HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: alan@nabeth.enet.dec.com (Alan Rollow - Alan's Home for Wayward Tumbleweeds.)
Subject: Re: GURPS:Combat Streamlining
Reply-To: alan@nabeth.enet.dec.com (Alan Rollow - Alan's Home for Wayward Tumbleweeds.)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 22:33:11 GMT


In article <1992Sep20.165840.20298@ncar.ucar.edu>, urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu (Art Urban (PROFS)) writes:
>
>Last night our group became involved in a large melee with 38 npcs. This combat
>took over *9* hours to resolve! There is no way I ever want to do this again.

How important was the fight?  What you do to speed things up may affect
affect the perceived outcome by the players.  The really important
battles might deserve 9 hours.  "Yet another in a series" could be
done in much less without any loss of significance.

>
>What have other GMs found to streamline combat? Perhaps the Quick Contest is
>one solution, but what were the consequenses, and did this *really* speed up
>combat?

1.  Basic Combat.  Is there an echo in here?

2.  Are the NPCs interesting or generic fodder?  Consider giving
    the generic ones all High Pain Threshold so the GM doesn't
    have worry about the detailed book keeping.  Players that
    rely on the potential lack of this advantage might get bent
    out of shape.

3.  Something we tried once, I think it will work for basic or
    advanced combat was to resolve all combats on a per player
    basis.  Typically we'd have arranged all the PC and NPCs by
    speed and then move down the list.  Instead we just take
    each player in turn and resolve his character(s) and opponents
    at the same time.  For example, if I'm playing "Richy" and
    have three Dwarf Zombies attacking me, my sequence would be:

	Richy: Attack DZ #1 and hit.
	DZ #1: Shield block; successful.  Attack Richy and hit, his parry
	       successful.
	DZ #2: Attack Richy and hit, his dodge and retreat successful.
	DZ #3: Attack Richy and hit, his dodge fails, but 8 points
	       damage bounce off his total armor (barely).

    Go to next player...

Also, closely examine what made the combat slow.  Too many characters?
Players taking too much time to decide what to do?  Inexperience with
odd situations that crop up?  Defenses too good?
>
>
>--
>Art Urban 					       urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu
>===============================================================================
> "Oh no! The canary exploded!"                                      -Tom Servo 
>===============================================================================
>
--
Alan Rollow				alan@nabeth.cxo.dec.com

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: oroboros@acca.nmsu.edu (The Wyrm Ouroboros)
Subject: SR: Re: 'The Economics of Running'
Summary: Looking for this previous article
Keywords: Shadowrun, SRun, SR
Organization: The Clearing House, Ltd.
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 00:10:58 GMT


I am searching for the above-mentioned article, 'The Economics of Shadow-
Running' as I seem to recall it being called.

The article was a general figuring of the number of 'talented' persons in
Seattle, as cobbled together (so I figure) from the bits and pieces of
clues that FASA put in the various supplements.  'Talented', in this case,
includes mages, deckers, adepts of various types, street samurai, riggers,
and other such 'altered' humans (and metahumans).

As well as the raw numbers, it also broke them down into how many of them
worked for the corps, how many were independant, and how many actively
ran the shadows.  Continuing, it digressed into the economics of avaliable
cash devoted to corporate espionage and its relation to 'runners, finishing
with the educational progress of such 'runners.

As I recall, the final 'note' was about the researcher looking up the
'Identical twin dwarf physical adepts w/ Ph.D.'s' who happened to be the
worst of enemies.

If, perhaps, the writing involved is known, emailing the article, sending
pointers on where it might be avaliable by anonymous FTP, or reposting the
article would be of most help -- any of the three.

Ouroboros
The Wyrm of the .Net
From: wildcard@vax1.mankato.msus.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRII: Tir life?
Date: 30 Sep 92 03:01:41 GMT
Organization: Mankato State University

In article <29SEP199211373045@jane.uh.edu>, chem7l@jane.uh.edu writes:
> Hi all.
> 
> My group is about to start a campaign, and one of the characters is from Tir
> Tangire (sp?).  The player wants to know more about the Tir so she can put
> together a reasonable history.  Does anyone know of any sourcebooks, modules,
> etc., available or forthcoming, that give information about the Tir.  I'm 
> looking for social, political, and economic info, as well as a description of
> life in general.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Jim Corbit
> Chem7l@Jetson.UH.edu

>As of now there are no source books for the Tir, but as always they're
promising toget it out, the best you can do for now is make it up and reconcile
any differences later, if you realy want. Luck

Th Anderson 
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: cwatters@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Coyt D Watters)
Subject: Re: GURPS ST: TNG??
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 15:16:39 GMT

In article <1992Oct5.214344.21401@infodev.cam.ac.uk> mjl17@mbuc.bio.cam.ac.uk (Michael Lush) writes:
>In article <1992Oct5.224227.1@cc.helsinki.fi>, tharme@cc.helsinki.fi writes:
>|> I heard that Steve Jackson Games was one of the publishers bargaining for
>|> the rights to ST:TNG. Anybody with more info on this?
>
>
>	I was at Contraption (in the UK) where SJ was GoH, and he said 
>there will probably be no Star Trek GURPS material,  apparentley
>Paramount are not willing to deal with small fry like the gameing 
>market!
>

After looking through FASA's ST:TRPG, I can understand some of the hesitation
Paramount has about allowing the licensure of ST:TNG to any gaming company.
There has always been tight editorial control of ST, in Video, Film, and 
Fiction. Because of this, almost all of any system or supplement would
have to be reviewed and approved by Paramount.  Paramount may believe that
the amount of income they will receive would not offset the investment they
must make to insure "Cannonality" of the materials, i.e. they must not
contradict what has been written, nor should they create a problem when
future episodes are produced.

Also, think of changes brought simply because of new techiniques for
cinema.  Old Klingons used to be smooth headed.  When the first Klingons
with a cranial ridge showed up, many people tried to resolve it by having two
races of klingons, etc.  Finally, it was declared that "This is how Klingons
have *always* looked, but we could not do it with 60's makeup effects."

You also have the humanocentric nature of the whole concept.  Humans make
it without destroying themselves (looks like we ARE getting close), and become
a very dominant species.  Starfleet is really a "humans-only" club, with
a few token members of the other species.  Thus far, we have not seen 
a Starfleet vessel manned only by Methane breathers, with a token human
in an oxy mask.  Some players are going to want to play the infinte species
which can exist.

Who writes the history for the Gurps: Klingons supplement?  Once written and
approved by Paramount, how are changes to the history which are introduced
in the other products, i.e. the shows or films, resolved?

-Just my $.20 (which is what 2 pieces of penny candy cost nowadays....)

-Coyt
***** Where is HAL?  Did we move the wrong way by going to small boxes? *****
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: robdean@access.digex.com (Rob Dean)
Subject: Re: MegaTraveller society design question
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 02:07:23 GMT

In article <1aamrqINNcm0@uwm.edu> aragorn@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Strider) writes:
>I've been going through the MegaTraveller system for quite some time now.
>Something that I find lacking, among other things, is the design
>capabilities for societies/cultures.  Does anyone know of any source books
>that will assist in this?  Even sources that aren't necessarily cannon to MT
>would be fine as long as it's somewhat applicable ... maybe one of the GURPS
>volumes?
>
>			Steve J. White
>			aragorn@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
>			aragorn@convex.csd.uwm.edu
>			skeptic@large@9600bps


Your best bet as a first resource would be a copy of Digest Group Publications'
(DGPs) supplement for MT, _World Builder's Handbook_.  The society parts of
it (as opposed to the physical world construction parts) were originally
published for Classic Traveller by DGP as _Grand Census_.  Grand Census would
be usable in MT without modification.  Their two published alien books
Vilani and Vargr_ and _Solomani and Aslan_ give details on the societies
of the races covered.  Similar material, but less detailed, was published
for Classic Trav by GDW as Alien Books 1-8.  However, really detailed
societies are going to have to come from the GM--the best supplement available
isn't going to be much more than a seed crystal generator.

In other systems you might consider looking through GURPS Space (though I
don't remember much on society creation apart from the descriptions of
campaign types), Space Opera, and Other Suns.  

You might also want to subscribe to the daily digest Traveller Mailing List,
available through traveller-request@uwo.engrg.ca, James T. Perkins admin-
istrator.  I'm a member there, though unusually silent at the moment.

Rob Dean
From: jalkanen@lk-hp-6.hut.fi (Janne P R Jalkanen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: SR damage
Date: 5 Oct 92 16:57:35 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland


Yo!

I recently acquired a copy of SR II and when I turned to the page 112,
I began wondering greatly:

The picture below (no, not the one with the guy in bandages) states that
2 Light Wounds (= 2 boxes) would equal a Moderate Wound. Is this correct,
as I have not found any reference to that matter nowhere else in the book?
Does this mean that 7 boxes of damage will knock you out? What is the
net.opinion about this? I've always thought that you can still be up
and running with 9 boxes of damage (although it is pretty painful...), with
the 10th box dropping you.

Another question:

Do you thing that the PhysAd Increased Reflexes Power has a little bug in
it? I think that the Cost line should read 2-4-6 or 1-3-6, but not 1-4-6.
Look at the other powers, there the Costs double from level to level
(For instance: Killing hands : .5-1-2-4) or go up with a constant step.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: npearl@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Nathan Y Pearlstein)
Subject: WHFRP
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 13:18:40 GMT


My follow-up got fouled up so, instead of thanks

Could someone please post the name of the ftp site mentioned in th WHFRP Castle
Drachenfels thread that has th ROS.  Also, what is the address of the mailing 
list for WHFRP? Thanks again
-- 
*  Nathan Pearlstein   npearl@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu     Astronomy -gasp!  *
*  Sir Nathan Pearlstein     silly@camelot.uk.mil           Undergrad -GASP!! *
* "...We eat ham and jam and spamalot..."  - Knights of The Round Table Choir *
*        Beware lest the Slanneshi hordes pervert the Net    -- let them      *
From: cm182s182@pdrome.UUCP (Clayton Miner)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Star Wars questions
Date: 1 Oct 92 11:08:33 GMT
Organization: The PowerDrome BBS [(716)825-3614 Excelsior]
X-BBS-Software: EXCELSIOR! v0.960

Regarding Force Skills...
 
    1.)  I don't care how many points a Force MAster has, an angry crowd who 
has believed the Imperial propoganda about Jedis is going to be able toi wipe 
the walls with said Jedi Master....  ;)
 
    2.)  Let them use the Force skills all they want...eventually Vader and/or 
the Emperor are going to notice these bozos and....  ;)
 
Skeksis
From: burke@vxdesy.desy.de
Subject: Re: SRII: Some questions and Comments.
Organization: (DESY, Hamburg, Germany)
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 14:18:49 GMT

In article <1992Sep30.183602.43479@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>, kucloak@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Bryan Kennedy Reed) writes:
> it more as a web.  The spell originates (in real space) at the target.
> Energy then flows out to other targets that the mage can see.  If the
> mage can see something, the spell is told to attack it.   

You use fire combat modifiers for visibility, which implies that you *can*
attack unseen targets (if you know they're there) at +8 (blindfire).

e----><----p | Stephen Burke           | Internet: burke@vxdesy.desy.de
 H   H   1   | Gruppe FH1T (Liverpool) | DECnet:   vxdesy::burke (13313::burke)
 H   H  11   | DESY, Notkestrasse 85   | BITNET:   BURKE@DESYVAX or SB2@UKACRL
 HHHHH   1   | 2000 Hamburg 52         | JANET:    sb2@uk.ac.rl.ib
 H   H   1   | Germany                 | Phone:    + 49 40 8998 2282
 H   H 11111 | HERA, the world's largest electron microscope!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: eebonar@sn01.sncc.lsu.edu (Dave Bonar)
Subject: Re: TW:2000 firearm rules
Nntp-Posting-Host-[nntpd-6381]: sn01.sncc.lsu.edu
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4   
Reply-To: eebonar@sn01.sncc.lsu.edu
Organization: News and Views from LSU
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 16:56:01 GMT

In article <1992Sep28.163534.1227@ccsvax.sfasu.edu>, z_copeab@ccsvax.sfasu.edu writes...
>In article <1992Sep28.112648.26859@unixland.natick.ma.us>, eclipse@unixland.natick.ma.us (Mark Urbin) writes:
>> In article <1992Sep26.170042.1191@ccsvax.sfasu.edu> z_copeab@ccsvax.sfasu.edu writes:
>>>Also, I'm wondering about one thing when Traveller: The New Era comes out,
>>>supposedly based on T:2000 -- what is going to happen to the old armors less
>>>effective than the flak vest (mesh, jack, etc.), since T:2000 gives kevlar 
>>>bodyarmor a rating of 1?

>>   Since jack is simply a thick leather jacket, it won't do 'jack' against 
>> firearm damage.  It's ment to turn knife blades, not stop bullets.  Mesh is
>> chain mail (either metal or plastic), won't stop a crossbow bolt.  But then,
>> a kevlar vest won't stop one either.

>	This wasn't what I really meant. Jack and mesh are effective against
>*melee* weapons, but how do you give them any degree of protective value if
>ballistic armor already has the lowest armor protection? 

	Easy, you reasign values.  The new Traveller system is based on
Twilight.  It doesn't have to be an exact copy.  I'd give jack and mesh
a value of 1 but only versus hand to hand attacks.  Normal Kevlar would
get its 1 vs everything value.  I'd probably add an advanced Kevlar (I
don't know what Traveller calls it) that acts as a 2 protection.  If you
want to make a distinction between jack and mesh just give mesh a 2 value
only versus hand to hand.
	
Dave
__________
Dave Bonar
eebonar@lsuvax.sncc.lsu.edu
__________
From: markl@dvorak.amd.com (Mark Luedtke)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRII: Initiative Die
Date: 6 Oct 92 20:49:14 GMT
Organization: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.; Austin, Texas

In article <BvnuLo.2LE@news.cso.uiuc.edu> pmwg1641@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Peter M. White) writes:
>In article <1992Oct5.150316.27831@wam.umd.edu> claymoar@wam.umd.edu (Bill) writes:
>>How about this idea for the number of dice an Physical Adept can roll
>>for his/her initiative:
>>  each extra dice costs two magic points up to a max of 4 extra die.
>>   # of extra die     cost
>>	+1d		2
>>	+2d		4
>>	...etc.
>>Just a suggestion.
>>
>>	Claymore the Metaknight Champion
>
>I, too, noticed that a cost of 2 magic points per die would be more consistent,
>but I believe the first die was purposefully made cheap so that PAs would
>not look like molasses.  With Tech C yielding 90k, every normal can easily
>afford Wired Reflexes 1.

I mulled over whether to make these things more consistent or not and finally
decided FASA had something when they came up with the costs, magic and
essence, for increased initiative.  It seems obvious that they wanted
PAs to often be quicker than munies, which I can agree with, and the obviously
wanted munies to be able to outstrip PAs, unless that PA became an adept,
which I can also agree with.  However, I think 5 essence is still too much
for wired (3).  Maybe 4.5.
-- 

Mark Luedtke    markl@dvorak.amd.com

This was typed by an infinite number of monkeys.
From: UD191217@NDSUVM1.BITNET
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: PARANOIA: Is it still around?
Date: 28 Sep 92 18:09:29 GMT
Organization: North Dakota Higher Education Computer Network


     Well, West End Games has released not one, but 2(!) new Paranoia items in
the last 6 months or so.  The Paranoia Sourcebook, which relates the tale of
the times following the Re-Boot of the Computer, and explains how to run a
campaign (GASP, yes, how to keep the clones alive...).  The other, more recent,
release is the Bot Abusers Manual, this is a complete book for using bots as
player characters, complete with their own Secret Societis and other treasonous
fun things...
                 Please report to the nearest termination center, NOW!

                                              Kenneth Churchill
                                              UD191217@vm1.NoDak.edu or
                                              churchil@plains.NoDak.edu
From: gobeski8618@iscsvax.uni.edu (Steve 'Gobes' Gobeski)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: White Wolf doesn't read its mail
Date: 30 Sep 92 13:03:11 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <surge.717673832@bart>, surge@cqs.washington.edu (Jonathan Sari) writes:
> 
> I ordered a subscription in January of this year, but I had to phone
> them up to actually receive the first issue (#30).  I received #32
> (the July/August issue) in the mail on Saturday, just finished reading
> it, and am as impressed with it as I was with #31.
> 

this gels with my experience with White Wolf, too.  Sounds like they either
have no mail department, or need to get a new one!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: swaim@owlnet.rice.edu (Michael Parks Swaim)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: WereVamp->Ars?
Date: 4 Oct 92 02:03:39 GMT
Organization: Rice University

In article <BvKB7K.D4B@news.cso.uiuc.edu> dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (SilverFang Ahroun) writes:
>tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Tim Dunn) writes:
>>Unfortunately, the VampWolf system fails in that regard -- sure you're good,
>>but if the referee tosses a Diff 9 at you, you're screwed.  And don't think
>>it doesn't happen.  One character had a 10 Willpower and was cheeky to an
>>Elder.  The elder tried to Dominate him.  No go.
>
>Bad call on the storyteller's part. If you smart off to an Elder and the
>Storyteller wants you to be Dominated, then he dominates you. End of Story.
>Letting dice make the storytelling decisions in a case like this is IMHO
>something that shouldn't happen in any system, but especially not in
>Werewolf or Vampire.
  Why? If the character's virtually impossible to dominate, he should be
virtually impossible to dominate. Personally, I hate "it advances the story
I want to tell" as a game mechanic. If something happens to advance the
story, that's well and good. But if you give NPCs breaks that you don't
give the players, then you're screwing with them. I seriously doubt that
any storytellers are giving PCs breaks on things like this, so why should
NPCs?

>Diff 9 isn't that hard to make. Yes, the only people who will get
>it often are those whose specialty that activity happens to be, but 
>then if the Storyteller wanted you to do it, he wouldn't have given
>you a Diff 9 (Pretty much a superhuman task.)

  I'm assuming that you mean the storyteller thinks it's neigh impossible.
This brings me back to my earlier point- if NPCs can arbitrarily succede
at thing with a 9 difficulty, why shouldn't PCs?

  Personally, I don't see anything wrong with a player going for a character
who's extraordinarily good a one thing, since he's bound to be deficient in
several others. Assuming that the other characters are decent in that 
ability, he really won't get that much of an advantage in most situations
involving it, and be at a disadvantage elsewhere.



-- 
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!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: harmonix@stein.u.washington.edu (Chaz Stevens)
Subject: Looking for a Rolemaster or Space Master game
Reply-To: harmonix@u.washington.edu
Organization: University of Washington, Dept. of Physics/Astronomy
Distribution: pnw
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 22:39:19 GMT

     As the subject header says, I am looking for a Rolemaster or
Space Master game somewhere in the Seattle-area to join.  Please leave
E-mail to me: harmonix@u.washington.edu.  Thank you!
 
     Chaz
From: v124jw4y@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Benjamin R Pierce)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Talislanta
Date: 27 Sep 92 20:14:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

Anybody out there pick up the new edition of Talislanta yet?  IMHO, it improves
things about a thousand percent.  I've always enjoyed the world, but the old
books were too disorganized and decentralized for my tastes.  Opinions? Anyone?
Anyone? Bueller?



                                                      --Ben
From: dbasinge@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Mike Basinger)
Subject: Re: Cyber Hero Review
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 05:26:33 GMT


I talked to Curtis Scott (before his fatal car accident) about Cyber
Hero. What he told me was that ICE was not putting much support into
Cyber Hero, since the Cyberpunk fad was starting to fade (please no
flames).

I have a favor to ask the net. Write Hero Games and ask them to
dedicate future printings of Cyber Hero to the memory of Curtis Scott.
I wasn't a close friend of Curtis Scott, but I have talked to him a
few times though e-mail, and I think this would be a nice gesture.
The address is

Hero Games
c/o Iron Crown Enterprise INC.
P.O. Box 1605
Charlottesville, VA 22902 USA

My thanks,
Mike
-- 
D. Michael Basinger: Not Speaking for Indiana University 
dbasinge@silver.ucs.indiana.edu		dbasinge@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu
dbasinge@ucs.indiana.edu (VAX/VMS)	dbasinge@iubacs.BITNET (Bitnet)
dbasinge@arapahoe.ucs.indiana.edu (NeXT Mail)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: surge@cqs.washington.edu (Jonathan Sari)
Subject: Re: White Wolf Magazine: Status?
Organization: University of Washington
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 09:50:32 GMT

acadams@afterlife.ncsc.mil (Arthur C. Adams) writes:

>I ordered a subscription to White Wolf in mid July,
>after what I assume was the most recent issue came
>out (the first in their new format.)

>I haven't received any issues as of yet. 
>Does anyone know if a new issue is out?
>Does anyone have a phone number for White Wolf?

I ordered a subscription in January of this year, but I had to phone
them up to actually receive the first issue (#30).  I received #32
(the July/August issue) in the mail on Saturday, just finished reading
it, and am as impressed with it as I was with #31.

The phone # and address are (from the title page of WW #32):
(404) 292-1819

White Wolf
4598-B Stonegate Industrial Blvd.
Stone Mountain, GA  30083