HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: markl@dvorak.amd.com (Mark Luedtke)
Subject: SRII: A Couple of Piddly Gripes
Keywords: SRUN Srun Shadowrun
Organization: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.; Austin, Texas
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 15:54:40 GMT

Does anyone else have a problem with the combat target modifiers dealing with
outnumbering?  First, I find it terribly harsh that when outnumbered 5 to 3,
the 3 guys get +2 to target numbers, AND the 5 guys get -2.  Worse yet, I
have the same modifiers if I'm 1 -v- 3 or 8 -v- 10.  Why was this not based
on a percentage, and why is it SO harsh?

I could see something like this:

B < A <= 1.5B;   B is +1
1.5B < A <= 2B;  A is -1, B is +1
2B < A <= 3B;    A is -2, B is +1
3B < A <= 4B;    A is -3, B is +1

It's simple, not too harsh, and takes into account base numbers.


Also, has anyone noticed that the armor spell isn't?  If you have no real
armor on, and someone shoots you with your basic heavy pistol, your successes
on the armor spell don't mean squat.  Why not let it act like regular armor?
Each success counts as a point of balistic armor, and every two successes
counts as a point of impact armor.
-- 

Mark Luedtke    markl@dvorak.amd.com

This was typed by an infinite number of monkeys.
From: tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Tim Dunn)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Vampire
Date: 10 Oct 92 17:57:27 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: hairball.ecst.csuchico.edu

Mitchell E French writes:
>John Martin Karakash writes:
>>Different POWERS is fine, but a different RULE MECHANIC for each one!
>     I've been trying to figure this one out.  Where do you get it?
>     As far as I recall, there's one basic rule mechanic:  Roll an Attribute
>plus another stat (skill, discipline, whathaveyou), and count successes.
>The successes mean different things depending on what you're doing.
>     Where's the problem?

Each roll is modified.  Some rolls are to have your stat be the target 
number, others have your stat *plus something* as a target number. 
Still other rolls require you to roll your stat and discipline, and
some rolls require only you to roll your stat.  I'd not be surprised
if some rolls require you to roll your stat and a set number of dice,
and others require you to roll your stat less some dice.

See, you have to remember which stat, which modifier and how to apply
said modifier.  The stats changing is fine, that's the aspect of the
system I like.  The modifiers seem to me to be arbritarily determined,
and are not intitutive, thus seeming like a different mechanic.

-- 
Most people wouldn't know music if it came up and bit them on the ass.
		-- Frank Zappa
From: jacobus@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: AD&D to GURPS monster conversion
Date: 12 Oct 92 21:24:32 GMT
Article-I.D.: mentor.Bw124x.1nM
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center




Yowsa!!

If I can find it, I'll dig up my ancient Space Gamer with AD&D-TFT conversion
and go from there.
-- 
*******************************************************************
 "Darn these computers. They're all so naughty and so complicated.
  I could pinch them."
*******************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: burke@vxdesy.desy.de
Subject: Re: SR:  Spider Totem
Organization: (DESY, Hamburg, Germany)
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 15:00:35 GMT

In article <1992Oct11.163103.7782@u.washington.edu>, mkkuhner@phylo.genetics.washington.edu (Mary K. Kuhner) writes:
> can count on all Insects being of the same predictable type.  It's also
> worth noting that not all cultures dislike all insects, by any means.
> Spider Grandmother is honored by SW Amerind tribes, and Anansi the
> Trickster (also a Spider) by Africans.  Bees are a positive symbol in

I just thought I'd point out that spiders *aren't* insects (count the legs :-)

e----><----p | Stephen Burke           | Internet: burke@vxdesy.desy.de
 H   H   1   | Gruppe FH1T (Liverpool) | DECnet:   vxdesy::burke (13313::burke)
 H   H  11   | DESY, Notkestrasse 85   | BITNET:   BURKE@DESYVAX or SB2@UKACRL
 HHHHH   1   | 2000 Hamburg 52         | JANET:    sb2@uk.ac.rl.ib
 H   H   1   | Germany                 | Phone:    + 49 40 8998 2282
 H   H 11111 | HERA, the world's largest electron microscope!
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 18:06:32 EDT
From: <BEA104@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRII: Called shots

The way I run called shots in the SRII universe is that armor doesn't apply
unless (in the case of a head shot) the target has some kind of armor covering
the body area/part.  To reduce the effectiveness of, say, a sniper rifle, I
make the helmet armor work as either double or triple rating, depending on the
ability of the attacker and his/her weaponry.

     The other option that I use is to raise the target numbers to hit the
specific body part.  This way, if I feel the target area is too small for the
+4 target number, I raise it to +6 or even +8.

     In these ways, called shots are still very dangerous, but these rule
modifications make my players think twice about trying to put a throwing knife
into someone's left eye as a killing shot.

                                   Brian(Slash)
Xref: sparky rec.games.frp.misc:6669 rec.games.frp.advocacy:2747
From: lobby3@cirrus.com (Receptionist Lobby3)
Subject: help
Summary: we need help
Keywords: mech stuff
Organization: Cirrus Logic Inc.
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 22:50:38 GMT

We are working on a game built around the cartoon style of mecha
combat.

What beefs do you people have about current mecha systems?  What do
you think is missing??  Please give us your comments!

Thanks,

Stuart

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: kdmiller@athena.mit.edu (Kenneth D Miller)
Subject: Champions Question
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 21:03:27 GMT

In designing a character for a Champions campaing, I ran across a very unusual
problem.  It seems I wanted to generate an extremely specific "area effect"
that I could not, for the life of me, approximate with the existing areas.

The "area" in question is the trail of hexes the character has run through.
Like I said, the rule for "dropping" the effect is quite specific and limited,
so I just "made up" my own Area Effect based on Line (+1 Advantage, 2 hexes
per 5 points in the base power).

The character is a flame-powered speedster named (what else?) Flamerunner.
His main useful ability is to leave a trail of 1d6K fire behind him where
ever he moves.  I did this by purchasing 1d6 RKA, with Continuous, the afore-
mentioned Area of Effect, 0 END, x2 hexes.  Is this "fair"?

The effect is that of a wall of fire trailing behind him, like the light-cycles
in the movie TRON.  Flamerunner can switch the wall on and off at will.

Anybody have anything to say about this?

--
For a good time, email  | Ken Miller, sole member of Digital Horizons USA,
kdmiller@athena.mit.edu | future perpetrator of random bogosity like KMUS,
  //|       Accept No   | DoomStar, Destructor-X, Dreadnought, Captain K.'s
\X/~|MIGA!  Substitutes | Big Adventure, and The Demo With No Name. 
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: eebonar@sn01.sncc.lsu.edu (Dave Bonar)
Subject: Re: Newbie System?
Nntp-Posting-Host-[nntpd-25287]: sn01.sncc.lsu.edu
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4   
Reply-To: eebonar@sn01.sncc.lsu.edu
Organization: News and Views from LSU
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 14:09:41 GMT

In article <1992Oct9.014041.10631@nstn.ns.ca>, CS341A002@Husky1.StMarys.Ca (Loki) writes...
>The best game to introduce people to is one where they are surrounded by
>experienced gamers. Unconditionally. They will either quit gaming rather
>more quickly than they would have *anyway* or will pick up gaming faster,
>much faster...
> 
>This is one reason why cons are a Good Thing. They bring new gamers
>together with older, more experienced gamers.

	Pardon me while I recoil in horror!

	Perhaps others have had good results with cons.  However, to me they
seem entirely unsuited to introducing new players.  Even leaving aside the
fact that most games at cons are one shot, task oriented adventures (I would
prefer introducing new players through an adventure where there is a definite
thing for them to do but where there is no competitive scoring going on).
However, I'd say cons are a great way to introduct someone to the posibilities
in role playing after they have gotten comfortable with the basic idea.

>Seriously. One of my gamers started* gaming in my Dark Conspiracy game;
>then going on to join a Shadowrun game and a MechWarrior game. I doubt
>anyone here would recommend any of these systems for novice gamers. Still,
>after about a year of gaming this gamer's better than most 2 or 3 year-long
>gamers... certainly better than I was after a year of gaming. (I started
>out gaming with a bunch of complete neos.)

	Actually, Twilight 2000 (the basis for Dark Con) is possibly a good
beginer game if they are interested in the background.  In 2cd edition there
is basically one form of success roll.  Combat is fairly easy and almost
all of the important info can be put right in front of the characters in
their sheets and the weapon/vehical cards.

Dave
__________
Dave Bonar
eebonar@lsuvax.sncc.lsu.edu
__________
From: baj@acfcluster.nyu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: rec.games.frp.misc
Date: 7 Oct 92 18:48:44 GMT
Organization: New York University

In article <BvrA9K.Cu1@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu>, ericg@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (Eric Chris Garrison) writes:
> In article <davidc.718433181@mardo> davidc@cs.uwa.oz.au (David Cake) writes:
>>	If another Amberite didn't wish to be found, and you used the Pattern
>>to send you there, I am of the opinion that it would work, barring extremely
>>clever use of powers by the other Amberite. However, is it smart?
>>	As others have pointed out, you end up weakened, you arrive 
>>unprepared. The most likely outcome as a GM is to take the character away,
>>tell them what has happened (most likely capture) and tell the rest of the
>>PCs that X has disappeared. Now they have a good reason to work harder at 
>>finding out where the hiding place is by conventional means.
>>	Then again, it might work. Half the fun of role-playing is big gambles
>>like this. And using unknown trumps, and accepting unknown trump calls, and 
>>entering unknown passages.
> 
> My opinion is that it should not work.  I hate to use the books as
> an example, but several things could have been short-circuited if
> that sort of thing worked...
> 
> - All Corwin would have had to do is get ONE gun with Avalon jewelers'
>   rouge bullets in it, walked the pattern in Rebma, zap himself to
>   Eric, and weakened or no, he could shoot Eric before Eric could
>   draw his sword.
>   [Stuff deleted] 
> All book examples aside, I think if I were GMing an Amber campaign
> I'd disallow that sort of thing, since it makes it near impossible
> for a character to hide from other characters, and NPC villians
> would be in the same fix, which could really hose some plots.
> 
> GM: "OK, Lysifer tells you Winona was captured by a masked stranger
>    from her chambers.  What are you going to do?"
> 
> Mervyn: (yawns) "I walk the Pattern while Lloyd here stays in Trump
>    contact, and ask the Pattern to send me to her. I grab her before
>    anything can happen, and Lloyd pulls us back."
> 
> GM: "Uh, case closed."
> 
> Eric
> 
> -- 

This is precisely my problem.  I think that I agree with you Eric.  Amber
is a challenging game to run.  You have a bunch of _very_ powerful characters,
(Despite the fact that they're built on only 100 points) and you have to
keep busy to keep a balance.  If their opponents are too powerful, they get
frustrated, if their opponents are too weak, they wipe the floor with them.

It's hard to keep up the interest and not slide into those two traps.

Thanks for your input, everybody!!!

            Barbara
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (SilverFang Ahroun)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRII: Attributes
Keywords: SR, SRII
Date: 11 Oct 92 23:21:47 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana

schamber@envy.Reed.Edu (Seth Chamberlin) writes:

>This is just a general comment on attributes and Karma in SRII.

>1)  The new rule of being able to raise all attributes to 1.5x original is  
>plain stupid.  I say this for a few reasons. One, not all people in this  
>world should have 6's or higher in all their attributes is just not  
>possible.  Both of my GM's and all our characters believe this is stupid.
>I mean it is great if you want to munchkin the game but it is just stupid  
>if you want to be even somewhat realistic.  Plus with the ability to raise  
>attributes cheaper then skills it just makes for complete munchkins  
>running about Seattle with 14 combat pools and the like.

If you don't like the rule, don't use it. 

As for me, I think it has some benefits.

1) It lets metahumans take advantage of their attribute bonuses and upper
ends on stats.

2) Saying the new system will "munchinize" the game is sort of silly. The
old system isn't munchkin proof. You can start a character with all 5's
using that method, and you will wind up with a character with lots of 6's 
pretty darn quick. 

3) Combat pool of 14 won't happen anytime soon, 'cause unless you let
people advance past racial limits, which is another optional rule
entirely, the max a human gets is 9. If you have a lot of metas, then
you might see a double digit one.                       


Axly
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: wilder@mik.uky.edu (jeff wilder)
Subject: Re: Newbie System?
    <1992Oct8.211814.7362@ncsu.edu> <1992Oct8.234239.29539@news.columbia.edu> 
    <ldbm3dINNaec@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 03:07:06 GMT

If you want to stress role-playing, while keeping it FUN (they are,
after all, *beginning* players), I strongly recommend Star Wars:  The
Role-playing Game.  It is *remarkably* true to the films, and what
would-be gamer doesn't love the Star Wars movies?

--
==============================================================================
| Jeff W  uk06666@ukpr.uky.edu | Meddle not in the affairs of cats, for they |
| Wilder  & wilder@mik.uky.edu | are subtle, and will piss on your cyberdeck.|
==============================================================================
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: rsh@engr.latech.edu (Ronald S. Hollis)
Subject: Re: Virtual Reality Supplements
Reply-To: rsh@engr.latech.edu
Organization: Louisiana Tech University
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 21:36:05 GMT

In article 121092105642@137.79.110.112, brian_vickers@isd.jpl.nasa.gov (Brian Vickers) writes:
>
>What RPGs deal with and/or have published supplements for Virtual Reality?
>Can some of you provide me with a list?


Well, FASA has the Shadowrun supplement "Virtual Reality."  That might contain what your looking for.

Tracer
From: louis@ansoft.com
Subject: SHCHARS
Keywords: SHCHARS
Reply-To: louis@ansoft.com
Organization: Ansoft Corporation
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 19:16:08 GMT

A little while ago, I posted a request for character ideas for the
Marvel Superhero RPG.  So I have desided to be the first and get the ball 
rolling.  For those of you who do not care, I suggest that you add SHCHARS
to your kill file, and for those of us posting please use the subject
SHCHARS so we don't upset the gods of flame.

The following is a template that I will use when posting a character.  
If you want, add to it, modify it, change it in any way you want.  And
if I see something in someone elses template I like I will add it to mine.


TEMPLATE:
--------------------------------------------
This character is not copyrighted and may be used without restriction as
long as you don't claim to have created it yourself.

Comments may be addressed to:

Players Name:

Players E-mail Address:


Characters Name:

Real Identity:

Stats:
  (For Marvel: (F)ighting (A)gility (S)trength (E)ndurance 
               (R)eason (I)ntuition (P)syche )

Wealth:

Populatity:

Powers:

Skills/Talents:

Disadvantages/Limitations:

Equipment:

Description
   Age:
   Height:
   Weight:
   Skin:
   Eyes:
   Hair:
   Sex:

Appearance/Costume:

Personality:

Occupation:

Motivation:

Quote:

Background/Origin:

Notes:

Sample Adventure:

--------------------------------------------

Hope to see some posts soon





Louis Reash      'It's deja vu all over again' - Unknown
louis@ansoft.com 'The brighter the picture, the darker the negative' 
                   - Batman the Animated Series 'Two-Face'
Disclaimer: My boss doesn't listen to what I say, why should you?
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: retief@iastate.edu (Jim Miller)
Subject: Re: Shadowrun Psionics
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 20:50:22 GMT

In <1687D4A22.MHART00@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU> mason writes:

)If you look at Katherine Kurtz's Deryni books, psionics start
)to look a LOT like Shadowrun sorcery.  I don't think separate
)rules for mental abilities are necessary.  A mana bolt is a
)mana bolt, whether you sing for it, pray, incant, or just think
)REAL HARD.  8)
)-- mason

Or Anne McCaffrey's _Rowan_ and others, limits different people to
different powers except for the REALLY powerful(different spells)
and it takes lots of training and practice.  And the effort does
cause drain/fatigue.
-- 
Jim Miller <retief@iastate.edu>  IowaStateUniversity.  ComS Jr.
#include <multipagefunnyquote.h>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: joshua salter <jsalter@silver.ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Bushido: How Many Books?
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 21:34:09 GMT


	How many books are there in the game Bushido? I possess only
1 & 2. (Rulesbook and Nippon Sourcebook.) If anyone has any info re           
regarding this, please mail me...

						-jsalter





			<{([|])}> 
			 | 0 0 |
			 |  |  |
			 | --- |
			<{([|])}>



Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: CS341A002@Husky1.StMarys.Ca (Loki)
Subject: Golden Nightmare
Organization: The Underground
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 02:31:21 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.13.SMU

I'm starting up a Dark Conspiracy PBEM, named Golden Nightmare, using
premades (heh, there's *my* statement on that little thread)

If interested, leave me mail; please indicate the amount of familiarity you
have with Dark Conspiracy (ie which books you have access to/have been
exposed to, whether you run or have run it, play it, etc.) Also tell me
which character you'd like to play. (If you have PC Booster Kit, I'm using
the d20 system featured in it; also some of the characters' equipment comes
from DarkTek.)

Available player characters are: cyborg, corporate mercenary, cop, prole,
trucker, journalist, paramedic, and psychic.

If you're not sure which one you want, just ask me for more info and I'll
supply something. *All* of them have an interesting starting position...
the game won't be slow starting out. Note that also most of them start
alone.

           Most commonly known as Loki, occasionally sysop of TWWOL
      SCA: Brynjolfr Myrkjartanarson, founder of the Compaignie Mercurie
        The Net: cs341a002@husky1.stmarys.ca, cs341a002@stmarys.bitnet

Random Quote of the Day:
There seems to be a suggestion here that current British practice is good
evidence for period practice--which also seemed to be implied by a posting a
few weeks back about how "real coronations" are done. Is the underlying
assumption that England is still in the Middle Ages? I have been over there,
and they have electric lights and radios and motorcars--and are planning to
build roads suitable for driving the motorcars on real soon now.

                --- Cariadoc
From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Newbie System?
Date: 12 Oct 92 16:07:17 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@unixd1.cis.pitt.edu

In article <1992Oct12.092253.23707@sserve.cc.adfa.oz.au> braca2@cspyr1.cs.adfa.oz.au (BRAY CHRISTOPHER) writes:
>seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:

>>In article <1992Oct09.184255.23352@rchland.ibm.com> BillSeurer@vnet.ibm.com writes:
>>	Considering that even 17 years ago it cost me $300 to go to a

>	Come to Oz, it only costs me a mere $40 bucks Australian. :)

	Might be true, mate. But I don't think the airfare'd be free. That
koala running Quantas is a real penny pincher.

>>                                 Sea Wasp
>>                                   /^\
>>                                   ;;;
>				What the fuck is this?

	You mean, my .sig? Shame on you. You're from Australia, you OUGHT
to know that a Sea Wasp is a Jellyfish -- Chironex Fleckeri -- and a nasty
one to boot; it can be lethal in as little as 30 seconds, and it's
native to Australian waters.

	Thus,
                                   /^\
                                   ;;;
	Is a jellyfish symbol. :)

                                 Sea Wasp
                                   /^\
                                   ;;;
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: jmkaraka@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN MARTIN KARAKASH)
Subject: Re: GURPS ST: TNG??
Originator: jmkaraka@c00180-100lez.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: jmkaraka@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN MARTIN KARAKASH)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 03:42:15 GMT


|>>|> I heard that Steve Jackson Games was one of the publishers bargaining for
|>>|> the rights to ST:TNG. Anybody with more info on this?
|>>
|>>
|>>	I was at Contraption (in the UK) where SJ was GoH, and he said 
|>>there will probably be no Star Trek GURPS material,  apparentley
|>>Paramount are not willing to deal with small fry like the gameing 
|>>market!
|>>
|>
|>After looking through FASA's ST:TRPG, I can understand some of the hesitation
|>Paramount has about allowing the licensure of ST:TNG to any gaming company.

     I believe you entirely right on this point.  FASA lost their license
when they started 'making up' stuff.  Any game based on ST or ST:TNG will have
to rigorously adhere to the show's 'bible' yet not truly 'invent' any new
material.
     As a side note, I heard SJG didn't pick up Robotech 'cause they weren't
allowed to expand on the information given by the shows.

     -john 'heh, we already play GURPS ST so nyah! paramount!' karakash-
From: gt7803b@prism.gatech.EDU (Sub Zero)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Post-Apocolyptic GURPS
Date: 10 Oct 92 16:17:19 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

I'm contemplating setting up a post-apocolyptic GURPS campaign. Anybody got
and PA rules? If so, please mail them to me if possible. If there are any
official supplements on this, please let me know...

-- 
A bird in hand is easily crushed lifeless.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc