcome.  Please do not
>include any advice like, "If you're that immature, I wouldn't allow you
>in the game."  Our group has been through that already.  I want advice,
>and also, why aren't there more adventures for the Intellectually 
>Challenged (P.C. term for dense) ?
>
>uplink
 
Hmm...  About the only advice I can give is not to play a character that
SHOULD be thinking a lot.  If there's one thing that occasionally annoys
me, it's when people playing a troll with an Intelligence of 1 think
that they can still be the one to come up with all of the good plans.
Face it, a character with the computing power of your average calculator
should have to ACT like it.  I'm not saying that the character and the
player necessarily have that much in common, just that if you have more
fun playing a character that doesn't like to think too hard- GREAT!  You
shouldn't feel like you have to.  (Unless of course you're playing a
whiz-kid decker with an Intelligence of 12 and 30 years of experience
running the shadows...)

troll is
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: urbin@interlan.interlan.com (Mark Urbin)
Subject: Re: Srun 2: Vampires
Organization: Racal-Datacom
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 16:02:32 GMT

In article <1992Nov18.200004.24684@spartan.ac.BrockU.CA> bchapman@spartan.ac.BrockU.CA (Bruce Patrick Chapman) writes:
>In article <1992Nov18.185303.10561@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca> flindholm@mta.ca writes:
>(quote that vampires only _think_ that they are alive deleted)
>>    I think the second of your two ideas is the right one. Vampires are only
>>formed after a vampire has killed a person by draining all of his essance.
>>If you don't get drained all the way you don't become a vampire, you just
>>have less essance.
>	in that case, how would you explain the existance of LIVING 
>	zero essence characters?
  It states in the rules that zero essence characters don't stay alive for 
very long.  They tend to become sick and die.

>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>This is forwarded mail.  Please send all comments etc. to the following
>		address: <9005904@mcmaster.bitnet>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mark Urbin  Racal-Datacom  Boxborough, MA   urbin@interlan.interlan.com   
These opinions are mine.  No one else will admit to them.	          
Another Month Ends;  All Targets Met ; All Systems Working; 
All Customers Satisfied; All Staff Eager and Enthusiastic;
         All Pigs Fed and Ready to fly
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: dunkelza@titan.ucc.umass.edu (KEITH C MCCORMIC)
Subject: Re: ERRATA: GURPS Bunnies & Burrows
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 17:56:34 GMT

In article <1992Nov16.160050.14483@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan) writes:
>
>The author of GURPS B&B takes full responsibility for this ommission:
>
>Each level of Encumbrance in GURPS B&B reduces a rabbit's Move by 2.
>

    Did someone point it out at Contrary?  Just curious.  Did anyone play
in SOS's GURPS B&B event?  How was it?  How did Mr. O'Sullivan like it?
I have afriend who wanted to go but couldn't, so I am trying to get feedback
for him.

Dunkelzahn

P.S.-  Who stole one of my K-Realm Vehicle Recognition Guides?


-- 
_____________________________________________________________________________
| Dunkelzahn the Greater Western Dragon | "Eternal vigilance is the price   |
|                                       |  of Freedom"                      |
| Dunkelza@titan.ucc.umass.edu          |                                   |
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: picl17@fsphy1.physics.fsu.edu (Jeffrey Johnson)
Subject: Re: Srun 2: Questions
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4   
Reply-To: picl17@fsphy1.physics.fsu.edu
Organization: F.S.U. Dept of Physics
Distribution:  world
Date: 20 NOV 92 14:38:24    

In article <168A414DE0.MHART00@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>, mason writes...
>Some questions for the board:
> 
>1) Can a spell be grounded from the astral plane through a
>     quickening?

I would say no.  A quickening is much like casting a spell, IMHO, and
you can't hit someone from the astral just because he/she's casting a
spell.

>2) Can quickenings be masked?

No.  The only thing that is mentioned as being maskable is astral forms
of creatures and spirits; taking the idea of quickening being like casting
a spell again, you can't mask a spell, so you shouldn't be able to mask a
quickening either.

>3) Can a physical spell be grounded through to the body of an
>     astrally projecting mage (as opposed to a percieving one)?

No.  The rules make it clear that grounding applies to astrally _percieving_
mages rather than astrally projecting ones.  This makes sense if you think
of it as happening because an astrally percieving mage is still "attached" to
his body.

>4) Can foci be masked?

No.  See my answer to #2.

>5) Can an active focus be carried physically through an astral
>     ward?

Yes.  An astrally percieving mage can walk right through an astral barrier,
so an active focus should be able to go through too.

>6) What is the point of a "grade 0" initiate?

Although a grade 0 initiate does not gain any bonus to his/her Magic attribute,
he/she CAN use some of the metamagical abilities, Centering and Masking I know
for certain, the rest I'd have to check on.

> 
> 
>-- mason

Travis
picl17@fsphy1.physics.fsu.edu

-- Please note:  the above are my INTERPRETATIONS.  If you disagree with me,
that's fine, but I'm not going to argue with anyone about it.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: droe@cs.tcd.ie (David Roe)
Subject: Re: Trying to contact John Hughes
Organization: Trinity College, Dublin (Computer Science)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 11:45:52 GMT

In article <1ebre7INNpsc@violet.csv.warwick.ac.uk> vato@csv.warwick.ac.uk (Ian Dickinson) writes:
>
	[find Australian plea deleted]

>As a plug - The 'zine in question should have worldwide distribution -
>ask your local shop about "The Last Province" or, in desperation,
>write (including Internation Reply Coupons if necessary) to:
>
>The Last Province
>TFR 45 Duke Street
>Edinburgh
>EH6 8HH
>UK
>
>It's a quality rag about roleplaying rather than winning (my description).
>

	I dont have an address for the person in question, but I'd just
like to say that IMHO it _is_ a quality roleplaying mag, in the
tradition of GMI. Maybe rather better in some ways.

	Dave Roe
Organization: University of Maine System
Date: Monday, 16 Nov 1992 08:13:18 EST
From: Solipsist at Large <IK20001@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SJ Games Licenses White Wolf's Vampire
 <1992Nov15.010346.9667@news.uiowa.edu> <betel.721855126@camelot>
 <BxsFz9.6Lo@news.cso.uiuc.edu>

Thanatos says:

>Well, V:TM has this as well...ideas for a cyberpunk campaign, an ancient
>Rome campaign, a French Revolution campaign, an Egyptian campaign, a
>world where the Sabbat has taken over, a world where vampires have overfed.
>The background is INCREDIBLY flexible, and any opinion that the game
>tends to stereotype is either an uninformed one, issued by someone who
>hasn't played, or a wrong one by someone who hasn't played right.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but most of those `Campaign Ideas'
are simply one-paragraph (or sentence) castoffs in a "don't feel bound
to this time period" article.  They are *hardly* guidelines for running
in *any* of those genres.

Further, every one assumes you will buy into the background.  GURPS Vampire
will interface with GURPS Fantasy (workable magic rules :-), GURPS
Cyberpunk, GURPS Swashbuckler, et cetera.  Heck, you could combine it
with GURPS Bunnies and Burrows for the *ultimate* animal ghouls.  I
can see the Monty Python references now....

Furthermore, we've seen *no* evidence that White Wolf is shutting down
operations.  So, what's the big deal?  If you prefer Storyteller,
*buy* Storyteller.
--
Eric Alfred Burns                        "Life is full of decisions
Solipsist at Large                        but you never get to make any."
"It's all in your mind"
IK20001@maine.maine.edu                           --Linus Van Pelt
From: rzthlb@tuhhco.rz.tu-harburg.de (Lutz Behnke)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Rolemaster:THE missing rule!!!!
Date: 16 Nov 92 08:39:19 GMT
Reply-To: behnke@tu-harburg.dbp.de

In article <19881.2afa2537@ul.ie>, 9231196@ul.ie writes:
| 
|      We have a problem.
| Those nice people at ICE who have given us so many nice companions to 
| buy have,unfortunately,neglected to include any drowning rules.
| But they have a rule for everything else!! Is this an ooops?
| Also,if a decapitated character has been given an "ingest" life-
| preservation herb,what happens to the torso & limbs?
| 
| Oh well,it'll probably be dealt with in Companion XVII.
No the answer is right here:
Didn't you ever wonder what force gave eternal life to the 'Highlander',
but left himout in the cold, if he scraped as much as his throat?
Here is the solution: If you lose your head you can't eat your soup,
your sorul-nut, and your omnipotent regenerater herb.
Pretty easy, huh

Greeting from the Sage of Aetula, Derolan al Khworzami

-- 
| Lutz Behnke | behnke@tu-harburg.dbp.de | (Germany) 040 / 630 39 38 |
|  TU Hamburg Harburg, Hamburg, Germany, Europe, Earth, Sol-System   |
|----------When the Evil Spirit armed the Tiger with claws,----------|
|----------------Brahma gave wings to the Dove-----------------------|
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: bchapman@spartan.ac.BrockU.CA (Bruce Patrick Chapman)
Subject: Re: Loyd Confused GENCON/Origins
Organization: Brock University, St. Catharines Ontario
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 18:35:30 GMT

how about just using a net (ie: black button with white net?)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is forwarded mail.  Please send all comments etc. to the following
		address: <9005904@mcmaster.bitnet>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: thor@daimi.aau.dk (Torsten J|rgensen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: GURPS vs Vampire ??!
Date: 17 Nov 92 09:13:49 GMT
Organization: DAIMI: Computer Science Department, Aarhus University, Denmark

As this subject tends to move away from:

	What!! Where? Who..Why??
	Whooaaaaahhhh!!!!!
	Hey, have you heard that...
	Is this some sort of conspirary, to delude me into
	thinking that sometimes there's no sense at all in...wait!
	Who, again...did he really?
	I knooooow.......

Through:

	Imagine the conssk...kans...the things it'll change, man!
	What does this REALLY mean to RPG's
	To the world? Roleplaying will be more...uhm...more..
	Maybe it's a conspiracy to...
	SHUT UP!!!

To:

	I think it's a great...thing, this...whatever
	Whats wrong with...
	Much better system than...
	But you're missing the finer points here, what REALLY...
	It sucks, man. Really sucks...and life too for that matter.
	But don't you see that you actually _can_ make a vampire that
	is afraid of the dark, you only need to...
	GURPS _is_ better though...

And even to:

	Is too
	Is not
	Is too
	Is not
	Maybe this is a consp...
	SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!
	Is too
	etc.

If it'll ever get that far :-)
How about moving this discussion, or some of it, to rec.games.frp.advocacy
now that we do have a group especially designed for pro/con material.

BTW, I've enjoyed the discussion so far.

---

	Torsten J|rgensen		|
	Hasle Centervej 219		|    << 199 quote missing error>>
	DK-8210 Aarhus V.		|	Not yet implemented.
	Ph. +45 86 15 22 63		|
	E-mail: thor@daimi.aau.dk	|		- Beta
From: praxis@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Laura L Perkinson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Srun 2: Vampires
Date: 18 Nov 92 21:29:02 GMT
Article-I.D.: jhunix.1992Nov18.212902.23692
Organization: HAC - Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore


	Yes, but can they be detected by a magician who's astrally
perceiving? (Assumning the vamp isn't also a mage who's masking.) I'd
think something undead would show a LOT different than the average joe...
		Praxis
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: flindholm@mta.ca
Subject: Re: SRUN:  Legality of packing
Reply-To: flindholm@mta.ca
Organization: Mount Allison U, Sackville, N.B. Canada 
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 20:22:18 GMT

In article <1992Nov16.104434.60882@cc.usu.edu>, slb3y@cc.usu.edu (Punk Rocketeer) writes:
>   What are the laws governing weapons,cyberware, etc.?  
>     Did I miss a section in the rulebook?  Is there a supplement that
>details this?  Does the GM make all this up?
>-- 
>Patrick S. Clark | "Yeah, even Santa Claus believes in you."
>Email is life!   |  _Can_You_Picture_That?_
>Usual disclaimer |   Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem  

  The main sourcebook thet answers these questions is Shadowtech. It goes
through all of the major crimes in 2053 and gives a table which outlines
fines and jail terms. 
  In general you need to have a permit to license your gun. You can get permits
for posession and transport for about 800 new-yen (don't quote me). All 
automatic weapons (SMG's, Machine Pistols, etc) are illegal. Only corps
with valid security licenses are allowed to have them. The higest powered
weapons allowed (supposedly) to the general public are rifles and shotguns.
If you have a detective in your group tell him not to worry. Heavy pistols
are legally available as well. As for enforcement, Shadowtech covers that
as well but you should be able to wing it. Just use the power of the weapon
as your guidline. The cops probably won't care about (or even see) that
Streetline special up your sleeve, but will call for major back up if
you've got an assult rifle and may even call out the riot squad if you 've
got a heavy weapon on money street.
       
               Cyrus
From: lward@husc8.harvard.edu (Lester Ward)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRUN I: Questions from the Minotaur
Keywords: shadowrun, srun
Date: 18 Nov 92 09:02:25 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc8.lward.722077345

oroboros@acca.nmsu.edu (The Wyrm Ouroboros) writes:

>In article <1992Nov11.055740.6993@ncsu.edu> jlperkin@eos.ncsu.edu (JERRY LEE PERKINSON) writes:
>>|>1. Does an illusion that is seen through disappear or can it still
>>|>   be a visual impairment. If not can an illusion protect a person(s) 
>>|>   from a combat spell? (An illusion of a solid black wall that disables

>(Of course, Mario keeps telling me that if an illusion is cast at somebody
>who doesn't believe it at all, well, for them the damn thing isn't there.
>Sheesh.  Shamans....)

Our group has played it that illusions have nothing to do with belief.  We've
also always played it that illusion illusions (like Entertainment et. al.)
are .obviously. illusions; you might freak someone out .momentarily. with a
dragonfire illusion, but they'll figure it's an illusion soon after.

>>|>2. Our group has just had another magically active "awaken" on them. The
>>|>   female ork in question is a sorceror adept. While trying to add spice
>>|>   to the team, I came up with an idea, I considered making her a spider 
>>|>   shaman. Naturally our group has yet to have an insect totem player;
>>|>   but I was wondering what sort of problem this can cause; afterall, she
>>|>   can never summon a spirit, nor a queen. She cannot access astral, etc.
>>|>   In effect, I believe that adept status has removed the potential
>>|>   disruption an insect shaman *could* cause. Anyone have any thoughts
>>|>   on the matter? For those of you who agree that this is not too dis-
>>|>   balancing, what sort of Advantages/Disadvantages/Environment/??
>>|>   would you proscribe to Spider?

Spiders are not insects, and in fact are "good" to many cultures, as has
been mentioned here in the past.  I'd treat them like any other totem.

[Stuff about Shamanic Adepts deleted]

>No no no no NO.  Grimoire, p. 14
>	"Like other magicians, magical adepts have to choose between
>	the shamanic and hermetic traditions.  They follow the rules
>	for that tradition in spell learning, and so on.  Shamans get
>	totem benefits and penalties, if applicable to the skill."

Be sure not to confuse Shamanic Adepts with Sorcery Adepts who are Shamans.
The quoted paragraph applies to the latter, but not the former.  Shamanic
Adepts are distinct from Sorcery Adepts who choose a Shamanic pathway.
See the Grimore for more.

>>|>4. How do you folks resolve mages who have increased reactions spells
>>|>   locked who subsequently de-activate them *after* initiative is rolled?

I'd subtract one action for every level of increase (e.g.  subtract 20 from
his initiative total if the lock was locking Inc. Init +2 (this is SR2, in
SR1 it'd be -14 (7 being the increment bewteen actions in SR1)).

>Ouroboros

Wordman

"Democracy is a kingless regime infested by many kings who are sometimes
 more exclusive, tyrannical, and destructive than one, if he be a tyrant."
    -- Benito Mussolini
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: dburgdor@cwis.unomaha.edu (Darryl Burgdorf)
Subject: Amiga RoleMaster character generator
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 21:03:59 GMT


The RoleMaster character generation program I described a few days ago for the
Amiga is now available via FTP to wuarchive.wustl.edu.  The file is named
"RoleMaster.lha", and it's in the directory systems/amiga/incoming/games.

My apologies to those who tried to download it earlier and couldn't get it
to dearc; in my first attempt to send it, I failed to change the default
transfer type of ASCII to binary.  (Sigh.)  So, of course, the file didn't
remain functional.  That file has been deleted and replaced with a new one,
though, which I've downloaded myself to make sure is good.  

In brief:  The program handles all the bookkeeping involved in character
creation, without taking away from your ability to tailor the character as
you see fit.  In fact, the program is designed to be quite flexible; most
optional or house rules could be incorporated without difficulty.  [Of course,
on the downside, that flexibility gives a lot of room for creating "super"
characters.  So, GMs, I'd advise you to watch your players carefully!  ;) ] 
It greatly speeds the creation of both PCs and NPCs, and can even "randomly"
allocate skill levels for NPCs if you so desire.  The package also includes
a combat program based on the "Super Fast" system presented in RMCIII and a
weather generation program based on the system presented in TSR's "AD&D
Wilderness Survival Guide".

Any questions, comments, bug reports or flames should be directed to me.

Enjoy!

     Darryl


 ------------------------------------------------
| dburgdor @unmcvm.unmc.edu or @cwis.unomaha.edu |
 ------------------------------------------------

-- 

From: Barry.Larson@p100.f49.n292.z1.tdkt.kksys.com (Barry Larson)
Sender: FredGate@tdkt.kksys.com
From: v124jw4y@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Benjamin R Pierce)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SH questions & stuff (Superhero names)
Date: 16 Nov 92 17:26:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Nov15.233706.23901@snow.geology.wisc.edu>, drew@snow.geology.wisc.edu (Drew Novick) writes...
>>In article <1992Nov09.225422.196409@zeus.calpoly.edu> cgautier@zeus.calpoly.edu
>>(Kit "Psycho" Gautier) writes:
>>>
>>>Also, I wanted to start a thread :)  Please name the 3-5 best and worst
>>>names you or other people have given for superheroes/villians in any
>>>Superhero-type game (and a brief description if possible).
>>>
>>>

Okay, here goes:

1. Paradox: Nobody's sure exactly what he is...the closest summary seems to be,
   "A power-duplicating mutant techno-thief who knows magic"--a paradox if ever
   there was one...:)

2. Siphon: Basically, has the ability to siphon off energy and then rechannel 
   it.  For example, he could pull the heat energy out of your body and then
   blast it back at you (really messing you up in the process...)

3. Fame & Fortune: Espionage team.  Fame has a "charismatic aura"--a kind of low
   grade telepathy which makes people treat him as if he were a celebrity of 
   some sort.  Fortune has (surprise, surprise) probability-based powers.

4. Covenant: Martial artist who sometimes wonders what he's doing charging into
   a superhero battle swinging a quarterstaff.  Calls himself Covenant because
   that's his name.

5. Talon/Psihawk/Avatar/Talon/Whitehawk: Every time I came up with a new name 
   for the guy, Marvel would come out with a character with that name two
   months later!