HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: thpr_ss@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Thomas Parker)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: How is Stormbringer?
Date: 20 Dec 92 23:55:28 GMT
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York

In <1992Dec20.043655.14912@netcom.com> jgrace@netcom.com (Joseph Grace) writes:

>Does anybody play Stormbringer?  Any comments?

>Thanks,

>= Joe =

Awesome game.
Unfortunately, if you like a mage type, then you're in trouble.
There is no such thing as magic per se, the only thing there is
is the summoning of demons and elementals.  This can only be done by a select
few.  (High intelligence and willpower.)
Then you can "bind" these to weapons to make them "magical"
there are also other possibilities.

I haven't had a chance to play it since I arrived at school :(
but I've heard from our GM that the supplements that they are producing
for it are great.  Especially Sorcerers of Pan-Tang.

I can tell you more later if you wish

Tom Parker
thpr_ss@uhura.cc.rochester.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: hall@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (Robert J. Hall)
Subject: Re: T$R Newest "Product"
Organization: Boeing
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 01:06:46 GMT

cadams@afterlife.ncsc.mil (Arthur C. Adams) writes:
 > A Hardbound version of the 1993 Catalog.

Groan. How does this company stay in business? (They'll probably sell 100,000
copies as well... :-(

BTW, didn't some British miniatures company (Citadel?) start this trend by
selling their hardbound catalog of miniatures?

-- 
 Bob Hall                   |  if [ -bs message ]; then
 Boeing Computer Services   |      mv message /compost/heap/$$
 root@chicken.ca.boeing.com |  fi
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: cctr128@cantua.canterbury.ac.nz (Mr K Osborn)
Subject: Re: RQ: First Aid
Organization: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 21:17:50 GMT

millerl@wharton.upenn.edu wrote:
: Between RQ2 and RQ3 characters became capable of healing damage with
: First Aid skill rolls, and I for one think that alters campaign feel in
: undesirable ways. As the RQ4 rules propose to essentially double

[ stuff deleted about re-write of First Aid skill ]

: Comments?

Yes, I like it.  The idea of actually healing a wound with a skill roll is
rather silly IMO, although from a players point of view it is rather good
( not realistic, but nice ).

I'd also perhaps allow a first aid roll (a successful one) to increase the
healing rate given proper rest and care in a sanitary environment.

: -- 
: whoah,
: +++++++++++++++++++++++23
: Loren Miller                           internet: MILLERL@wharton.upenn.edu
: Mediocrity is a hand rail.                         -- Baron de Montesquieu

Be seeing you,
Kelwyn.
_________

He said that's alright babe,
I love you too.
But we were Tangled Up In Blue.
       - Bob Dylan
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: hnguyen%peruvian.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Hung Nguyen)
Subject: Re: Palladium RPG comments
Date: 11 Dec 92 17:38:40 MST
Organization: University of Utah

In article <1992Dec10.135845.1930@ugle.unit.no>, leifmk@Lise.Unit.NO (Leif Magnar Kj|nn|y) writes:
|> In article <1992Dec9.161425.2688@hellgate.utah.edu>, hnguyen%peruvian.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Hung Nguyen) writes:
|>  > In article <1992Dec9.125711.12462@news.uiowa.edu>, durrell@pinball.arcade.uiowa.edu (Bryant Durrell) writes:
|>  > |> In article <1992Dec8.220503.4073@hellgate.utah.edu> hnguyen%peruvian.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Hung Nguyen) writes:
|>  > |> 
|>  > |> [ an example of a GURPS character with a 21 rifle skill being unrealistic ]

|> Uhm....I didn't see the original post about the character with a Rifle skill of 
|> 21, but there is something that hasn't been mentioned so far.  When firing at 
|> a target beyond the "half-damage" range, the 3rd edition GURPS rulebook states 
|> that the Accuracy modifier of the weapon you're using no longer counts.  That is,
|> Accuracy only helps to hit targets WITHIN the half-damage range.  The rationali-
|> zation is that random factors (such as wind, air pressure, bloody butterfly effect
|> for all I know) negate the inherent accuracy of the weapon once the range gets too
|> long.  Now, I don't have the book with me here, but anyway, once you try firing at
|> something really far away, you get a huge penalty for range.  So even with a skill
|> of 21 you will have a real problem trying to hit something beyond half-damage 
|> range.  
|> 

This is all true, but the half damage range for a M21 in GURPS is 1000 yards.
So if the target is 1000 yards then it still in range because it is not beyond
the half damage range.  If you say the 1000 yards is where you start getting half
damage, which it does not say in the rule, I just say the range was 999 yards.
Even reducing the range to 999 yards, the shot is still unrealistic.

 - Hung Nguyen -
From: nds@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Neil Stevenson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: ARS MAGICA
Date: 15 Dec 92 16:12:09 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh

About a week or two ago I asked for ftp sites for ARS MAGICA. I got the address of
the site from quite a lot of people, thanks. I cannot however login in to it as I do
not know the guest password I have tried , Login: guest ,Password: guest, but it does
not work. Can anyone help ?

Thanks in advance


P.S. Main character "oryp" (House Of Flambeau)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: jmkaraka@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN MARTIN KARAKASH)
Subject: Re: This Quirks thing
Originator: jmkaraka@c00172-100lez.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: jmkaraka@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN MARTIN KARAKASH)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 23:47:32 GMT


|>> >Again: how do you roleplay that? It's a passive physical thing.
|>> >I can't see it as a quirk.
|>> >
|>> 
|>> Have an opponent grab his ponytail in combat a couple of times.
|>> Not every session, or even every other session, but whenever it
|>> seems appropriate.
|>> 
|>When I wrote Jigsaw Incomplete, I originally gave
|>O-Mishu, the yakuza Oyabun, the quirk "Has a 
|>large dragon tattooed on her back." Jeff and Steve
|>said "uh-uh, no way."
|>
	Hairstyles can be changed on a semi-frequent basis (daily
in some cases).  A large tattoo is basically a permanent part of
your body, not a matter of whim.  So I can see how a ponytail
MAY be considered a quirk (if in an inappropriate situation) while
I would also rule against the tattoo.

	-john-
From: CX6L@MUSICA.MCGILL.CA (CX6L)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: GURPS 1/8 and 1/4 Points, & high defaults
Date: 14 Dec 92 17:39:51 GMT
Organization: McGill University

>kerr@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Shane Kerr) writes:

>>Just a quick GURPS question:
>> For characters with Eidetic Memory, should 1/8 and 1/4 points
>>be allowed for use on skills?

Ackk! No way. I round all costs to the nearest full point
(even those weird Supers percentages) except for skills,
where I allow (grudgingly) half-points. Back in the days
of 1st edition GURPS, only Easy skills allowed a 1/2-point
to be spent, I seem to recall. When it was allowed for all
skills, you should have heard the furor it generated! I do
not think you'll find much support for 1/4 and 1/8 point
skills.

>> Can skills be bought up from high stats just like defaults off
>>of other skills.

This is absolutely necessary for realism's sake. For example, a
ST 20 Ogre has a ST-5 default to Climbing, Swimming, Leadership
and Intimidation. This gives him 15's in all of the above. At DX
8 and IQ 7, he'd have to spend almost 125 points to have the
skills at these levels, and *more* to improve them! Since all of
these skills are believable for an Ogre, this would be patently
unfair. Mind you, at DX+7, Climbing will be 8 points/level to
improve, right off the bat!

     An example in my own game: a necromancer PC has IQ 18, and
DX 12. One day, she realizes that her Stealth default from IQ-5
is 13, while if she spent the 2 points she was planning to on
Stealth, she'd get it at only 12, based off DX. I quickly allowed
her to buy it up from IQ-5 instead, meaning she had an *effective*
4 points in Stealth already!

     A related aside: one thing I have found makes this more
fun (and, I think, realistically shows what buying skills this
way means) is for the GM to base his dramatic descriptions of
what skill use looks like on the source of the skill. For
example, Lord Snotworthy is a mewling ST 9, IQ 15 poisoner of
poor character. Og is a monstrous Ogre. Both have Intimidation
at 15 -- Snotty from his IQ, Og from his ST. When Lord Snotty
Intimidates you, he recalls his past exploits, waves his rapier
(coated in dripping poison) and suggests you do what he says or
you'll end up in his dungeon. Og, on the other hand, says "OG
SMASH LITTLE MAN!" and puts his fist in the wall. As a GM, I
like to have PCs roll against ST-based Intimidation sometimes
when they aren't even thinking about it: Ogres are "passively"
scary, never mind when they make an effort! This "involuntary
use" offsets the point cost break for having such a high default.
     I use a similar tactic with the IQ 18 mage: she is generally
not trusted because she comports herself in a sneaky and furtive
manner. She has her "free" 4 points of Stealth offset by a minor
social flaw, and that keeps everyone (player and balance freaks
both) happy.

-Kromm
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: phaedrus@halcyon.com (Mark Phaedrus)
Subject: Re: GURPS 1/8 and 1/4 Points, & high defaults
Organization: The 23:00 News and Mail Service
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 06:12:06 GMT

In article <Bz8H1I.B7r@csugrad.cs.vt.edu> kerr@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Shane Kerr) writes:
>Just a quick GURPS question:
>	For characters with Eidetic Memory, should 1/8 and 1/4 points
>be allowed for use on skills?  

     No.  There's no such thing as a quarter-point or an eighth-point in
GURPS; half-points is as small as things get.  A character with 60-point
Eidetic Memory gets a skill at the 2-point level for only a half-point
expenditure, but still has to spend at least that half-point.  (I wish I could
find the rule that addresses this; I can't, but I know it's addressed 
somewhere.  At one point, I was persuaded into allowing this; the character
in question got 5 points from an adventure, and immediately tried to buy 40
skills at eighth-point level.  Never again.)

>Hm.  One more quick question:
>	Can skills be bought up from high stats just like defaults off
>of other skills.  The case in point, can Sir Dudley Doowright, ST 16, 
>IQ 9, spend 2 points on his Leadership skill (MA, defaults to ST-5) to
>get it at level 12, or is he going to have to get it at level 9, based
>off of his IQ?

     I certainly don't see why not; even though the "Improving Skills with
Defaults" rules only specifically mention skill-based defaults, the logic
behind them makes just as much sense for attribute-based defaults, and
attribute-based defaults are never specifically excluded, so I'd definitely
allow them to be improved in the same way.  (Otherwise, poor Dudley would have
to spend eight points to improve the skill at all, which makes no sense
whatsoever.)
-- 
\o\ Internet: phaedrus@halcyon.com  (Seattle, WA Public Access Unix)     \o\
 \o\ "How'd you like to move a few steps down the food chain, pal?"       \o\
  \o\ If you enjoy fantasy/SF stories with transformation themes, email me \o\
   \o\ for a copy of the Transformation Stories List.                       \o\
From: maxxon@swob.nullnet.fi (Mikko Kurki-Suonio)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: GURPS: defenses
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 92 19:31:28 EEZ
Distribution: world
Organization: Sweet Oblivion

jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim) writes:

> 	Being the GURPS guru that you are - a question: in a one on one 
> combat is it a) possible, and b) standard for each combatant to always 
> retreat on his defense, then just step up to attack - so the combat see-saws 
> back and forth over three hexes? 

a) Yes it is possible

b) Why would they do that? 

Instead of attacking after a retreat defense, I'd go for a step back and
a wait maneuver. Now the other guy either has to move (losing his
attack) or go for all-out attack...

Duels can last long if skills are equal and participants are careful. 

If I wanted to end the fight fast (not always very safe), I'd either go
for all-out attack (2 attacks or attack/feint) or close combat grab and
stab (step in, grab the guy and punch him in the nose or something).



--------
maxxon@swob.nullnet.fi (Mikko Kurki-Suonio) Voice +358 0 8092681
Sweet Oblivion (+358 0 8092678, V.32bis 8N1) Official SRP Headquarters
SnailMail: Maininkitie 8A8 SF 02320 ESPOO FINLAND
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: aragorn@convex.csd.uwm.edu (Steven J.)
Subject: Winter Fantasy in Milwaukee
Originator: cwatters@top.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Organization: The Other Side of the CPU
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 21:50:57 GMT

Does anyone have the flyer for this con handy?  I'd like to get some info on
what will be going on.  I've never been to this con before.



Steve J. White
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
						   aragorn@convex.csd.uwm.edu
						     aragorn@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
From: arioch@cellar.org (Arioch)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: RPG at WCU of PA
Date: 17 Dec 92 00:58:48 GMT
Organization: The Cellar BBS and public access system

Does anyone out there attend West Chester University of Pennslvania? If 
anyone out there attends West Chester University and is interested in forming 
a RPG group on campus then e-mail me ASAP. E-mail me at arioch@cellar.org.
Hope to hear from any WCU gamers soon!

Michael A. Kaminsky (aka Arioch)
E-Mail: cellar!arioch@tredysvr.tredydev.unisys.com
        MKAMINSKY%K%WCU@isn.wcupa.edu
        (MKAMINSKY@isn.wcupa.edu)
        Michaelky@ids.net
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: jliukkon@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Juha-Matti Liukkonen)
Subject: Re: RQ: reversing skill multiplication
Organization: University of Helsinki
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 23:07:56 GMT

millerl@wharton.upenn.edu writes:

;
>Communication skills: 

>The Speak Language skills make sense to me. I'd prefer to call them
>simply "Language" skills, however, and call the read/write skills
>"Scripts" instead. This clarifies that one allows you to speak and
>understand the language, and the other allows you to recognise the
>symbols, read them as words and sentences, and write them so they make
>sense to others.

>I have a problem with having different and separate skills in RQ for
>beg, bribe, intimidate, courtesan, debate, fast talk, interrogate,
>orate, mimic, act, and bargain. I think the categories are unclear and
>there are too many skills for use in RQ. I think that a multiplicity of
>skills can work all right for GURPS or Rolemaster, but RQ characters
>generally choose from the same basically useful skills, and if I wanted
>to play GURPS or Rolemaster I wouldn't be playing RQ, which is supposed
>to have a limited number of skills.
:
>Oratory: the leadership ability, ability to lead a crowd of people to do
>what you want.
>Sociable: the general social ability, ability to get along with people
>as long as you aren't totally unfamiliar with their culture, no matter
>what they are doing, drinking, playing troll-ball, etc...
>Empathy: the ability to understand the psychology of others.

>and then a few specialist ones:

>Courtesan: self explanatory
>Merchant: the art of bargaining and paying the least possible for the
>most return.

This division seems much more practical, IMO.  One can divide these down
to the subskills required by the game style (ie.  Fast Talk, Savoir-
Faire, Using Fork With Right Hand, ...) if necessary, but these ones
Loren suggested are more in RQ spirit.  Also, these two specialist
skills are so commonly used that they should be standard issue. 

Anybody heard anything about other revisions in RQ4?
-- 
               Juha Liukkonen, aka jliukkon@cc.helsinki.fi
              University of Helsinki,  Dept. of  Lost Souls
           "Trust me, I know what I'm doing." - Sledge Hammer
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Subject: Re: FantasyHero and CyberHero
Reply-To: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 19:01:40 GMT

maillet@tls-cs.cert.fr (Luc Maillet) writes:
>akuma@netcom.com (Steven E Barnes) writes:
>|> The first problem is that most forms of hacking don't conform to 
>|> the combat metaphor.  If I use supervisor privledges to have your
>|> process deleted from a node, there won't be any neat laser beams
>|> for you to dodge.  If I have hacked into the communications
>|> network, and I am interfering with, or altering the signals between 
>|> you and your VR persona, this won't register as an attack either.
>
>  Why not ? It can, if the VR interface translates the actual action into such
>a thing. What I believe is that the VR interface translates EVERYTHING because
>it allows for much faster reactions. 

	The problem is that I don't see how faster reactions make any sort of 
difference in hacking, in the current sense of the term. Hacking is about 
spying and hiding - if the VR interface (which is just a dumb program, after 
all) can recognize you as an intruder, then you have already messed up. 
	At any rate, I also don't see a significant increase in reaction time. 
I can hit any one of a hundred or so key combinations faster than I can draw a 
gun or throw some widget. Certainly I have many instinctive reactions which 
will be faster than this, but I don't see how they are helpful. If the VR 
program is good enough to recognize an attack, and translate it into something
that I would instinctively dodge - then I think it would be more efficient for 
it to do whatever my dodge triggers on its own. Using instinctive reactions 
just screams out for manipulation: just simulate attacks well enough for the 
VR to register them, and you can confuse and occupy the user dodging. 

	VR seems fine for user-friendly programs, but for actions of analysis 
and deception like hacking, I don't see much point. You don't see anyone 
today hacking with a Macintosh, after all - which I think is a fairly good 
analogy. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Kim                    | "ALERT: /Earth is 75% full - please delete 
jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu | all extraneous people."
Columbia University         |
From: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Does anyone have an opinion on MEKTON II?
Date: 14 Dec 92 16:57:38 GMT
	<1992Dec13.160232.14744@newstand.syr.edu>
Reply-To: ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu
Organization: 3WA, Boston Office. Or Nu Meta Chi. Take your pick.
X-Posting-Software: GNUS 3.14.1 [ NNTP-based News Reader for GNU Emacs ]
X-Signature-Virus-Protection: Version 1.51
X-Get-A-Clue: Have two, they're small.

>>>>> On Sun, 13 Dec 92 16:02:32 EST, tbpho@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Lazarus
>>>>> Churchyard) said:

Lazarus> As far as RTal doing Appleseed, I'm all for it!

Too bad they won't be doing it. Palladium Books has the rights to do a
bunch of titles owned by Studio Proteus, including Appleseed and Dirty
Pair. Thppt.

But watch this space for HERO and Interlock conversions when they do
come out.

--Rat
||||| | | | |  |  |  |   |   |    |    |    |   |   |  |  |  |  | | | | | |||||
Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat          ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu
I'm the best there is at what I do.  Trouble is, what I do isn't very nice.
From: millerl@wharton.upenn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: RQ: scripts and written language
Date: 16 Dec 92 05:14:02 GMT
Organization: Newt World Order

In article <BzByzA.AMA@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney) writes:
> I'm a little rusty on the RQ learning times, but how long would it take
> someone who was trained for, say, three or more hours per day, five days
> a week, from the age of 5, to attain the "Master" level?  However, your

Not that bad, actually. Under RQ3 rules it would take about 800 hours of
training, or twice as much self study. Under these rules I'd consider
any of us masters at latin script, even though I know by experience I
read hand written manuscripts (except my own) very slowly. Also note
that US elementary school is pretty inefficient at teaching anything.
You're lucky to get a couple hours a week of actual teaching. The rest
of the time is spent socializing and trying to get out of learning.

> classifications do tend to fit within a pre-industrial paradigm.  Saint
> Augusting (or was it Thomas Aquinas?) once wrote of a marvellous scholar
> who was gifted by God with such amazing skill at reading that he could
> read a manuscript without vocalizing, moving his lips, or even tracing the 
> words with his hand!!!  The venerable Church Father considered this 
> truly miraculous.

I'm going to save this information somewhere. Thanks!

-- 
whoah,
+++++++++++++++++++++++23
Loren Miller                           internet: MILLERL@wharton.upenn.edu
Mediocrity is a hand rail.                         -- Baron de Montesquieu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: jmkaraka@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN MARTIN KARAKASH)
Subject: Re: ARS-MAGICA
Originator: jmkaraka@c00091-100lez.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: jmkaraka@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN MARTIN KARAKASH)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 04:51:19 GMT


Some notable characters from my campaign...

	Flint - obnoxiously cheerful.  The really obnoxious
thing was that he was so charismatic, he could make other people
happy too!  Bah, humbug!  Also had Wild Magic, Uncontrollable
Magic and Long Duration (I forget the exact names here.)
Anyway, he hated dressing as a mage and had gentle gift, so
to prove to gatekeeper that he was mage, he improvised a level
5 spell, Palm of Flame.  Well, he rolled 5 1's and a nine...

	Mama Jube - 400 lbs of Nubian Verditius mage.  First
project: make a flight spell that didn't require concentration!
You see, she had to ride in a cart all the way to our new
covenant, and the only one to be had was one sold
by the local garbage hauler...

	Praevalerus - Bonisagus wizard that had a real talent
for making labor-saving items or stuff that just made him more
comfortable.  The only mage that had heated water year-round,
an indoor privy, air conditioned rooms and a box that cleaned
his clothes.  When the other mages found out about all this
stuff, he looked at them in surprise and said, "You mean you
don't have this?  How do you manage!"

	The Nameless One - Flambeau Wizard that never gave his
name out.  (Rumor has it that the player hadn't thought of one,
but I digress...)  Definitely with a death wish.  Attacked a
priest (in a church with an Aura of 5) WHILE being clubbed by
the temple guards!

	The Hermit - A mage (whose name I can't remember) who
spent 30+ years in cave that had both Ignem and Vim Vis sources.
I actually watched him make all those aging rolls without a 
potions to help.  Anyway, after reaching a plateau of comprehension,
he decided to join a covenant.  He arrived in the middle of
winter with the snow melting wherever he stepped and carrying
a bag full of Vis.  Needless to say, he found the other mages
most receptive...

	-john-
From: t92etr@tdb.uu.se (Erik Trulsson)
Subject: Re: RMCVI
Organization: Dept. of Scientific Computing, Uppsala Univ.
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 14:58:02 GMT

Jason Mulligan (Jason_Mulligan@camelot.apana.org.au) wrote:
: Has anyone got Rolemaster Companion 6? What do you think of it. Are they
: going too far with all these companions.
: 
: How many out there play RM?
: 
: -Jason
: 
: -- Via DLG Pro v0.992
: 

There are some new professions,new spells.
A slightly different skill-system (not very different)
And of course the usual assortment of non-necessary optional rules :-)
It's not really wort the money.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc