HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: weeks@astroatc.UUCP (Pat Weeks)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Funny PC Stories
Date: 13 Apr 92 17:15:25 GMT
Reply-To: weeks%astroatc.UUCP@spool.cs.wisc.edu (Patrick Weeks)
Organization: Astronautics Technology Cntr, Madison, WI

Since we're in the mood for hearing funny stories here we go!

Our party had just completed the Temple of Elemental Evil(successfully) even
with viscious additions to the campaign by the DM!  We were about 10th level
or so when we infiltrated and evil keep  guarded by 4 green dragons.  We 
avoided fighting them, what do you think we are stupid!!

	We were traveling down a corridor(no one knew we were there) and we
ditched into a room when we heard guards approaching.  A very large, bery 
burly, very ugly sergeant stood up and addressed us:

Sergeant: Who are you! (As he reached for a rope hanging from the ceiling -
			an alarm for thos of you who are slow...)

Merrick(10/10 Cleric Mage - Me): Ah, hello there!  I've brought my companions
	here to begin their training to become members of your guard staff. I
	was sent by (name of the keep owner, I can't remember it now...)

Sergeant: What!

Og(2nd Ed. Barbarian 11th level): Yah!  You got bigger sword for me!

Sergeant:  No more fooling around!  Who are you or you'll all be dead(as his
	hands tighten around the rope)
Merrick(walking up...):  Your absolutely right, I'll tell you who we are
	(Og follows)
Merrick: You see, I'm Frank Bartles and this here(Og) is Ed James and we'd like
	to say:

Together: Thanks for your support(It was late!!)

	Meanwhile in the back of the party the psionicist(I hate them) caused
a flame(which Og and I were unaware of) to start at the top of the rope.
The Sergeant pulled on the rope and it dropped into his hands...

Og: Heh, heh!  Wanna try some of our new premium wine coolers(As his two
	bastard swords came down and cleaved the suprised segeant in two!!)


						Ghostwheel Speaks...
From: cms@mse.cmu.edu (Curtis M Scott)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Fantasy "City Builder's Handbook"
Date: 6 Apr 92 20:13:42 GMT
Organization: CMU/SEI Master of Software Engineering Program

In article <1992Apr4.172452.2193@rtsg.mot.com>, king@rtsg.mot.com (Steven King, Software Archaeologist) writes:
|> Does anyone know of a good system for randomly generating details about
|> cities in a fantasy world.  I'm a little tired of the "You come into a
|> generic city.  There's a generic inn and a generic tavern." trend I've
|> got in my world.  I don't have the time (hey, I've got a day job you
|> know!) to do it *right* by sitting down and figuring out all the
|> details of each large town in my world.

I don't know if you can consider it a "good" system, but Character Law/Campaign
Law for Rolemaster did have a mathematical way to determine how many of various
character types lived in a city, based on the city's size.

As far as fine detail is concerned, there's nothing to beat imagination. :-)

Curtis Scott
From: reynard@susie.cs.scarolina.edu (John Reynard)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Mages and Armor Question ( AD&D )
Date: 16 Apr 92 21:53:40 GMT
Organization: USC  Department of Computer Science


Well first off I think it would be cruel to weld Chainmail to a mage for 
various reasons and I can think of lots of ways to more effectively eliminate
magical threats than forcing the Mage to wear armor.

But if forced to judge said situation I would say that while in the armor 
the Mage's Dex would be lowered 10 points to a min of 3 to show the poor 
ability of the Mage to use the armor.  Additionally I would totally 
disallow any spell with a Somatic component but all others would function
completely normally.  If you look this list is quite small too.  I would 
allow the Mage to only get better at using the armor if he wanted to 
become Dual-Classed and give up his magician days.

All this is in the interest of game balance.
In my opinion of course.

I would just cut the tounge out of a mage if I had em unconscious and didn't 
want em casting again.
From: foxx@foxxjac.Berkeley.EDU (Andrew "AJ" Foxx)
Subject: Re: Steve Jackson Games is gone?
Reply-To: foxx@foxxjac.b17a.ingr.com
Organization: Intergraph Corporation, Huntsville, AL.
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 18:53:17 GMT

In article <bmg2hk.el8@wang.com>, smayo@wang.com (Scott Mayo) writes:
|> loren@wmkt.wharton.upenn.edu (Loren Miller) writes:
|> 
|> >I think that more people ought to post bald faced lies on
|> >this newsgroup.
|> 
|> Um... Loren... I think that is all anyone *ever* does here.
|> 
|> >This conversation has been a lot more fun than it would have
|> >been if the topic had been, for instance, why gurps blows ad&d
|> >out of the water and vice versa.
|> 
|> Amen. Next proposed bald face lie: a Secret group of
|> far-righters, with funding from the NRA and klu klux klan, are
|> secretly planning to buy up all gaming companies and rerelease
|> all games with a few changes: all games must feature AK-47s and
|> other such hardware as the primary weapons of choice.

But it's been leaked to National Public Radio that it is
actually the Dept of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in a secret
plot to promote the violent overthrow of abortion clinics
everywhere so they'll have more gun smugglers to chase down. 
Backed by a large bad check written on the Congressional Bank,
Molly Yard of NOW is leveraging to buy out the "proprietary"
rights E Gary Gygax is claim over D&D.  She can then block the
move by suing all gaming companies everywhere claiming copyright
infringement because all role-playing games are actually satanic
hellspawn of D&D.


Oh, no! SJG *could* really be in danger.
|> --
|> "Let's reincarnate him.  He deserves nothing better."
|> smayo@wang.com
-- 
] "Ask not for whom the bell tolls.  
]  Just take out the guy on that rope."
] foxx@foxxjac.b17a.ingr.com 
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: impster@ais.org (Charles Budensiek)
Subject: ASCII Net Monstrous Compendium
Organization: UMCC
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 92 17:41:19 GMT

I have uploaded an ASCII version of the Net Monstrous Compendium
to the D_D/incoming directory of the stanford archive site at
36.8.0.243  Have at it.

impster@ais.org
From: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Stainless Steel Rat)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: SRUN: Heavy weapons as sidearms
Date: 8 Apr 92 23:54:16 GMT
Reply-To: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Rich Pieri)
Organization: 3WA, Boston Office. Or Nu Meta Chi. Take your pick.
X-Signature-Virus-Protection: Version 1.51
X-Quote: So why does my real-time simulation of the universe keep
X-Quote: complaining about "insufficient memory?"
X-Posting-Software: GNUS 3.14.1 [ NNTP-based News Reader for GNU Emacs ]

Okokok. So you chummers think you can lug around a Panther assault cannon
instead of a light pistol. Or an HMG instead of an Uzi.

Reality Check Time (TM)!

Sure, armor is incredibly powerful in Shadowrun. But you want the real acid
test? Fire one of those babys at an unarmored person and see what you get.
Go ahead, I'll wait.

See what I mean? You go lugging that kind of hardware around--and there's
no way you can conceal it in your jacket--every law enforcement person in
the area is gonna be drawing a bead on your head. Your face is gonna be
spashed all over the wanted lists. Definitely *NOT* the kind of high-
profile life a Shadowrunner wants to lead.

So what's a smart runner to do? Think small instead of big. With the new
autofire rules, your Scorpion or Beretta machine pistol just became a
weapon of deadly potential. Or step up to the H&K MP5 TX submachinegun: 7M3
damage in burst fire with no recoil problems (integral gas vent). Get
yourself some saboted DU rounds (APDS) if you feel the need for an extra
punch. Not to mention that all three weapons can be fitted with sound and
flash suppressors. Try that trick with an assault cannon.

Ya see, chummers, there are two kinds of Shadowrunners: the smart ones and
the dead ones. Which would you rather be?

--Rat
--
||||| | | | |  |  |  |   |   |    |    |    |   |   |  |  |  |  | | | | | |||||
                                                   __        ___ 
Richard Pieri, Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat/   | /| / /   | The Worlds
Internet: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu /__  |/ |/ / /| | Welfare Works
    UUCP: ...!northeastern.edu!splinter!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.
From: smith@ctron.com (Larry Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Steve Jackson Games is gone?
Date: 8 Apr 92 15:01:06 GMT
Reply-To: smith@ctron.com
Organization: Cabletron Systems, Inc.

In article <44079@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu
 (Bryan J. Maloney) writes:
           ^^^^^^^

>In article <1992Apr6.000637.54214@cc.usu.edu> sl9b4@cc.usu.edu (Deep Six) writes:
>>Awright awright. So this was a gag? I mean as inexplicable as it seemed, and
>>despite the fact it was posted on 1 April, I found myself believing it could 
>>actually be true. So what is it, yes or no. I could really care less, but I 
>>would like to know one way or another.

>Sorry, but it's true. TSR has gobbled up SJG, and rumors abound that they are
>putting out feelers for Glorantha from AH/Chaosium.

Brian J. BALONEY!
It's after April 1st, Brian, cut him some slack, huh?  We're gonna be
hip deep in this stuff...

Larry Smith (smith@ctron.com) No, I don't speak for Cabletron.
-------------------------------------------------------------
I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a "disgrace",
that two are called a "law firm", and that three or more become a "Congress".
From: sl9b4@cc.usu.edu (Deep Six)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: 100-DICE: they don't work.
Date: 15 Apr 92 15:31:57 GMT
Organization: Utah State University

In article <1992Apr15.134824.5077@mcs.kent.edu>, 
adray@Condor.mcs.kent.edu (Adam Dray) writes:

> The latest Dragon (180?) has a GameScience ad selling the Ten's Ten
> as well as the true d100 (zocchihedron), a true d7, and a true d50.
> 
> My question is, why bother?

This is my question, too. If you are playing so much that the Great and
Mighty Law of Averages is going to become a really big issue in your 
game, uh, I submit you might need to find a job.

Sometimes when I am GMing, snap decisions (on NPC actions, action outcomes,
and other more or less arbitrary things) must be made. To help with these
decisions, I sometimes will say, ``okay, I'm just going to roll two sixes,
if I get above 12 (or whatever), the grenade falls in the hatch, if it's 
below 12, it stays where it is.'' Most of the time I have some player who 
starts madly scrawling figures and tapping his calculator before I have even 
finished. Then comes the discourse on how that particular way of determining 
an outcome is ``statistically slanted based on the law of averages.. etc., 
etc...''

Calm down, it's just one roll, in one game, and it's not even going to 
effect the outcome of the game. I'm just going to keep rolling dice the way 
I always did, and if someone has a beef over which was the ten's dice and 
which was the one's dice, I'll deal with the problem then.

Okay,
--                                              __  __   ______   __  __ 
Chadd  L. VanZanten +'; SL9B4@CC.USU.EDU   +   /\ \/\ \ /\  ___\ /\ \/\ \
``By  that  time,  my  lungs were aching   +   \ \ \_\ \\ \___  \\ \ \_\ \
for  air!''                                +    \ \_____\\/\_____\\ \_____\
         --Mystery Science Theater 3,000   +     \/_____/ \/_____/ \/_____/
From: millerl@wharton.upenn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: META: Books for source material...
Date: 7 Apr 92 23:02:05 GMT
Article-I.D.: wharton.1992Apr7.180205.1
Organization: Newt World Order

Robert Graves' version of _Greek Mythology_. This is *the* greek
mythography for roleplayers, as it is the only widely available
collection of greek myths to go into the rituals that the greeks
practiced in support of their myths and legends.

Mircea Eliade, _The Sacred and the Profane_. Bryan Maloney likes _a
history of religious ideas_, which is three volumes totalling over 2000
pages. This is much briefer, at about 120 pages, and covers the same
thing, albeit much more succinctly, and without the examples. Eliade
also published a book of collected texts with all the source material
you need to use _a history of religious ideas_ to teach yourself the
history of religions. If you want an introduction to Eliade or the
history of religions, this is my recommendation.

Arkon Daraul, _Secret Societies_. If you want a witty, well written,
informative treatment of a whole bunch of secret societies from history
you can't go wrong with this. No footnotes though, so it wouldn't pass
any history professor's criteria.

-- 
whoah,
+++++++++++++++++++++++23
Loren Miller                  internet: MILLERL@wharton.upenn.edu
Throw this screen against the wall, right now!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: rayres@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Russell W Ayres)
Subject: Inspired Character Names
Organization: The Ohio State University
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 03:03:35 GMT


The following characters actually appeared in the same campaign (I'm really not
making this up):

Hubie Illin (half-elf thief)
Arapin Mofo  (gnome Illusionist)
Doanmess  (monk)

Go figure.

--Bill
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: dicksion@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Matthew W. Dicksion)
Subject: Re: Fantasy Hero: Companion 2?
Organization: University of Hawaii
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 09:12:57 GMT

In article <1992Apr7.031808.3583@wam.umd.edu> huesmann@wam.umd.edu (Joseph Edward Huesmann) writes:
>If anyone out there has FH Companion 2, could you please tell me what
>is in it? Is it anything like Companion 1? Is it worth getting (how
>expensive is it?)? Thanks for any tips.

The Fantasy Hero Companion II contains:
-- 1 new character race package (the birdmen)
-- several new class packages
-- rules for naval combat
-- several new adventure locations
-- more magic items
-- scads and scads of new spell colleges
-- several more international organizations for the Western Shores
-- possibly some more stuff which I have forgotten

IMO the naval combat alone was worth the $15 (but then I'm a frothing fh fan);
the new spell colleges are also very helpful if you are gming, and I always
enjoy the international guild descriptions...

>Joe

--Matt Dicksion

"Check it out.  I am the *ultimate* badass.  You do NOT want to fuck with me."
--Bill Paxton as Pvt. Hudson in _Aliens_
From: sl7sg@cc.usu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Steve Jackson Games is gone?
Date: 7 Apr 92 18:21:12 GMT
Article-I.D.: cc.1992Apr7.122112.54269
Organization: Utah State University

In article <1992Apr6.160529.1@wharton.upenn.edu>, millerl@wharton.upenn.edu writes:
> In article <44079@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney) writes:
>> Sorry, but it's true.
>> 
>> TSR has gobbled up SJG, and rumors abound that they are putting out feelers
>> for Glorantha from AH/Chaosium.
>> 
> In a parallel move, FASA has decided to skip v.2 of Shadowrun
> altogether. FASA/ICE, the newly merged company, claims that their
> decision to change rules mechanics was in no way influenced by their
> purchase of The Armory, the largest manufacturer of dice in the USA. 

> Finally, in a completely unexpected move, IBM has purchased the rights
> to Harn from Columbia games. 

	If you have been reading the latest mag's it is rumored that not only
is IBM purchasing Columbia games, but they are the Megacorp driving force
behind, TSR, FASA/ICE (soon to be known as FACE), and nearly any other gaming
company (that is big enough).  Its a conspiracy to start a monopoly, soon
prices will skyrocket for everygame, and all gamers everywhere will become
reformed and never game again.  
	This plot was masterminded by none other than Pat Robertson himself.


		Shade Pendragon
From: zweldron@ruhets.rutgers.edu (Matthew Charlap)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Lich Killing Advice Needed
Date: 8 Apr 92 14:39:03 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

bh967@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Greg Weller) writes:
>now he's really mad.  Anyone got any good ideas about how to
>kill a lich?? We were thinking of having a fire sale and selling
>off all of his magical stuff to raise enough money to hire an
>NPC wizard to help us...we figured that he was already mad at us,
>so what if he even gets madder because we're selling his stuff...
Find out the cost of an Arrow of Lich slaying, and raise the money for that.
A successful hit has a 75% chance of destroying the lich.
From: vehaag@crocus.waterloo.edu (Viktor Haag)
Subject: Re: Chill request...
Keywords: Chill, Reviews
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 14:32:04 GMT

In article <9APR199200311045@zeus.tamu.edu> ted4646@zeus.tamu.edu (kid eternity) writes:
>
>I've flipped thru the CHILL COMPANION at a gaming store and from what I've seen
>it goes like this:  fluff, new skills, and stats for Frankenstein's Monster,
>Count Dracula, and more fluff.  The only reason to buy the companion, it seems,
>is to get the new skills.  If CHILL ever does go into another printing, it
>should include the new skills.

Yoouch!
IMHO, the Chill Companion is an excellent product.  Its primary goal was to 
take out the specific focus of the CHILL rules and provide an opportunity to
make the game more flexible and generic.  All the sections that you have 
labled as "fluff" are actually the most important parts of the Companion.

There is an excellent essay on Horror, and its subgenres -- including how
to stage these different genres in a Chill game.
There is an expanded rules section which provides an excellent and very
flexible magic system that can be easily tinkered with and expanded.  There
is a section on how to simulate psionics using the magic system (very well
done) a section on Chases, additions to how to run combat, and a section on
how to design adventures.  This is the sort of book that every good
gamesmaster wants.  Page after pafe of new monster and skill does me no
good -- a good game system will give me mechanics for desiging those things
for myself.  What I really like in a gaming product, and others do as well,
is a good discussion of the genre and a how to on running adventures within
a genre as well as how to tinker with the rules to get certain effects.
For this reason, I always flip with glee to the pages in a new game that
contain the section labled Designer's Notes.  All too often I am disappointed
with what I find there.  For me the Chill Companion turns Chill from a 
mediocre to good game into a good to excellent game.  I would highly 
recommend anyone purchasing Chill to lay out the extra dollars to get the
Companion -- it is definitely worth it.



-- 
Viktor Haag 
		            |  "We are not thugs.  We are not fanatics.
vehaag@crocus.uwaterloo.ca  |   We are vitamin supplements to justice."   
viktor@watdcs.uwaterloo.ca  |				: a Selector
From: 911087e@ace.acadiau.ca (John Enzinas)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Sex and RPG's - Why Oh Why ?
Date: 13 Apr 92 14:02:56 GMT
Organization: Acadia University

In article <9694.29E7650C@ofa123.fidonet.org> Kay.Shapero@f524.n102.z1.fidonet.org (Kay Shapero) writes:

>On <Apr 10 06:03>, Lost Boy wrote to All:

> LB>    A year ago I ran a GURPS group that included two female players.
> LB>INterestingly enough, they not only played on a regular basis but 
> LB>they gave
> LB>me some rather original ideas for my own charicters.
> LB>    From my experience, female players run two kinds of charicters:
> LB>charicters that don't develop because the players don't take the 
> LB>time to
> LB>develop them, and charicters that border on psychotic: one player 
> LB>always played
> LB>a nymphomaniac and the other came up with the most unusual of 

>FYI - you ran a game including two female players.  This is not nearly
>a large enough sample to generalize to the entire sex, merely says that
>you had two players, one of whom didn't bother to develop her characters,
>and another who ran psychoes.  There really ARE other possibilities... 

I got the impression that this was their first game. how many of us males 
played such characters on our first game? The two ladies never got to 
develope their roleplaying abilities because they were asked to leave. 
My girlriend has played almost as many different systems as I have and she 
is a very good roleplayer, better by far than a lot of guys I've 
incountered. My point is that she was incourged when she first started. If 
anyone doesn't get positive feedback when they try something they are 
probably not going to continue.
johnny vague 

*****EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS TRUE*******************************
Pansexuals of the world Unite!!!!!!
                  911087e@ace.acadiau.ca <johnny vague>
                               So what If I said it, You Believed it!
*****EVERY THING ABOVE THIS LINE IS FALSE*****************************
From: hennessy@acsu.buffalo.edu (Mathew A. Hennessy)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: tech ways to geek mages... SR
Date: 7 Apr 92 20:00:36 GMT
Organization: UB


	hit 'em with a taser... they go into convulsions and can't cast or
maintain spells... it's the funniest thing!
	oh also I keep my Smartgun filled with a 50/50 mix explosive/flechette
bullets...  so the fleches may be a little wussier but they count as IMPACT.
guess what that means?  riiiight. they go right thru an anti-bullet barrier.
and you know how much mages like to keep themselves unrestricted by petty
things like armor..


-- 
   /I\          The Power of the Pyramid...  working for ME!  HAHAHAHA!!
  /(*)\         hennessy@acsu.buffalo.edu...  master of discord!
 /IIIII\        UB could care less what a student thinks, let alone says.
/IIIIIII\       Someone you trust is one of us.
From: ztsindi@ubvmsc.cc.buffalo.edu (The Independents - SUNY Buffalo)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Playing yourself in GURPS
Date: 10 Apr 92 19:03:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41


	One neat-o thing we've done with GURPS is to make up a 
character based as closely as possible on ourselves. Then we play 
those characters through one night games against villians we already
have made up as NPC's. It was interesting to see that since I was in
the Army Reserve I could choose a proficiency with the M-16. One of
our players is a Black Belt in Karate so he got a proficiency in that.
Of course when we went up against the Super with Psionics it got hairy
real fast. Anyone else ever try this?
							-Joe
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: arakins@iastate.edu (Andrew R Akins)
Subject: Re: Talislanta
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 15:33:45 GMT

  Hmmmm....

  I BELIVE that the Talislanta series has been picked up by
Wizards of the Coast, the company that is putting out The
Primal Order.

  To check, e-mail Mavra...I don't have his e-mail address
handy, though.

  If I'm wrong....sorry Mavra!

-- Andy Akins
   aka Brother Andrek
   Iowa State University
   arakins@iastate.edu
From: guido@netlink.cts.com (Joel Cherney)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: AD&D:  So what happens when ...
Date: 8 Apr 92 23:44:15 GMT
Article-I.D.: netlink.gsRXiB3w164w
Organization: NetLink Online Communications, San Diego CA

> In a previous article, alongley@cape.UWaterloo.ca (Allan Longley) says:
> 
> >What happens when you:
> >	(a) Turn a Bag of Holding inside-out?

I did this once... There was a LARGE stack of spellbooks that I was 
guarding.  (Like, 500 or so.)  A storm was coming... so I emptied out my Bag 
of Holding and started to turn it inside out.  As I progressed, the size of 
the inside-out bag grew and grew, until it was a tarpulin of sufficient 
size.  I got a lot of XP for that. *)

--
Stamp out .sig virii!  ( "Neitzche is dead" - God ) Blues Traveller/Church
Fanaticism is the root ( Ignorance is extinction. ) /Copland/Davis/Ministr
of all evil. Just say  (          * * *           ) y/Misfits/NIN/PIL/PWEI
no to straightedges!   (  guido@netlink.cts.com   ) /Rush/Sonic Youth/ etc