HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: cwatters@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Coyt D Watters)
Subject: Re: Campaign: what for a thief to do?
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 14:05:56 GMT

When I played a thief (back when I *played* (not GMed), ADND was "NEW"), my
favorite missions for the Brotherhood (i.e. thieve's guild) were when the
we were trying to remove a rival group from the area.

I'd be given an item (of some value) and told to sneak it *IN*, usually to 
one of the rival group's member's house/apartment, etc. and hide it in an
"appropriate" place.  Sometimes this had to take place while the place was
full of folks.  The most fun was crashing a "mummers' ball" and planting items
while a full-blown party was going on.

We'd then tip the constabulary, who'd do us a favor by searching (no warrants,
of course) the rival's quarters.

This went on for quite a while (I'm fond of Urban adventures myself, though
my current crop of players want to be orc-bashers (for now at least)) and we
were really causing a lot of problems for our rivals.

Of course, waking up to the sound of the door being broken in, and seeing 
something my character did *not* steal sitting on the dressing-table
right across the room (and no windows of which to toss it out) was a little
shocking, especially when the constables found my bundle from the previous
night's endeavors.  I wonder how they knew where to look B^).

-Coyt
From:  (Spike)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SJ Games Licenses White Wolf's Vampire
Date: 16 Nov 92 21:14:49 GMT
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Organization: GE Power Generation

In article <g_jqfj=@lynx.unm.edu>, kbos@carina.unm.edu (Kurt "Some Guy"
Bose) wrote:
> 
> In article <1992Nov16.004635.24540@snow.geology.wisc.edu> drew@snow.geology.wisc.edu (Drew Novick) writes:

[Tons of stuff deleted - as Ren would say, "Read it yourself!]

> Kurt Bose (as in Daisy, not Rose) * kbos@carina.unm.edu * Make outs, not walks!
> TONIGHT-In "Ryecatcher", Holden Caulfield foils a plot to turn his old prep
> school into a right-wing military acadamy run by Neo-Nazis. 8PM(7PM C/M) Ch. 7
>                                                         -The Book of Sequels...

Kurt, I swear, every single gripe you wrote said "will they do this?" 
"What if that?"
Why worry about stuff that hasn't even happened yet? Wm. of Ockham must
be spinning in his grave . . .

Spike
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: cwatters@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Coyt D Watters)
Subject: Re: Testing, please ignore
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 14:13:30 GMT

In article <1992Nov17.091117.20212@ousrvr.oulu.fi> sn@phoenix.oulu.fi (Sami Nieminen) writes:
>
>This is a test.

This is a test of the emergency Flamewar system....

     booooooooooooooooooo (60 seconds) oooooooooooooop

This was a test of the emergency flamewar system, the UseNetters in community,
and on an international scale do not cooperate with local, state, and federal
officials in bringing you this test.  Had this been an actual flamewar, you 
would have been instructed which part of your anatomy to insert into another,
probably such that the latter was not supposed to hold the former.

This was only a test.


Ignore a test?  Not if you ever want to graduate! B^)

Hey Tim!  What do you think this one's up to?  Not an anonymous posting.

-Coyt (Who thinks a nice, hot buttered Nyquil(tm) would be good right now)

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: markg@engrg.uwo.ca (Mark Gagnon)
Subject: Re: RQ: Divine intervention
Organization: University of Western Ontario, London
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 04:31:39 GMT

I've been running RQ3 for about 3 years (off and on) and I've only
had ONE character roll a successful DI. A Stormbull Initiate.
I thought it would be far more appropriate for the DI to cancel
the effects of the spell effect placed on the character (Harmony,
as cast by a Jack o' Bear... very nasty...) and to give the 
character spell benefits which were appropriate to the god, in this
case, Stormbull. The spell effects in question came from the Gods
of Glorantha supplement: Berserk (on the SB initiate) and Impede
Chaos (on the Jo'Bear).

Would it be appropriate for the character in question to receive
Divine Magic after the fact? The character lost 12 POW for his trouble
and to avoid some pretty serious abuse I allowed him to receive the
balance of the POW not spent on the combat in Divine Magic, again
appropriate to the cult.

Comments? Criticism? Snide Remarks?

-- 
Mark Gagnon (markg@prism.engrg.uwo.ca)  University of Western Ontario
=====================================================================
              Great Wits are sure to Madness near ally's 
              And thin Partitions do their Bounds divide
From: corleyj@helium.gas.uug.arizona.edu (Jason D Corley )
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: vampires, vampires, VAMPIRES !!!
Date: 16 Nov 92 19:16:17 GMT
Organization: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

In article <1992Nov16.121544.15113@schbbs.mot.com> TUK865@maccvm.corp.mot.com (Stephen Gill) writes:
>Silly one:
>
>Are there any games left that don't have Vampires in them ?
>
>

There are no vampires in Alpha Complex, citizen.  Thank you for
your cooperation.  Have a nice day.  At your service, citizen
Drac-R-LAA-6.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: a481@mindlink.bc.ca (J.D. Frazer)
Subject: Re: Rolemaster Physics
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 03:50:04 GMT

> jasonr@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Jason F Ralph) writes:
> Physics is a science and should therefore be confined to obscure places
> of little or no interest.

Speak for yourself, pal. Science can be utterly fascinating. Additionally,
a decent understanding of science is critical if you want to run a
realistic SF rpg.

> Remember gaming isn't 'real' and doesn't therefore have to conform to
> anyones preconceived ideas about reality... and that's magic!

If you want to run a universe that is consistent, you must! must! must!
have a consistent set of laws. If consistency means little to you or your
gaming group then sure, throw caution to the winds.

I prefer my game worlds to be well thought-out and consistent. Magic is, to
me, simply another aspect of matter->energy->thought and therefore follows
several well established laws of nature. You needn't do this as well, but
I've discovered how useful it is to be consistent. See, the PCs have to
follow these laws too.

In response to your first comment included at the beginning of this
message, I say that because physics is a science (and perhaps our most
important one), it should be appreciated as the useful tool for gaming that
it is.

Followups to .advocacy, of course.

--
J.D. Frazer, a481@mindlink.bc.ca, (Vancouver, B.C., Canada)
-----------------------------------------------------------
*BRRRRAPPAPPAPPAPPAPPAPPAPPAPP!*
"MEIN LEBEN!" <thud>
"You shoulda thought about that when you signed up, buddy." - Valaria
From: kait@vax1.mankato.msus.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Srun 2: Vampires
Date: 16 Nov 92 23:56:51 GMT
Organization: Mankato State University

In article <168A0F82C.MHART00@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>, mason writes:
> Vampires in Shadowrun are the victims of an Awakened virus, which
> affects its victims magically as well as biologically.  They are
> difficult to detect, and register as mundane to most medical
> examinations (there are a few blood tests that will reveal the
> presence of the vampiric virus).
>  
> So question:  Can a vampire have children, and would those children
> be vampires?  (I have my own opinions, but am interested in those
> of the board).

Good question. The thing is is the virus simply endowing the 'host' with
additional abilities or is it a virus animating a dead body?
        if its the first choice, then yes the vampire can reproduce. AND there
is a chance that any children can get the virus and simularly be endowed.
        On the other hand, if the virus is 'simply' animating a corpse that
believes itself to be the original individual, then it can't possibly
reproduce.
        All in all, a good question....
                                                Th Anderson
>  
>  
> -- mason
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (RedSwordTarga)
Subject: Re: Vampire and GURPS
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 22:50:21 GMT
Keywords: Vampire, GURPS, stereotypes

durrant@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (unknown) writes:


>	In response to your previous post--I never said that the Storyteller
>system was "a better RPG" than GURPS.

Oh, I think you did. Your statement that "If you haven't played Vampire: The
Masquerade, all you've done is roll the dice." is pretty much a blatant
statement of your game's alleged superiority. Well, that's all fine and good,
since that's what rec.games.frp.advocacy is about, but don't lie to yourself
about what you are saying.

>I was merely trying to explain why
>I didn't feel the claim of stereotyping in Vampire--including your claims--
>were valid--they just seemed to be related to a basic anal-retentive need to
>have *every* possible situation covered by the rules.  (This seems to be a traitfound in most Hero system gamers)  I don't know.  Freud claimed due to a lack oforal stimulation as a child.

Well, Christine, you seem to fall into that category of Vampire gamer who
thinks that V:TM is the greatest thing since sliced bread, has no faults,
and that anyone who doesn't play it or like it is an immature, non-roleplaying
anal-retentive type. This type of Vampire gamer seems to eventually break
into a fit of name-calling and mud-slinging when their precious game 
system gets insulted. Let's be real. Vampire, in terms of game mechanics,
is ill-designed, with a disfunctional combat system, statistics that
can only be adjusted in gross amounts, and a character generation sytem
that enforces the game companie's view of vampire behavior with no
allowance for individual vision, unless you totally redesign the 
game using a system that works.  

Axly

********************************************************************************
*   Axly      *  "Is Axly tough? Yes. Talented? Yes. Brave? Oh, certainly.     *
* Red Sword   *   He is also erratic, irresponsible, accident-prone, and a     *
*   Targa     *   constant threat to public safety. The trick is to keep him   *
*             *   pointed in the right direction. "                            *
*             *         -Niki                                                  *
********************************************************************************

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: kait@vax1.mankato.msus.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Srun 2: Unarmed Combat
Date: 15 Nov 92 13:09:45 GMT
Article-I.D.: vax1.1992Nov15.190945.2456
Organization: Mankato State University

In article <168A014AB.MHART00@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>, mason writes:
> Question:  What's the difference between the Unarmed Combat
> general skill and the Martial Arts concentration thereof?

In our campiegn we are using martial arts as a specific set of menuevers [for
which you use the concentration level skill], while unarmed com covers just
that, combat not using 'removable' weaponry, be that spurs, razors or even
brass knuckles.
>  
> Next Question:  What does the Martial Arts concentration
> cover that the specific style specialization does not?
>             
Unarmed specializations cover specific manuevers [fist strike, kicks, blockes,
etc] while the concentration is a broad catagory of manuevers...

example: Patch has unarmed combat of 4, concentration in Tai Kwon Do at 6 and
Kicks at 8.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: carl@gergo.tamu.edu (Carl D. Perkins)
Subject: Re: Srun 2: Vampires
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: Geochemical and Environmental Research Group - TAMU
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 06:59:00 GMT

In article <1992Nov18.191002.12702@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca>, flindholm@mta.ca writes...
> My first comment is that the virus does not turn people into "living,
>breathing,  eating, drinking" vampires. In Shadowrun vampires are not
>alive like people are. They are alive because the virus kept them that 
>way when they shuold have died of essance lose. They don't breathe and
>can't drown, they can only go into a torpor under water. Finaly it says
>right under the vampire description in the monster section that vampires
>throw up within the hour if they eat food. Alcohol makes them spew in a 
>couple minutes.
>    On the good side, they can always be the designated driver.
> 
>                 Cyrus

I disagree. In SR you should forget everything you think you know about
Vampires as, in SR, they are simply parnormal beings who are, obviously,
alive. A vampire is not made by draining all the essence out of a human
(or a S. Sam. who goes too far would become one) but is a human who is
infected with HMHVV. Any human who is infected (and does not successfully
fight the infection) will become a vampire - no essence loss is needed.
Vampires do breath as well - any time they can's (such as when they are
under water) they enter into the torpor state. If you put one in an airtight
room they will also go into a torpor when the oxygen runs out. This has 
nothing to do with them being alive or not - the virus is magically active
an sustains the body magically when there is no oxygen for it to use, but
it does so very inefficiently. This is simmilar to a Juggernaut's ability
to use anarobic processes, but the Juggernaut does so with much greater
efficiency. Vampires throw up food because they cannot handle solid food,
that's why they drink blood. With the tech level in SR it is quight likely
that a Vampire could survive drinking nutritional supplements available in
any health-food store, or could if it weren't for the essence loss problem,
anyway.

Speaking of essence loss, anyone else notice that the Dzoo-Noo-Qua doesn't
have it? Just one of the reasons why I don't beleive they are Trolls
with HMHVV (I have them as having soemthing else, like maybe the same virus
that the Bandersnatch has, or the Loup Garou).

--- Carl
From: millerl@wharton.upenn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Converting a book into a world
Date: 18 Nov 92 02:59:49 GMT
Organization: Newt World Order

In article <1992Nov17.222854.28162@Veritas.COM>, joshua@Veritas.COM (Joshua Levy) writes:
> When I finish, I'll write up a few pages of world overview, and then 
> translate all the things which I'll need.  Then I'll reread the book 
> to look for things I've missed, and make sure that my translations 
> are not contradicted by things in the book.

One thing you may want to do is determine the mood of the book. See if
you can find the mood or underlying theme of the book. Then ask yourself
if there are any mechanics that would emphasize that mood, or if there
are any mechanics in your game that would go against that mood. After
thinking about this you'll have a guide to how to GM the game in that
world. You'll know some house rules to add, and some official rules to
get rid of. Genre is mood, so you have to get the mood right to use the
book as a genre. That's all I have to say on this, since I haven't
really done what you're trying to do, but I have translated my own
settings into game ideas, and that's what I needed to do to make it
work.

-- 
whoah,
+++++++++++++++++++++++23
Loren Miller                           internet: MILLERL@wharton.upenn.edu
Mediocrity is a hand rail.                         -- Baron de Montesquieu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: pmwg1641@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Peter M. White)
Subject: Re: Role Master Physics question
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 18:24:32 GMT

In article <2444@cix.cict.fr> maillet@tls-cs.cert.fr (Luc Maillet) writes:
>
>  Oh. And how, pray tell, do you "model" magic, which is essentially non-
>reality? I believe magic screws up most of the physical laws as we know them,
>and replaces them with a "variable set" of laws. So if a physical law is
>defied by magic, the magic ALWAYS wins ( as long as it is active, of
>course ). RM implies that in spell descriptions ( "when the spell duration
>ends, the object is again subject to physical laws..." says it all ).
>
>  Physics also tend to prevent such things as Giants, and that is trouble for
>many fantasy worlds...

That is one view of magic.  I am unfamiliar with RM so I cannot comment on
its appropiateness, but it is similar to my experience with AD&D where
all magical effects are quite arbitrarily formulated.

However, there is another point of view.  Magic is not a *violation* of
physical laws, rather it supplements them with *additional* laws.
Basically, this means more tools are available for the same everyday
(or noneveryday) problems.  Where magic is not being applied, the same
old physical laws work.  By an Okem's Razor point of view, *typically*
any magical effect should minimally distort our mundane expectation
of the results.  The physical laws are *not* distorted so much as no
longer complete desciptions.

Giants are impossible by the present, real-world extrapolations of
strength vs. mass.  What if Giants are magical?  That is the SR solution
for Dragons.  These creatures are intrisically seething with magic;
is it any surprise that they use it to aid their (relatively) weak
little wings carry themselves aloft naturally?

--Peter
______________________________________________________________________________
						|
     "Guards!  Let me draw their fire!"		|	p-white@uiuc.edu
		   --Scapegoat,_Marshal Law_	|
______________________________________________________________________________

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: flindholm@mta.ca
Subject: Re: Srun 2: Vampires
Reply-To: flindholm@mta.ca
Organization: Mount Allison U, Sackville, N.B. Canada 
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 18:53:03 GMT

In article <1992Nov16.175651.2463@vax1.mankato.msus.edu>, kait@vax1.mankato.msus.edu writes:
>In article <168A0F82C.MHART00@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>, mason writes:
>>  
>> So question:  Can a vampire have children, and would those children
>> be vampires?  (I have my own opinions, but am interested in those
>> of the board).
>
>Good question. The thing is is the virus simply endowing the 'host' with
>additional abilities or is it a virus animating a dead body?
>        if its the first choice, then yes the vampire can reproduce. AND there
>is a chance that any children can get the virus and simularly be endowed.
>        On the other hand, if the virus is 'simply' animating a corpse that
>believes itself to be the original individual, then it can't possibly
>reproduce.
>        All in all, a good question....
>                                                The Anderson

    I think the second of your two ideas is the right one. Vampires are only
formed after a vampire has killed a person by draining all of his essance.
If you don't get drained all the way you don't become a vampire, you just
have less essance.
                      Cyrus
From: sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: ERRATA: GURPS Bunnies & Burrows
Date: 16 Nov 92 21:21:14 GMT
Article-I.D.: oz.1992Nov16.212114.12422
		<BxtLuB.L12@nic.umass.edu>
Reply-To: sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan)
Organization: Plymouth State College - Plymouth, N.H.

dunkelza@titan.ucc.umass.edu (KEITH C MCCORMIC) writes:
>
>    Did someone point it out at Contrary?  

["It" referring to the errata I posted.]  No, I've known about it since
before GenCon, actually.  Just slow in getting around to posting it.

>Did anyone play
>in SOS's GURPS B&B event?  How was it?  

Six people played in each of the two B&B games; they seemed to enjoy it
very much.  The dealer brought eight copies of the book to the con, all
of which sold.  I autographed over half of them, all from people who
had played in one of the games, so that's a good sign.

I've run B&B at cons for six years now, and it is consistently the most
praised genre I run as being a very fun game.

>How did Mr. O'Sullivan like it?

Just Steffan, please.  I was actually ill, so was a bit groggy, but had
as good a time as I could have given that scenario.  All the players
were excellent roleplayers.

-- 
  - Steffan O'Sullivan		         sos@oz.plymouth.edu
From: mjung@math.TU-Berlin.DE (Michael Jung)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: net.book.riddles
Date: 20 Nov 92 10:26:05
Organization: FB3, TU-Berlin, Germany.
NNTP-Posting-Host: stokes.math.tu-berlin.de

I've been trying to email to mark@trillian.jsc.gov but have
gotten an unavailability reply from the postmaster. What is
the new adress or why was he not reachable and is he now?

Thanks,
	Michael


Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: burdickd@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Dakin Burdick)
Subject: Re: Armor vs. Martial artists (was Re: GURPS: Armor / Martial-Arts / Guts / Glory)
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1992 22:43:43 GMT

One of the previous posters already mentioned that wrestling was
known by western knights.  If you look at German medieval wrestling
manuals, you will see that they include jointlocks in armor, knee
kicks, kicking the opponent's weapon out of his hand, sacrifice
throws ala Judo, etc.  The idea of a guy in a gi going against a 
knight is ludicrous.  The "monk" (I won't even go into this one!)
will grab a stick to protect himself against that bloody great sword.
And if you take a martial artist and stick him in armor and give
him a similar sword, he'll do a whole lot better.

Dakin
burdickd@silver.ucs.indiana.edu
From: pcunningham@desire.wright.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: More about generating chars during play...
Date: 16 Nov 92 07:28:37 EST
Organization:  Wright State University 

A neat idea my GM came up with a while back was starting us off as
kids.  Our group is naturally role-playing-heavy (as opposed to combat-
heavy) so we loved the idea.  We were considered 0-level characters,
no classes, statistics, etc. and the adventures were more-or-less just
stories with us as characters and the GM was just winging the rules
(which was entirely fine by us; we think more rules equals less fun).

Anyway, the first night of play, we were around 12 years old.  We role-
played our "gathering" and introductions and all of that.  Then the next
night we played, the GM had prepared a summary of what had happened for
a year, and we played 13-year-olds (or so).  After another night or two,
we were "aged" up to 1st-level and began our normal characters, stats and
all.

The advantage of all of this is that personalities grew out of our "early
years."  My character stumbled into a cave that had a huge spider in it.
The other characters had to drag me out 'cause I went numb with fear.  From
then on I developed a steady fear (and respect, sort of) of spiders.  Also,
my girlfriend's character witnessed some killing that was pretty graphic
and her character became a pacifist (it was scary--she might've become 
demented by the sight of such gruesome death!).  But anyway,  I thought it
was a neat idea and it certainly helped flesh out the characters.


PJ Cunningham
+------------+
| Hitchhiker |
+------------+
pcunningham@desire.wright.edu
Cthulhu loathes you!


Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc