HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: aragorn@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Strider)
Subject: Re: Sci-Fi Suggestions
Organization: The Banzai Institute
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 01:16:09 GMT

v124jw4y@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Benjamin R Pierce) writes:
: 
: ..again, I suggest that you take a look at Battlelords of the 23rd Century.
: Good, workable mechanics, lots of background material, psionics/magic equivalent
: system, and a reasonable price.
: 
: 
:                                                           --Ben

I think your opinion is a bit biased since you're one of the
writers/editors, eh?	;-)


Steve J. White		  |"Either there's something wrong with me,	  |
aragorn@csd4.csd.uwm.edu  | or there's something wrong with the universe."|
skeptic@large@9600bps	  |	- Dr. Crusher on ST:TNG			  |
From: swaim@owlnet.rice.edu (Michael Parks Swaim)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Sci-Fi Suggestions
Keywords: battlelords
Date: 9 Sep 1992 22:47:28 GMT
Organization: Rice University

In article <BuBJH9.1qx@acsu.buffalo.edu> v076jy2p@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Cosmo Of The Cosmos) writes:
>  _This Is Only A Test_ is
>the first (and only) module to come out.  It was made by "The Canadaians".
>(Who the hell are The Canadaians anyways?  I hear referances to them all the
>time.  I picture this group of people in coon skin caps saying, "This is
>a good game, 'eh.  Pass me a beer, 'eh?")  Good design and well made.
  I wouldn't make fun of them if I were you. They're watching us now.

>			-Robert "Larry has killed me 13 times" Goodfellow


-- 
Mike Swaim            | Canada will become the next world power
swaim@owlnet.rice.edu | and they will work to ENSLAVE all the nations
Disclamer: I lie      | of your planet. -Ricardo
Cthulhu in '92! The stars are right!
From: tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Tim Dunn)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Covers
Date: 13 Sep 92 17:09:41 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico


Random Musings on Covers and Colors as I groggily awake:

1) Cover material: must be substantial.  I cannot stand looking at a
   rulesbook and thinking that I'll need to buy stickysheets to cover
   it in a week of use or less.  The material need not be dur-alloy
   or anything obscene like that, but it should be better than the 
   average cardstock at a photocopier stand.
2) Binding: *must* be substaintial, at least for the rules manual.  If
   the reference material will not be constantly referred to during the
   game, then staple or flimsy perfect binding can suffice.  An example
   of a good binding would be a perfect binding where the glue has
   permeated into each page 1/8" or so.  Stitching is usually a good bet
   as well.
3) Artwork: If you're going to do it, do it right.  Don't have it be
   some piece that is the best work of a mediorcre artist you know or
   can afford.  If you're not going to have a cover piece, that's more
   than acceptable so long as the cover graphics are not hum-drum.  Do
   worry about the image the cover piece sends out to the prospective
   buyer: sexists, overly violent, limited in genre/setting, or any
   other potential turn-offs.
4) Internal plates: If anything, the internal artwork I can accept because
   it is useful to be as internal bookmarks.  Vampire is a good example of
   this: much of the internal art was miserable, but they were laid out in
   such a fashion that I would know generally where I was in the book (and
   if I had passed over what I was looking for) by the pictures.
	Color plates are nice, but fluff.  I'll take the book regardless 
   if it had such plates, but I would pay for whichever cost less.
5) Boxes: I paraphrase one company's justification of boxes: "We use a large 
   box to make sure the product screams out at you, to make sure the side
   panel's logo is readable across the store."  Good idea.
	A box must be either very strong for that size, or smaller and 
   flimsier.  A large box that falls apart quickly is useless and irks me.
   To have a game in a bag or shrink-wrapped is much more economical, but
   dooms it to anonomynity.
-- 
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
From: jjonsson@alexandria.lib.utah.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Legos as props
Date: 4 Sep 92 21:39:29 GMT
Article-I.D.: alexandr.jjonsson.137
Organization: Marriott Library, University of Utah

In article <1992Sep4.192453.8798@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> kmitcham@coos.dartmouth.edu (Kevin Mitcham) writes:

>When you use legos to make setups, do yoyu tend to use
>ordinary minatures or the silly little lego-men to represent
>characters and such?
>I found the lego-men to be far to wide to be useful.
>(if the lego-men are 6' tall, they are 3' wide!)
>Can't put too many 3 foot wide men in a corridor.

I used to build castles out of legos and use metal figs to simulate giant 
wars, and sieges. (I have a lot of metal figs.) 
	Funny thing is, I never felt the need to paint the figs, and ever 
since then, everyone I tell this has thought me extremely weird for not 
painting them. I have boxes and boxes of unpainted metal figs to this day.


Jeff Jonsson
Marriott Library System Support, University of Utah.
==============================================================================
--"It's the sound of the secret--  jjonsson@alexandria.lib.utah.edu
-- machinery at the center of  --  jjonsson@utahlib.bitnet
-- the world." -Cliff Steele   --  "You talkin' to me?"
From: pkontkanen@cc.helsinki.fi
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: GURPS progs
Date: 7 Sep 92 22:25:02 GMT
Organization: University of Helsinki

Are there any programs for MSDOS to assist GMing GURPS? If there are, please
tell me what and where I can get them.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: kieran@cmatter.physics.indiana.edu (kieran)
Subject: Re: Looking for "women's" rpg.
Organization: Indiana University
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 02:28:15 GMT

In article <8SEP199207532253@rosie.uh.edu> lib1p@rosie.uh.edu (Tammy Stark Blandino) writes:
>>Since there is not any evidence that there ever was a truly matriarcal 
>>society of any impact, the type of campaign you speak of could be completely 
>>original.  I encourage people to create their own societies, and not be 
>>bound by any attempt to copy history.
>> 
>
>That is because both history and archeology has been interpreted by
>a VERY patriarchal society.  Do you expect those in power, who ever
>that is, to *ADMIT* the other side had power over them at one time?
>I think men have a real problem with the concept of women and power.
>>I guess they will call me a femiphobe.
>
>Naw, you have just bought into everything you have been brainwashed...
>..uhm...I mean...taught.

    Now this is an offensive and fallacious line of arguing, not to
mention slanderous against men.  (All men are insecure?)  Looking at
your posting in detail: 

(1)  Who is the ``other side''?  Is this an issue with only two sides?
     Are these ``sides'' monolithic, shadowy groups?  

(2)  Why shouldn't people admit that others have had power over them?
     This happens all the time in politics.  The Irish admit the English
     ruled their country.  The Soviet Communist party admits that the
     czars ruled the peasants.  What is your point?  You seem to be 
     poking at some Freudian/Jungian gender/racial memory/neuroses.

(3)  So, *all* archeology and history done by males is irrelevant?  Or
     perhaps only some?  What are your criteria for accepting research?
     Can you (a) discredit large amounts of modern scholarship (b) show
     scholarly works that support your ideas?

(4)  The lowest is to deny those with whom you discuss even a smidgeon
     of intelligence.  After all, *they* only believe stuff because they
     are brainwashed; it's not like they *think* or *feel* like human
     beings.

     The thought that matriarchal societies might have existed doesn't
scare me or bother me in the least.  Insulting, insinuating postings do.

                         Kieran Mullen

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: cjudd@esk.compserv.utas.edu.au (Craig Thomas Judd)
Subject: Character just died...
Organization: University of Tasmania at Launceston
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 14:43:19 GMT

This is a fairly gratuitous posting, so you don't have to read it if you don't
want to.





In the gaming session tonight, my new character was finally introduced. She
was a native of the new country the party had come to, and they met her as she
escaped from slavery, running from a large fort. She'd had a spell of sorts
cast on her, so she couldn't make any articulate noises. All she had on her was
a rather skimpy dancing girl costume and a dagger, which she'd used to kill one
of the guards. Despite the fact that she couldn't speak, she didn't understand
the languages any of the character party spoke... So, I thought, good fodder for
a bit of roleplaying.

Unfortunately, most of the session she survived in involved running away from
large beasties. She was developing rather nicely, finally getting to trust the
party (oblivious to the fact that at least half of them were planning on selling
her at the next slave market), when a random encounter with a trio of giant
spiders left her poisoned and dying. The poison was actually save vs. death,
which she failed, but the DM said "change that to 10HP damage". Which would have
been alright, except nobody had any way of removing the poison and she was 
dropping fast. 

They at least buried her in a decent grave, and I left the session early, after
just a few hours play. Now I'm feeling a bit down. Hopefully I can use the same
character concept in another campaign somewhere, but something tells me that was
not the game for her. Ah well.

Thanks for listening. And, if you read this - hi guys, now you know why you
couldn't get anything out of her.

Yours sadly;

-- 
   \/\ "Turn out the lights! Or do you want everyone for miles around to /\/
====\/\      know about our secret base?!" - Colonel, AKIRA Book 2      /\/====
=====\/\  WANT ANY MANGA ARTWORK DONE? Email me! (NO Anthropomorphs!)  /\/=====
      \/\   cjudd@esk.compserv.utas.edu.au      a.k.a. KUROTO Shiro   /\/
From: v057qkmm@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (BABBLING SAGE)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: rec.games.frp.srun
Date: 8 Sep 92 21:53:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <Bu9Ks2.7nw@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, jester@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Jester) writes...
>lib1p@rosie.uh.edu (Tammy Stark Blandino) writes:
>}Might I suggest that the Shadowrun people start their own
>}newsgroup.  It looks like there are enough postings on this
>}subject to warrant one.
> 

	Well since I dislike shadowrun and never read the posts, I think
this is a great idea!!!

						Me
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: basestu@bnr.ca (Jean Giblin)
Subject: CHAMPS: Two Questions
Reply-To: basestu@bnr.ca (Jean Giblin)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 19:49:27 GMT

Two question have come up in my HERO campaigns, which seem not to
be answered in the rules themselves.  Perhaps someone out there
knows the 'official word' on them, or has some good ideas about
how to work them:

1)  What happens to a character that has fallen down?  That is,
what is the effect of the 'Target Falls' part of Martial 
Maneuvers and Grabs?  Is there an OCV and DCV penalty (I assign
one, but I was wondering if there is an official one..)?  How
long does it take to get back up (assuming one doesn't have 
Acrobatics, since that is covered in Ninja Hero) from falling down.

2)  Now, this one completely eludes me:  What do you do if you want
to have a power with an OCV _minus_?  This has come up many times 
in my campaigns where characters wish to have large but innaccurate
weapons, or weapons which become less accurate when a specific 
advantage is used.  Both of the obvious methods are unworkable:  A
set disadvantage (say -1/4 per -n OCV) is subject to HUGE abuse,
because a large power will save many more points that is counter-
actable with 2pt combat levels.  Simply reducing the cost by the 
cost of the corresponding combat levels (or a fraction thereof) 
can be similarly abused: A 1d6 eb at -5 OCV would actually cost
_negative_ five points, so that's right out also.  I currently use
a sort of kludge:  I use the method that saves the least of the
two above, but that places an upper limit the amount of OCV minused,
and really doesn't affect large powers.  Besides, it doesn't fit
within the normal rules well at all...


I'm pretty certain neither of these problems are dealt with in the
rules (I don't have any AC issues, so I might be wrong).  Anyone got 
any ideas?


Nok

////HERO System Munchkin Public Service Message////

Travel time getting you down?
Wanna buy teleport, but the cost is too restrictive?
Well, Never Fear!  Just buy

Teleport, Based on ECV!

Now, you can go anywhere within line of sight, and
range modifiers don't slow you down!  Add in X-ray 
vision, and there's nowhere you can't go...

////This Public Service Message was brought to you
by concerned citizens worried that HERO system is
just too damn fair////



Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: johnston@heart.enet.dec.com ()
Subject: Re: RQ: Rune Masters and Metals
Keywords: RQ, metals
Reply-To: johnston@heart.enet.dec.com ()
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 08:15:49 GMT

>As a completely separate issue, while I've been reading _Elder Secrets_, there
>have been a few references to Falagian Diamonds, but no description of what
>they are or what they do. Can anyone enlighten me? Does anyone know?

Are'nt they used as some kind of currency by the dwarves ?   I also read
somewhere (in the rumours page of an issue of 'Tales Of The Reaching
Moon' I think) that Falagian diamonds all over Glorantha had suddenly
become worthless.  No one seems to know why..
From: mancinis@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (steven mancini)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: FASA group (was Re: rec.games.frp.srun)
Date: 13 Sep 92 01:23:36 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center

In article <12SEP199215383924@rosie.uh.edu> lib1p@rosie.uh.edu (Tammy Stark Blandino) writes:
>Well Brian, while I appreciate you sentiment, I don't think
>that would work.  Shadowruna and Battletech are two very
>different games.  Walter and I love Battletech but we hate
>Shadowrun.  Just cause FASA put both out .....
>
	Wow, what a coincidence! We like Shadowrun but can't stand 
	Battletech!
 
>Well, it might work.  Actually I was thinking about doing a
>group that had both elements of board gaming and role-playing
>and maybe even designing.  The would include Battletech/Mechwarrior,
>Warhammer/Warhammer 40K, and possibly Car Wars.  I'm sure there
>are others out there that fit that mold.  (Does renegade legion
>fit this.  I've never played, but Walter played the computer
>version and it lets you design ships.  Does the roleplaying
>version do that also?)
>
>What does this board have in the way of opinions on that?
>
	It doesn't sound like a bad idea to limit the newsgroup. This
	way I can eliminate all the D&D, Gammaworld, etc. and just put
	Battletech in my KILL file...


-- 

+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Steve Mancini (a.k.a. The Minotaur) | mancinis@mentor.cc.purdue.edu   |
|    Grad Student {Dazed & Confused}  | mancinis@vm.cc.purdue.edu       |
From: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Werewolf
Date: 6 Sep 92 13:54:47 GMT
	<4SEP199209083732@utkvx3.utk.edu>
Reply-To: ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu
Organization: 3WA, Boston Office. Or Nu Meta Chi. Take your pick.
In-reply-to: nemo@utkvx3.utk.edu's message of 4 Sep 92 14:08:00 GMT
X-Get-A-Clue: Have two, they're small.
X-Signature-Virus-Protection: Version 1.51
X-Posting-Software: GNUS 3.14.1 [ NNTP-based News Reader for GNU Emacs ]

>>>>> "CN" == Captain Nemo <nemo@utkvx3.utk.edu> writes:

KJ> Do lupine physicly enter the Umbra?

CN> According to WW, they *do* enter the Umbra physically, or at least did
CN> during playtesting "Rite of Passage".  When my Theurge stepped sideways
CN> to battle a spirit (not TOO much of a spoiler...), the rest of the pack
CN> was told I was utterly gone, leaving the reflective surface/mirror
CN> behind.  The Umbra can be an interesting method of transportation, to
CN> say the least, for those Garou with the Gnosis and plenty of reflective
CN> surfaces to use it, especially if you don't want to travel overland for
CN> whatever reason....

Then I agree with Thenomain; WW should have made this fact *much* clearer.
This is too important an ability to have left ambiguous.

--Rat

||||| | | | |  |  |  |   |   |    |    |    |   |   |  |  |  |  | | | | | |||||
                                                   __        ___ 
Richard Pieri, Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat/   | /| / /   | The Worlds
Internet: ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu   /__  |/ |/ / /| | Welfare Works
    UUCP: ...!northeastern.edu!meceng!ratinox  /   | /| / / / | | Association:
  BITNET: UA_RLP@NUHUB{.BITNET}               /__  |/ |/ / /  | | I will solve
  USNail: 14 Westdale RD  Holbrook, MA 02343 /   | /| / / /___| | any problem
 ICBMnet: 42 deg 1 min N, 71 deg 0 min W    /    |/ |/ /_//_____| for you.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: quirk@pioneer.unm.edu (Gym Z. Quirk)
Subject: Re: Gaming boards
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 92 02:28:34 GMT
Organization: Nit-Pickers for a Better Tomorow Afternoon

In article <peters.716349100@physics.ubc.ca> peters@physics.ubc.ca (Dan Peters) writes:
>>>I have no rec.games.rpg on my system :-(
>
>>Don't worry, it gets very little traffic. Once every 3 weeks or so, someone
>>makes a short post saying something to the effect of "hello, is anyone there?",
>>and that's about it. You're not missing anything.
>
>Oops. Just as I was writing this stuff above, a real rpg-related post appeared
>on rec.games.rpg . I've never seen this happen before....

[In a tone that indicates this is a very old topic.]

Rec.games.rpg is a bogus newsgroup.  It was not created according the
the guidelines and should have been rmgrouped long ago.  The fact that
some sites still cary it is only due to the lazyness/inattention of
local newsadmins.

"But there are posts there!  It can't be bougs!" I hear some of you
cry.

This is because some newsadmins have decided to alias r.g.rpg to
r.g.frp (or r.g.frp.misc).  IMO, this practice only breeds confusion.


>Drin

-- 
Capt. Gym Z. Quirk  (Known to some as Taki Kogoma)  quirk@pioneer.unm.edu
 I'll get a life when someone demonstrates that it would be superior to
                          what I have now...
From: bw404@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (James Davis)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Looking for "women's" rpg.
Date: 9 Sep 1992 04:36:47 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


Although I'm sure many woman start gaming under another female
ref, from what I have seen most do not.  In most groups, it
seems, there is but one woman playing at any given time.  In
my group, I'm fortuate enough to be blessed with plenty of
both genders.  Depending on attendance, women can outnumber
men or vice versa.  And all the women but one started under
a male GM.

As to actually gaiming with female players present, I too have
found that when they are alone often they play differently
than when they are in the presence of other women.  I would
say about half to a third are that way.  

But most important to me, I try to deal with the personal
needs of each player.  This means learning them, not guessing
that since the player is female she would probably like the
following.  Every player is an indifvidual.  I've seen women
who liked dungeon romps, and men who hated them.  Although
the list of things that women players would like is in 
general grue(oops), er, true, never forget that women are
as much individuals as men.  And then Gming becomes easy.
Don't be afraid to directly ask all your players, men and
woman, what they want.

As a player, I don't like long or meaningless combats.  I
like to create a character with a unique feature and develop
it.  I *love* interpersonal relationshipes.  I like to work
on the non-adventure time of the character, and feel that
this is important.

These might seem 'female' but just illustrate that every gamer
has his or her own list of things they are looking for in a
game.  Although generalizations can help, nothing beats going
and finding out on an individual basis.  This is what my point
is: that generalizations about women gamers, no matter how
true, are simply not as good as checking out each and every
gameer you play with on a n individual basis.

And before I learned this, I made lots of mistakes with both
male and fela(oops), er, female gamers.  Now one of my pplay
ers (Cathy) chides me with the fact that my game has efhdei
become o(darn) popular.

-james
333
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: grendel@uhuru.uchicago.edu (Cliff Winnig)
Subject: Re: Amber Questions
Keywords: Eric Wujcik
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 21:23:28 GMT

Tim Dunn writes:
> I deviate from the book in two areas: I assign experience fairly often
> (the book made it sound like Wujcik gave it out on only a yearly basis)

I heard Wujcik speak at Gen Con and he *does* only give experience once
a year -- or less.  That's just the way he is.  He was talking about a
non-Amber game where last gave out experience about three years ago.

He said he also left things in the rules (like increasing rank past first)  
deliberately vague and self-contradictory, so that players would never know  
quite how GMs had decided to run things....
--
Cliff "I spend too much time playing Amber" Winnig   aka Mordred of Chaos,
cliff@uchicago.edu				       King in Amber
or, for mail with NeXT attachments,                  aka Amanda of Amber
grendel@uhuru.uchicago.edu                           aka Arthur of Amber
From: neale@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Neale Davidson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Sexism, Racism, and the American-English Language
Date: 11 Sep 92 16:26:01 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center


Has is occured to anyone that the term 'womyn' is several times more
sexist than the term 'woman'? I mean, when a person sees or says
'woman', he/she/it doesn't even consider the sexual ramifications. How
can someone (ah! A true neutral!) not consider the ramifications when
using 'womyn.'

That goes for any change to the languge which includes sexism, racism,
and any other isms floating about. Reverse racism (the kettle calling the
pot white) is still racism.

Now, to return this thread... I just saw an ad for LA Riots game. There
were two divisions, 'Darks' and 'Yellows' (figure that out for yourself)
and had 'The Man' somewhere above, ignoring it all. Pretty bloody racist,
if you ask me, and yet no one seems to be even thinking about it. Why?
Beacause the people who made it aren't WASPs.


-- 

"Our crew's living quarters have left the ship."
			- Secundam Yto aboard the IRON CLAW II
Neale Davidson, another writer wanna-be. neale@mentor.cc.purdue.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc