HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jmt@legend.cma.fr (Jean-Marc Tanzi)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: UDP and regions
Date: 8 Apr 92 12:41:17 GMT
Reply-To: jmt@legend.cma.fr (Jean-Marc Tanzi)
Organization: INRIA Sophia Antipolis, France


 In article <1992Apr7.133433.18834@coe.montana.edu> osyjm@coe.montana.edu (Jaye Mathisen) writes:
>Any chance it's something like UDP checksumming that's causing the extra
>load?  Wild stab in the dark...
 
No, TCP *always* computes checksums (it's supposed to be reliable, you know).
With UDP, checksum is optional, and at least the Sun implementation does not
use it.

In fact UDP should be cheaper, it's just bare IP plus port numbers. The extra
cost comes from elsewhere.

-- 
=============================================================================
Jean-Marc Tanzi  |  Millions of years to make oil and forests,
jmt@cma.cma.fr   |  a century to burn them. Mankind versus Nature: 100000 to 1.
                 |  Will Mankind find a tougher planetary opponent?
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: cyang@unixg.ubc.ca (Christopher Yang)
Subject: Re: SRUN: Heavy weapons as sidearms
Organization: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 01:53:58 GMT

In <RATINOX.92Apr14123836@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu> ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat) writes:

>>>>>> On 13 Apr 92 19:21:46 GMT, brunner@kazoo.ssd.loral.com (Brian Brunner) said:

>brunner> With no intentions but to inflame the network, Brunner leaps in...

>!!Peronsally, I like medium caliber (9mm) machine pistols. Small, deadly, and
>!!you can fit a sound supressor on them quite easilly.

Hmm...A question. Does anybody know how effective a silencer is
when the bullets themselves are breaking the speed of sound?
It would seem to me that a truly effective silencer slows down the
speed and the energy of the bullets it shoots.


Chris Yang         | "Once you pull the pin out of Mr. Hand Grenade,
cyang@unixg.ubc.ca |  he is no longer your friend."
From: spp@reef.cis.ufl.edu (Stephen Potter)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Chill request...
Keywords: Chill, Reviews
Date: 8 Apr 92 08:29:33 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Univ. of Florida CIS Dept.

My big turn off to the game was it's price.  I wasn't going to shell out $45
(original price, when it came out I think) for a game.  And, when I looked at
it, I thought it was another CyberPunk type game.  I mean, the name "Chill"
coupled with that bright neon cover just does not make one think of horror.

Steve

-- 
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning.  The sea's asleep, and
the rivers dream.  People made of smoke and cities made of sound.  Somewhere
there's danger.  Somewhere there's injustice.  Somewhere else the tea's getting 
cold. 	Come on Ace, we've got work to do." -Dr Who, spp@reef.cis.ufl.edu
From: khise@centurion.ksu.ksu.edu (Martin Andrew Shobe)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Inspired character names
Date: 16 Apr 1992 11:48:15 -0500
Organization: Kansas State University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: centurion.ksu.ksu.edu


Didn't do this one myself, but I've heard of a game where everyone was named after
a pronoun.  (I, Me, He, Myself, Yourself, etc.)

GM hated it. :-)

Khise@matt.ksu.ksu.edu
From: CHBRIN5@nyx.uni-konstanz.de (Kai Hortmann)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Inspired character names
Date: 16 Apr 92 10:28:44 GMT
Organization: University of Konstanz, Germany

We have a female Arabian wizard in our campaign called:

Fatima Morgana

<*     Kai Hortmann - University of Konstanz - Germany      *>
<* chbrin5@dknkurz1.bitnet  or  chbrin5@nyx.uni-konstanz.de *>
From: caw@gtech.com (Christopher A. White)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Inspired Character Names
Date: 16 Apr 92 21:23:02 GMT
Article-I.D.: gtech.1992Apr16.212302.15383
Organization: GTECH Corporation, West Greenwich, RI

A rather pale, regal type:  Prince Rigor Mor'Tise
A large, stupid type:       Bigndumme
A not so successful brewer: Bud the Dumber (his cousin was Bud the Wiser)
An innkeeper:		    Post. This one needs a little explanation. It
			    seemed Post's inn was located at a crossroads
			    and he used this as an opportunity to make a 
			    little extra money handling messages. The messages
			    were carefully separated into locked cases (known
			    as Post's boxes) in (of course) Post's office. He
			    had a number of messengers on staff known as (you
			    guessed it) Post's men.

Ah well, all life is a pun.

+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Christopher A. White        | The opinions expressed herein are most   |
| GTECH Corporation           | likely not those of GTECH Corporation    |
| 55 Technology Way           | (or anyone else for that matter). If     |
| West Greenwich, RI  02816   | they happen to be the same, its not my   |
|                             | fault.                                   |
| caw@gtech.com               |                                          |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| "rational romantic mystic cynical idealist"  -- Rush                   |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: laurence@cco.caltech.edu (Dustin Lee Laurence)
Subject: Re: cranking the old rumor mill
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 00:27:01 GMT

gdm7238@zeus.tamu.edu (MCBRIDE, GARY DEAN) writes:

>Actually, the court case has been dropped since Egg was abducted by space aliens
>last week.  Some sources say the aliens were hired by TSR's legal department to
>"rough" him up.

Other sources say that the aliens _were_ TSR's legal department.  A more
popular theory is that the aliens are mostly on the game design staff,
though.

-- 
Dustin Laurence            "Someone please stop me, before I net again."

laurence@alice.wonderland.caltech.edu
From: Loball@cup.portal.com (Bill - Vitro)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Inspired character names
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 92 10:22:40 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Distribution: usa
  <siet7INNphi@network.ucsd.edu>

How about a Gnome named Alaska?  An Elf named Poly-Ester?  An astral-
projectionist named Sleepwalker?  An evil supervillian which is a floating
bust of a human head enlarged about 10 times normal called (wait for it)
The Head of Mega?
				TTFN
				Billy

.sig follows:
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: apearlma@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Andrew Pearlman)
Subject: Re: SRUN: Cyberware & sanity loss
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 03:10:57 GMT

In article <1992Apr12.235053.24896@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> pmwg1641@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Peter M. White) writes:
>But isn't progressive insanity such a charming idea?  It is a 
>real attraction of the Cyberpunk system to me.  I haven't thought
>of a good way to include in SR without imbalancing the system,
>unfortunately.

Keith Amman posted a nice version.  Take Essence - 3 + (CHA + INT)/2.
Below 0.  Crazy multiple times over.
Below 2.  Crazy.
Below 4.  Unstable.
So your average Street Sam is 0 - 3 + (4+5)/2, or 1.5.  Maybe paranoid or
schizophrenic, etc..  Someone below 4 might be manipulative, obsessive, etc...

Andy Pearlman

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: laurence@cco.caltech.edu (Dustin Lee Laurence)
Subject: Re: Stupid adventures
Keywords: Smurfs, Burger King, Aiiiieeeee
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 01:06:00 GMT

dnab@wpi.WPI.EDU (dnab, I wanted dna) writes:


>	Okay, all you DM's, GMs, Storytellers and Judges out there- here's
>a fun new thread to while away the hours...  What was the _dumbest_ 
>adventure you ever refereed?  Preferably one of your own, but if you ran
>a prepackaged adventure badly enough, you should include it, too!

I once ran a spur-of-the-moment game for a pair of other players when
we were all bored.  Since the regular game featured low-powered
characters battling manfully against opposition which rather out-classed
them, we decided to do it big.  No, _BIG_.

It was run with 13th level Arcanum characters (rather more powerful than
13th xD&D) built just for the adventure.  Trouble is, I didn't know just
how powerful such characters are.  It featured such jewels as the
Sorcerer who repeatedly threw spells which were sort of a combination of
fireball and sphere-of-annihilation, and the Monk with Zen Archery who
could shoot a squirrel through the eye at 300 meters blindfolded while
doing a triple somersault (no combat penalties...ever), and scintilating
dialogue like:

Biggest dragon in several universes: Leave, or I shall surely grind you
to paste.

Monk: We don't fear you.  Besides, this isn't my character and I don't
care what happens to it anyway.

Dragon: Is god fooling around with hack & slash again?

Sorcerer: I throw the you-know-what.

Monk: I fire three arrows making called shots for critical damage while
doing a triple back-flip.

Dragon: Whups! (Gets hit, starts spellcasting to get defenses that he
probably hasn't used in dozens of millenia).

Sorcerer: I throw the you-know-what and destroy the stone defenses that
he just called into existence.  Check out the damage radius.

Monk: Well, I guess I can't hardly miss with three more criticals, can I?

GM: !@#$%^&*

-- 
Dustin Laurence            "Someone please stop me, before I net again."

laurence@alice.wonderland.caltech.edu
From: urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu (Art Urban (PROFS))
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: GURPS: Spontaneous NPCs
Date: 13 Apr 92 18:08:16 GMT
Organization: Atmospheric Technology Division/NCAR, Boulder, CO

What do the rest of you GURPS GMs do about spontaneous NPC encounters? When
I used to play AD&D, spontaneous encounters were a cinch, even planned 
encounters *seem* easier under AD&D. I *think* I'm still and advocate of the
skill based system, *BUT* there is a lot to say about simply deciding that
an enemy encounter is comprised of two level 4 fighters and three level 5
mages. I, as the GM, don't have to think of *anything*; the combat abilities
of the fighters are all spec'd out, the THAC0 is figured, the mages list of
spells is a known set, etc. About all I have to do as a GM is assign weapons,
armor, and misc. equipment! 

I want this spontaneous freedom back in my gaming, but I am unsure how to go 
about it. It seems like I need to make hundreds of standard people types,
mages of which are the *worst*, and keep them handy. But what about all those
dang Ads/Disads? I guess I'll make a huge table of them and create some
guidelines for random generation of them, much like the excellent Heroes of
Legend type books.

Arrrrgh. I simply don't know... I want gaming to fun *and* easy. Mucho thanx
for any and all suggestions.

--
Art Urban 					       urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu
===============================================================================
 "It's a long way down to the bottom of the warp core..." -STNG
===============================================================================
From: huber@zodiac.rutgers.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: RM: Bards spell questions
Date: 7 Apr 92 18:09:23 GMT
Article-I.D.: zodiac.1992Apr7.140923.1
Organization: Rutgers University Computing Services


     Recently some questions have come up in my campaign concerning Bard
spells.  The first is about Mind Lore spells (spell isreproduced below
for those of you who are not familiar with it)


   Mind Lore I (III,V,True) D:1 rnd/lvl (C) R: 50'  Caster can scan the
   target's mind and receive upto 10% (30%, 50%, 100%) of the target's
   knowledge (conscious and unconscious) concerning one very specific topic.
   The 10% (30%, 50%, 100%) chance should be applied to each piece of 
   information that the target knows.

The question is this: if a bard casts this spell on a willing target (ie
a mage with a high demon-devil lore) and the target is concentrating on the
requested information, how much does the bard receive and how is this denoted
on the character sheet (ie if the mage had 10 ranks in DmDvL and the bard cast
Mind Lore true would (s)he acquire 10 ranks in DmDvL?).  Should this spell be
limited only to academic skills, or would you concider Circle Lore, Runes,
or crafting to be skills that the bard can learn this way?

The second question concerns the Learn Language spell (again it is reproduced
below for reference)

    Learn Language II(III, IV, V, True) D: C R: self  Doubles (triples,
    quadruples, quintuples, true) the rate at which the caster can learn
    a language.

The question is this - what is the rate that a character can learn a language?
The way I have always played this is that if a character wants to learn a 
language (s)he must spend the appropiate number of development points and wait
untill the next level advancement to learn the language.  This spell seems to
imply that there is a rate to learn a language.  Or would an interpretation
be to reduce the development points need by 2 (3, 4, 5, true) as long as the
bard has an instructor?

Thanks in advance, George Huber
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: cleggp@aix.rpi.edu (Paul Jason Clegg)
Subject: CHAMP:  1/2d6 vs d6-1
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 19:02:04 GMT

I've been meaning to ask this question for a while.

When do you use "xd6-1" vs. "x 1/2d6" for things like killing attacks?
According to the "DC" table, they're both on the same "level", but:

1) They never really explain how to use the "d6-1" concept in the rules, and
2) It would seem to me that the "d6-1" is better than a 1/2d6, and thus
   shouldn't be considered "equal".

I normally use 1/2d6es, because that's all that's ever mentioned in previous
editions.  However, in the listings for weapons, some weapons are rated at
"1 1/2d6K" and some at "2d6-1K".  What's the difference?  When do you use
which?  Why did they make them different?  How do you use a "1d6-1" for
STUN and BODY purposes?  What's the deal?

...Paul

|FQT 1.10| This tagline is umop apisdn
From: sjs28257@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Stelter)
Subject: Re: 100-DICE: they don't work.
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 20:35:28 GMT

allan@cad12.gfx.engga.uwo.ca (Allan Flanagan) writes:


>I can't believe you people are arguing about DICE.  Get a life.

Hey, people with lives have no business being on rec.games.frp in the
first place!  :)



                 --Steve "I have no life, and I'm damned proud of it!"
                    Stelter

                     sjs28257@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
From: sem@hpcndaw.CND.HP.COM (Steve Mullins)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: GURPS combat time.
Date: 16 Apr 92 15:55:41 GMT
Organization: HP Colorado Networks Division

>One thing I tried was when we went into combat mode no one could talk.
>Each person had to write down what they were doing for the next two
>seconds.  Speach was limited to 5 workds or less per second. After each
>second of combat they had to write down what they were doing 2 seconds
>from then.  It was lots of fun as the players stumbled around and got in
>each others way (one guy leapt onto a table just as another guy grabbed
>it with poltergeist and hurled it at the foes! :-).  But I decided it
>took too long and haven't used it since.

I've thought of doing this.  I've also thought of putting the figures /
combat arena out of view, with the players getting 5 seconds to look at
it and another 5 seconds to decide their action.  (I've also sent
players out of the room when the party was split up.)

The problem is that although it may give more "realistic" results it
isn't very fun.  People play GURPS for the social interaction -- gagging
them is a direct violation of what they've committed their evening to
doing.  Since a "short" combat can take half of the evening, it's just
not a viable solution for us.

Similarly, the visualization that figures provide is part of the
enjoyment of them.  Keeping them out of view contradicts the point of
having them in the first place.

St. Mullins
From: gwills@maths.tcd.ie (Graham Wills)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Mages and Armor Question ( AD&D )
Date: 13 Apr 92 09:09:34 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Maths, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.

In article <204795@unix.cis.pitt.edu> seawasp+@pitt.edu (Ryk E Spoor) writes:
>In article <kdu9p_C00awNE3f0Y4@andrew.cmu.edu> ar2j+@andrew.cmu.edu (Anthony Russell Rosania) writes:
>>
>>  The problem with Armor is it encumbers one too much to properly enact
>>somatic components, as well as the fact mages never had time to study
>>how to don or use it. I don't not much about armor but it make sense to
>
>	I know we just went through this, but  PLEASE let's not have THIS
>silly justification. If you're going to say that good, well fitted armor
>encumbers so much that you can't cast spells, then a mage shouldn't be able
>to cast spells wearing heavy robes. He CERTAINLY should not be  able
>to cast spells when in  a cold climate and dressed for the weather; the
>interference  with movement that  comes from heavy winter clothing makes 
>the interference from chainmail feel like nothing.
>
>				Sea Wasp

As usual, if you turn to AD&D for realism, you're in a lot of trouble. Turn to
the first rule of AD&D, namely:

 AD&D Rule #1: The reason for any given rule is in order to increase playability

No other reason. If mages could cast in armour, the game would be less playable.
If you want a rationale, look at a more consistent system such as Rolemaster.

In RM, metal interferes with the spell-casting process (not with magic per se)
and so If a mage wears (on or near his body) a small amount of metal, he is OK
(say buckles, ring, a small wand, coins, rolex). As he wears more, his ability
to cast spells is hampered (if he wears a breastplate, he's at -20, chainmail
at -40, chainmail + shield at -60 and plate at -100, for example).

He is then more likely than usual to screw up a spell and fry his brains, his
friends or a random object in the vicinity. 

-Graham Wills,
 TCD Ireland
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: brunner@kazoo.ssd.loral.com (Brian Brunner)
Subject: Re: GURPS: UlTRA Tech ?= Ultra Death??
Keywords: GURPS DEATH ULTRA
Reply-To: brunner@kazoo.ssd.loral.com (Brian Brunner)
Organization: Space Systems/Loral
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 11:58:08 GMT

In article <3439@tronsbox.UUCP>, dfrancis@tronsbox.UUCP (Dennis Heffernan)
writes:
!!In article <rsuelINNcgl@agate.berkeley.edu> labc-4ac@web-2e.berkeley.edu
writes:

[ fighting from a tank, getting hit by anti-tank weaponry, and dying,
deleted]

!!	Careful, most of the time massive weapons like that will run into the
!!blow-through limit.  (Although theoretically a dino laser wouldn't fall
!!under the blow-through rules.)  Most of the time, it's pretty hard to whack
!!someone in one shot.

At the risk of sounding <shudder> realistic,most  anybody hit by a
.50BMG (unarmored hit) or anti-tank-sized laser is history.
If the game is playing with things like that, remember that they
kill. Getting run over by a Harley Davidson (Hogley Furgeson)
will be hurt but might live. Getting hit by a steam roller is curtains.
Talk about a 20d laser... how many dice to a .44 Magnum
hand-held meatgrinder? Sounds like we want game rules
to let us survive something designed to open bank vaults.

Solution: when clobbered by instant-death-no-saving-throw
(oops, wrong game) attack forms like a HUGE laser, allow for
crippling hits. Taking a 30d  artillery shell in the foot will result in
a crater (and no more me) if it is a catestrophic hit (shell detonates)
or a 'graze hit' that takes my foot and keeps on going. In the former
case, I DO need a new character. Unless I was playing a toon.
Or a munchkin. In the latter case I need a new foot.

--
HELP!! Somebody slapped a "stop payment" on my sanity check!!
brunner@kazoo.ssd.loral.com; Space Systems/Loral; Palo Alto, Calif.
Black Holes... the /dev/null of the Universe; the opinion of 65534.
From: sl7sg@cc.usu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re:  New GURPS License
Date: 9 Apr 92 04:38:47 GMT
Article-I.D.: cc.1992Apr8.223847.54315
Organization: Utah State University

In article <loydb.2759@fnordbox.UUCP>, loydb@fnordbox.UUCP (Loyd Blankenship) writes:
> urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu (Art Urban (PROFS)) writes:
>>As product manager, perhaps you could tell me what, if any, progress is being
>>made on GURPS software tools. Thanx.
>>
> 
> We have a signed contract for a Mac program, and are negotiating with people
				  ^^^
				   !

	  		   Mac'n'trash - Why?

	>>Not meant for comments and flames, I just can't help it<< 
	>>If you feel like continuing this descussion, move to an<<
	>>appropriate computer newsgroup<<

		Shade Pendragon

	-"God said, let there be Shade, and there was..."
		Shade - aka Meglamaniac

	_"Don't damn me, for speaking a piece of my mind,
	 "'Cause silence isn't golden, when I'm holding it inside..."
		Guns and Roses, Don't Damn me, Use your Illusion
From: rhr9081@hertz.njit.edu (Ray Rich)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: BigBusiness (was Re: aaaghhh, what has TSR done!!!)
Keywords: dickweed
Date: 7 Apr 92 20:35:10 GMT
Article-I.D.: njitgw.1992Apr7.203510.14629
Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J.

Article 63003 of rec.games.frp:
From: hapa@cats.ucsc.edu (Doug Easterly)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: "Rules of the Shadow" in Amber RPG
Date: 16 Apr 92 00:02:48 GMT
Article-I.D.: darkstar.33030
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz


In article <15APR199218351640@utkvx4.utk.edu> ian@utkvx4.utk.edu (Maurer, John Joseph) writes:
>
>I would say that some thing would affect them and others would not. Do
>Amberites have to learn a new language whenever they go to a new shadow? I
>suppose that they could being immortal and having nothing better to do. Some
>traps can be put onto shadows by more powerful Amberites (Control a Shadow's
>Destiny). These traps presumably would affect other Amberites, creating the Law
>of the Shadow effect. 
>
>IAN

As far as languages go, I'd say the books point toward the idea that
characters have to learn new languages. It's just that most places 
the Amberites go either speak Thari (or a dialect thereof) or are
familiar to the Amberites. For instance, Merlin uses English as a
"code" when talking with some people, and I seem to dimly remember
(and I may be wrong in my memory) passages where languages aren't
understood. 

In any case, all this stuff should not be set entirely in stone. Such
barriers should exist or not exist to further the plot. That's how
Zelazny used such devices, after all...

Doug "maybe I should go back to work now" Easterly	
hapa@ucsco.ucsc.edu