HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
(Smail3.1.28.1 #7) id m0n9nXF-0000UCC; Wed, 6 Jan 93 19: 03 PST
From: bwoolf@pro-woolf.cts.com (Bev Woolf - Sysop)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: DC area gamers
Date: 6 Jan 93 17:22:35 GMT
Organization: ProLine [pro-woolf] The Woolf's Den BBS


        My husband and I just moved to Silver Springs and we are looking
for a new gaming group.  We play various RPGs, board games, and S&T games. 
Because of our family situation, we would need to have people come to our
home to game.  Reply via email, please.

System Operator of Pro-Woolf       (A ProLine BBS)
--------------------------------------------------
ProLine: bwoolf@pro-woolf       AO: bwoolf@aol.com
        Internet: bwoolf@pro-woolf.cts.com         
           UUCP: crash!pro-woolf!bwoolf
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: darknite@camelot.bradley.edu (John S. Novak III)
Subject: Re: What do you look for in a magic system?
Organization: Bradley University
Date:  7 Jan 93 07:56:43 GMT

In <93006.123635DK6TOPER@MIAMIU.BITNET> Dan Karipides <DK6TOPER@MIAMIU.BITNET> writes:

>This is an informal survey concerning what role-players like in a
>RPG magic system.  (I am currently working on my own system--aren't
>we all--and would greatly appreciate you opinions.)

I want something powerful, flexible, and creative.
I want a system which would lay down basic rules for magical
casting, and then let the player mages decide how they want to
apply these rules.

Something of a cross between the Amber role-playing system and
Ars magica, which would allow me to capture the flavor of
grand-scape magical systems such as Riftwar Saga (on both sides)
by Feist and Wurtz, or the Wheel of Time series by Jordan.

--
"I didn't DO anything.  I don't know how that 666 got on your calculator."
          -Mike Ostrego, 09-29-91
John S. Novak, III		darknite@camelot.bradley.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: mfterman@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Mutant for Hire)
Subject: Re: SRII: Phys Adept
Originator: news@nimaster
Reply-To: mfterman@phoenix.princeton.edu (Mutant for Hire)
Organization: Mutant for Hire, Inc.
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 19:58:59 GMT

In article <1iv734INNc2n@crcnis1.unl.edu>, pmenard@cse.unl.edu (Patrick Menard) writes:
>Walking through an airport metal detector???????  Next.

So in other words your sams never take a plane anywhere? If your
characters have sufficient connections, no problem. Otherwise it
could get messy.

>Going to jail????????  Next.

Its always a possibility.

I always viewed the PA as being a more subtle type of character to play.
A sam is fast and is excellent in the straight shoot out. A sam is also
fairly obvious to even casual weapondry checks. The PA on the other hand
is excellent for going under cover. Save by magic tests, you're just like
anyone else. PA's are more the sneak types than the headon shootout types.

>Well, aside from being able to being better at obeying the law and sitting in
>jail, the adept is physically weaker, can't cast spells, isn't much better in
>physical combat(melee), and is definately worse in ranged combat.(either they
>fire a bow at half the rate of the sam, or fire a gun at a higher target #)
>The sam's spur is almost as good as the adepts hands, and the sam can have a
>much higher strength so it works out to being just as effective.(starts out
>lower, but much harder to stage down, so both will probably do light damage)
>Also, the fact of getting shot before getting into range.

Start having the GM throw magical threats against characters. The PA will
start showing a dramatic improvement relative to the sam. I would like to
see a bit more improvment in mele skills. A PA should be a deadly hand-to-hand
type. In shootouts, less effective, but don't let one get close up to you.

I don't think having PA's gain strange new D&D-like powers is the solution.
They were far too munchkin in SR, hence the new SRII version. I think fine
tuning of existing abilities is fine.



-- 
    Martin Terman, Mutant for Hire, Mean Ol' Top, Priest of Shub-Internet
    Disclaimer: Nobody else takes me seriously, why should you be the first?
mfterman@phoenix.princeton.edu mfterman@pucc.bitnet terman@pupgga.princeton.edu
"Sig quotes are like bumper stickers, only without the same sense of relevance"
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: samik@maths.tcd.ie (Samik Sen)
Subject: star trek..rpg
Keywords: star trek fasa rpg
Organization: Dept. of Maths, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 12:35:55 GMT

 I just found out that fasa lost its rights to star trek the rpg(a year and 
a bit behind).I was wondering,why?Does anyone out there know why fasa lost
their rights?Is there a new rpg game coming out,or did paramount want more money....



Samik.

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: brandon@caldonia.nlm.nih.gov (Brandon Brylawski)
Subject: Re: RQ: The Relation of the Red Goddess and Orlanth
Organization: National Library of Medicine
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 93 03:34:07 GMT

cluther@morticia.cnns.unt.edu (Clay Luther) writes:
: loren@wmkt.wharton.upenn.edu (Loren Miller) writes:
: 
: 
: >5. Because she is allied with Chaos, as proven by the Crimson Bat, the 
: >Scarlet Wave, the Black Horse Troop, the vampire legion, her Gbaji 
: >tricksters, and by that red glowing moon that just sits up in the sky, 
: >unmoving, all the time. She hides her horrible self behind a pretty face, 
: >but she is just as horrible as any other face of the devil.
: 
: A related question then, on the moral position of the Lunar Empire and how it is
: interpreted by various GMs.
: 
: Realizing that not everything in Glorantha is uncluttered black and white, do
: you play the LE as
: 
: 1) The source of all evil, corrupting and destructive.
: 2) A source of civilization, but still evil.
: 3) A source of civilization, but just misunderstood by the primitive people
: it tries to enlighten.
: 4) A decadent civilization that is neither good nor evil, but only hungry
: for land and energy to propel its obese government.
: 5) A force for change for the better.
: 6) A force for change for the worse.
: 7) A force for change that is neither better nor worse, just different.

The lunars in the campaign nearest to my heart were not quite any of these.
They were an expansionist, civilized militarily powerful entity with many 
faces. Some high-ranking lunars are definitely out for their own 
aggrandizement, while others sincerely believe in the (ahem) Red Man's burden
and the desirability of bringing civilization to the unwashed. Many of them
believe the means justify the ends, hence the use of undead and chaos. The 
Crimson Bat I have always viewed as akin to the atomic bomb, a terrible force
possessed by one side whose existence and use is rationalized as necessary
and expedient, while not quite trusted or relied upon by anyone.
  Many Orlanthi where I come from despise the lunars because they cheat.
The Red Goddess stole her domain from Orlanth; she was born in time and thus 
can manipulate certain aspects of Gloranthan life that the other gods can't;
her followers make use of chaos, a hideously dangerous weapon that others
abjure for fear of destroying the world; her magicians combine divine magics
with sorcery, an unfair advantage; and her diplomats are expert at doubletalk
and duplicity. These cheats give the Lunars a lot of advantages and a lot
of victories, and the combination of unfairness and dishonor it represents
pisses off a lot of folks.

Brando
From: timk@meaddata.com (Tim Klein)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Old time D&D reminiscing
Date: 8 Jan 1993 16:33:58 GMT
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: quasar.meaddata.com

In article <1993Jan8.102153.1@wharton.upenn.edu>, millerl@wharton.upenn.edu writes:
|> In article <C0J06z.5s8@ns1.nodak.edu>, dhenry@plains.NoDak.edu (David R. Henry) writes:
|> > Speaking of the good ol' Temple of the Frog:
|> > 
|> > Will someone please tell me what the Egg of Coot is, already?


EGG are the initials of E. Gary Gygax.  Wonder if that has anything
to do with it.

===========================================================================
Timothy Klein                 "Mellow yellow" is slang for "really groovy".
timk@meaddata.com                                         -- Jimi Hendrix
From: maillet@tls-cs.cert.fr (Luc Maillet)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Ars Magica Question
Date: 11 Jan 93 13:12:55 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: CERT, CS Dpt. Toulouse, France

In article <tkelly.726751582@unix2.tcd.ie>, tkelly@unix2.tcd.ie (Mithrandir) writes:
|> 
|>     Is it true that House Merecere get absolutely no magic at all, yet
|> are considered Magi?
|> 
|>    Seems a bit of a raw deal to me.

  Not according to my understanding. There ARE Mercere Magi. But 75% ( if I
remember right ) of all Mercere people are not Magi. The Founder of the House
himself lost his Gift somehow ( He founded the House after that ). Note that
many of the Redcaps still have some enchanted ability ( talent )... Travelling
a lot is not always free of dangers.

  Yet all of them are considered Magi in title, if not in power, due to the
service they provide to the Order and the secrets they are trusted with...

								Z.
From: pmenard@cse.unl.edu (Patrick Menard)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRII: Phys Adept
Date: 12 Jan 1993 19:44:36 GMT
Organization: University of Nebraska--Lincoln	
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: cse.unl.edu
Keywords: slower than street sam?

holden@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Bradford Paul Holden) writes:


> A physical adept can have his mage buddy put a
> +3 reaction di. spell up on him and the street samm
>cannot.  The physical adept can walk through airport
>metal detectors unnoticed and the street samm cannot.
>The phyical adept will not have his advantage "turned
>off" if he goes to jail.  Any accusations of the 
>physical adept being weaker seem rediculous. 

Well, a sam's reaction will be better than the adepts, even with the spell.
Walking through an airport metal detector???????  Next.
Going to jail????????  Next.
Well, aside from being able to being better at obeying the law and sitting in
jail, the adept is physically weaker, can't cast spells, isn't much better in
physical combat(melee), and is definately worse in ranged combat.(either they
fire a bow at half the rate of the sam, or fire a gun at a higher target #)
The sam's spur is almost as good as the adepts hands, and the sam can have a
much higher strength so it works out to being just as effective.(starts out
lower, but much harder to stage down, so both will probably do light damage)
Also, the fact of getting shot before getting into range.  But, I have a solution

Give the PA some great new abilities like invisibility, improved stealth, etc.
(basically, get out your D&D books and pick out cool things you want them to
have)  also, make it easier for PA's to get more points to spend.(such as 2 or
3 points for initiation rather than just 1).  PA's should start with at least
double if not triple the current amount of points.(maybe [magic + 3]*2 or
something like that)  I love the idea of a PA, they just die too easily.

Shadow
From: gt7797a@prism.gatech.EDU (Travis Works)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Weapons Laws
Keywords: Cthulhu, guns, laws
Date: 8 Jan 93 01:07:15 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In <1993Jan7.221309.23724@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> jgl2p@landau5.phys.Virginia.EDU (Joseph G. Louderback) writes:

>I'm running a Call of Cthulhu (tm) game, and would like some 
>information.  Does anyone know a good source for gun control
>laws in the 1920s, especially in the Northeast?  The game is
>set around New York City.  The source need not be exhaustive
>.  Thank you for your time and bandwidth

>Joe Louderback
>jgl2p@landau5.phys.virginia.edu
>disclaimer: It isn't me.  It's these damn Insects from Shaggi!

I know that the first _national_ "gun control" law wasn't passed until 1936.
It's purpose was to "reduce crime", by imposing a $600 registration fee on
certain firearms (that was a _lot_ of money back then!)  It's main sponsor
was the Mafia (who remain one of the strongest supporters of gun control).
But in the 1920's, a law-abiding citizen without a criminal record was generally
trusted not to suddenly go out and kill everybody, so almost any firearm would 
be legal for them to carry (it wasn't too uncommon for civilians to own
fully-automatic Thompson's).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 I used to trust the media to tell me   |   I used to think that only America's
   the truth, to tell us the truth      |     way, our way was right
 But now I see the payoffs              |   But now the holy dollar rules

(.sig reduced to 4 lines)
                                        -Travis Works
                                        gt7797a@prism.gatech.edu



-- 
 

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: tsang@cs.washington.edu (Donald Tsang)
Subject: Re: Killing Attacks (Hero)
Organization: Computer Science & Engineering, U. of Washington, Seattle
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 93 03:34:49 GMT

In article <> by670@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Marc-Eivind Cruz Evensen) writes:
>
>    I just came up with the example which would allow no BODY to be taken
>while a noticeable amount of STUN would get through.
>    When a person in hit by a gunshot while wearing a bullet-proof vest
>(especially the Kevlar type), the killing power of the round is absorbed
>by the vest -- effectively stopping the BODY damage of the attack. At
>this same time, however, much of the kinetic energy is transferred over
>a broader area. With a sufficiently powerful gun (say a .45 or shotgun),
>the target will not take a real wound, but will end up with a nasty bruise
>or collection of bruises -- not enough to qualify as BODY, but certainly
>qualifying for STUN damage.

Why would one potentially take MORE stun damage from this particular
form of damage than any other (i.e., normal dice)?  If you spread the
attack over a larger area, it just becomes a "normal" attack; given
that it costs points to "turn an incoming killing attack into a normal
attack", shouldn't there be some benefit to the defender?

How I think it should work (loosely):

    If a KA doesn't penetrate resistant defenses, the victim might
      take some stun from the "impact" (heat, whatever).  But that
      amount will be less than the stun taken from the equivalent-cost
      "normal attack".  It's even possible that the target may take
      Body from the impact (broken bone or somesuch), but again, a
      purely-impact attack like a punch should be more efficient at
      doing so.

    If a KA penetrates, the victim should take lots of stun from the
      wound, in addition to the above.

[see my various suggestions from other articles, or send me mail, if
 you want a system that takes all of this into account]

>    If you combine this example with others from previous posts, I think you
>will see that both extremes on the spectrum of Killing Attack damage can
>be explained in the real world to a reasonable degree.

Not.

>    As has been noted, realism is only one component of a game system, and
>I believe that these examples illustrate that the HERO combat system is
>sufficintly "real" while maintaining playability.

It doesn't maintain playability.  That's the problem.  Too many Players
give their Characters KA's for the *express* purpose of doing stun to
armored monsters.  I've even seen "KA - does no Body" attacks.


-- 
Donald Tsang                    "Ho!  Haha!  Guard!  Turn!  Parry!  Dodge!
tsang@june.cs.washington.edu     Spin!  Ha!  Thrust!"
..!uw-beaver!june!tsang                       -- Robin Hood Daffy
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: umkullm1@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Jennifer M.E. Kullman)
Subject: Level draining
Keywords: level drain, undead
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 21:26:31 GMT

Hi.
I'm in the process of creating an AD&D campaign and I want
to have the undead that drain levels do something else. 
Any ideas?

-- 
==============================================================================
     Jennifer M.E. Kullman          "There is no cure for birth and death 
     umkullm1@ccu.umanitoba.ca       save to enjoy the interval."
                                     - George Santayana (1863 - 1952)
From: "jeff zeitlin" <jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: sf poll               2/2
Date: 12 Jan 93 03:15:01 EST
Reply-To: "jeff zeitlin" <jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com>
Distribution: rec
Organization: Executive Networks Information

(Continued from previous message)

   and so on...

KCM::>    6.  How long is the ideal combat turn (Time it take to perform one ac
   ::>        in your opinion?  Why?

   I'll pass for true combat (see above); for any activity, it depends 
   on the activity and environment.

KCM::>    7.  Would you or do you buy games just for their mechanics?  Why?

   See my response to this question in the background section.

KCM::>  ART:
   ::>    1.  Do you consider role-playing game design, and role-playing in gen
   ::>        to be an art worthy of notice? Why?

   No more (or less) so than creating interactive computer games 
   (Zork, Ultima, Wizardry, etc.).  Certainly is should be considered 
   an art form; there's no way to come up with a formula that will 
   enable Joe Paluke to come up with a game that will sell.

KCM::>    2.  If so, can you find some examples of self-expression and emotiona
   ::>        meaning in any well-known games on the market?  What are they?
   ::>        What is the author saying?  Why?

   This is not a fair question; I cannot know what the game author is 
   saying in the game.  All I can tell you is what the game says to 
   _me_; and what I think may not have anything in common with what 
   you think of the same game...

  J/
  jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com

 * QMPro 1.01   * Objects under T-Shirt are larger than they appear.
--
Executive Network Information System  (914) 667-4567
International ILink Host
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: friar@spock.uucp (Tom Walcott)
Subject: Vampire: Combat
Organization: Happy Magic Shiny Place
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 00:21:45 GMT

I purchased the second edition Vampire manual, and I must confess that
I am totally confused by the combat system.  Could some kind soul
send/post an example of combat with firearms, and one with knife or some other
hand to hand type weapon?  Thanks much.

Friar
-- 
     "Don't damn me when I speak my piece of mind, 
     'cause silence isn't golden if I'm holdin' it inside."
                           --- W. Axl Rose

friar@choate.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: dunning@chainsaw.ecn.purdue.edu (GALACTIC COMMANDER)
Subject: Re: Hero Bestiary and other Hero Stuff
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 19:24:05 GMT

In article <phill.726351007@crash.cts.com> phill@crash.cts.com (Phillip Sunbury) writes:
>
>What you fail to realize is that to determine stun you multiply by the
>stun mult. which is 1d6-1 which gives you the results of 1,1,2,3,4,5 you
>have a 1/3 chancce of getting a 1 which means you do dink for stun and only
>1/6th to do the big  stun! You can't just count the Maximums! Stun is
>distorted to do a small amount often because of the two ones!

* Please note I am not a math wiz, but these seem to be the right numbers *

Compare a 6d6N vs a 2d6K

6d6N = 46,656 possible combinations
2d6K = 216 possible combinations

Average:
  6d6N = 21 STUN
  2d6K = 17.5 STUN

Chance of Rolling (37+ STUN)
  6d6N = NIL
  2d6K = Better than nill (see simple math)

The entire use of Killing Attacks is that you get wild results and have the
possibility of doing a tremendous amout of damage.  The more dice you add to
a normal attack the more average it will become.  Therfore I have a 1/6 chance
to do more damage than I could ever do on 6d6 normal.  No matter how small
1/6 is better than 0.

At the opposite end is where Killing attack become the slower end.  A 6d6N is
almost always going to hang around 21 STUN.  But a Killing Attack will range
from 2 - 60 STUN easily since it runs on 1 dice roll.

Attack lower DEF opponents use Normal dice, higher DEF opponenets require a
Killing attack.

Chip

--
-----------------------------\_/-----------------------------
   Elwood H Dunning III       |  CASE:  Proof that even the
                              |   smartest people can write
    GALACTIC COMMANDER        |   themselves out of a job. 
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (RedSwordTarga)
Subject: Re: SRII: Physical Adepts
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 18:56:18 GMT

wintermute@otago.ac.nz writes:

>2) I feel that the reaction advantage of the Sam. is significant, as in my
>   experience, going off first is the single most importent factor in a fight
>   (as it means that if you do any damage you increase your opponent's target
>   numbers, often drasticly degrading his ability to do damage back to you).
>   IMHO, all characters who will be engaging in combat need to have the ability
>   to do more than put the wounded out of their misery. If they don't then
>   their players will start to lose interest.

Well, the new rules have elminate the "Samurai Adept", i.e., boost your speed
with being an adept and then buy a smartgun link and some other gadgets.
I'd have to say that makes them a good thing. Yes, the Samurai now has an
advantage in gun combat. *shrug* Every character has to have some edge.
If you want to play a gunslinger who goes first, play a cyberguy. If you
want to play a PA because that's the character you want, then not being
the absolute fastest won't bother you that much. 

Axly
From: seah@fraser.sfu.ca (Simon Seah)
Subject: net.hero.bestiary
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 05:11:20 GMT


Concerning the net.hero.bestiary, I wouldn't mind seeing one set up.  After
all, there are net spell books and the like.  I wouldn't mind contributing
to a n.h.b.
If someone's going to organize something like it (I don't have the
drive space), mail me!

At the risk of inciting more argument, my interest in such a work
would be one more of seeing how 'conversions' work out.  Not just
specific conversions such as "how to simulate a RoleMaster (TM)
creature with power so-and-so in HERO", but also general conversions
such as "how to make a Fire Elemental immune (or virtually so) to
fire-based attacks".

As for copywrites and such, I personally feel that any distribution
of material is fine as long as no profit is being made, and credit
is given where it is due.

Simon

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca (Nick Janow)
Subject: Re: Dumb Moves By Game Companies
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 08:02:28 GMT

seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:

> FGU's publishing really marvelous games (V&V, Space Opera) and never
> advertising, revising, or even redoing the artwork. The simple lack of
> repackaging and advertising destroyed them.

Uhh, maybe it was the lack of people who considered them "really marvelous"
that killed them.  For nearly any product, there are at least a few people
who will think it is "really marvelous"--and who wonder why the product never
caught on.

--

Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc