From: millerl@wilma.wharton.upenn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp,news.answers
Subject: [rec.games.frp] Frequently asked questions
Summary: rec.games.frp administrative postings - last updated 15 April 1992
Keywords: READ ME!, roleplaying games, splitting, accusations of satanism, administrivia
Date: 15 Apr 92 14:42:34 GMT
Expires: Fri, 1 May 1992 14:42:34 GMT
Reply-To: millerl@wilma.wharton.upenn.edu
Followup-To: rec.games.frp
Organization: Newt World Order


Archive-name: roleplay/part2
Original-archive-name: rgf.2

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON REC.GAMES.FRP

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

Questions Answered:

1: There's too much information here to take in - why don't we split the group?
2: What's a KILL file, and how do I use it?
3: VMS doesn't have Kill files! What about me?
4: How do I get hold of a copy of the Net.<whatever>.Book?
5: What is the address for the <whatever> mailing list?
6: How do I access the <whoever> Games BBS?
7: Are there any clubs for roleplayers besides the one run by TSR, Inc?
8: Does anybody know what E. Gary Gygax is doing these days?
9: Does anybody know what Steve Perrin/Luise Perenne/Chaosium are doing
   these days?
10: 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?
11: What is Fluff?
12: What is this rec.games.rpg newsgroup I keep seeing mentioned?
13: What's a Cthulhu?
14: I want to sell some of my old game stuff. How should I go about it?
15: What is Munchkinism? What does the Wizard of Oz have to do with
    roleplaying games?
16: I've run out of adventure ideas for my game. Does anybody have ideas
    for new plots?
17: What game magazines are out there?
18: I've heard of the Arduin Grimoire but am unable to find it. Where is it?

1: There's too much information here to take in - why don't we split the group?

A:     Every few months, somebody gets frustrated with the number of
       articles posted on a particular topic and proposes splitting
       rec.games.frp into a number of sub-groups. Usenet newsgroup
       creation requires that a formal request for discussion and call
       for votes be posted in news.announce.newgroups (with at least a
       month for each to be resolved), that the eventual vote tally show
       100 more YES votes than NO votes, and that the YES votes get at
       least 2/3 of the votes. For complete rules on how to create or
       split a group read the article entitled "Guidelines for Usenet
       Group Creation", that is posted regularly in news.answers and
       news.announce.newusers. If you propose a split without reading
       and understanding those rules let me warn you that you will be
       flamed relentlessly for it.

       NOTE: A split of rec.games.frp was voted upon in early 1991. This
       proposal was badly handled, with no formal request for
       discussion, at least three conflicting calls for votes, and a
       miscount of votes by the organizers, who reversed the yes and no
       counts. It failed in march 1991 with 135 votes for and 209
       against.

       An informal poll among newsgroup members with the following
       possible lines for a split of rec.games.frp showed that none
       of the proposed splits even had a 50% approval rating among the
       people who participated in the poll. (Thanks to John Francis
       <johnf@apollo.hp.com>, poll conducted December 1991)

       Good, practical reasons have been advanced for why a split would
       be undesirable even if it could pass usenet muster. The main
       reason is that a lot of beneficial cross-fertilization would be
       lost if (e.g.) space games and fantasy games were segregated:
       much that goes by way of advice and ideas on this group applies
       equally well to all genres.

       This is not to say that a split shall never occur, but anyone who
       thinks to propose one should be aware the the idea has been
       debated and rejected *many* times. Anyone who is inconvenienced
       by the traffic on this group has recourse to several measures
       short of starting a campaign to create new newsgroups. First, use
       a KILL file (if your news software supports them--I realize that
       not all do) to weed out articles on games that disinterest you.
       Second, make sure that your articles have descriptive titles,
       allowing others to weed them out or quickly scan them. Third,
       encourage everyone else to do the same. Fourth, avoid
       cross-posting to rec.games.frp and other news groups.

       I cannot emphasize the second and third points strongly enough.
       For many readers, there is nothing so annoying as to be forced to
       wade through articles which could only possibly pertain to one
       specific game--a game they do not care about in the
       least--because irresponsible posters failed to put the name of
       the system in the Subjects of their articles.

       Another option if you're overwhelmed by the content of r.g.frp is
       to join or start up a mailing list devoted to the particular game
       or games that you're interested in. A list of mailing lists and
       other electronic resources related to rpgs is included in the
       companion posts to this one.

       In case you are interested in the exact outcome of a straw poll
       on splits, perhaps because you want to conduct a vote on a
       split proposal of your own, here are the results of a straw
       poll conducted in fall of 1991:

       ITEM #1 ....  Should Rec.Games.Frp split ?
                     YES:   63 (41.7%)   NO:        81 (53.6%)
                     MAYBE:  6 (4.0%)    UNDECIDED:  1 (0.7%)

       If you voted yes in item #1 then continue [Note this question
       invalidates the entire poll after this point, statistically
       speaking. --LJM]

       ITEM #2 ....  Should the hierarchy be changed
                     from  Rec.Games.Frp.*
                     to    Rec.Games.Rpg.*  ?
                     YES: 28      NO: 34  (19)     EITHER: 8 (1)

       ITEM #3 ....  What is in your opinion the
                     maximum number of new groups
                     you think should be created ?
                     2: 11     3: 19    4: 17   5: 14    6: 9      >6: 9

       ITEM #4 ....  Please include the names of
                     the groups you think should
                     be created. NAMES ONLY PLEASE.
       general/misc/other     54
       creative/stories       42
          stories.*            1        .* = (scifi, fantasy, etc.)
       d&d (dnd)/ad&d (adnd)  34
       rules                  21
          rules.*              1        .* = (scifi, fantasy, etc.)
          rules.%              1        .% = (gurps, dnd, shadowrun, etc.)
       fantasy                17
       advocacy               16
       (scifi) sf             13
       ideas                  11
          ideas.+              1        .+ = (fantasy, sf, cyber, etc.)
       cyber                   8
       frp                     7
       super                   7
          superhero            1
       (discussion) d          6
       horror                  6
       gurps                   5
       shadowrun (sr)          4
       admin                   4
       forsale/marketplace     4
       gm                      3
       frp.split               3
       campaign                3
       archieve                3
       questions               2
       future/futuristic       2
       generic                 2
       Champions               2
       Technical               2
       ICE                     1
       sjg                     1
       design                  1
       roleplay                1
       ancient                 1
       modern                  1
       toon/hero               1
       systems                 1
       flamewar                1
       (game system name)      1
       multi-genre             1
       player                  1
       announce                1
       interesting             1
       milleu                  1
       holocaust               1
       talk                    1
       Meta                    1
       Babble                  1
       Netzine                 1
       Traveller               1
       Runequest               1
       Playing-aids            1
       Rifts                   1

       And the popular:

       alt.rec.games.frp.split.discussion.bork.bork.bork      1
       Let's.split.rec.games.frp.into.tiny.bits.anyhow        1


2: What's a KILL file, and how do I use it?

A:     One of the main benefits of having people follow the guideline on
       Subjects is that it allows the use of KILL files to filter out
       articles on topics which you're not interested in. For full
       details on the use of KILL files, please see the documentation
       for the newsreader program you use. The remainder of this article
       is devoted to a brief and by no means comprehensive guide to the
       use of KILL files with the newsreader program 'rn'. (Experienced
       users of rn may note some simplifications in what follows.)

       In the course of reading news, you will undoubtedly come across
       certain topics which don't interest you. You can hit 'k' to
       delete (mark as read) all the articles with the current
       'Subject:' line, but that will only work for one session. What if
       you know that you never want to see that Subject again? The
       answer is to type capital 'K' (Shift-k). This will record the
       current Subject in a file called KILL in the directory called (in
       this case) News/rec/games/frp. From now on, whenever you read the
       newsgroup rec.games.frp, rn will check for articles with that
       Subject and delete them (mark them as read) before you start
       reading.

       You can also create custom KILL files in rn. To do so, either
       edit the KILL file directly, or type '^K' (control-k) at the
       'what next?' prompt. Either way, you'll see something like this:

        THRU 19975
        /: *Non-lethal spells turned/:j
        /: *Good Practical Jokes (We/:j
        /: *copyright/:j
        /: *Pool of Radiance/:j

       The first line tells rn what article you've already read up to so
       that it knows where to begin searching for articles to kill. The
       remaining lines consist of commands to tell rn which Subject
       patterns to search for and kill. If you kill a Subject and then
       change your mind, simply delete the line containing the
       corresponding pattern. Also, once discussion on a particular
       Subject has died down, you'll probably want to remove that
       Subject from your kill file to save space and speed processing.

       If there's a general topic you'd like to avoid, you can write
       your own line to kill it. This will save you from having to type
       K a lot. It will also keep down the size of your KILL file and
       speed processing. Suppose you're not into Champions and you don't
       want to read any articles with the word Champions in the Subject.
       Put the following line into your KILL file:

        /Champions/:j

       Note: the patterns searched for are not case-sensitive. The above
       line will thus kill not only Subjects such as "Champions Power
       Pools", but also "The king's champions". To make a pattern
       case-sensitive, put a 'c' after the second slash:

        /Champions/c:j

       One thing which some people find helpful is to be able to view
       the article number and titles of articles as they're killed. That
       way they can go back and read articles which look interesting
       even though they contain a certain pattern. To do this, change
       the :j to :=:j, as in the following:

        /Champions/c:=:j
        /: *Pool of Radiance/:=:j

       Another thing, if you send an article and later regret sending
       it, in rn or trn you can type a capital-C while you are reading
       it to cancel the article, which will prevent it from propagating
       all the way around the world, wasting thousands of dollars, and
       netting you lots of nasty e-mail.

3. VMS doesn't have Kill files. What about me?

A:     Since I happen to read news on a VMS system at present, I think I
       know what you're talking about, and you need to change a few
       things. First, there is plenty of editing power under VMS. EVE is
       a fine editor, as is EDT, though EDT is considerably more
       difficult to use. You *will* have to seek out documentation on
       how to use these editors. Finally, EMACS is available under VMS.
       If you do not have it, then you should lobby your system or
       support staff.

       If you're using ANU/NEWS to read news then do the following. From
       within News, type "SET PROFILE/DISPLAY=UNSEENITEMS". This is the
       single most important thing you can do to make ANU/NEWS easier to
       use.

       Next: When you go into a newsgroup to read messages, then go down
       the directory listing, and every time you get to a subject you
       want to nuke, type "SKIP/FOLLOW". "SKIP/POINT" will kill all the
       articles above an article.

       You can bind keys to the skip/follow command, and others, such as
       "READ/FOLLOW", "NEXT", and "READ/NEW/NEXT", if you like. Type
       "HELP PROFILE" to see how to do it. As an example, here's the
       file I use to set key bindings for ANU/NEWS:

       define/key/log/terminate kp0 "read/follow"
       define/key/log/terminate kp1 "next"
       define/key/log/terminate kp2 "read/new/next"
       define/key/log/terminate kp3 "dir/reg"
       define/key/log/terminate period "skip/follow"
       define/key/log/terminate kp4 "up 17"
       define/key/log/terminate kp5 "down 17"
       define/key/log/terminate kp7 "skip"

       Anyway, though ANU/NEWS is harder to use than rn, it isn't
       impossible to streamline your news reading with it. Just be ready
       to use HELP a lot.

       Finally, VMS does have KILL files, though you have to use
       READ/NEW (I suggest binding a key to it) to use it.

       If you come across a Subject you dislike, type KILL. This will
       set up a kill entry for newsitems matching that one i.e. READ/NEW
       will ignore it forevermore.

       To modify your kill file, type SHOW KILL to bring up your current
       kill list. (You are also shown this just after you issue a KILL
       command). Each item will have a numeric TAG beside it. Type
       MODIFY KILL <tag#>, and you will be prompted for the various
       fields in a kill entry you can edit. CLEAR KILL <tag#> will
       delete a given KILL entry.


4: 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.


5: 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 st large - if you get results, please let
       us know so we can update the postings.


6: 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.


7: 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. I don't have the info for CARpg here, but
       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


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

A:     As of June 3, 1991 Dragon is now at issue #169 (if not #170) and
       this means EGG has been gone four, if not five, years. EGG's
       latest works to date are:

       Cyborg Commando novels and perhaps some RPG rules.

       He wrote the first two Gord novels while still in TSR, and
       finished the series under his company, New Infinities. New
       Infinities is and is not bankrupt. Supposedly they've finally
       fallen under, but people have reported the occasional new novel
       from them, so it's still up in the air until someone corrects me.

       New Infinities Productions, Inc.
       P.O. Box 657
       Delavan WI  53115

       -- Wayne Wallace <lord_zar@ucrmath.ucr.edu>

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

A:     Gossip follows:

       Yes, the two are man and wife, but still, her name is Perenne. I
       saw some of her artwork at last years SF Worldcon in The Hague. I
       spoke to the person who brought the artwork (Luise wasn't there
       herself), but didn't see her again during the con. Steve Perrin
       has not been involved with RQ for a long time. I once got his
       address from Greg Stafford, so if you're really interested I can
       try to dig it out.

       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.

       Umm... yes, he used to work at Spectrum HoloByte, I think it was
       as a tech writer.  Last I heard (about a month ago), he was at
       another (non-computer?) game company doing tech writing and/or
       game designing.

       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...

       More gossip concerning Chaosium and Friends:

       Sandy Petersen got a job at a computer game publisher.
       Fortunately, he still appears to care about CoC, and you may find
       his name as advisor/consultant on releases from Chaosium.

       I recalled a remark from Greg about Lisa Free, in my eyes one of
       the best illustrators for Glorantha to date; she joined the
       Jehova's witnesses and has since abjured anything related to
       role-playing.  It's a real pity.

       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

10: 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 regularily. 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, dansel
       in distress... all of these came from the Arthurian Legends. So,
       if one set of armored warriors, pious priests, and knowledgable
       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 advanturers 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 supresses 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 similiar 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 CaRPGa 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 offerred
          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)

11: 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 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.

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

A:     rec.games.rpg is a 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
       instead of trying to use rec.games.rpg, which reaches only a
       fraction of the readership of rec.games.frp.

13: What's a Cthulhu?

A:      H.P.Lovecraft wrote a number of horrific 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.

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

A:      Many people use rec.games.frp as a bulletin board for buying and
        selling roleplaying and other games. This is a perfectly
        acceptable use of rec.games.frp. There are several things that
        you should do if you are selling items over rec.games.frp. (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)
        if you haven't sold everything after a month or so, then post a
        new list of items for sale; do not post updated lists twice a
        week (or even once a week), the entire net doesn't get your
        posting immediately (typical delay is from 1 to 14 days), and
        you will merely be confusing those who otherwise might buy
        things from you. (4) use the subject line tag FOR SALE or
        FORSALE. (5) supply a valid internet return address.

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

A:     Munchkinism is another name for "Monty Haul" gaming; i.e.,
       playing at incredible power levels purely for the sake of
       watching the terrain get blown away by player characters who
       are unstoppable.

16: 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 Unrecognised Kinsman - Killer, Unrecognised 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

17: 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.

18: 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.
-- 
whoah,
+++++++++++++++++++++++23
Loren Miller                  internet: MILLERL@wharton.upenn.edu
Throw this screen against the wall, right now!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp