HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: wlh04953@elp.aero.org (William L. Hayden)
Subject: games availability
Summary: games available in UK but not in US
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 22:23:27 GMT

I was vacationing in England last month and had a chance to visit
several game stores in London and Wales.  The prices were outrageously
high, a shared condition with the book market.

A more frustrating observation was the ready availability of the MB Shogun 
and Space Crusade (ex many copies on the shelves in Toys-R-Us). 
When I queried the manager of a local (stateside) T-R-Us their databases
indicated that Shogun had been discontinued and they never heard of
Space Crusade.

Does any one know what the hell is going on ?
From: dlc@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Dennis Clark)
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 15:22:17 GMT
Subject: Re: Axis & Allies: Germany's only chance!
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Newsgroups: rec.games.board

v077mdph@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (John of Gaunt) writes:

>In article <9770104@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM>, dlc@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Dennis Clark) writes...
>> 
>>  Because if you don't force the USA to spend money on that Pacific fleet it
>>leaves them with more money to pour into supporting the Brits and Russians in
>>the Western theater.  Do you think that the Germans want an American bomber
>>appearing in Britain every turn?
> 
>	Precisely!  Germany's only chance lies in what happens on the other side
>of the world.  Germany can't take Britain under most circumstances, and attac-
>king the US directly is usually fruitless.  They have to go after Russia.  
>Without a lot of luck, they won't take Russia without the Japanese putting
>pressure on Russia in the east.  To put pressure on Russia from the east, Japan
>has to take India, Sinkiang, and China, leaving Manchuria to Russia temporarily.
>Then, the Japanese watch while the Nazis march over all of Asia, aside from the
>Chinese territories and India.  Then, the Germans use their new-found wealth to
>win the game!

  I have never had any difficulty in taking out these objectives AND keeping
the US fleet demolished, on top of all of that, taking the Brit resources in
Australia as well.
> 
> >DLC
> 
> Snoopy

DLC
From: cchiang@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Huh?!  Wot?!?)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Re: Axis & Allies: Germany's only chance!
Keywords: A&A, Axis & Allies
Date: 8 Apr 92 00:55:55 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of California, San Diego

In article <9770104@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> dlc@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Dennis Clark) writes:
>In rec.games.board, cchiang@sdcc13.FC.HP.COM writes:
>  Because if you don't force the USA to spend money on that Pacific fleet it
>DLC

	Why would Yank pay for a Pacific fleet??  I still hate the
ideas of Bombers, aren't there any cargoship diehards anymore.

	Jees, more bombers.  What Yank needs is an Atlantic fleet
and a bunch of cargoships.  It'll bring the Axis to their knees
quicker and more consistently (trust me, I've lost enough times to
Normandy invasions to count).

					- The Tasmanian Devil
					cchiang@sdcc13.ucsd.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: wfb vs. battlesystem vs. ???
From: <wjr@PHOENIX.SCH.Symbolics.COM>
Date: 7 Apr 92 09:05:17 EST
Reply-To: <wjr@PHOENIX.SCH.Symbolics.COM>
Organization: Symbolics Tech. Support

In article <1992Apr3.235811.15010@fcom.cc.utah.edu> davis@csulx.cs.weber.edu (mike davis) writes:
> In article <1992Apr3.170047.28896@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> rday@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Robert E Day) writes:
> >In article <1992Apr2.163036.3875@Cadence.COM> jasona@qaab.cadence.com (Jason An
> >sley) writes:
> >>Hi,
> >>I'm interested in playing some sort of a miniatures battle
> >>game and there seem to be a few out there.  I am primarily
> >>interested in large scale combat w/ swords, bows, axes,
> >>siege engines, etc.  Magic might be good, too.
> >>  What is your favourite system?  Why?
> >WARHAMMER & BATTLESYSTEM are both FRP games' wargamming suplements.

I play tested 2nd edition battlesystem and found it to be a good
set of fantasy battle rules.  Though they are a poor translation
of AD&D individual combat to AD&D mass combat.  The designer 
placed his effort on making it fantasy mass combat.

> >Try "RULES BY RAL", by Ral Partha or "A FIST FULL OF MINIATURES", if you wish
> >simple rules designed for _large_ battles.

I have heard that these are fun rules. 

> Try any of WRG's rules if you want realism.

Get a real sword and bow if you want more realism.  Really, don't fall into
realism hell.  Magic, dragons, etc are not real.  WRGs rules, writen by brits,
tend to have the brits as the strongest armies.  This is not realistic.

I don't like WRG, but, this opinion started with 5th edition.  It seemed they
took events which rarely occurred and made a rule for it, which inturn, got
abused by players.  For example, the flaming/incindiary pigs rules.  I saw too
many battles where they were being used. 7th edition seems more reasonable, but,
I have only played it a few times.  

If you tend to have fun playing a rules lawyer, then WRG is the game for you.
You get army lists to argue over as well.

> Or better yet try De Bellis by wrg.  Fast rules.  An battle takes less than 
> an hour to play, and by having few figures per unit there isn't an drain
> on the checkbook!  Also there is Hoards from the Thing also by WRG.  It's
> Fantesy DBA.

Hoards from the Thing impressed me, NOT!!!!!!!!

If you can find an old copy of chainmail (TSR), you can put together some
quick fantasy battles.  

Wayne J. Rasmussen

Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: bjohnson@athena.mit.edu (Brett W Johnson)
Subject: Axis and Allies
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 12:51:23 GMT


My gaming group has come up with some mods for A&A that we think makes
for a more enjoyable and interesting game.

1) All R&D has a fixed cost for research (typically ~10) and 2d6 for
   development costs.  We have added a bunch of tech and trimmed other
   tech (we deleted rockets and changed heavy bombers to 2d6).

2) All factories except those on capitols, are limited to the production
   value of the territory on which they reside.  Note that this has the
   most effect at Karelia.

3) Defender may retreat.  This is in many ways the most signifigant rule.
   The defender may retreat with some/all of his units to an adjacent 
   friendly territory (planes may retreat to a non-adjacent territory
   in range, if an adjacent friendly territory does not exist).  
   Retreating units may not return fire, and losses inflicted in the
   round they retreat can affect the retreating units.

Example:  attacker: 6 Inf, 3 fighters, 1 bomber
          defender: 2 Inf, 1 fighter

On the first round the defender decides to retreat his fighter.  It may
not fire.  He rolls for the 2 Inf and scores 1 hit.  

The attacker now returns fire.  He gets 2 hits, the defender removes 
the two infantry and the fighter has retreated.  Had the attacker scored
3 hits then the fighter would have to be removed as a casualty.

Note that retreats happen at the end of each round of combat.

4) Only British and American units may stack.  


-Brett


          
--
Brett W. Johnson     (617) 273-2289
---
These opinions are mine and mine alone...
From: cchiang@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Huh?!  Wot?!?)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Axis & Allies
Date: 7 Apr 92 23:12:33 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of California, San Diego

In article <1992Apr2.150012.8363@cs.rose-hulman.edu> morzinpl@HYDRA.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU writes:

>	But if Japs patrol the eastern Pacific, they will prevent U.S. from
>building naval units and avoid having to sink money into it themselves.  The
>Yank Pacific fleet is of great consequence in the long run.  It eats Japans's
>money.  True, if India gets the complex right away, Japs should probably attack 
>it instead.
>							Pete

	Nice Observation.  The reason for sparing the Yank fleet is
that it can't do any real damage until turn 4 (and only if used as
escort for the atlantic cargo fleet in which case it is
devastating).  The Jap fleet is only needed for three turns on
the Asian coast, that it can take back all the islands if Yank
decide to go island hopping (island hopping is irritating but not as
effective as the Atlantic escort because the Atlantic escort render
the Yank cargoships free movement in the Atlantic).  Attacking Pearl
Harbour or not is matter of style used by the Axis, and it's of
small consequence which way it is done (I prefer sparing it).

					- The TaZ
					cchiang@sdcc13.ucsd.edu

######################################################
 #						      #
  #	"Merciless, Fearless, Victorious."	       #
   #						        #
    #				- Supremacy		 #
     #						          #
      ######################################################

	
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: birmingh@fnalb.fnal.gov (Phillip J. Birmingham)
Subject: Re: ROR: PBEM
Organization: Aardvark Comment Sucks Club
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 23:43:30 GMT

In article <1992Apr9.150819.1@fnalb.fnal.gov>, birmingh@fnalb.fnal.gov (Phillip J. Birmingham) writes:
>          First two to get email to me are in, with the proviso that persons
>     recruited by the current players are given priority if they get email
>     to me by tomorrow morning (approx. 1500 UCT)

	Talk about mail! I have gotten three responses already, and the
    game is full. I am withdrawing the proviso concerning recruitment by
    current players. (Sorry.)

--   
 Phillip J. Birmingham   birmingh@fnal.fnal.gov  
 I don't speak for Fermilab, although my mouth is probably big enough...
From: s35284b@puukko.hut.fi (Timo J. Pekurinen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: WANTED: AH's Sturmovik
Summary: I want a Sturmovik
Date: 11 Apr 92 11:32:48 GMT
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland

After visiting a local aviation bookfare and hearing about Finnish fighter
pilots in WWII, "Well, there were 100+ enemy planes approaching and we only
had 4 planes ready. So the four of us took off.", I grew restless.
I wanted to try dogfights against russian bombers and fighters of WWII era.
(On boardgame, of course!) Since I already have Avalon Hill's Air Force and
Dauntless and knowing that AF has an ad of Sturmovik on it's back cover I 
decided not to reinvent the wheel and obtain the game. Local gamestore has
newer heard of it. So I was wondering if someone in the netland has a spare
or unused copy that (s)he is willing to part from or knows where to order
one, please reply to  s35284b@puukko.hut.fi

Any information or resionable offer is gladly accepted.

Thanks in advance.

Timo J. Pekurinen                    -"What a pretty sight!" 
peku@clinet.fi                       -"I, wish our children  
s35284b@puukko.hut.fi                  were here."                  
                                     -"I wish our luggage were here"
From: cchiang@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Huh?!  Wot?!?)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Axis & Allies
Keywords: A&A, Axis & Allies
Date: 10 Apr 92 07:20:37 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of California, San Diego


	Thanks for all the enthusiastic response.  I'd like to
clarify one of my comments in one of my earlier post.  In the one
regarding on-shore bombardment, I said no retaliation against the
battleship.  I meant the battleship can not be removed as casualties
of that round (I did state that ALL casualties are removed at the
end of the first round of combat).
	Regarding the unlimited production, my interpretation of the
rules is that ALL factory that starts on the board unlimitedly
produce for either side.  Thus Germany after holding Karelia for 1
turn can produce without limit out of Karelia, the same goes for the
Yanks if Russia falls into Axis hands.  Unless anyone can present
concrete proof that this interpretation is incorrect, I will
continue to play this way (quite a few rules can be interpreted
differently by different people, creating a mass of confusion).
	Thanks again for all the response.  If I forget to respond
to anyone, drop me a note cause I have tons of mail this week and
any of them can be lost in the shuffle.

	GOOD HUNTING, AND LET'S HEAR ABOUT MORE NOVEL IDEAS!

				- The Tasmanian Devil
				cchiang@sdcc13.ucsd.edu
From: gt1430a@prism.gatech.EDU (Jeff J McCoskey)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Request reviews: AH "Science Fiction" games
Date: 10 Apr 92 14:42:20 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology


	I only have experience with Merchants of Venus and Trailblazer.

	o  Contrary to other postings, IMHO Merchants of Venus is a superb
game.  Sure, it bears an uncomfortable resemblance to Monopoly.  Sure, its
fiction aspects eclipse its science aspects.  Sure, you move by rolling
dice (gag).  In spite of all that, it is immediately playable, the board
is different every time, and it is FUN.  Basically, you go around discovering
cultures, and try to take their goods to other cultures that need it.  You
build starbases to facilitate trading (and make healthy commissions).  Move-
ment is a bit slow, but the challenge is good.  And did I mention that it is
FUN?

	o  Trailblazer (my version) is a micro-game.  On the surface it is 
similar to MoV--you explore new worlds, buy goods in one place, sell in 
another.  However it is much more a Simulation.  Instead of one ship, you
control fleets.  There is a LOT of record keeping, both of your fleets and
cargos (where MoV uses chits, TB uses home-made record sheets), and of
the market in EVERY Planet.  The market will actually move based on how
much you sell, and prices are similarly dependent on supply & demand.
As a simulation, it is crying for a computer.  The mechanics, while
an (semi-) accurate stock reflection are mind numbingly slow.  (OK, 
you've sold it, now let's roll for every good on the planet to see how
your sale affected it . . .)  Further, to get an interesting game, you need
to crowd 3-4 people around a board the size of a sheet of notebook paper.
If you don't mind the math and infinite die rolls, however, its not bad.

	Average Time:  MoV--4 hrs.  TB--days
-- 
Jeff J McCoskey        "Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your book."
						-the Armor God

Internet: gt1430a@prism.gatech.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: gletty@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Bruce Gletty)
Subject: Re: Game Collapse
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 18:58:58 GMT

roach@milton.u.washington.edu (Jared Roach) writes:

>	Pax Brittanica is one of t classics.  It happens to be
>an incredible game, as multiplayer games come.  All players
>attempt to colonize the world to their best advantage during
>the 19th century.  Everyone loses if a world war (i.e. WWI)
>breaks out.
 
Not quite, the game ends when the Great War breaks out. Everyone suffers a
victory point penalty, but those that started the war suffer a triple
penalty. The penalty goes down with time. Someone always wins.
From: reynard@susie.cs.scarolina.edu (John Reynard)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Axis&Allies(new)
Date: 11 Apr 92 18:52:21 GMT
Organization: USC  Department of Computer Science


morzinpl@HYDRA.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU writes:

>In article <reynard.702858170@usceast.cs.scarolina.edu!>, reynard@susie.cs.scarolina.edu (John Reynard) writes:
>>
>>A tactic I usually employ as Germany is to attempt to build a fighter 
>>on every turn that I can.  As the Axis wins most of the games I play in
>>I think that this must greatly improve German chances.
>>
>>Typically by turn three I have 7 fighters on the eastern front after having 
>>pounded the Brit fleet into pulp.  I make attacks with massed infantry and 
>>fighters with some tank support.  The fighters are immesurable once you have
>>to defend an area such as Karelia from massive allied attacks.  I have in my
>>last 4 games eliminated the Russians before turn 6 every time.  Each game saw
>>both U.S. and U.K. giving massive aid to Russia by invading Karelia repeatedly.
>>By the time Germany was weakened enough to fall against the three of them the 
>>Japs had taken part of Africa in all four games.  My strategy seems to work
>>with proper Axis cooperation.
>>
>>Comments, criticisms


>And what is the US doing all this time?  How did him manage to both let Germany
>kill the Atlantic navy and Japan take Asia?  It sounds like you need more
>experienced Allies.
>								Pete
>						morzinpl@rosevc.rose-hulman.edu

>>John
>>The U.S. in both of the games I remember real well was making transports and
seizing Africa from me as well as attmpting to keep Britain afloat buy building
fighters and placing them under his control.  He also attempted to invade the 
Japanese islands while Japan took real stuff on the continent.  He failed 
because the combined strength of the Axis was enough to take Asia even with 
the massive aid from the U.K. + U.S.

I think that cooperation is the key to the game not any other considerations.
The Axis has the advantage of only having to get two people to cooperate.
Of course this assumes 5 players are involved.

John
From: will@kafka.SAIC.COM (Will Scarvie x6388)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Looking for Gordon Hua
Keywords: Looking for Gordon Hua
Date: 7 Apr 92 20:48:55 GMT
Article-I.D.: MVB.6018153

Gordon,

  Brian Youse has been unable to reach you at either of the email addresses
he has for you.  Please call him between 9 AM and 3 PM, Eastern Standard
Time, at (301)497-2506, about your winning bid in the "Spring Cleaning"
auction.

  Thanks you, and sorry to everyone else for the bandwidth.

-- 
Will Scarvie
will@kafka.saic.com

DISCLAIMER:
The opinions expressed are entirely my own and should not be construed to 
represent those of my company.
From: ttmech@convx1.lerc.nasa.gov (Paul Mech)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: World War I
Date: 13 Apr 92 17:58:13 GMT
Article-I.D.: eagle.1992Apr13.175813.6481
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center

In article <benjie.702863991@pram.cs.ucla.edu> benjie@pram.cs.ucla.edu (Benjie Chen (Guest)) writes:
>Any one has any comments on this game(from SPI I guess)?

IMHO a great game.  It has a system that combines a static
west with a potentially more fluid east.  Basically you can
hold fast until resources become depleted on a national level
or you are outmanuvered on the field.  Reasonable balance,
fairly quick, a good beer and pretzels game.

-- 

Paul J. Mech					ttmech@convx1.lerc.nasa.gov
From: barich@bach.udel.edu (Dewey H Barich)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: A&A Rules (was Re: Re: Japan ...)
Keywords: A&A, Axis & Allies
Date: 10 Apr 92 21:17:44 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Delaware

[Stuff not related to what I'm about to say deleted]

>Attack sequence : Battleship fires the 1 shot.
>                  The 2 infantry miss on their attacks
>Defense sequence : 4 of the 5 infantry score hits.
>Question : Do the attackers lose all their units or only the infantry
>           units???

No.  The defender loses all land units, but no naval.  The best
reference in the rules is the top of page 19, where it reads

"IMPORTANT: attacking ships in an amphibious assault are not affected
by the ensuing land battle!"

While this makes things rather clear, it's a little too small on the
page to be seen when the question comes up during a game and you're
looking for it as fast as you can....

				Play on!!!!
Dewey Barich
barich@brahms.udel.edu
From: surt@modi.diku.dk (S|ren Egmose)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: WiF: barbarossa, save the russians.
Keywords: DoD/WiF,Barbarossa
Date: 10 Apr 92 12:47:11 GMT
Reply-To: surt@modi.diku.dk (S|ren Egmose)
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen


  I've missed to mention a few details:


> I've resently played two games of dod/wif in which i've
                                    ^^^^^^^
> started barbarossa, After 3-4 turns the german tanks where within

upps, i meant impulses!!!

> The only reinforcements were 2-3 inf to russia so my opponents
> choose to surrender the game.
so this was the prodoction the month before the war

>Now i must play russia the next time so i'm a bit worried, how to
>setup the russians. Germany will have 2-3 offensive chits to
I was playing the full dod/wif game 1936-??


So, a far back opening position is preferred/requered for the russians. 
I've planned on doing the following:
north:
4 dobbel stacks between the baltics and pripet backed by 5 stacks
with one(min 5 def or city to prevent overruns) in each. This
should prevent a breakthrough in the first impulse.
south:
1 hex from german forces:
dobbelstack in every second hex from odessa to pripet, backed by
a line with one in each hex(min def 5). This should mean no
breakthough in the first impulse.
after 1st impulse try to make an eqivalent line 1 hex further back.

will this do it?

surt@diku.dk
From: dunger@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Dallace Unger)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: SFB: Romulan SparrowHawk Carrier
Date: 13 Apr 92 20:05:08 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523

In article <1992Apr13.125241.16351@corax.udac.uu.se> aha@meryl.csd.uu.se (Anders Hallberg) writes:
>In article <eJHXiB2w165w@angus.mi.org>, thx1138@angus.mi.org (Scott Abfalter) writes:
>> I tell you, for 4 BPV a fighter carrying a Type-F Plas is a _scary_
>> thing.  Consider that you can buy three times the cost of F-14's in 
>> Romulan fighters.  
>
>4 BPV for a plasma-F fighter!?  As far as I can recall there are no
>fighters that cheap, at least not in Captains Edition.  Or do you mean that
>a plasma-F fighter cost 4 BPV more than a plasma-D fighter?
>
>	/Anders Hallberg

The G-I cost 4 BPV!  (It does not have a phaser-III.)

Dallace
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
From: erich@lighthouse.caltech.edu (Erich Schneider)
Subject: Re: Game Collapse
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 21:14:32 GMT

In article <1992Apr9.191246.2200@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> gdewan@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (Geoffrey DeWan) writes:

>Are there any game besides Republic of Rome where the players are
>essentially at odds with each other but may require the players to
>cooperate to keep events from causing everyone to lose?  I am talking
>about outside events, not several players engaging in Mutual Assured
>Destruction.

Mayfair's _Dragonriders of Pern_ is like this.  Everyone has to help
out in fighting Thread, which tends to "spread" if it manages to get
into the ground.  If too much Thread gets on to the planet, everyone
loses.

--
erich@lighthouse.caltech.edu

"Today/Yes  Winners/Yes Losers/Yes  In the Zone/Yes  Tomorrow/No"
                       - Walter Jon Williams, _HardWired_