HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: cpearce%nemesis@nemesis.acs.unt.edu (Chris Pearce)
Subject: Re: another Nippon goof?
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 16:34:22 GMT

> But have you ever wondered what the Strike maneuver does. In our book it
> doesn't actually list the game effect, just a big build up about how it's
> not as good as some other maneuvers. Can anyone tell me what its effect is.

It is just a Martial attack: STR+2, as far as I can tell.

Of course, that means that all Martial Artists are limted strictly to their
learned manuevers. (And what of that unfortunate soul who fails to pick
up even a single manuever in his style?)

I'd prefer to allow ALL Martial Artists to Strike and to use the learned
manuevers purely for flavor (much like a real kung fu movie). I'd increase the
power of the Master techniques (some of which are rather bland) -- but then
maybe raise their cost. Secret techniques don't get used often in the kung
fu movie genre, but when they do, they are devastating.

Yes, I think the Martial Artist rules are a little broke, but they *do*
work okay.

> Winston (as a ninja without a clue)

-- 
Chris Pearce -- cpearce@nemesis.acs.unt.edu
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim) <jogle@aoc.nrao.edu>
Subject: Re: Gencon Report...
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 16:32:01 GMT

Ashwath writes:

> Um, I believe the Warrior of the dark, in her current rampage, 
> decapitated poor Gutterby, and stuck his head on a pike... tragic.

Tragic, but not something that will send gaming groups into a frothing
fit of anger (now imagine what would happen if they said Towlyn's head
was stuck on a pike!)

> As far as pocket cosms go... um, the Dreamtime is Aborigine in
> origin, ain't it?  Not Western?  Unless WEG is really putzing
> with the dreamtime I know, or I've been taking those blasted drugs
> again... <Grin>.  Also, I really doubt the pocket cosms will
> be 'bubblinb' as it were... more like, the people who had 
> the potential for 'connections' to those areas, will have much
> more ready access.  There might be some spillage, but not a WHOLE
> lot... I hope.

Ok, I should have said "other non-western culture/mythos" pocket
realms.  

> And, agreeting with Grant... Greg said that Jim Ogle... and everyone
> sorta turned to their neighbor with a knowing smile, as Grant himself
> posed that innocuous question, "You wouldn't meant -kansas- Jim, would you?"
> and revalation shook the crowd, and there was much rejoicing... <yay>.
> Yep, you's pretty famous-like, Jim.

I knew I should have hocked myself into deeper debt to go to GenCon
this year!  8-)

Kansas Jim (jogle@aoc.nrao.edu)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: Robert Link <link@lcopt.physics.fsu.edu>
Subject: Re: ridiculous names
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 17:51:38 GMT


  I was taught that it carried definite communist overtones.  I.e. for a 
foreigner from a non-Communist block nation to refer to a Russian as 
"Tovarisch" would be somewhat of a faux-pas.  For a fellow communist, even 
a perfect stranger (or someone you don't particularly like, no less)  the mode
of address is perfectly proper, and even expected.  I suppose that in post-
communist Russia, the usage might change a bit, though.

  The point is that whoever made up the name for the character wasn't terribly
creative. . .

-rpl

Internet:		link@lcopt.physics.fsu.edu
Snail-net:	        PO Box 61519
			Tally, FL 

"Abstinence is a good thing, if practiced in moderation."

Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: xoanon@carina.unm.edu (timothy k istian soholt)
Subject: Re: Plans for people's cosmverses...
Date: Thu, 03 Sep 92 02:52:25 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

michael@stb.info.com (Michael Gersten) writes, in part:

>6. Amber (Hey, they gotta be there :-)
>	The description of Apherios is almost a perfect match for the pattern.
>Logrous (second series, 3rd or 4th book, where they are revealed to be  
>actual creatures with little (or no) regard for their worshippers except as  
>tools to be used). Not really an invasion, just a background.

While the descriptions of the Pattern and Logrus might match those of
Apeiros and The Nameless One, the mechanics of reality don't quite
seem to fit TORG. How do you explain the fact that, although most
high-tech items don't seem to work in Amber (Corwin's special gun-
powder being the major exception), high-tech _principles_ (the major
example I can think of being medicine) -- which should be impossible
by the TORG rules -- are used to great effect by the Amberites?

(By the way, does anyone know if _Prince of Chaos_ is out in paper-
back yet?)

-- Tim Soholt (xoanon@carina.unm.edu), The Man With No .sig


Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: oakes@jupiter.nmt.edu (David Oakes)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re:  Question, and toons.
Date: 27 Aug 92 19:05:05 GMT
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b

Michael Gersten(michael@stb.info.com) offers:
 ! >(and i know it is going to be some sleazy joke cosm, like one in Iverse -
 ! > am i the only one who thinks Toons can be done right, and done well?)
 ! 
 ! Nah, I'll be having someone invade LV in a few months myself (Cool world  
 ! is too neat of a cosm to say no to. Just ignore the last 5 minutes of the
 ! film.  The invasion took. If you die to a toon you stay dead.)

more power to you - i prefer WB to Bakshi anyday
(classic WB, that is.  Tiny Toons rarely beats Ren & Stimpy)

 ! Incidently, can someone answer this question?
 ! 
 ! If you have 500 years to prepare for an invasion, or even 50 to 200 years,  
 ! and you can produce, say, one spare stelae a week, thats 50 stelae a year,  
 ! or 500 stelae in one decade. If you know that you are invading a world that
 ! is going to be a problem, why not first stockpile all the stelae you need, 
 ! and then place all of them before you drop a bridge, so no one notices. Then
 ! when you land, you just poof the land automatically by advancement, and  
 ! nothing can stop you (you don't waste time waiting for the next stelae to be
 ! placed while fighting a border war)
 ! 
 ! So are the high lords totally stupid or what?

no, just a little cautious, and prisioners of their World Laws

as far as mass producing stelae, carpeting the invadee, and "poof-ing",
you will not poof without believers in your reality, and that takes time.
Nile and LL have been most successful due to large scale immigration
(Nile because there is nothing else, LL because it can)

also consider the massive amout of poss required to energize that net,
and to keep it functioning against local reality forces.
since reality is determined by the majority, the more you own,
the easier it might be to get more - 
zero to sixty may be fast, but not cost effective

dave "a journey of a thousand miles, and all that" oakes
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: "James H. Kiley" <jkiley@andy.bgsu.edu>
Subject: Re: GenCon Report (Incredibly long, thousands of spoilers)
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 16:27:33 GMT



On Thu, 27 Aug 1992, Clinton Richard Wolf wrote:

> >	I'll post a review of High Lord Theater tomorrow.  I didn't take notes
> >on that one.
> >
>         'High Lord Theatre'? Sounds interesting... Did anyone ask about a TORG
> boardgame with each player taking the role of a high lord. Someone was discus-
> sing it a while ago and I thought it was a neat idea... The TorgMUSH guys cer-
> tainly seem to relish their roles ;)

Yeah, it was interesting.  Review forthcoming.
And I did ask about the boardgame idea, got two basic responses:
1) WEG got out of the boardgame business quite some time ago, as it wasn't
too profitable for them.  The last boardgame they made was _Star Warriors_
and while it went over pretty well, they aren't so sure a Torg game will.  *If*
they do it, it won't be cheap, because they want to do it Right.
2) There hasn't seemed to be an overwhelming response from the players about
such a thing.  You and I think it'd be nifty and we seem to be about it. :)

And yes, we TorgMUSH guys do relish our roles (muahahahahhahahaaaa)  :)

> -- Clint

jk
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: ctalbott@mksol.dseg.ti.com (christopher j talbott)
Subject: Spell Design
Organization: Texas Instruments
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 13:02:51 GMT

I have a bit of a problem.  I'm attempting to design a FeatherFall spell 
(okay, okay, I'm trying to convert the one from AD&D) and after several
trips through the Spell Design section of the Aysle sourcebook, all I have
is a headache.  My question is mainly this:  how much "reality" do I have
to inject into a spell?  My current approach to the spell is something on
the order of Alteration/Inanimate with mechanism Magic, result Death.  Is 
Death an all-or-nothing sort of deal (i.e. would I be making things in the
volume of effect completely weightless, or could I control how much gravity
was destroyed)?  My other thought was to do something like Alteration/Air
to change the density of air (seems like a bad thing for breathing, and 
I don't see "how" it would work).

I'd appreciate any guidance y'all could provide.

(Note:  I'm not looking for the completed spell, just some ideas on what
to use during spell design so that it makes sense.)

(2nd Note:  I am aware that Fly and Floater exist, but they're not what
I'm looking for.  I'm trying to design a spell that only decreases rate
of descent.)

-Chris "last time I posted, Dave Oakes couldn't find my sig, so I'm
including my address right after my name" Talbott

ctalbott@mksol.dseg.ti.com

-- 
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/// Chris Talbott     ///////// ctalbott@mksol.dseg.ti.com ///////
/// Software Designer ///////// chris@ews7.dseg.ti.com     ///////
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/// "There are very few personal problems that cannot be        //
///  solved through a suitable application of high explosives." //
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: burt@ptltd.com (Burton Choinski)
Subject: Re:  super skill grumbles
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 21:37:29 GMT

I have generally been having an "Adventure" run 3-4 sessions (acts).  I take it
then that this is not a Fixed limit.  About how many acts do y'all run out
there per adventure, on average?
   -- Burton
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim) <jogle@aoc.nrao.edu>
Subject: Re:  GenCon Report (Incredibly long, thousands of spoilers)
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 00:03:07 GMT

Clinton writes:

>This is just an observation, but there IS a balancing factor for Gravitic Rays
> (as well as other munchkinish Biotech weapons.) In anyplace but Akasha, these
>things DIE!! Sure, your Monitor SK can tote one around through the Living Land
>or CE, but when he disconnects, the device starts taking a wound per round un-
> til he reconnects. Can he reconnect in time? (four rounds). Let's see... with
> the modifiers to the Reality difficulty (from the tool having a higher tech
> axiom)... to reconnect in CE takes 18 (already an ouch), and to reconnect in
> the LL (heh,heh...) ... 48!!!!! (Dif.25 + (30 - 7))

Well, a monitor would just have the base of 25, as the penalty for
axiom differences only applies to four-case contradictions.

Kansas Jim (jogle@aoc.nrao.edu)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: Robert Link <link@lcopt.physics.fsu.edu>
Subject: Re: Gencon and the Comaghaz
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 18:55:34 GMT

	
	     While one of my friends was preparing his character . . .
	for my upcoming campaign, we found a very amusing typo in the Martial Ar
	ts man-
	euvers section of the NT sourcebook... In the description for the Block/
	Strike
	maneuver, the text reads... '...this Maneuver allows the character to 
	both
	block an incoming attack and strike himself in the same round...'
	     Thus dooming my campaign to endless jokes about masochistic ninja..
	
  Hmmm.  That's almost as good as the Vampyre Hunter template's skill in 
"altercation" magic.


-rpl

Internet:		link@lcopt.physics.fsu.edu
Snail-net:	        PO Box 61519
			Tally, FL 

"Figures don't lie, but liars DO figure. . ."


Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: wolf@cheshire.oxy.edu (Clinton Richard Wolf)
Subject: Re: Axioms -- another log on the fire
Organization: Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA 90041 USA.
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 00:13:46 GMT

In article <gatemail1.0b24418532310732@morticia> michael@stb.info.com (Michael Gersten) writes:
>
>Submitted for your approval:
>
>Finally, there's spiritual. Like magic, it doesn't give the specifics that  
>tech and social do; unlike magic, it doesn't give anything. All it says  
>is that 11 is enough to make spiritual items or locations, 17 is  
>enough for this to occur naturally without the faithful, 19 allows  
>access to paradise, and 23 results in one mythos being dominant.
>
 How very true.
>Hmm...
>
>All the other three say to some extent "This is what you can and  
>cannot do". Spiritual does not. The only high spiritual cosm is going  
>bye bye. There are no other high spiritual cosms, only medium  
>(around 14-16 or so). Hmm...
>
>Anyone want to help me make a new spiritual chart, or am I the only  
>one who thinks that we even need to?
>
 Sounds like a wonderful idea! I'll help...

-- Clint


Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: oakes@jupiter.nmt.edu (David Oakes)
Subject: are HLs evil?
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 21:13:00 GMT

Clint(the man who claims no sig is some sig) portrays:
 ! I didn't mean every cosm is inherently evil...but remember that these places
 ! are RULED by HL's, some of the most amoral, greedy, and bloodthirsty beings 
 ! in the entire cosmverse. They control the realms, and the realms reflect 
 ! their evil (in the structures they build, innocents they murder, the armies 
 ! they field, etc...)

i disagree
yes, they are are power hungry, and yes, they arent nice, but this is extreme

i cant imagine calling the GM anything so plebian as "greedy" or "bloodthirsty"
and Dr Mobius amoral?  not without disconecting (very small torg humor)
Jez is the only one that fits all three, with Kanawa coming in second
(not so much bloodthirsty as vengeful - bloodthirsty implies to me "killing
 just for fun" and none of the HLs are so lame, except Thark...)

these arent some low life scum, who happen to have come to our planet,
these are powerful individuals who have been rulers for decades and centuries
(except Jez, and im sure she will become as wise as Thratch in due time,
 or lose it to Thratch, since he is more capable...)

 ! >(i think that WEG is going soft on mixed genre cosms)
 !  Speaking of mixed genres, what do y'all speculate Berlin will be like, with
 ! it's mixed Tharkold/NE axioms? The closest I can come to a concept of it is
 ! the Judge Dredd or Martial Law comics... if that's what they have planned,
 ! well Oy! It'll be interestin'!

well, my first impression is that someone said "Thark is cool, lets do it!"
without ant sense of the game, or any coherent plan, but after you mentioned
Martial Law, that is exactly what would (should) happen.

now we just have to hope that WEG game designers 
have enough taste to read comic books...

dave "at least Thark proves the read X-force.  saddly." oakes

Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim) <jogle@aoc.nrao.edu>
Subject: Re: cosm placement (hindsight) (was Re: GENcon)
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 00:06:04 GMT

Clinton asks:

> >(c'mon, there are exactly two miracles that take
> >advantage of the really high spiritual axiom and they are both
> >one-shot miracles found in the Rec Stalek module).
> >
>  Would you mind posting those miracles? Or are they really just one-shot and
> adventure specific...

They are quite adventure specific and they aren't Lanala miracles
anyway, they're Stalek miracles.  But in brief one duplicates the
Spirit Sunder spell thing in Aysle and I don't remember what the other
one does....

Kansas Jim (jogle@aoc.nrao.edu)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: Rick Jones <albert@crick.ssctr.bcm.tmc.edu>
Subject: Re: GenCon Report (Incredibly long, thousands of spoilers)
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 19:17:09 GMT

> 
> again, WEG would rather pander to an american audience, than make a whole game.
> post-invasion Egypt is already Chicago, just a few Nile touches!!!


	Well, consider that they've taken a _lot_ of abuse (somewhat
deserved IMHO) for dropping the Living Land in the US.  Most gamers
for good or bad, do not like the LL.  It makes adventuring in the USA 
more difficult, as PC's don't want to slog through the jungles.

	Off the top of my head, were I in WEG's shoes (and with 20/20 
hindsight), here's how I would have done it.

	America is invaded by Marketplace.  The Japanese element is 
toned down, and watch as America is bought out.  The Delphi Council
becomes _much_ more insidious.
	
	Aysle, Nile Empire and Cyberpapacy remain where they are.  They are
tied to the region, so should be left as is.  The Cyberpapacy would
have been much more agressive, and expanded into Eastern Europe.  Aysle 
remains stable.  There's no reason for Malreaux to be so pokey, though.

	The Living Land invades Brazil.  It also has the "Lost Civilizations"
aspect of the Land Below.  It's more like the Tarzan pulps than like the 
Land of the Lost.

	Orrorsh lands in Japan.  Watch the highly structured society 
break down as a scientific land is confronted with the occult.  It also
expands into the USSR, which repelled Tharkhold.

	Thakhold returns later in LA to bollux the Marketplace goons
same as before.
	
	The Space Gods arrive in Mexico.  The tree hugging aliens are
confronted with the cold and methodical Marketplace Corporate Raiders.
-- 
Rick Jones				Systems Support Center
albert@bcm.tmc.edu			Baylor College of Medicine
Voice: 713-798-7352			standard disclaimers apply
    Wanted:Scrodinger's Cat.  Dead or Alive.  $10,000 Reward.
From: cpearce%nemesis@nemesis.acs.unt.edu (Chris Pearce)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re: the reco problem
Date: 1 Sep 92 18:38:36 GMT
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b

>i admit that it should be easier to reco a shotgun than a gravitic ray (for CE
> but disco just isnt that fine - it is supported, or it isnt.
> personally, the 4-case penalty is more game balance than Eo1

But it *IS* easier for a character to reco a shotgun than a gravitic ray.

Example: Tuathacar, an Akashan Monitor, disconnects in Core Earth while
using his gravitic ray. His reco diff is about, say, 16. When he tries
to reco, since the Tach axiom of the ray is the same as his Tech axiom, he
receives no bonus to his Reality total.

Example: Tuathacar, an Akashan Monitor, disconnects in Core Earth while
using Francois' GodBeam Laser. His reco diff is about, say, 16. When he tries
to reco, since the Tech axiom of the laser is 4 less than his Tech axiom,
he receives a +4 bonus to his Reality total.

> dave "it is much easier to makes rules work, than make new rules" oakes

-- 
Chris Pearce -- cpearce@nemesis.acs.unt.edu
From: WYNNE.C@fs.sciences.WLU.EDU
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re:  Reco
Date: 2 Sep 92 18:44:31 GMT
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b

torg@morticia.cnns.unt.edu (Torg Mailing List) writes:

> Example: Taathiluthua, an Akashan monitor, uses his ray in the LL.
> He discos. His reconnection chance is 25.
>
> Example: Taztor, an Edeinos optant, uses a gravitic ray in the LL.
> He discos. His reconnection chance is 25 + (30-7) = 48. The tool's
> tech is higher than Taztor's Tech, therefore the roll is penalized.

Where is Taztor using this GRay?  If it's in the LL, his base reco is
0 + 23, *not* 25 + 23.  And if he's in SG territory, it's a one-case
and DN 12.

CJW
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: axg20@po.CWRU.Edu (Ashwath Ganesan)
Subject: Re: Gencon Report...
Reply-To: axg20@po.CWRU.Edu (Ashwath Ganesan)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 92 15:46:07 GMT



Um, I believe the Warrior of the dark, in her current rampage, 
decapitated poor Gutterby, and stuck his head on a pike... tragic.

As far as pocket cosms go... um, the Dreamtime is Aborigine in
origin, ain't it?  Not Western?  Unless WEG is really putzing
with the dreamtime I know, or I've been taking those blasted drugs
again... <Grin>.  Also, I really doubt the pocket cosms will
be 'bubblinb' as it were... more like, the people who had 
the potential for 'connections' to those areas, will have much
more ready access.  There might be some spillage, but not a WHOLE
lot... I hope.

And, agreeting with Grant... Greg said that Jim Ogle... and everyone
sorta turned to their neighbor with a knowing smile, as Grant himself
posed that innocuous question, "You wouldn't meant -kansas- Jim, would you?"
and revalation shook the crowd, and there was much rejoicing... <yay>.
Yep, you's pretty famous-like, Jim.

Well, enough babbling and possible repitition for me... hasta!

-Ashwath.
aka. Dr. Mobius, and as loony as ever...
-- 
I really don't mind, if you sit this one out...    | <= Jethro Tull
My words but a whisper, your deafness a shout.     | -Ashwath Ganesan-
I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.   | -among others-
Your sperm's in the gutter, your love's in the sink.| -axg20@po.cwru.edu-
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: dml@Athena.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: New Spell -- Alter Form 
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
X-Gated-From: torg mailing list
Organization: University of North Texas
X-Gatemail-Version: 1.0b
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 18:00:23 GMT


Brian and others,

IRC: Inter Relay Chat, a method of talking to lots of people
at once (kind of like a unix "talk" with more than two people).

Well, at least this is one definition.

--dave
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg