HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: wilder@nx04.mik.uky.edu (jeff wilder)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRII: Reactive trigger missing?
Date: 26 Jan 93 22:23:40 GMT
Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences

In <1993Jan26.212145.1@vxdesy.desy.de> burke@vxdesy.desy.de (Stephen Burke) writes:

|  Has anyone got an explanation for why LAVs are now called Thunderbirds rather
|than Panzers? Is Panzer a trademark? If it is, why is Thunderbird any better
|(at least two obvious competitors on that one)?

Well, Tom Dowd said he was for calling them T-birds all along, but the
"panzer" references kinda just slipped in.  And no, I doubt you could
trademark "panzer," but with WJW and WG using the term, I imagine Tom just
feels it's too derivitave.  I like Thunderbird better, anyway; it fits
in with the NANs surrounding Seattle.

Also, Panzer (IMO) implies (for obvious reasons) a ground effect or tracked 
vehicle; SRs LAV *sound* like Thunderbirds.

--
==============================================================================
| 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.|
==============================================================================
From: mdennie@beryllium.mc.xerox.com (Matt Dennie)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Play-by-mail Games: specifically, GSI (Game Systems Inc.)
Date: 25 Jan 93 19:10:37 GMT
Reply-To: mmd.wbst207V@xerox.com
Organization: Xerox Corporation

Do PBM games get discussed here?  I`m new (obviously) and I did scan the FAQ,
but didn`t see any reference.  The mail I`m talking about here is postal, 
not e-.

Anyway, even if it doesn`t get discussed, does anyone play any of GSIs PBM
games.  I`ve been playing Earthwood for a year or so now.  E-mail would be
welcomed.

---
--Matt Dennie                              Internet: mmd.wbst207v@xerox.com
Xerox Corporation, Rochester, NY (USA)
"Reaching consensus in a group often
 is confused with finding the right answer."  -- Norman Maier
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: S096216@UMRVMA.umr.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Rolemaster Power Points
Date: 26 Jan 93 21:56:53 GMT
Organization: Univ of MO - Rolla

Here is my suggestion for power points in Rolemaster

All classes have their abilities tied to their experience levels and
skills they have developed except for magic skills.  The power points
are allocated per 'experience level'   I don't like that.  Second, ANY
class defends itself against spells versus their experience level. Why?
What makes a Fighter at 20th level defend better against spells than
when he was just 1st level? Or, why would a Fighter and Magician defend
against spells the same?  In Combat, the Fighter clearly has the
advantage in better skills..so in magic the Magician should  have the
advantage of his experience in magic to defend and attack.

Solution:

1. Create a new skill like power point projection call Spell Power.
Skill is for all classes.  Skill is used like Body development: each
level lets you earn a new 'spell dice' of spell points. (Spell dice are
decided by race..i just assigned them..it is up to GM to decide..mine
range from d2 to d6 )  Level in this skill decides the defense level
when making Resistance Rolls.  Total spell points available are also
modified by the prime stat bonus for the spells class of the PC, like
Con bonus is used to modify base hits to total hits:

Spell points = base spell points (from spell dice) * (stat
bonus/100)
Costs: Pure = 1/4/20, Hybrid = 2/6/30, Semi = 4/8/40, Non = 30
bonus/100)

This way, the magic is based on your power, just like hit points
and other skills.  My campaign has been run successfully using this
system.


Option: ( Rolemaster always has option..;) )  Make the
attack level of a spell equal to the spell points (as the rule in SL
say).  Make the defense level equal to the number of power points the PC
wishes to use in the skill: Spell Defense. Like channeling, the defense
level is equal to the number of power points time the skill in Spell
Defence.  This has not been tested yet...a surprise for my players..:)


Walter T. Stephens
Internet: s096216@umrvma.umr.edu
please emailme any and all comments...i am always looking for improvements...:)
From: at731@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Troy L. Nothnagel)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRII: Comments & Questions
Date: 22 Jan 1993 15:07:30 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: at731@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Troy L. Nothnagel)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, cdr@kpc.com (Carl Rigney) says:

>Then there's always the Essence 0 sense of humor: if a mage gets on your
>nerves slap a Tranq 10 patch on her; she passes out, his elementals go free
>(and maybe they'll be grateful to you for freeing them from slavery; never
>can tell), and she checks for magic loss.
 
That's only for stim patches.  And then the magician only has to test
for magic loss if they can't roll the rating of the patch (max 6) with
an amount of dice equal to their magic rating.  At least, that's what
_I_ get from it when it says "Make a Magic test against a target number
equal to the rating of the patch."

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: phardie@nastar.uucp (Pete Hardie)
Subject: Re: LIVE Roleplaying
Organization: Digital Transmission Systems, Duluth, GA.
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 20:14:13 GMT

In article <1993Jan27.232615.16690@coe.montana.edu> icsu0237@cs.montana.edu (Jeff Patterson) writes:
>I've played this game before, and yes, it is fun.  I am also a member of
>the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism), and it is by FAR better.  You
>see, in the FASA game, you hit each other with foam swords and take
>points of damage, but in the SCA, you don full suits of real armor, pick
>up your ratan longsword and kyte shield, and go to hammering the shit out
>of each other!  You see, in the SCA there are no hit points - you get hit
>in the head, and your dead, period.  And let me tell you, your area is
>bound to have at least a small chapter of SCA around.
>
>So the FASA game might be fun on a long weekend, but if you want a real
>middle ages rush, find someone in the SCA, get into a suit of scale mail,
>pick up your sword (or pike, battle ax, bow...) and join the shield wall!
>Facing off against a few hundered armored men is more exciting than running
>through the forest dodging tennis-fireballs.

Lest anyone take this for gospel....

Rattan fighting in the SCA takes a certain amount of time to be done safely.
Live action role-playing combat can be picked up in (at most) a few hours.

If you are interested in the SCA, read rec.org.sca, find a local chapter,
join up and dive in - but don't expect to fight in wars until you've
authorized as a rattan fighter, and don't expect that until you've at least
got all your own equipment and can fight safely, and don't expect THAT until
you've practiced for a few months.


-- 
Pete Hardie:  phardie@nastar  (voice) (404) 497-0101
Digital Transmission Systems, Inc., Duluth GA
Member, DTS Dart Team           |  cat * | egrep -v "signature virus|infection" 
Position:  Goalie               |
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (RedSwordTarga)
Subject: Re: SRII PhysAds
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 17:35:08 GMT
Keywords: Physical Adept Abilities

maillet@tls-cs.cert.fr (Luc Maillet) writes:

>  Don't worry, Axly. We've worked for Ares more'n'a couple of times. 

You've worked for Ares. Black Omega *IS* Ares. Big difference.

>And, if
>we ever have to work against you, you'll have to see us before mowing us down.

Oh, cool. A use for that ultrasound system we put on the Banshees. Oh, we
have a new designer line of body bags. Would you prefer periwinkle  or
charcoal?

>BTW, and about Dikote, no one among us use it ( wasn't in the 1stEd rules ).
>Not that we don;t have our little surprises in stock, of course...

In my own games, I disallow Dikote as a weapon coating as I think it doesn't
make any sense. I allow it as a bonus to impact armor, but that is about
it. I don't think a micro-thin layer of diamond would do diddly for ballistic
protection.

Axly

********************************************************************************
*  Axly               *  "I didn't want to shoot him."                         *
* Red Sword Targa     *  "Well..maybe I did want to shoot him, but I didn't    *
*                     *   mean to kill him."                                   **                     *  "OK. Maybe I did mean to kill him ... but he deserved *
*                     *   it. "                                                *
*                     *        -Axly                                           *
********************************************************************************
 
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: lak@world.std.com (Larry A Keber)
Subject: Re: RQ: using other magic systems
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 20:43:40 GMT


I used TFT's Advanced Wizard.
-- 
Larry Keber                    They'll take away my CLI when they pry my
lak@world.std.com              cold, dead fingers from the keyboard.
...decvax!fasfax!talon!lak
CI$: [76356,31]
From: heath@anchor.as.utexas.edu (James Heath)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Faerie Folk (more pedantry that has nothing to do with gaming)
Date: 27 Jan 93 21:08:51 GMT
Organization: McDonald Observatory, University of Texas @ Austin

In article <C161p3.E6w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney) writes:
>In article <1993Jan19.230211.10734@oz.plymouth.edu> sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan) writes:
>>dunkelza@titan.ucs.umass.edu (KEITH C MCCORMIC) writes:
>>
>>>  France was a Celtic land.  And, IMHO, I believe that the Scandinavians 
>>>were at least cultural descendants of the Celts.
>>
>>Hogwash.  How about the Cambodian fairies, the "phi?"  Are they Celtic,
>>too?
>
>
>And how about the Ja-gah-oh, the Iroquois fairies, are the Iroquois also
>Celtic?  Then there are the various "lesser" Kachina, whose functions are quite
>close to some ascribed to fairies.  Are the Navaho also Celts?

	YES!!!  YES!!!!  All are Celts!!  Celts are the ruling race of the 
earth!!!  All peoples sprang from us!!!  You WILL bow down before us, Son of
Jor-el!!!!

	Seriously, folks, I think we GET THE POINT!  Our conclusions:

	Fairies, or Faeries, or Fayeries, or Phi, or Ja-gah-oh are either:

	a) a pervasive and essential mythic image, like the Storm-god, the
Earth-goddess, the Flood, and the Trickster Who Brings Fire/Knowledge to Man.

	b) Folkloric creatures, like vampyres, lycanthropes, unicorns, etc, that
have stories attatched to them around the world.

	c) REAL creatures, with the fertility and adaptability of the common
bug, so that they have spread all over the globe.

	d) Aliens, or

	e) All Reagan's Fault.

	Can we drop this now?  Thanks.  Didn't someone once post a bibliography
of faerie folklore?  Why not re-post it and let people read and draw (*gasp*)
their own conclusions!

							Pax,
								JIM
Jim Heath, Celtic Homeboy Extraordinaire
From: loren@wmkt.wharton.upenn.edu (Loren Miller)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: GURPS: Advice needed for sci-fi campaign
Keywords: supplements
Date: 25 Jan 93 20:53:47 GMT
Organization: Wharton Marketing

In article <C1FAu4.52B@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu> jszeder@napier.uwaterloo.ca (John Szeder) writes:
>Yea yea.. I noticed all you yak-shavers

And children, on Kilted-Yak-Eve, don't forget to decorate with disposable 
diapers and fill your parents galoshes with cole-slaw...

>I want to play a sci-fi campaign with 
>a bunch of alien races (I already have GURPS BASIC and GURPS UPLIFT) and I 
>would like to know what supplements will enhance my campaign.. GURPS SPACE is

How about GURPS/aliens? It sounds like it would fit right up your alley 
(no insult intended). I'd also look at GURPS/psionics if you want to have a 
substitute for magic in your space campaign, for instance if you're doing 
zhodani conspiracy against the imperium.

--
+++++++++++++++++++++++23
Loren Miller              LOREN@wmkt.wharton.upenn.edu
     There's a thin line between TQM and Mutiny
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: esper@cs35b.cs.umn.edu (Dave Sherohman)
Subject: Re: SRII: Shamanic Adepts
Organization: University of Minnesota
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 01:29:59 GMT

In article <1993Jan26.160634.4587@wvnvms.wvnet.edu> un107041@wvnvms.wvnet.edu writes:
>explaination on pg.124 of SRII to indicate that he would be very specialized
>in a couple of spells that he can only use for defense.  So I instructed him
>to take only 3 spells and to concentrate in his conjuring and sorcery skills.

First off, why'd you tell him to only take 3 spells?  I don't see the
connection...

Secondly, I assume the passage you're referring to is "Shamanic adeptshave full
use of their Sorcery and Conjuring skills for defensive purposes" (actually on
p.125...)  This is to clarify that even though "this adept can _only_ cast
spells or conjure spirits for which a totem would offer modifiers", they can
defend against any spells or spirits (ie a Gator shaman would not "be very
specialized in a couple of spells that he can only use for defense"; he could
toss hellblasts with the best - since gator normally gives bonuses to combat
and detection spells, he could cast any combat or defensive spell normally (but
with no totem bonus).  The "full defensive use" clause is just to let you know
that even though the Gator adept can't throw a manipulation spell, he can still
use spell defense dice to stop one.)

esper@ima.umn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: bell@cc.gatech.edu (Andrew Christopher Bell)
Subject: Re: Random Rolls
Reply-To: bell@cc.gatech.edu (Andrew Christopher Bell)
Organization: College of Computing, Georgia Tech
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 07:29:11 GMT

In article <1993Jan26.171256.16241@nastar.uucp> phardie@nastar.uucp (Pete Hardie) writes:
>Look at it this way - there are 3 characters, one Filthy Rich, one Average,
>and one Dead Broke.  They go on this adventure and return with 3 XP and
>$6.  How does each feel rewarded?

Oh, about the same as when a thiefly type and a mage go on adventure and
get 3 XP and a Wand o' Wondrous Magic... and do you really think of
your adventurers as adventuring for XP rewards?  Much safer to stay home
and train if you're filthy rich and want to be more skilled, unless the
adventure itself does something beneficial for the character.

Now *players* may think differently -- but then perhaps you should try
to stop your players from thinking of XPs as ends in themselves?  I've
always recommended relatively low experience gains directly from
adventuring for just that reason.

>Basically, I feel that if the adventure generates a large cash reward, it
>can't have been an easy task.

Sometimes these things happen, though.  You shouldn't have to distort game
"reality" in order to avoid a rules dilemma.

Andrew Bell
bell@cs.unc.edu

					
					-Andrew Christophe Bell (bell@cc.gatech.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (RedSwordTarga)
Subject: Re: SRII PhysAds
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 02:42:42 GMT
Keywords: Physical Adept Abilities

wilder@nx34.mik.uky.edu (jeff wilder) writes:

>Does anybody else hate the artwork associated with the given archetypes?
>Geez.  If I wanted to play a cheesy cartoon game, I would.  The first thing
>I said, in my very first Shadowrun game, was:  "My Samurai does *not*
>look like that."

Yeah, the SR archetype art is some of the worst stuff that FASA has. I wish
they'd gotten the same people to do new archetype art that they had do 
the archetypes for MechWarrior II. 

Axly

********************************************************************************
*  Axly               *  "I didn't want to shoot him."                         *
* Red Sword Targa     *  "Well..maybe I did want to shoot him, but I didn't    *
*                     *   mean to kill him."                                   **                     *  "OK. Maybe I did mean to kill him ... but he deserved *
*                     *   it. "                                                *
*                     *        -Axly                                           *
********************************************************************************
 
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: dragon@camelot.bradley.edu (Matthew Korth)
Subject: Re: GURPS Paranoia (Not bloody likely)
Organization: Bradley University
Date: 26 Jan 93 02:33:50 GMT

In <1993Jan25.135904.5218@wkuvx1.bitnet> futrena@wkuvx1.bitnet writes:
>Your fiend in gaming,

>Whoops.  Did I say fiend?  Heh heh, I meant friend.

Pretending to be The Computer is treason.  Please report to the nearest
Termination Center.  The Computer is Your Friend.  Have a nice day.
--
****** Matt Korth ************************** dragon@camelot.bradley.edu ******
			ENERGIZER BUNNY ARRESTED!
		     Police charge him with battery.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: gonzalez@athena.mit.edu (John R Gonzalez)
Subject: Book of Swords as game scenario
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 13:41:51 GMT

I was wondering, has anyone ever tried to turn Fred
Saberhagens Book of Swords into a scenario, or a 
setting?

				john
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Subject: Re: GURPS: Quick Melee Combat for High Defense Characters
Reply-To: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 23:20:35 GMT

sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan) writes:
>Defense-Driven Combat assumes that each opponent can strike at the other
>each second. 
>
>Critical Hits and Failures are also downplayed if you feel this is
>unrealistic, accept the fact that you'll have to spend a lot of time
>rolling dice to see who gets a critical result first . . .

	For those interested, one can take into account the chance of 
critical if you are given the attacker's effective skill, and combine 
it into the chart. I'd be willing to do so if there is any interest. 
I think one can also throw in Feints if given the relative skills. 

	However, I would like to comment that I find running combat as a 
mindless exchange of simple blows *BORING*!  If these people are the 
expert fighters that their defense rolls suggest, their fights should be 
at least as interesting as the fast-paced second-to-second fights of 
the less skilled. 
	Apparently the only option in this sort of fighting is to 
slug it out. I don't like that especially much. Perhaps some sort of 
'strategic maneuvers' could be introduced - but then this whole thing 
becomes a rather excessively complicated addition to an already overly 
complex system. Ah, well. 

	An interesting idea, but I think combat as a quick contest is 
more interesting if not neccessarily more realistic. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Kim                    | "You're on the cutting room floor, Chaplin.
jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu | Not a good place to be."
Columbia University         |                  (from the movie 'Chaplin')
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: slb22@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Seth "the Lesser")
Subject: Re: Arcanum <----- What ever happened to it?
Organization: Generic American College Kids (G.A.C.K.)
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 17:15:37 GMT
Reply-To: slb22@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Seth "the Lesser")
X-Posted-From: cunixb.cc.columbia.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

camelsho@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (   James A Seymour) writes:
>Plain and simple:  Whate ever happened to Arcanum from 
>Bard Games?

I never heard that they released any adventures or supplements for it at all
(beyond the first three books [Arcanum, Lexicon, Bestiary], the one-volume
reprint, and the scuzzy little AD&D adaptation of the char-gen system), which
tends to explain why it died.  Talislanta took all their energy.

Nevertheless, I *love* the system, and I have been GMing a campaign of Arcanum
intermittently for over six years now.  It's a bit weird--one player,
heavy-duty house rules, and he's beginning to get into the munchkin power
bracket despite my efforts to slow him down (due to a basic flaw in my
original campaign concept).  We've never found anyone else who's heard of the
system, though.

I rank it among my favorite FRP systems, based almost entirely on the high
quality of the background (The Lexicon).

Gee, anyone wanna do an Arcanum PBEM? (I was just kidding! Please don't swamp
me with email! ;-)

Seth L. Blumberg          \    "The whole thing was an accident.  No saboteur
slb22@columbia.edu (play)   \ could have been so wildly optimistic as to think
sethb@ctr.columbia.edu (work) \    he could destroy an airplane this way."
    > No one I know shares my opinions, least of all Columbia University. <
From: brian@zooid.guild.org (Brian Misiaszek)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: More about Cover Art
Date: 25 Jan 93 02:33:40 GMT

>Traveller chose to go with stark covers, and the interior art--and art on
>other products--was also stark, black&white.  Personally, I found that art to
>be one of the attractive things about the game (the rest wasn't much, after
>all).  It was very effective (for me) in setting the tone of "future space".
>I was disappointed when the rules system wasn't able of supporting what the
>artwork set the tone for.  :-/
>
>In the case of Traveller, glossy colour art might have been inappropriate.
>If the rule books had the same sort of art as the original AD&D books, I
>wouldn't even have taken the game seriously.
>
  I feel much the same way--that it was the stark simplicity of the cover art
for Traveller and the near absence of interior art--that allowed me to create
and enjoy "realistic" adventures without being tied too closely to the game
designer's perspective on how I might play this game.  In fact, the lurid and
garish cover art of MegaTraveller was an instant turn-off; it was a big step
backwards into the world of schlock SF.

  I also agree that the cover art should help evoke the flavour and genre of
the interior contents.  One of the most beautiful game and box covers for an
RPG was for Hero Games' "Justice Inc."; it could have been the cover of one
of hero pulp magazines whose exploits you could emulate in this pulp RPG.

  White Wolf has some simple yet effective covers for their "Vampire" and
"Werewolf" RPG's--photographs that help instill the gothic mood of these
games.

::Brian::

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: rgg@yarra-glen.aaii.oz.au (Rupert G. Goldie)
Subject: Re: Megatraveller Information X-Change
Keywords: Megatraveller
Organization: Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 01:10:27 GMT

n9045178@henson.cc.wwu.edu (Sean Dean) writes:

>I am fairly new to the game of MegaTraveller...I purchased it five years ago
>and never played until the end of last year.  I am looking for other players
>with whom I can share information, ideas, resouces, etc.  If you are
>interested in such a correspondence then please email me.  I am also open to
>the idea of on line gaming for MegaTraveller(possibly on irc).  Also if you
>live in Western Washington state, USA then I might be interested in getting
>together to game.

 Try subscribing to the Traveller Mailing List:
	traveller-request@engrg.uwo.ca

Rupert
-- 
Rupert G. Goldie, Research Scientist                rgg@aaii.oz.au
Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute        
/\/\|| 1 Grattan Street, Melbourne, Australia
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc