HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: laurence@cco.caltech.edu (Dustin Lee Laurence)
Subject: Re: Sex and RPG's - Why Oh Why ?
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 04:41:20 GMT

howell@blegga.u.washington.edu (David Howell) writes:

>Someone asks: Is the fairer
>   sex poorly suited to gaming, perhaps?

>I propose that this is the wrong question. Is gaming poorly suited to
>women? There is some reason to think so, as many gender studies have
>found, as a rule, that it is relationships between people/entities that

>are of interest to women. Generally. When was the last time you saw
>a section in an FRPG discussing how to get along with team members, or
>sociological conflict beteen peoples
>?

>Yea, there is some, and yea, there are female gamers, but I think
>this does provide a hint as to why it's so unevenly male. I'm sure
>there are others.

Fair comment, but it relates more to the preferences of a small group
of people than anything else.  The kind of stories that the EGG crew
decided to model were a very male-oriented kind of story, and that's
the kind of story people still tell.  If they'd been fans of Gothic
Romance, then perhaps a group of mostly women would be here posting
about the greater appeal of role-playing to women than men.  Especially
since it'd then be labeled as "girl-stuff", and then even the male
nonconformists probably wouldn't play any such thing.

I remember two of my female cousins who collected plastic horse models.
They not only collected them, but had intricate stories about each one
and it's history in the herd (there were perhaps 50 horses altogether).
Even at the male-chauvinistic stage of Junior High, I remember thinking
that their stories were much better than a lot of stuff that gets
published.

What they did was shared story-telling, _very_ closely akin to role-
playing.  They only needed the spark of an idea to become full-fledged
gaming.  (Not a word about the all-horse campaign from those of you
snickering in the back...)  It's too bad I'd never done any gaming at
that point either.

-- 
Dustin

laurence@alice.wonderland.caltech.edu
From: plt@wasp.eng.ufl.edu (Pete Taylor)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Stupid adventures
Keywords: Smurfs, Burger King, Aiiiieeeee
Date: 10 Apr 92 19:30:07 GMT
Reply-To: plt@wasp.eng.ufl.edu (Pete Taylor)
Organization: U of Florida Engineering Comuputing Services

I once sent the entire party to the Abyss.  I order to make this place truely
horibble I did not use a single monster/demon/nasty from the MC or use any
material from the Manual of the Planes.  I based the entire trip on characters
and situations from the Beastie Boys rap album Licienced to Ill.  The players
were traumatized by various nasty little demons stridding around
wearing gaudy gold chains and unlaced high top basket ball shoes and talking
only in rap.  Needless to say the players made it a point to get the hell out
of there ASAP and never wanted to go back.  I got a real kick out of the whole
adventure but my players were none to amused (well some of them were :).

Pete
--
Peter Taylor                    |Paintgun:  68Automag
plt@wasp.eng.ufl.edu            |Martail Art:  Cuong Nhu Oriental Martial Arts
worldmage@maple.circa.ufl.edu   |              Cypress School, U of F
From: yousten@jacobs.CS.ORST.EDU (Ken Yousten)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: GenCon auction
Date: 16 Apr 92 13:03:17 GMT
Organization: CS Dept. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.

I'd really appreciate it if someone with experience of the GenCon auction
could contact me.  (I have a DDG with Cthulhu and Melnibone to sell and
would like to get as much as I can)
--
Ken Yousten   (Currently living in Urbana, IL)   yousten@jacobs.cs.orst.edu
        "The narrator flees inland, taking his adjectives with him..."
          -L. Sprague de Camp, summarizing HPL's "The Crawling Chaos"
From: Elizabeth.Mccoy@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Elizabeth Mccoy)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Sex and RPG's - Why Oh Why ?
Date: 8 Apr 92 21:44:01 GMT
Organization: Extended Bulletin Board Service

In article <1992Apr6.174247.1@cc.newcastle.edu.au> c9036971@cc.newcastle.edu.au writes:
>
>I'd like to call on the experience of you all to answer me a question.
>It seems to me that the number of female roleplayers (not characters!)
>is surprisingly small - in my experience of role playing (about 8
>years, mainly AD&D) I have seen fewer than ten females who were at
>all serious about gaming.

Well, no wonder -- most of the female gamers I know are GURPSians...
(Okay, okay, so *I'm* a GURPSian and tend to meet the same... It's just
a little statistical skew.)

>I was wondering if this is the case with the rest of you. Is the fairer
>sex poorly suited to gaming, perhaps? 

Don't be silly. Someone might crit-fail a humor roll.

>Do they just have better things
>to do than sit around a table roling dice, speaking in jargon (whether
>fantasy, futuristic or whatever) and wandering in imaginary places?

Just better things to do than hack&slay.  l-; 
And forget *just* sitting around a gaming table! I talk gaming-stuff
with my VSO all the time; I wonder what waitresses think of us....

>Or
>is it just me?

Depends on how obnoxious you are in real life... :-)

>For the record, I am a bloke (that's MALE to all you non-Australians),
>and an avid gamer.

So what's Female to an Australian? (Funny, I thouhgt "Bloke" was "male"
in British.... ;-) )
 
Anyway, I'd say that part of the reason there aren't more female gamers
is that good first experiences usually aren't that easy to come by -- at
15, I was co-opted into a lunch-room D&D game with 14-11 year old males.
(Can you say "Monty Haul"?)  Not too many people would be that desperate
to RPG... (But being the *only* mage in a group has compensations.)

And nominally "mainstream" folk are often the norm -- while D&D (or
whatever) is an acceptible "stage" for guys, gals have to be
non-conformists already to even think about it. 

--E.M.
--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  bbs.oit.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
From: klaus@diku.dk (Klaus Ole Kristiansen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: CHAMPS: question on turn sequencing
Date: 14 Apr 92 08:33:55 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, U of Copenhagen

khise@festus.ksu.ksu.edu (Martin Andrew Shobe) writes:


>In article <k6TqiB1w164w@seanews.UUCP>, caladan!seanews!monorail@seattleu.edu (Brannon Boren) writes:
>>sesharp@happy.colorado.edu writes:
>>
>>>The case that came up involved an abort to a dodge, which gives a +3 DCV
>>>against all attacks.  The character then lost her next phase to pay for 
>>the
>>>abort.  At first we assumed that the +3 DCV continued to apply until the
>>>character got to take an action again.  Then I noticed a seeming abuse 
>>in
>>>this and an ... intense discussion ensued.  The problem is that a 
>>character
>>>can take an attack action, then if attacked before their next phase, 
>>abort
>>>to a dodge, lose their next phase, and then attack again on the phase 
>>after
>>>that.  The net effect is to be in a dodge almost all the time while 
>>still
>>>getting to attack half of the time.
>>
>>        We have always played the rules this way.  The alternative
>>(saying that if you dodge on segment 2, blowing a phase 3 action,
>>that the dodge is only effective until your dex on segment 3 -
>>because that's when your "next action" is)  proved to be silly.
>>
>>        Having the dodge end then, left the PC without the
>>benefit of a defensive move for a whole phase.  In the example
>>above, the hapless PC can be clobbered by someone after her
>>dex on segment 3, because she's no longer dodging.  This is
>>death for low speed PCs.  Letting the dodge continue gives
>>lower speed PCs a chance.
>>
>[stuff deleted]

>	No it doesn't.  She can always abort her next action to continue
>dodging.  Also, she can hold action to avoid having to abort in the first
>place.  

>	If you allow the dodge to continue someone with Martial Dodge becomes
>nearly unhittable (unless the attack is area affect.).  And, they only give up 
>half thier attacks to stay that way all the time.  Which is really silly.

>Khise@matt.ksu.ksu.edu

In your interpretation, dodge is nearly worthless. If you want to dodge,
you can never attack. Eventually someone will get lucky and hit you.
This means that dodge is only useful if there is help comming real soon.

If you attack, then abort to dodge, attack etc., you are giving up
half of your attacks to get a better DCV, that is you are using a
defensive tactics. You are still not unhitable. In addition to the
tactics already mentioned, there is always the segment you used
to attack, were you can't abort.

Klaus O K
From: wilsonr@icarus ( application)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: AD&D Any DM assisting PC Programs
Summary: Looking for PC AD&D DM Programs
Keywords: AD&D, DM
Date: 9 Apr 92 16:40:57 GMT
Distribution: rec.games.frp
Organization: Mitel. Kanata (Ontario). Canada.

Are there any PC or MAC based programs for assisting the DM ?   
Shareware would be nice?
From: mscs057@vax1.mankato.msus.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Humanoids (Orcs, etc.)
Date: 8 Apr 92 22:38:45 GMT
Article-I.D.: vax1.1992Apr8.163846.1681
Organization: Mankato State University

Orcs are ugly but basically human in what they can wield.

Strength  9-18/00%       +1

Intelligence  2-16

Wisdom    2-16

Dexterity 3-17           -1

Constitution 10-19       +1

Charisma      2-16

If you want classes reply.

Thorin the Dwarven Cleric
From: boelter3945@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: AD&D: XP's for 'Easy' Kills
Date: 8 Apr 92 15:18:23 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <1992Apr3.225358.23323@njitgw.njit.edu>, rhr9081@hertz.njit.edu
(Ray Rich) writes:
> 
> 	I never really considered Experience Points as actual learning
> experiences.  After all, how much would a tenth level fighter learn from
> beating on a kobold with a rusty dagger.  Yet, according to the rules,
> the fighter would get XP.  And what about XP for treasure.  Can anyone
> make sense of that?

   You're right, there isn't, or shouldn't be, any award for what you have
described above.  Speaking from 2nd Ed rules (which it seems you might not
have, since you mention XP for treasure), it says that characters will get
experience for victory over their foes only under two basic conditions: a) the
award only applies to foes or enemies of the PCs (i.e. there must be a real
threat, no award for defeat of non-hostile creatures or NPCs), and b) no
experience is earned for situations in which the PCs have an overwhelming
advantage over their foes.

   Also, there is no experience given out in 2nd ed for treasure gained (unless
you use the optional rules of having Rogues gaining exp. for using their
skills to obtain it.

> 	Personally, I use a totally different system.  I give XP for 
> accomplishing Campaign, Adventure, and Personal Objectives set by both me
> and the players.  Sometimes this involves killing monsters and the like, but
> often it doesn't.  Ingenuity, problem solving, common sense, and role-playing
> all deserve XP, but the current system doesn't award such.

   The 2nd ed follows this pretty well. :-)  I like your ideas, and I use them
quite often.  Story goals, adventure goals, Having fun, Character Survival :-),
solving puzzles, and good role-playing awards.

> 				IMHO dammit!  :)
> 						Raythrax

                                        John "Nightwind" Boelter

--
*******************************************************************************
* John Boelter        a.k.a. Nightwind            boelter3945@iscsvax.uni.edu *
* Organizational Manager and contact person for everything and then some.     *
*******************************************************************************
* I don't know, I don't care, I don't want * They're fleeing the wrong way!!  *
* to know, and I don't want to care.       *        -confused adventurer-     *
*        -Martian Manhunter-               ************************************
*        -Justice League International-    * Why is the DM smiling like that? *
*******************************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: thornt_g@cs.uwa.oz.au (Sebastian Nobwit DeLaBler)
Subject: Inspired character names
Organization: Dept. Computer Science, University of Western Australia.
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 06:11:50 GMT

How about these (NPC names) from when I was GM-ing
some fantasy game.

Magnus Snotgargle
Lemon Goatmunch
Cornelius Flake

I also had a group of supervillains from a DCHeroes
adventure called the 'Chocolate Bars', including
Mars, Chomp, Crunchie, Snickers, and their leader,
Turkish Delight. (all of them had powers like an
energy blast consisting of gigantic peanuts, or 
excreting a glob of caramel goo).

How about a supervillain called 'Afterburner' and
his secret I.D.: Max Thrust.

A superhero called 'Clag' and his secret I.D.:
Joseph Adhesive.

Some other superhero names:

Son of Bomburst (there was no Bomburst)
Indomitiman
Mintox Man
Captain Dude
Captain Wabunce
Indestructiperson
Mr Musculature
Intelligirl

My knight in a C&S campaign:
Sir Graspe

My weeping-waste barbarian from a Stormbringer
campaign:
Grumme the Scum

Name of a wizard from Bard's Tale: 
Spin-dry

When I was trying to think of a suitable name for
a monster I invented, I was forced to dubb it: 
'Hideous Black Beast of Death'.

And of course, the all time classic name invented
by a friend of mine (it always used to crack me up):

Eggnogus



My Email address: thornt_g@kultarr.cs.uwa.edu.au

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: sesharp@happy.colorado.edu
Subject: Re: GURPS combat time.
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: 9 Apr 92 00:49:37 MDT

steph@cs.uiuc.edu (Dale Stephenson) writes on the subject of lengthening
GURPS combat by having high defenses.  I don't think that a longer exchange
of blows is what the original poster had in mind.  Instead, I think a 
slower pace with pauses between blows was desired.  High defenses can
easily make combats drag out, with the results strongly dependent on who
rolls criticals rather than on skill.  Feints alleviate this somewhat,
and add in pauses of a sort.  Allowing feints to affect subsequent feints
would improve this.

I was surprised by a couple of comments:

> With a sufficiently high skill, good
>armor, and perhaps a deflect enchantment, active defenses can get up to
>14 or so.

Perhaps we optimize characters more than other players, but 14 defenses are
common.  A starting fighter with chainmail (or scale), a medium shield
and the usual 16 skill for a non-ST oriented warrior already has a 14
parry and block.  With combat reflexes, that becomes 15.  With some added
experience or a fencing weapon, that becomes 16 and problems ensue.

One method of cutting down defenses (literally) is to use the shield
destruction rules for single blow destruction only.  Fighters who do high
damage may even want to aim for the shield specifically.

>  Also, players who lose feints tend to try all-out defense
>for a turn -- which will extend the fight even more.

Not if they are smart; they just do a Move maneuver and sneer at their
opponent.  Alternatively, in a one-on-one, they can All-Out Attack if 
beaten sufficiently.  What use is doubling your number of useless defenses?
These problems can be solved by delaying the feint roll until just before
the attack is made.  This still leaves the option of going defensive, but
makes guessing whether it is necessary more interesting.  Of course, the
ideal feint wouldn't even be known to be a feint until the subsequent
attack.

Steven Sharp
sesharp@happy.colorado.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: goldm@sage4a.its.rpi.edu (Mitchell E. Gold)
Subject: Palladium Fantasy: Game worlds
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Distribution: rec
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 15:48:47 GMT

For those who do play Palladium Fantasy (or even RIFTS), how many of you
actually use the PF game world or adapt major parts to their own world? 
[as per custom, e-mail, I'll summarize]

Also, does anyone know if there is a Palladium Fantasy mailing list?
--
 Mitchell Gold    |\  Can't you feel them circling, honey? Can't you feel 'em
 sundance@rpi.edu | \  schooling around? You've got fins to the left, fins to
------------------+--`  the right, and you're the only bait in town.
                  |            RPI anthem -- Fins, Jimmy Buffett
From: kinnema@wkuvx1.bitnet (Mark Kinney, Attorney at Chaos)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Shadowrun: Controlling Deckers
Date: 13 Apr 92 16:58:10 GMT
Article-I.D.: wkuvx1.1992Apr13.115810.1324
Organization: Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY

In article <RATINOX.92Apr12222425@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu>, ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat) writes:
>>>>>> On 11 Apr 92 20:06:09 GMT, kinnema@wkuvx1.bitnet (Mark Kinney, Attorney at Chaos) said:
> kinnema> It was still broken into in that case, but in Shadowrun, it'd
> kinnema> probably be a matter of old fashioned phoning in on modem-type of
> kinnema> turtleizing, or jacking in within the facility. There is still
> kinnema> external access, but no decker in their right mind would try it
> kinnema> that way.
> 
> If you can connect to the system from the outside, in any way, shape, or
> form, it isn't isolated.

Ok, I see what you mean. No need to condescend.

What I meant was it wasn't connected to the net, which his how the hacker in
question worked otherwise. And besides, in the SR context, no decker would go
in in a way that would force him to be a turtle. That's asking for a quick
death, through security or some decker just arbitrarily deciding to wax them,
especially in important systems. For all intents and purposes, said systems are
isolated.
-- 
Mark Kinney [KINNEMA@WKUVX1.(BITNET)(WKU.EDU)] | Don't just eat a hamburger,
PhoneNet: (502)745-4246	  (Bowling Green, KY)  | eat the HELL out of it!
This has been a test. If this had been an actual emergency, you'd be dead.
Quote of the week: "Now I'm mumbling, and I'm screaming, and I don't know what
	I'm singing." -- "Weird" Al Yankovic, "Smells Like Nirvana"
From: loydb@fnordbox.UUCP (Loyd Blankenship)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re:  Star Trek RPG
Distribution: world
Date: 9 Apr 92 11:00:43 CST
Organization: Texas Net Illuminati

Brian Panulla <BJP108@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
>No, FASA didn't go under...Paramount pulled the Trek license. Apparently,
>the late Gene Roddenbury didn't like what FASA was doing and cancelled
>the game.

This is untrue. The licensing period expired, and the sides couldn't come
to terms on renewal. Nothing was "jerked" by Paramount, and to imply that
it was is a disservice to FASA.

Loyd

***************************************************************************
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From: gt3622a@prism.gatech.EDU (Jonathan Hart)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Magic-Users Anonymous
Summary: It could happen to you too, you little munchkin.
Date: 12 Apr 92 04:26:56 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology


     "Hi, my name is Fizban, and I'm..I'm..
 
          I'm a Magic-User."
 
     <many voices in unison> "Hi Fizban!"
 
     "I first started using magic when some of my friends introduced me to
it as a teenager.  They had gotten hold of a couple of potions and we each
quaffed one behind my dad's barn.  Before I knew it, I was flying high.
     "After that we looked for magic wherever we could find it--treasure
vaults, abandoned temples, hidden crypts, dragon's lairs, anywhere.  We were
hooked!
     "I remember casting my first spell--Light.  What a rush that was!
I thought I was being so clever by casting it on my middle finger and 
showing everyone my 'holy bird'.  My dad didn't think it was very funny, 
though, and he tanned my hide good. 
     "After that, I realized that Mom and Dad were going to keep me from 
magic, so I ran away.  My friends and I decided to band together.  We did
so under the pretense of doing good for others, but that wasn't the real 
reason we did it.  We were in it for the *MAGIC* !
     "From then on, there was no turning back.  I created my first spell
book and acquired such spells as magic missile, charm person, and the 
versatile detect magic.  Little did I know, the twisted, sordid paths my
life would take from then on.
     "It was downhill from there; I couldn't get enough.  I soon 
graduated to the hard stuff.  First fireball and lightning bolt, then 
ice storm, teleport, disintegrate, power word stun, polymorph any, and
finally, wish.
     "It was too much, I was drunk with power.  I couldn't have stopped, 
even if my life depended on it.  
     "Then one day, after eons of godhood, I realized the mistake my life
had become.  I had missed out on all the joys of life: a loving wife, a 
simple home, 2.3 kids, and cold beer.  I decided to seek help.
     "My good friend Takhisis, suggested that I look for answers in the
mortal realms.  Well, after fruitless searches through the prime plane, and 
many failed attempts trying to help others avoid the same mistakes I made, I 
decided to seek professional help.  So, I turned to Magic-Users Anonymous.
     "Now, I live a simple life.  I've traded in magic for a shovel and a
plow, and make a modest living selling manure to other farmers like me.
     "I would like to think that my life can now serve as an example to 
the young.  Hopefully, they won't make the same mistakes that I did.
     "Thank you all, for your kindness and support."
 


-- 
GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS -- #1 | JONATHAN HART  gt3622a@prism.gatech.edu
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