HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: apardon@rc1.vub.ac.be (Antoon Pardon)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: RQ: First Aid
Date: 15 Dec 92 11:07:41 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: Brussels Free Universities (VUB/ULB), Belgium


In article <1992Dec13.210512.1@wharton.upenn.edu>,
millerl@wharton.upenn.edu wrote:
> 
> Between RQ2 and RQ3 characters became capable of healing damage with
> First Aid skill rolls, and I for one think that alters campaign feel in
> undesirable ways. As the RQ4 rules propose to essentially double
> characters' hit points I think that the First Aid rules could be cleaned
> up a little, restoring the feel of the original rules, that damage is
> permanent unless healed by magic, including divine means, or rest.
> 
> First Aid: The rough and ready art, often practiced by soldiers, of field
>      medicine. This allows one to stop a wound from bleeding, to splint a
>      broken limb, or to fashion a rough sling. A successful roll will stop a
>      wound from bleeding in one round, and splint a broken limb or fashion a
>      sling within five minutes. A failed roll will require four rounds to
> Comments?
 
I agree with this. It's mostly how it is handled in my campaign.
Characters are only allowed to increase their HP with First Aid
if they are applying magical herbs in the process.

Is there some text available that gives some indication of what 
the differences between RQIII and RQIV will be. I have heard 
some rumours about different thing but haven't seen anything
that handles the subject coherently

========================================================================
Antoon Pardon                                        <apardon@vub.ac.be>
Brussels Free University Computing Centre                   02/650.37.16
========================================================================

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan)
Subject: Re: Palladium/Wizards of the Coast Lawsuit
Organization: Plymouth State College - Plymouth, NH.
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 22:35:31 GMT

mavra@cpac.washington.edu (Peter D. Adkison) writes:

>What do you think?  Do you think that we at Wizards of the Coast
>should abandon our capsystem line and start producing yet more
>roleplaying games for a market that is already (IMHO) glutted with
>them, or should we try and use this case to establish a precedent that
>would encourage this sort of cross-company referencing?

I haven't seen your products yet, so I can't answer you exactly.  The
reason I haven't seen them yet is two-fold: I have no clue what the
word capsystem means (did you make it up, or is it from some milieu I
am unfamiliar with?), and I'm not interested in gaming multiple deities
except in a mythic Greek world, and I have enough knowledge to run that
on my own, thanks.  (Yes, I realize you will be making other types of
books - if I ever learn what capsystem means, I might pick one up.)

I do remember, when you first asked for system gurus, telling you that
you'd probably be sued.  You thanked me for the warning, but said you
were sure your phrasing was proof against lawsuits.

I also remember saying I didn't think putting in system-specific stats
was either wise or necessary.  As I said, I haven't seen your product,
so I don't know how much space you devoted to system translations, but
it's bound to be a waste of space to most people.  If you give stats
for twenty systems, nobody will use nineteen of them.

Why can't you just make supplements like the Catalyst series?  These
are useful with any system, but don't risk copyright violation.  GMs
are usually smart people - they can translate from a generic system
better than I think you're giving them credit for.

Or you could just use FUDGE :-)  ...  most people understand words like
"a Good swordsman, a Great swordsman, a Superb swordsman" and so on.

To answer your question: yes, make generic products, please.  But I
don't think you need to mention any other system.

-- 
  - Steffan O'Sullivan		         sos@oz.plymouth.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu (Art Urban (PROFS))
Subject: GURPS: Combat Skills Reduction
Organization: Atmospheric Technology Division/NCAR Boulder, CO
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 17:38:14 GMT

Has anybody considered reducing the number of combat skills?

I noticed that there was only one gun skill; you simply took into account
familiarity, and applied the appropriate modifier.

I was thinking of doing the same to all the various swords...

	Swordsman: All varieties of swords are now treated as a simple
	   familiarity. Perhaps this skill would need to made Physical Hard.

I don' know; just got to thinking one day...

--
Art Urban 					       urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu
===============================================================================
 "Baby trapped in film, eats own hand."					- Joel
===============================================================================
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: bcash@crchh410.BNR.CA (Brian Cash)
Subject: Re: RMCVI
Reply-To: bcash@crchh410.BNR.CA (Brian Cash)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 02:52:21 GMT

In article <Jason_Mulligan.02ks@camelot.apana.org.au>,
Jason_Mulligan@camelot.apana.org.au (Jason Mulligan) writes:
|>Has anyone got Rolemaster Companion 6? What do you think of it. Are they
|>going too far with all these companions.
|>
|>How many out there play RM?
|>
|>-Jason
|>
|>-- Via DLG Pro v0.992
|>
         
I count seven in Dallas.  How about you, Bridgeport?

Brian /-|-\
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: mcvos@cs.vu.nl (Vos MC)
Subject: Re: Gurps
Organization: Fac. Wiskunde & Informatica, VU, Amsterdam
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 18:11:34 GMT

rudolph@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Juergen Rudolph) writes:
: 
: > From: dunkelza@titan.ucc.umass.edu (KEITH C MCCORMIC)
: > Subject: Gurps
: > Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 00:14:49 GMT
: 
: > Rec.games.rpg.GURPS should be added.  This would cut down on traffic on Rec.
: 
: Great idea! I'm with you!
: 
: J"urgen

Me too!!


Great Greetings,
mcv.


(mcvos@cs.vu.nl)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: mark@cheers.jsc.nasa.gov (Mark Manning)
Subject: Re: Famous Last Words List
Organization: NASA
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 14:03:11 GMT

Here, hold this.

Background:

   A really male chauvanist pig type character kept pushing a female,
MUCH higher level, character around making her do all sorts of things
which were menial and degrading.  Finally, one day, she'd had enough
of his ways and as they came to a door in a dungeon the following
conversation ensued:

  "Open the door #####! (Nasty editor removed cuss words)"
  "Ok." the female warrior replied.  As she was the person who was
carrying the lantern at the time, she turned to the obnoxious
character and said "Here, hold this."
  "Sure." he said, taking the lantern.
  The female warrior drew her sword and promptly sliced the guy in
half.  As the two pieces fell in different directions, the female
took back the lantern from the lifeless hands, set it on the floor,
and asked "Any questions?"  There were none and the party left the
guy on the floor to continue their adventure.
From: cxc4107@hertz.njit.edu (Christopher Lee Cavender)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Famous Last Words List
Date: 16 Dec 92 17:04:22 GMT
Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J.

Here, Let me see that.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: ratinox@kappa.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri)
Subject: Re: Palladium/Wizards of the Coast Lawsuit
X-Posting-Software: GNUS 3.14.1 [ NNTP-based News Reader for GNU Emacs ]
Reply-To: ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu
X-Signature-Virus-Protection: Version 1.51
X-Get-A-Clue: Have two, they're small.
Organization: 3WA, Boston Office. Or Nu Meta Chi. Take your pick.
	<1gquilINNhli@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 22:52:09 GMT

>>>>> On 17 Dec 1992 22:22:13 GMT, c188-cr@po.berkeley.edu (Chua Hak Lien)
>>>>> said:

Chua> God! What does Palladium think it's doing? First, Siembada throws
Chua> a tantrum in White Wolf about them not publishing Rifts material,
Chua> then they ask _Challenge_ ( and probably other magazines.. ) not
Chua> to print articles for their systems, and now a lawsuit against WoC
Chua> just because of the use a trademark? 

They're protecting their rights. You see, if your rights *may* have been
infringed upon, you *must* prosecute, or you forfeit *all* rights. That's
pretty much how Copyright Law works.

--Rat
||||| | | | |  |  |  |   |   |    |    |    |   |   |  |  |  |  | | | | | |||||
Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat          ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu
I'm the best there is at what I do.  Trouble is, what I do isn't very nice.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Brent Irvine)
Subject: Re: sci-fi game
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 05:44:42 GMT
Keywords: sci-fi game

In article <1992Dec18.024856.25845@sol.ctr.columbia.edu> slb22@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Seth "the Lesser") writes:
>irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Brent Irvine) writes:
>>slb22@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Seth "the Lesser") (that's me) writes:
>
>I bought that pig-dog of a system and tried to run a quick battle.  It took me
>half an hour to figure out how to set up, and during the first three hours of
>play, neither I nor my opponent managed to disable a single ship.  At that
>point, we gave up.

What?  was it all Kafer ships with high armor?  Our rule variant was every
shot that got through reduced the armor by one point.  Also, yes, it was
sometimes a Mexican standoff, but usually we set real-time limits, with
victory conditions [occupying or guarding or dropping something off]
that allowed us to determine when a victory condition.

[Like we dropped a company on Dunkelheim during the Kafer Wars, and
the light quick ship had to get by the Kafer guard ships, drop the
troops and get out in a set time.  The ship became heavily damaged
in the process, the kafer fighters as well, but the cargo was dropped
slightly before the drives went out on the ship, which was destroyed
by a Kafer nuclear detonation laser to the powerplant - all this
in 1:45:00!]


-- 
+-------------------------+--------------------------------+-----------------+
| Brent L. Irvine         | For a mere $50 these personal  | I will be gone: |
| irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu | opinions can also be yours!    | 20 Dec - 4 Jan  |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------+-----------------+
From: cabanc@wkuvx1.bitnet
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: RQ skills
Date: 11 Dec 92 22:38:09 CST
Organization: Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY

	An additional skill that cropped up in the campaign we played
years ago was the skill of 'groveling'.  A player would use a variety
of fast talk to get out of situations.  "you don't want to kill me,
see I'll polish your boots, i'm really a nice guy, please, please."
It wasn't planned that way, just sorta happened.

Candi Cabaniss
Western Kentucky University
From: tratclif@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (Tracy Ratcliff)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: RQ: Getting & helping shape RuneQuest IV
Keywords: RQ4
Date: 20 Dec 92 00:25:28 GMT
Organization: Ohio University CS Dept,. Athens

In article <BzItGG.1D0@trystro.uucp> rune@trystro.uucp (Peter Maranci) writes:
>
>	Last point: I've always felt that the Sorcery system lacks...a certain
>flavor. It seems very mechanistic, and not very interesting (I'm talking
>about both the RQ3 and RQ4 playtest versions). I'd like to see the flexible
>off-the-cuff Rune magic from the Vikings supplement built in to Sorcery,
>or something like it -- but I haven't actually used the Vikings supplement
>yet. Does anyone out there who's used it have any comments? Was it playable?
>
Umm--the 'off-the-cuff Rune magic' is in _GURPS_ Viking, not RQ Viking.  RQ
Viking only uses Spirit and Divine magic acquired from Norse gods and spirits.
GURPS Viking ties the 'standard' Norse runes to the improvised magic system
from the Magic supplement.

Personal sidenote:  Pete, about a month ago you sent me some E-mail.  I tried
to reply (I really truly did! :-) ) but the .uucp address repeatedly bounced
and I can't use bang paths from my site.  I'm now on the RQ mail list (I think)
so if you want to try again, that may be the way to go.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: mak@ticipa.mtc.ti.com (Michael Kilgore)
Subject: Re: RQ: scripts and written language
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Organization: Texas Instruments, Inc.
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 16:15:59 GMT

In article <1992Dec16.000312.1@wharton.upenn.edu>,
millerl@wharton.upenn.edu wrote:
>In article <BzBvKM.CF2@acsu.buffalo.edu>, v124pz9t@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (David Cheng) writes:
>...
>>Also, aren't there people who have been trained to read and write 
>>only,but who cannot speak the language at all?  Yes, this is a rare
>>situation.
>
>It's pretty common, actually, especially among those with enough
>scientific training to read technical manuals in German or Russian, but
>who don't really speak the language. Still, they could speak the
>language, albeit with an atrocious accent, if they had to. The only
>times that a literate person wasn't likely to speak or understand the
>spoken language are if he/she is deaf or mute, or if the written
>language is ideographic.

Another reasonable situation would be an alphabet for which the underlying
sounds of a writer are not much like those of a reader, though the symbols
of the alphabet are the same for both.  Two examples spring to mind which
might make this sound a little less pathological.

1. I expect lots of people can recognize Irish words, especially names,
since they show up in a lot of fantasy literature.  But even an
innocent-looking phrase like "Tain bo Cuiligne" doesn't sound much like
what one would expect who was used only to, say, English pronunciation.  I
admit I don't know how most Irish words sound, so I guarantee how I say
Irish names for my private reading goes beyond mere atrocity to actual
incomprehensibility for a native speaker.  I would guess much the same
might be true for anyone who hasn't had the benefit of some kind of
training in the language.

2. Perhaps the best-known example for this group is the alphabet that most
of Prof. Tolkien's speaking elves used.  The alphabet itself theoretically
had no fixed correspondence between symbols and sounds.  Elvish linguists
would travel among different peoples, perhaps teaching them to speak,
always establishing alphabets for describing their languages.  The key
point is that the symbols are (usually) the same, but the sounds might be
largely unrelated from one script to the next.  So a scholar rumaging
around in the archives at Rivendell might be able to sound out nearly any
document that came to hand, but a native speaker might not recognize the
resulting pronunciation at all -- a point not lost on even a slightly evil
gm.

I guess the point is still that the separation of skills as in RQ or as
refined by Loren is important: a particular combination or splitting of
skills might seem bizarre in the abstract, but would be perfectly
reasonable in some given campaign.
-----
Michael Kilgore     Texas Instruments, Inc.
(214) 917-2219      mak@ticipa.mtc.ti.com
From: lward@husc11.harvard.edu (Lester Ward)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Shadowrun Question -- Auras and Spells
Date: 14 Dec 92 06:51:18 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc11.lward.724315878

It always makes me kinda roll when, in a system where generating energy from
nothing is accepted as fact, something is objected to on the grounds that
it doesn't make sense.

Anyway, the posters whole point was based on the fact that the word 'aura'
was used the same way throughout the text.  I don't feel this is correct.
It the "how spells works" section, (a very hand-wavy portion of the book)
it seemed like 'aura' was used because it was a more pleasure phrase than
"thing you can see in astral space".  In the second instance it was used
as the more familiar aura generated by living things.

Wordman
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com (Joe Carl Jr.)
Subject: Re: SRII Insect Shamans
Organization: Harris Corporation - ISD
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 14:53:24 GMT

In <1992Dec16.032356.29717@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca> flindholm@mta.ca writes:

>In article <BzBJnu.8CG@jabba.ess.harris.com>, jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com (Joe Carl Jr.) writes:
>>Okay most shamans can summon some kind of spirits.
>>
>  Insect Shamans are different from all the rest. They're dealing with
>things totaly alien in nature to humans. No sense of pack like Wolf, no
>pride like Lion, not even killer instinct like Shark; they're totaly 
>different.

>I'd say that the reason that insect shamans can no longer summon other
>spirits is they have been corrupted by the insects alien nature. However,
>this is not to say they are at a disadvantage, far from it. The thing that
>gives the insect shaman so much power and makes him so different from other
>shamans is that INSECT SPIRITS ARE NOT BANISHED AT EACH SUNRISE AND SUNSET.
> (SPOILER AHEAD)


> This is seen in not only the Universal Brotherhood Supplement/Adventure
>but these permanent spirits are also found in Queen Euphoria and the 
>novel 2XS. The reason insect spirits are able to stay on this plane is
>that they forge links to it through their hosts which they incubate inside
>when first summoned. 
>  On the other hand, these are all hive spirits. I have no idea how things
>work for solitary hunting insects like Mantis and Spider.


MORE SPOILERS

Okay my problem is with the ECLIPSE game.  In it there is a simple
Spider shaman that has not summoned any spirits.  The adventure is
based around a spider spirit called Twilight.  It was conjured eons
ago in its Great Form.   It was freed by Samual Verner in one of the 
novels.  Well it need rejuvination thus the spider shaman.

My question turns into what the hell is Twilight.  Its stats don't
match anything like the other inscect spirts (worker, soldier, or queen)

Its Willpower is 10.

The only thing I can think of is that it use to be an ally and got free.

But what does conjured in its great form mean then?

A different yet unrelated question Can you conjure insect spirits in
their great form?
--
Joe Carl Jr.               "It ain't what a man don't know that makes him a
jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com   fool, but what he does know that ain't so."
                                                           -- Josh Billings
From: irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Brent Irvine)
Subject: Re: T$R and Science Fiction RPGs
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 23:12:11 GMT

In article <1992Dec15.205542.26234@caeco.mentorg.com> phatch@solstice.slc.mentorg.com (Phill Hatch (CONTRACTOR Documentation)) writes:
>In article <BzBCLB.5xy@news.cso.uiuc.edu>, irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Brent Irvine) writes:
>> Oh, I wonder how T$R will attempt to go into cyberpunk. 
>> *shudder*
>> 
>They already did with DARK SUN.
>
>*	Decking		=	Psionics
>*	Net		=	Telepathic Communication
>*	Deadly Combat	=	Super stat levels/low amount of preistmagic
>*	Corporations	=	Sorcerer Kings and Templars
>*	Runners		=	Alliance and Player Adventurers
>*	"Monster" PCs	=	Muls, Half giants, Thri-kreens
>*	High tech		Magic is only legal for Templars and
>	for upper	=	Sorcerer Kings
>	class	
>*	Metro Complex	+	City States.
>	culture
>
>While the correlation is not always one to one, there are 
>enough crossovers that Dark Sun is arguably "fantasypunk"
>with cyber replaced with psionics.

Basically the difference being that the CEO's wear crowns instead
of buisiness suits.  A more colorful Shadowrun...

Best 'o luck. 

-- 
+-------------------------+---------------------------------+-----------------+
| Brent L. Irvine         | The above personal opinions     |Winter vacation: |
| irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu | can be yours too for only $50!  | 20 Dec - 4 Jan  |
+-------------------------+---------------------------------+-----------------+
From: cwatters@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Coyt D Watters)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: How do the readers want anonymous postings handled?
Date: 15 Dec 92 14:23:58 GMT
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Organization: The Ohio State University

Today I processed the first anonymous posting to r.g.f.announce.

I know that technically, all postings are anonymous, since verification of
messages on the net is, while possible, highly improbable.  This was the
first posting which conformed to the "standard" anonymous mailings I have
seen while exploring the net.

What should become the policy of rec.games.frp.announce on anonymous postings?

-Coyt
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: hcs+@cs.cmu.edu (Henry C Schmitt)
Subject: Re: RQ - Combat System Modification
Summary: Balance NOT Realism
Keywords: RQ Rules Changes
Organization: Engineering Design Research Center, Carnegie Mellon
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 21:03:57 GMT

In article <BzBzn0.1nF@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney) writes:
>My only requests for any RQ combat system modifications:
>Go for "realism" over "balance".  (Note that I put quotes around each.)
>
	I'll raise my voice here for just the opposite, balance is FAR
more important than realism.  This doesn't mean that we should avoid
realism altogether.  Here's an example.

	I run in a friend's world which was based on D&D (Greyhawk);
however he didn't think it was realistic enough so he worked on
modifying the rules to add realism.  Now we have what we call a "RULE
Playing Game."  I sat and watched one evening as one character shot an
arrow at a Giant being run by another player.  It literally took 5
minutes to determine if the arrow hit, and then how much damage it
did.  It was all VERY realistic, but IT WAS NO FUN!!!!!

	Now I admit that realism adds to the fun, UP TO A POINT.  I
agree that the RQ rules are more realistic than D&D which is why I
like it better.  But first look at the amount of realism added (in the
original posting, very little) vs. the work needed to be done
(constantly refiguring when you can attack, modifying your attack and
parry abilities several times per round).  I would have to say that
the realism gained isn't worth the extra paperwork.

	Remember, afterall, this is FANTASY Role Playing.

-- 
Henry C. Schmitt
Home: 2863 Beechwood Blvd.,Pittsburgh, PA 15217-3114 (412) 421-8482
Work: 2212 Hamburg Hall,5000 Forbes Ave,Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (412) 268-2257
E-Mail: InterNet: hcs@cmu.edu CIS: 72275,1456 AppleLink, AOL, GEnie: H.Schmitt
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc