From: rg-frp-announce@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Subject: [rec.games.frp.*] Frequently asked questions
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Originator: cwatters@top.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Keywords: READ ME!, roleplaying games, splitting, accusations of satanism, admi
Reply-To: cwatters@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 15:56:21 GMT

Archive-name: roleplay/part2
Last-Modified: 10/7/92

* Asterisks denote new/updated items. *

* Please also see the DND FAQ on rec.games.frp.dnd, and the ShadowRun FAQ.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON REC.GAMES.FRP HIERARCHY

This posting contains some of the most common questions that get posted
in the roleplaying discussion groups, at least those which have stock
answers and which aren't answered by the regular postings on
news.announce.newusers.

Questions Answered:

 1:  What are the rec.games.frp.* newsgroups for? What are their charters?
 2:  How do I get hold of a copy of the Net.<whatever>.Book?
 3:  What is the address for the <whatever> mailing list?
 4:  How do I access the <whoever> Games BBS?
 5:  Are there any clubs for roleplayers besides the one run by TSR, Inc?
 6:  Does anybody know what E. Gary Gygax is doing these days?
 7:  Does anybody know what Steve Perrin/Luise Perenne/Chaosium are doing
     these days?
 8:  I have a problem with a friend of mine. He is active in his church and
     feels strongly that any Fantasy Roleplaying Game is Evil. What can I
     tell him?
 9:  What is Fluff?
10:  What is this rec.games.rpg newsgroup I keep seeing mentioned?
11:  What's a Cthulhu?
12:  I want to sell some of my old game stuff. How should I go about it?
13:  What is Munchkinism? What does the Wizard of Oz have to do with
     roleplaying games?
14:  I've run out of adventure ideas for my game. Does anybody have ideas
     for new plots?
15:  What game magazines are out there?
16:  I've heard of the Arduin Grimoire but am unable to find it. Where is it?
17:  What is MONTY HAUL?*
18:  I want a group dedicated to my favorite game, how do I do it?*
* - new or updated items

1: What are the rec.games.frp.* newsgroups for? What are their charters?

NAME:      rec.games.frp.advocacy
CHARTER:   Frequently discussion on rec.games.frp amounts to vigorously
           overstated disagreement about the quality or lack thereof of
           a particular game system or game company. This unmoderated
           discussion newsgroup will give readers of the rec.games.frp
           hierarchy an outlet for such material. This newsgroup would
           be expected to hold such lines of discussion as: Champions
           versus GURPS; AD&Dv1 versus AD&Dv2; AD&D stinks; class
           systems versus skill based systems; game critiques wanted;
           mine are bigger than yours; and so on.

NAME:      rec.games.frp.announce (Moderated)
MODERATOR: Coyt Watters <rg-frp-announce@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
           backup by Joshua Levy <joshua@veritas.com>
CHARTER:   This group is intended for all announcements relating to
           roleplaying games. This may include, but is not limited to,
           game release announcements, pbem announcements, convention
           announcements, and any other events. Discussion of material
           in this newsgroup should be done in the appropriate
           roleplaying discussion group. Please direct followup lines as
           appropriate.

NAME:      rec.games.frp.archives (Moderated)
MODERATOR: Mitch Gold <frp-archives@rpi.edu>
           backup by Steve Mansfield <smm@uunet.uu.net>
CHARTER:   This newsgroup will serve as a temporary archive for postings
           that should be archived on one of the anonymous ftp or
           mail-server sites, and which do not belong in one of the
           other roleplaying newsgroups. Therefore only finished work
           such as net.books, campaign background, convention modules,
           the tabolport project, fiction, poetry, compilations, and so
           on should be posted here. This newsgroup is not for
           discussion purposes, and discussion of anything in this
           newsgroup should take place in the appropriate roleplaying
           discussion group. Please direct followup lines appropriately.

NAME:      rec.games.frp.dnd
CHARTER:   This unmoderated discussion newsgroup is for discussion of
           the official rules and settings of the D&D family of
           roleplaying games, produced by TSR, Inc., including
           Collector's Edition Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), Basic D&D,
           Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D), and AD&D Second
           Edition. This proposed newsgroup would include discussion of
           TSR's rules and products and compatible products, such as:
           character classes; character races; monsters; magic spells;
           weapons; Greyhawk; the Forgotten Realms; the Known World;
           Dark Sun; Spelljammer; RavenLoft; Hollow World; City State of
           the Invincible Overlord; and so on. Crossposting between this
           group and other groups in the rec.games.frp hierarchy is
           discouraged, however issues of general interest that happen
           to involve a D&D rulebook or setting are more than welcome.

NAME:      rec.games.frp.marketplace
CHARTER:   This unmoderated newsgroup is intended to hold For Sale and
           Wanted postings for roleplaying game materials.

NAME:      rec.games.frp.misc
CHARTER:   This is a discussion group for all aspects of roleplaying
           games which are not subsumed within another rec.games.frp.*
           newsgroup. It fully replaces rec.games.frp within the
           roleplaying newsgroup hierarchy. The acronym "frp" refers to
           Fantasy Role-Playing, but this does not mean that the scope
           of the group is restricted to pseudo medieval settings where
           magic is common and powerful. The common misuse of the word
           "fantasy" comes from the marketing distinction between the
           literary genres of science fiction and fantasy. Fantasy
           actually means anything that is set in a time or place that
           is **in some essential way** unlike our own.  Science Fiction
           fits this definition of fantasy, as do other genres including
           Horror, Tolkeinesque High Fantasy, and Westerns. Lines of
           discussion in this newsgroup can be expected to include,
           among other topics: roleplaying advice; gamemastering advice;
           reviews of roleplaying products; scenario ideas; rules;
           errata; gaming anecdotes; and many peripherally connected
           subjects. Crossposting between this group and other
           roleplaying discussion groups is to be discouraged.


2: How do I get hold of a copy of the Net.<whatever>.Book?

A:     First off, thanks for reading the administrative articles before
       posting. One of the administrative articles is entitled
       "Net.*.Books" and contains details of how to get at the Net
       Books, suprisingly enough. Please check in there before posting a
       request to rec.games.frp.misc.


3: What is the address for the <whatever> mailing list?

A:     Once again you'll find the answer in another of the
       administrative articles, in this case the two part "FRP Mailing
       Lists and Digests" posting. If the answer isn't in there, go
       ahead and ask the net at large - if you get results, please let
       us know so we can update the postings.


4: How do I access the <whoever> Games BBS?

A:     First off, look in the "BBS's of interest to gamers" posting,
       where a number of games companies' BBS's are listed.


5: Are there any clubs for roleplayers besides the one run by TSR, Inc?

A:     Yes. There are several. The National Association for the
       Advancement of Role Playing (NAARP) is nominally an association
       for the USA only, but accepts members from other countries.
       CARpg, which is associated with the NAARP, is the Committee for
       the Advancement of Roleplaying games, and is a strong pro-gaming
       voice in the fight against BADD and other groups that think that
       roleplaying is evil.  The following is some info for the NAARP.

       The National Association for the Advancement of Role-Playing, Inc
       is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the
       hobby of role-playing.  NAARP provides its members with an annual
       membership directory, so game players can contact each other.
       NAARP publishes a quarterly newsletter featuring information on
       upcoming releases from the industry, and news about conventions.
       NAARP is also dedicated to educating the public about the hobby
       through tournaments and public discussions.

       If you'd like a membership form and more information, send an
       SASE to

             NAARP, Inc
             P.O.Box 2752
             Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2752

       or if you have specific questions E-Mail to

       USENET  chatham!rcarden@duke.cs.duke.edu

       WWIV Net  94@9955


6: Does anybody know what E. Gary Gygax is doing these days?

A:     As of May 17, 1992 EGG has completed a multi-genre fantasy
       roleplaying game for Game Designer's Workshop to be called
       Dangerous Dimensions. June 5: The name was changed to Dangerous
       Journeys.  It has been released and is now on the market.

7: Does anybody know what Steve Perrin/Luise Perenne/Chaosium are doing
   these days?

A:     Gossip follows:

       Call of Cthulhu is still their best selling game. Avalon Hill has
       a new editor for RuneQuest, Ken Rolston, who is planning on
       publishing several *quality* supplements in 1992.

       As of summer '91, Chaosium saw a reorg in its management
       structure.  The nomenclature now conforms to present day business
       conventions.  Lynn Willis is now CEO of the company, with Greg
       Stafford stepping back as  President, now working under the title
       of Chief of Design.  Charlie Krank is now manager of marketing
       and sales.

       Yes, the two are man and wife, but still, her name is Perenne.

       Steve Perrin left Chaosium after the failure of SuperWorld to be
       able to work for different companies on a free-lance basis.  He's
       done some stuff for TSR (Such as the Lankhmar products), and you
       may find his name on products from other companies. He's also
       rumored to have done some teevee writing (kidvid), and now to be
       working in the computer game industry.  He may have done work for
       Spectrum Holobyte. He is still involved with gaming (though his
       company contract prohibited him from doing any professional work
       in it) and is part of the con committee for DunDraCon every year.

       Ran into Steve and Luis Perrin at the Oak, Ash, and Thorn concert
       at Freight and Salvage a few weeks ago.  They're old friends of
       my wife from her early SCA days.  If I remember right, Steve said
       he was writing material for a computer games company and Luis was
       doing some sort of commercial art. But I may not have that right
       in detail...

       Well, when I'm in the SF Bay Area, I game with Steve Perrin and
       his "friday night gaming crew".  They mostly play Champions; the
       group is pretty much "all GM's" at this point, so they rotate
       Game Mastering every couple of weeks.  About half the DunDraCon
       committee is in the gaming group, I'd estimate.

       scoops are from:
       henkl@Holland.Sun.COM (Henk Langeveld)
       Wayne.Shaw@f315.n103.z1.fidonet.org (Wayne Shaw)
       Nicolai.Shapero@f524.n102.z1.fidonet.org (Nicolai Shapero)
       Ed Allen  allen@enzyme.berkeley.edu
       Donald Tsang tsang@june.cs.washington.edu

8: I have a problem with a friend of mine. He is active in his church and
   feels strongly that any Fantasy Roleplaying Game is Evil. What can I
   tell him?

A0: Roleplaying is an escapist activity that requires a good imagination,
   but it is not recommended for those with a poor grip on reality.  It
   does not make weirdos, it simply attracts them. That aside...

   I have five different answers for you. You can pick and choose,
   depending on which one is most applicable to your own situation.

A1:    tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Deus Imperator) replies:

       Tell him this story:

       A young boy with STRONG roots in christianity became disenchanted
       with religion in general as he grew up. He fell into very
       antisocial behavior (thieving, pyromania). While in high school,
       he ran across a kid who knew a LOT about magic, and played D&D.
       Our disturbed hero fell in with this crowd, and soon was playing
       D&D regularly. He always played evil characters.

       Now this poor soul never really read for pleasure. In fact, *all*
       that he had read for the past three years was _First Blood_ and
       _Rambo_. One of the players recommended the Dragonlance series to
       him. He loved it, empathizing with Raistlin 100%. He read the
       first book in one night, bought the next two, read BOTH in one
       night, and begged his DM to give him more. His pleas were
       granted: Thomas Covenant; Dune; David Eddings; Tolkien. Soon this
       maladjusted youth began writing himself, specializing in poetry.
       He expanded his reading range, including such great works as Les
       Miserables, all of Joyce, and, oh yeah, the Bible. Indeed, our
       wayward youth regained his faith, and now this year published a
       book of poetry, dedicated to me: The DM. True story.

       Oh, yeah. For what it's worth, he wants to become a priest.

A2:    DDK2@psuvm.psu.edu (Dan Kopes) replies:

       Have the religious "friend" read _Le_Morte_D'Artur_ by Malory
       (or Steinbeck's version). And then have him watch the Family
       Channel's animated version of the Prince Valiant comic. It's on
       Mondays at 8pm.

       Yes, you read right. Pat Robertson's Family Channel is running a
       new show based on the Prince Valiant comic. It's a little cheesy
       but it would be a good way to show a religious person that the
       Arthurian Legends are not satanic literature. Because it is from
       these stories that most frpg's formed. Dragons, knights, damsel
       in distress... all of these came from the Arthurian Legends. So,
       if one set of armored warriors, pious priests, and knowledgeable
       wizards are OK to read, then why isn't another group?

       I made a list of crucial elements that were in the first several
       episodes of Prince Valiant, all of these are also the backbone of
       most RPGs:

          1) Evil baron defeats good guys and exiles them from their home.
           - What!? A religious channel is saying that the bad guys win?!
           - In FRPs this is the plot hook that sets the good guys into
             doing something to regain the home.

          2) Prophetic dreams
           - sounds like Robertson's channel is delving into mysticism.
           - Used in FRPs to nudge the adventurers into going the right
             way.

          3) Spell casting - by swamp witch and Merlin
           - It seems it's OK to pretend that spells exist in stories...
           - One of the spell casters is a good guy so this throws out the
             idea that magic is evil or satanic...only some of it is.
             And the good guys do NOT use the evil magic.

          4) Authority figures can be evil and corrupt
           - another baron suppresses his people and forces the blacksmith's
             daughter to marry his wimpy brother.
           - In FRPs this sets up a lot of adventures...the good guys have
             to overthrow the abusive leader.

          5) Monsters are real and dangerous to let live...
           - The very first episode had a giant lizard, probably meant as a
             dinosaur or dragon.
           - In FRPs monsters as opponents are a staple in an adventurer's
             diet. They have to be killed/defeated for the greater good.

       Now, have your religious "friend" watch this show which is
       broadcast nationally on a religiously affiliated network.
       Robertson himself has spoken out against Fantasy Roleplaying
       Games, but he broadcasts a TV show that is very similar to most
       FRP campaigns.

A3:    Many people seem to think that Fantasy Roleplaying is inspired by
       black magic and Necronomicon-like grimoires. In fact, J.R.R.
       Tolkein's _Lord of the Rings_ and _The Hobbit_ and the world of
       Middle Earth, which are primary influences on almost all
       Roleplaying games, were primarily inspired by Christian
       (Catholic, to be precise) ideas.

       J.R.R. Tolkein was a devout Christian, and a close friend of C.S.
       Lewis, one of the great Christian thinkers of our (or any) time,
       and writer of the fantasy and science fiction classics
       (respectively) The Chronicles of Narnia and the trilogy
       comprising "Out of the Silent Planet," "Perelandra," and "That
       Hideous Strength." Some of Lewis's work in "That Hideous
       Strength" is acknowledged inspiration from Tolkein's writing (not
       to mention a large dose of Christian theology).

       Yes, Virginia, Christianity and fantasy can coexist.

       Another FRP-like Christian fantasy is _The Faerie Queen_ by
       Edmund Spenser, with the Red-Cross Knight and other allegorical
       characters engaging in typical FRP exploring and monster killing.

       Roleplaying gamers should also emphasize that their games exist
       in a moral world (that is, of course, if their players do not
       regularly play evil or psychopathic characters) and that
       wrongdoing and skullduggery usually rebound on the bad guys.
       Despite the fact that TSR strongly discourages evil player
       characters -- providing scenarios that are aimed almost
       exclusively at good and neutral alignments -- most critics think
       that players are all thrilling in immoral deeds.  They don't
       realize most of us play the good guys, in the white hats, who
       ride off into the sunset after the last scene.

A4:    Finally, one of the things that humans enjoy the most is telling
       or listening to a bashing good story. Jesus was well known for
       telling stories, as have been many very holy men and women
       through history.

       Fantasy Roleplaying Games are just another way of telling
       stories, which may or not be objectively good, but are generally
       enjoyed by the participants and certainly involve lots of
       bashing.

A5:    In case you are being persecuted by those who think they are
       only doing the christian thing by trying to convert you from
       what they see as a satanist or evil conspiracy to the only
       right and true way you may find the following arguments to be
       useful.

       Pierre Savoie of CaRPG supplied the following refutations of
       commonly quoted "facts" used by the anti-roleplaying set.

       The original claim of a teen committing suicide due to D&D was a
       hoax. In 1979 James Dallas Egbert III disappeared from Michigan
       State University, as described in a book by the detective on the
       case, William Dear (THE DUNGEON MASTER, 1984, Ballantine,
       biographies). Dear rambles a lot and he may be dramatizing too
       much, but he made headway not from talk about D&D played in
       underground "steam tunnels" on the campus, but only after he
       contacted a man who was keeping boys as young as 11 in his
       apartment, who claimed to know where Dallas was. It turns out the
       boy was 16 years old and in his sophomore year, a genius but also
       lonely, on drugs, and gay. He "ran away from it all", got stoned
       down in those tunnels, and staggered over to the home of a gay
       friend. This person got nervous when later the police search
       started, and Dallas was shuttled from gay to gay until he ended
       up in Louisiana with "friends". It could have been a prostitution
       ring involving juveniles.
          Dear's only concern was to bring the boy back, so he kept the
       facts hidden for 5 years until he wrote the book. For that
       reason D&D continued to be blamed, esp. nine months later when
       Dallas committed suicide (probably out of embarrassment). I
       don't know how far to trust Dear's account, particularly because
       of his choice of title to "market the book better".

       The very first published anti-D&D writings were from the Rev.
       John Torrell in 1980 (Christian Life Ministries, now called
       European-American Evangelistic Crusades, in Sacramento, CA).
       Torrell claimed that "these players go nuts with it! They start
       confusing fantasy with reality." That's an ironic claim in view
       of his own published "political" views in his newsletter, THE
       DOVE. In 1986 to the present, he claims that Ronald Reagan
       secretly surrendered the U.S. to the Soviet Union at the Iceland
       Summit in 1986, with a five-year transition period before the
       Russians assumed complete control. Well, guess who surrendered to
       whom! He has also claimed that George Bush's membership in the
       Order of Skull And Bones fraternity at Yale means that he has
       devoted his life to Satan! Torrell also claimed that the logo for
       the Seoul Olympics was a cyclic "666" symbol, and many other
       inanities. A perfect conspiracy theorist. Torrell's radio show
       got kicked off one radio station for making anti-Catholic
       remarks, but he wound up on another station.

       The famous woman who claims her son killed himself due to D&D,
       Patricia Pulling of Richmond, Virginia, is in league with some
       pretty questionable people. It seems she's a sort of guest
       director of the National Coalition on Television Violence (NCTV)
       run by Dr. Thomas Radecki from near Chicago. This man has put out
       loony claims that people are severely influenced by violent acts
       seen on TV, and counts the number of violent acts per hour.
       According to his criteria, The Smurfs average 13/hr.! He also
       says tickling, snowball fights, Donald Duck cartoons, the
       Christian Broadcasting Network, etc. are all bad for the mind,
       and that anger should be suppressed because "only God has the
       right to be angry", in flagrant opposition to the catharsis
       theories of his psychiatric discipline.
          Now, every issue of THE NCTV NEWS has a margin column where a
       "partial list of endorsers" is listed. Notice that it's
       "partial", so they want to bring out what they feel are the most
       notable names who "support" them. One of these names is Prof. J.
       Phillippe Rushton of the University of Western Ontario, in
       London, Ontario, Canada. This professor published his theories of
       a "race hierarchy" where Blacks were rated inferior to Whites,
       and both ranked below Orientals. He got some of his funding from
       an American group called the Pioneer Fund, which is said to be
       racist.
          And yet he is listed as a notable endorser of Pat Pulling and
       Thomas Radecki from 1985 to at least 1989! This raises the
       possibility that various little "causes" such as D&D-bashing are
       really to raise funds for what REALLY interests these groups...
       hatred and racism.

       The only Catholic tract against the game of D&D had to be pulled
       out of religious bookstores--because of its sources of
       information. This was called "Games Unsuspecting People
       Play--Dungeons and Dragons" by The Daughters of St. Paul Press in
       Boston (light green cover, sub-digest size, 24 pages or so) and
       authored by Louise Shanahan.
          Originally this was from a Canadian Catholic magazine called OUR
       FAMILY in Battleford, Saskatchewan, re-made into a tract.
       However, two of their "sources" of information on the game were
       the Rev. John Torrell and also Albert James Dager (who calls
       Catholicism the "Babylon Mystery Religion", claiming it's a mix
       of true Christianity and Babylonian rituals such as communion and
       the confessional). Since both of these were anti-Catholic, the
       tract was discontinued, and the DSP will no longer accept any
       manuscripts from Louise Shanahan! She obviously didn't research
       these sources sufficiently.
          I did, and gleefully pointed it out to the publisher, which
       withdrew the tract.

       In the book CRUEL DOUBT by Joe MacGinnis, he seems to claim that
       D&D was the link between Chris Prichard and the friends he asked
       to help him kill his step-father. In fact, they ALSO went to the
       same school (North Carolina State) and lived in the SAME dorm,
       but these common factors were somehow not considered contributory
       to their conspiracy the way D&D-playing was. The motive for the
       killing, in these recessionary times, was greed for an
       inheritance, not drugs or game-playing.
          Interestingly, a lot of attention is focused on the 70 cases a
       year in the U.S. of kids who murder their parents. The number of
       parents who murder their kids in the same time is 2000! (see IN
       PURSUIT OF SATAN)

       If videos of Sean Sellers (a teen on death-row in Oklahoma) are
       presented on THE 700 CLUB as testimony of the link between
       violence and D&D, it is only because videos are all they can come
       up with. They can't link up with him live--because he no longer
       claims that D&D caused his crime!
          In a letter dated Feb. 5, 1990 from Sean Sellers to game designer
       Michael Stackpole, Sellers concluded with, "Personally, for
       reasons I publish myself, I don't think kids need to be playing
       D&D, but using my past as a common example of the effects of the
       game is either irrational or fanatical."
          Remember, people on death row are opportunists. They will claim
       that UFOs tampered with their brains and this caused them to
       kill. They will claim most anything to get parole, and who can
       blame them? Of course, as more judges and wardens are
       D&D-players, such a claim will not be possible within 10 years.
       In this case, concerning D&D, familiarity will kill the contempt
       against the game rather than 'breeding contempt'. Only distance
       and ignorance breed contempt against the game. The more the game
       is known, the less people make claims against it!

       TSR Inc. does a little to debunk anti-D&D claims, and an
       organization of game manufacturers called the Game Manufacturers'
       Association (GAMA; c/o Greg Stafford; Chaosium Inc.; 950A 56th
       St.; Oakland, CA; 94608) has done a lot to research these claims.
          However, there is now a fan-based organization I helped to found
       in 1988 called the Committee for the Advancement of Role-Playing
       Games (CAR-PGa). The principal people are as follows:

       William Flatt
       8032 Locust Ave.
       Miller, IN
       46403 tel. (219) 938-3382 [very dedicated to the issue because
       his father assaulted him for playing D&D, with a vacuum cleaner
       pipe]

       the Rev. Paul Cardwell, Jr.
       c/o Hippogriff Books
       111 E. 5th St.
       Bonham, TX
       75418 [a gamer who prefers Chaosium-style rules, author of the
       MYTHWORLD game, and an ordained United Methodist minister
       (teaching, not preaching) aged 58!]

       Mr. Pierre Savoie
       22-B Harris Ave.
       Toronto, ON
       M4C 1P4 CANADA tel. (416) 690-6985 [age 30, analytical chemist by
       trade. I initially kicked off CAR-PGa with some diligent research
       on the exact groups which criticize D&D. Sometimes jokingly
       called "Head of Research" in the organization because I have 5
       feet deep of files and correspondence on the subject.]

       The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation did a radio show on their
       AM network in the "Ideas" series, Canada's most intellectual
       radio program, entitled "Dungeons and Dragons" (aired May 29,
       1991). It concluded as follows:
          "The National Coalition on Television Violence and BADD say
          they have a hundred and twenty-five cases of D&D-linked
          deaths. Only forty of these cases have been published and half
          of those are anonymous.
             The ones they do cite details for have no causal link with
          games. In every trial where Mrs. Pulling and Dr. Radecki have
          appeared, always as expert witnesses on the defence side, the
          defendants were convicted anyway, and in no case adjudicated
          by the courts has gaming ever been implicated in any crime."
             This is not some schlock show, and transcripts are offered
          for most of their programs, including this one, for 5 Canadian
          dollars per airdate. To order, indicate the title and airdate
          of the show and send CDN$5 or equivalent to: CBC IDEAS
          Transcripts; P.O. Box 500, Station "A"; Toronto, ON; M5W 1E6;
          CANADA.
          I assisted a little in the research for the show, and you may
       find it a refreshingly positive broadcasting of the facts about
       game-playing.

       There are at least two books in print so far which debunk
       anti-D&D theories in the context of "Satanism". These are:

          SATANISM IN AMERICA: How the Devil Got Much More Than His Due
          by Shawn Carlson and Gerald Larue, 1989 by Gaia Press (P.O.
          Box 466; El Cerrito, CA; 94530-0466; tel. (415) 527-9414) It
          is spiral-bound, 280 pages and the price is $12.95
          (Californians add .94 tax) plus $1.50 postage.
             50 of these pages is a special appendix by game designer
          Michael Stackpole of Chaosium Inc. directly dealing with the
          anti-D&D claims.

          IN PURSUIT OF SATAN: The Police and the Occult by Robert Hicks
          (1991 by Prometheus Books; 700 East Amherst St.; Buffalo, NY;
          14215; tel. (716) 837-2475). Hardcover, 420 pages, US$23.95
          plus maybe $3 postage. 25 pages devoted to D&D by this
          criminal analyst, plus additional chilling references. For
          example, in Chicago there is a wing of the Hartgrove Hospital
          called for the Center for the Treatment of Ritualistic
          Deviance. It's influenced by silly Satanism seminars, and one
          of the criteria for being a potential patient is "heavy
          involvement in fantasy and role play [sic] games". Therefore,
          a young teen can be "hospitalized" here with the consent of
          his parents for being a D&D-player--all legal and proper!
             This book was given a favourable review in an editorial in the
          July 1991 DRAGON, by Michael Stackpole, who curiously did not
          mention his own involvement with the first book.]

       --> generic!pnet91!pro-micol!psavoie@zoo.toronto.edu
       (Pierre Savoie; Micol Labs BBS; Toronto. A.k.a. DRACONIAN)

9: What is Fluff?

A:     Fluff is the polite net.word for stories based on roleplaying
       campaigns. Net roleplayers are violently divided on the quality
       and utility of stories on the network. If you post your stories
       to rec.games.frp.misc please put STORY: at the beginning of the
       subject line so that those who hate fluff can avoid it and those
       who love it can find it, and use a consistent title so that those
       who like or dislike your stories can identify them quickly.

10: What is this rec.games.rpg newsgroup I keep seeing mentioned?

A:     rec.games.rpg is a defunct newsgroup that was created (amongst
       some controversy) a few years ago and then promptly deleted from
       most of the news sites in the world. However, some sites still
       carry it. It only propagates to 20% or so of the net.world. If
       you want to discuss roleplaying games but are not interested in
       the "fantasy" genre your best bet is to participate on
       rec.games.frp.misc instead of trying to use rec.games.rpg, which
       reaches only a fraction of the readership of the official groups.

11: What's a Cthulhu?

A:      H.P.Lovecraft wrote a number of scary science fiction stories
        in the early twentieth century. These stories, along with others
        written in conscious imitation of Lovecraft by like minded
        writers, have come to be known as the "Cthulhu Mythos" of
        stories after Cthulhu, who is an awful, terrible being from the
        stars who sleeps in his temple in a sunken island much like
        Atlantis in the seas of the Earth.

12: I want to sell some of my old game stuff. How should I go about it?

A:      Post to rec.games.frp.marketplace. There are several things that
        you should do if you are selling items through news: (1)
        describe each item you have for sale, including complete,
        accurate name and publication information (2) if you have firm
        prices or minimum bids for items, put them in your posting. (3)
        supply a valid internet return address.

13: What is Munchkinism? What does the Wizard of Oz have to do with
    roleplaying games?

A:     Munchkinism is similar to "Monty Haul" gaming; however it involves
       playing at incredible power levels purely for the sake of
       watching the terrain get blown away by player characters who
       are unstoppable.  Munchkinism also involves "rules rape," wherein 
       players milk every advantage out of the rules.  Often a munchkin 
       will carry a favorite character from game to game, usually with 
       the maximum allowable ability scores, skill ratings, etc - and 
       enough hardware/magic to destroy the planet four times over.

14: I've run out of adventure ideas for my game. Does anybody have ideas
    for new plots?

A:     There are only so many times you can use the same plot pattern
       before it grows tiresome. So use different plot patterns.

       This is condensed from Georges Polti's _The 36 Dramatic Plots_.

       Each short plot description starts with the title of the plot
       pattern. After a hyphen the main characters to be found in the
       plot are given, separated by commas.

       Supplication - Persecutor, Suppliant, a Power in Authority
       Deliverance - Unfortunates, Threatener, Rescuer
       Revenge - Avenger, Criminal
       Vengeance by Family upon Family - Avenging Kinsman, Guilty
          Kinsman, Relative
       Pursuit - Fugitive from Punishment, Pursuer
       Victim of Cruelty or Misfortune - Unfortunates, Master or Unlucky
          Person
       Disaster - Vanquished Power, Victorious Power or Messenger
       Revolt - Tyrant, Conspirator(s)
       Daring Enterprise - Bold Leader, Goal, Adversary
       Abduction - Abductor, Abducted, Guardian
       Enigma  - Interrogator, Seeker, Problem
       Obtaining - Two or more Opposing Parties, Object, maybe an
          Arbitrator
       Familial Hatred - Two Family Members who hate each other
       Familial Rivalry - Preferred Kinsman, Rejected Kinsman, Object
       Murderous Adultery - Two Adulterers, the Betrayed
       Madness - Madman, Victim
       Fatal Imprudence - Imprudent person, Victim or lost object
       Involuntary Crimes of Love - Lover, Beloved, Revealer
       Kinsman Kills Unrecognized Kinsman - Killer, Unrecognized Victim,
          Revealer
       Self Sacrifice for an Ideal - Hero, Ideal, Person or Thing
          Sacrificed
       Self Sacrifice for Kindred - Hero, Kinsman, Person or Thing
          Sacrificed
       All Sacrificed for Passion - Lover, Object of Passion, Person or
          Thing Sacrificed
       Sacrifice of Loved Ones - Hero, Beloved Victim, Need for
          Sacrifice
       Rivalry Between Superior and Inferior - Superior, Inferior,
          Object
       Adultery - Deceived Spouse, Two Adulterers
       Crimes of Love - Lover, Beloved, theme of Dissolution
       Discovery of Dishonor of a Loved One - Discoverer, Guilty One
       Obstacles to Love - Two Lovers, Obstacle
       An Enemy Loved - Beloved Enemy, Lover, Hater
       Ambition - An Ambitious Person, Coveted Thing, Adversary
       Conflict with a God - Mortal, Immortal
       Mistaken Jealousy - Jealous One, Object of Jealousy, Supposed
          Accomplice, Author of Mistake
       Faulty Judgement - Mistaken One, Victim of Mistake, Author of
          Mistake, Guilty Person
       Remorse - Culprit, Victim, Interrogator
       Recovery of a Lost One - Seeker, One Found
       Loss of Loved Ones - Kinsman Slain, Kinsman Witness, Executioner

15: What game magazines are out there?

A:     Here is a limited list. I know there are more, but these are all
       available at the addresses given.

          White Wolf Magazine
          4153 Indian Manor Drive
          Stone Mountain, GA 30083
          Bi-monthly, $25/yr US, $40/yr Canada, $52/yr Overseas
          404/292-1819; FAX: 404/292-9426

          Alarums and Excursions
          Attn: Lee Gold
          2965 Alla Road
          Los Angeles, CA 90066
          Monthly, Postage + $1.50 per issue
          310/306-7456

          Polyhedron Newszine
          RPGA Network Headquarters
          POB 515
          Lake Geneva, WI 53147

          Silver Griffin
          Attn: Devlin Janax
          POB 1751
          Saint Paul, MN 55101

          The Gamer
          127 N. Madison St, Suite 202
          Pasadena, CA 91101
          818/795-8130
          Bi-monthly, $15/yr; $25/yr Canada or Mexico; $40/yr elsewhere

          Dragon (US)
          POB 756
          Lake Geneva, WI 53147
          Monthly, $30/yr; $50/yr anywhere other than US, Canada, or Europe
          Ph: 414/248-3625; Fax: 414/248-0389

          Dragon (Europe)
          120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,
          Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom
          Monthly, 16 pounds/yr UK, 24 pounds/yr Non-UK Europe
          Ph: (0223) 212517

          The Unspeakable Oath
          Pagan Publishing
          1409 Wilson Ave.
          Columbia, MO 65201
          Quarterly, $4 per issue
          Inet: C521832@umcvmb.missouri.edu

          Tales of the Reaching Moon: THE RuneQuest(tm) Magazine/Fanzine
          Quarterly, price varies by country
          UK: David Hall, 21 Stephenson Court, Osborne St, Slough,
            Berkshire, SL1 1TN, #1.75 per issue, or #5 for three
          Au: Michael O'Brien, 2/33 Carween Ave., Mitcham 3132, Victoria
            $5 (AU) per issue
          US & Canada: David Gadbois, PO Box 49475, Austin, TX 78765, USA,
            gadbois@cs.utexas.edu, $3 (US) per issue
          Germany: Dr. Lutz Reimers-Rawcliffe, Theodor-Heuss-Ring 1,
            D-5000 Koln 1
          Norway: Lars-Roger Moe, Hans Hagerupsgt. 1, 7012, Trondheim
          Sweden: Jussi Hyvonen, Henniksdalsringen 65, S-131 32, Nacka
          Finland: Lauri Tudeer, Fantasiapelit Tudeer Oy, Laulurastaantie 1,
            01450 Vantaa

          Vortext
          Vortext Publishing
          5506 Beaudry St #C
          EmeryVille CA 94608 USA
          Quarterly, US$2.75 per issue, $10 subs. ( 4 issues )

          Abyss
          Ragnarok Enterprises
          POB 140333,
          Austin TX 78714 USA
          Quarterly(?), US$2 per iss, $10/6, $18/12, $25/18 iss
          Ph: 1-(512)-472-6535

          Dungeon
          Dungeon Adventures
          TSR, Inc.
          POB 5695
          Boston MA 02206
          Bimonthly, US$3.75 per iss, $18/yr subs

          Interface
          R. Talsorian Games
          P.O.Box 7356
          Berkeley, CA  94707
          One year subscription is $16 USA in USA and Canada, $26 elsewhere.

          The Eternal Soldier Newsletter
          Tom Harris
          1837 Paddington
          Naperville, IL  60563
          Internet: zonker@ihlpf.att.com
          The Eternal Soldier Newsletter is a Twilight 2000 /Merc 2000 based
          amateur newsletter published with the help of GDW.  The editor Tom
          Harris has a net address and will accept submissions for publication
          via e-mail Articles regarding Dark Conspiracy and Cadillacs and
          Dinosaurs will be accepted as well.  S-mail address is 1837
          Paddington, Naperville, IL 60563.


          Space Gamer
          P.O. Box 11424
          Burbank, CA 91510-1424
          (818) 845-4201


16: I've heard of the Arduin Grimoire but am unable to find it. Where is it?

A:      When Dave Hargrave passed away the rights to the Arduin line
        were split between two companies.  The two companies' addresses
        are as follows:

          Dragon Tree Press
          118 Sayles Blvd
          Abilene, TX 79605

        Has rights to Arduin Grimoires IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII (or 5-8)

          Grimoire Games
          POB 4363
          Berkeley, CA 94704

        Has rights to the original Arduin Trilogy, and the Arduin
        Adventure, which turns Arduin from a D&D supplement (WHICH IT
        REALLY IS, down to reproducing the typos in the original D&D
        monster listings) to a free-standing game.


17:     What (or who) is Monty Haul?
          
A17:    Monty Hall was the host of an American game show called
        _Let's Make a Deal_, which was on in the 60s and 70s. People
        would dress up in stupid costumes and come onto the show
        and Monty would hand them money then talk them into trading
        it for whatever's behind curtain number one, number two, or 
        number three, or you can keep the money, or you can take this
        box right here. He would keep on getting them to trade, some
        times letting them see what they had so far and sometimes not,
        until they declined to trade any more. Sometimes they would
        win a car, a hawaiian vacation, an airstream mobile home, and
        other times they would win a goat, a bucket of rubber monkeys,
        or a year's supply of automotive wax. The prizes were random,
        sometimes good, sometimes bad. Gary Gygax dubbed a style of
        play of D&D where the gamemaster hides treasures behind some
        doors and monsters behind others Monty Haul style, punning
        on the game show's host.

18:     I want a group dedicated to my favorite game, how do I do it?*

A18a:   The simple answer is not to do it at all, you'll save yourself a lot
        of grief and pain if you learn to use a KILLFILE to limit the volume
        of information you receive.  The current hierarchy was forged after a
        long discussion and massive flaming.  If you insist on trying, please
        read the guidelines for group creation over on news.answers.  In a
        nutshell, you have to start a request for discussion on news.groups,
        which must be at least two weeks long.  In the rec.games.frp.* is was
        considerably longer, because of all the bugs which were ironed out. 
        After getting an acceptable charter and namespace figured out, then
        a VOTE must be run.  This vote has to meet certain criteria to
        fulfill the guidelines for group creation.  If, and only when the
        vote is considered VALID, i.e. there are no legitimate complaints
        about the voting, the new group is created.  ALT groups are easier to
        start, because there is no network control over ALT groups, however
        ALT is only carried on about 10% of the net.

A18b:   Check the fourth and fifth parts of this informational bulletin,
        ROLEPLAYING MAILING LISTS AND DIGESTS,  there is a good chance the
        system you want to discuss already has a mailing list dedicated to
        it.  Mailing lists send the postings directly to your mailer, 
     rahter than reading them through netnets.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.announce,rec.games.frp.archives