HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rayres@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Russell W Ayres)
Subject: Quote of the Month Club
Organization: The Ohio State University
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 13:43:30 GMT


Here's yet another frivolous but fun thread to follow, related (in some way) to
the "Stupid PC tricks" line.  My opening contribution:

We were searching through a series of sewers (sound familiar) when we were 
beset by orcs.  The orcs were badly outmatched (I suspect they came off of a 
random encounter table that shouldn't have been), and we captured two after 
slaying the rest in order to find out where certain things were (like all their
treasure, and the HQ of the lead nasties).  Our half-orc assassin began the 
questioning, but they were highly resistant.  We began to run a 
good-cop/bad-cop routine between a dwarven fighter (who, natch, HATES orcs) and
a thief; no go there either.  Finally, the thief (named Hubie Illin - this is 
NOT my fault) turned to the assassin (named Ert) and said with a perfectly 
straight face, "Ert, get out the genital press."

The GM was so impressed he actually coughed up information.  To this day none 
of us knows exactly what a genital press looks like (and we're not sure we want
to find out . . .)

--Bill
aka Delnor the dwarven "Fireplug from Hell" fighter (in two universes)
aka Dwaelin the dwarven "Firestarter from Hell" fire-mage (in only one)
aka the GM with far too grandiose plans for his own or his PCs good . . .
From: mscs057@vax1.mankato.msus.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Inspired Character Names
Date: 15 Apr 92 21:04:47 GMT
Article-I.D.: vax1.1992Apr15.150448.1730
Organization: Mankato State University

I was in a campaign where a freind and I made brothers. One was a cavalier and
the other was a paladin. I named my paladin Starfollower. My freind named his
Starsling.
Their last names were Bysling-Stingfered.

Steve
From: mlharley@unix1.tcd.ie (Kubik)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Rolemaster magic items & alchemy rules
Date: 8 Apr 92 04:23:00 GMT
Organization: Trinity College, Dublin

In <MAN.92Apr7101426@ibm320h.at> man@magwien.gv.at (Andreas Manessinger) writes:

>Oh yes, yes, yes !!!

>I think it needs a lot of effort to make `alchemist' an attractive
>profession. There is nothing fascinating in the standard rules.
>--

I don't know about that, my favorite character ever, was an elven
alchemist, who went looking for formulas & materials, then did favors
for the more powerful rulers, in exchange for use of their enchanted
forges. He was really interesting to play, 'cause of his motivations and
frame of mind, not because of the "rules" for alchemy, but because of
the profession all the same.

Mark.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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  / |/ |  __.  __  /_    /--/ __.  __  /  _  , ,
 /     |_(_/|_/ (_/\    /  (_(_/|_/ (_(__(_'(_/   sez  "So sue me, BUTTHEAD"
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Deus Imperator)
Subject: Re: AD&D: LONG question
Keywords: AD&D geas wish
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 09:15:24 GMT

Since you do have a lot of Celtic flavor to your campaign, you might
want to consult Myths and Legends of the Irish, published by Penguin.
Therein, they completely define the nature of Geasa (plural of geas).
Some examples actually used by epic heroes were:  no women could touch 
him, or (fiddling with game mechanics) -4 on all roles until 24 hours, or
proper atonement is made.  ANother (very nasty if played right) is that
the hero can NEVER refused anything offered.  Another is player cannot curse
(especially sadistic if you play the "You said it, you did it" style of
play) or else dark clouds gather.  Basically, think of the geas as something
ordinary that would cheese off the players.  One great story was a tale of
a hero's son meeting the father he's never seen.  His mother (who hates the 
father for running off) places a geas on the boy that she could never give 
a stranger his name.  She then sends him off to Ireland, where not giving
one's name is a major breech of ettiquette.
	Or if you want something more modern, read The Prydain Chronicles,
by Lloyd Alexander, where a bard has a compulsion and a geas laid upon him.
The compulsion:  always lie.  The geas:  keep a certain harp as his only 
instrument.  Everytime he tells a lie, a string breaks.  Audibly.  Hours of
fun for the whole family.


-- 
Thanatos, DeathUrge, Master of a Bunch of Stuff tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
"Why would you think a priest any more moral than the rest of us?  Heavens
 sake's child, why do you think they're called 'Father?'"
					-The Company of Wolves
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Wednesday, 8 Apr 1992 11:22:23 EDT
From: Brian Panulla <BJP108@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: NPCs Weaker than PC's?
 <11122@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu>

That's the way it seems to be in Star Wars and James Bond, two of my favorite
games. Stormtroopers and Spectre thugs are cannon fodder, but a priviledged
henchman or major villain gets more devlopment and more  (or better) skills.
I guess it makes for more heroic high fantasy.

Funny thing is, though, in AD&D, the trend is reversed, especially with NPC cla
sses from Dragon. One on one, a typical NPC (say Beastmaster or Death Master, y
eah, I know these aren't typical. Give me some creative license, huh?) would
smear a PC of equal level, mainly , I guess because each adversary is designed
 to give a WHOLE PARTY a rough time.

____
Brian Panulla bjp108@psuvm.psu.edu
"What's that noise? Does somebody have a cold in here?"
                  -- Rumored last words of Admiral Ozzel, SSD Executor (dec.)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: The Importance of Gaming System Consistency (new thread)
From: tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Continuum)
Date: Mon, 06 Apr 1992 12:21:02 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: California State University, Chico

Mark Kampe writes:
> I write regarding an 'ideal' system: 
>> It should have: no (or few) special case rules, a simple mechanic 
>
>I claim that in any long running game (more than two or three sessions) the GM
>should be able to make up plausible odds ... 

Well, at this point, we're talking pretty much improv gaming.  The stats
and skills serve only to communicate to you, the referee, the compentence
of the character and you judge things from there as you see fit.  That's
fine if the group is able to handle it.  Far too many of the gamers I've
seen (including the one I see in the mirror) are still looking for rules,
but ones that are simple and freestyle while still allowing input (in 
other words, ones that create odds given the character's abilities, not
leave that up to the referee.)

>Nine times out of ten the player says "OK".  

Sounds good to me.  I many ways, it's a consistent system ("what I say,
*goes!*") but it only works when I can trust the referee.  I'm looking
for ones that will suffice when the referee is still on a probationary
period.  =)

Tim

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: sleibowitz@hamp.hampshire.edu
Subject: Re: Sex and RPG's - Why Oh Why ?
Organization: Hampshire College
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 22:59:51 GMT

*Sigh*  Well as long as this seems to be the contreversy (sp?) of choice,
I figure that I might as well put in my .02 nuyen.

It's my HO that the whole question of sexism in FRPGers is rapidly becoming
moot.  Historically, RPGers were male: this is probably more because men 
designed the first RPG's in the first place, and playing them was considered
a "boys night out" kind of thing (among nerds like myself, admittedly).  I 
strongly doubt that the high ratio of male to female gamers has anything to do 
with the quality of female role-players in general.  Saying that smacks of pure
ignorance; are actors more talented than actresses?  Are male authors superior
to female ones?  These days (fortunately), most people would never take an 
argument like that seriously.

Furthermore, I should add that there are only three people I know whom I have 
played with enough to feel safe in calling them outstanding role-players.  Of
these three, two were female.  (one, however, is my SO, so my opinion may be
biased).

The characters these people play almost seem as real people to me.  One, Kiri
Treeborn (aka Nightshade) is an elven Owl shaman (Shadowrun) with very strong
ethical principles.  At one point, I ran her party through the Hates section of
"Harlequin".  After the job, which involved a good deal of wetwork, was 
explained to them by their potential employer, the "Johnson" asked "Okay?"
Before anyone else had a chance to reply, Kiri said "No," stood up, and walked
out.  It doesn't sound like much, but it was very characteristic of the quiet 
elf to refuse on ethical grounds alone, thereby eliminating her share of the
profit.  

As far as art goes, even _that_ seems to be changing to a great degree.  A
quick perusal of Shadowrun (excepting the front cover) and its sourcebooks,
Vampire: The Masquerade, Torg, Gurps will show that most of the "offensive" art
of bygone times seems missing in later games.  Certainly, some of the females 
in SRun are beautiful, but others are downright terrifying (for example, Rat 
Mash Dancer, the Ork shaman from Ivy & Chrome).  And the men look like
everything from buffed muscle men to the shmoe next door (ie, FBI agent Clive
Drummond from NAN I... at this point, I'll put in a plug for my favorite
illustrator, Tim Bradstreet).  Sure, stereotypes abound, but not nearly to the 
same extent that they did ten years ago... or even five years ago.

But, I've been rambling.  The point is, men and women are not the same, but
they're not as different as all _that_.  Play with a few and you'll see what
I mean.   



						Your humble servant,
						    Smiling Wolf

sleibowitz@hamp.hampshire.edu
damn everything but the circus.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: oldham_r@cs.uwa.oz.au (rob oldham)
Subject: SRUN: IC and Deckers
Keywords: srun
Organization: Dept. Computer Science, University of Western Australia.
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 03:40:53 GMT

Hoi Chummers,

A couple of questions about Decking (no, none
of the "how-do-we-keep-the-decker-happy" stuff).

When you are in a node and want to get out of it
(evading ICe, running away etc) can you move into
nodes you haven't been into yet ?

Does Barrier IC act as barriers to movement, and
does this apply to other white ICe ?

When the white IC asks for verification of the 
users identity, is this considered an "action" ?
If not, how the drek is it supposed to work ?
(even after reading VR for the 3rd time I can't
quite work it out.)

That's about it. If there are any other
FAQ decking questions please answer them in 
any replies - I'm sure other "newbies" would be
interested in hearing about them .

Rob.

email:oldham_r@kultarr.cs.uwa.edu.au
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: awells@jarthur.claremont.edu (Adam "Servo" Wells)
Subject: Re: BigBusiness (was Re: aaaghhh, what has TSR done!!!)
Summary: I don't think so!
Keywords: dickweed
Organization: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
Date: Sun, 5 Apr 1992 22:10:24 GMT

In article <1992Apr4.012338.13708@nevada.edu> wildcard@nevada.edu ( WildCard !!) writes:

[in response to someone who remembers when modules were $4-5]

>Yeah, and I remember when coffee was a nickel and TV was black and white, so
>what!  I've seen resonably priced scenarios....they come from my own head.
>Their only cost is time.  

Believe me, everyone.  I know WildCard !!.  He does *not* remember when coffee
was a nickel, unless it was a special somewhere.  You were exaggerating a 
little, weren't, you, WildCard !!? 

>                             Sick and Tired of This Thread
>                                      - WildCard !!

But thanks anyway for trying to end this thread.  The net needs more net.
scissors to end annoying threads.  I don't like having to keep increasing
the size of my killfile.

+---------------------------------+-------------------------------------------+
|  Adam B. Wells                  |  Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA       |
|  awells@jarthur.claremont.edu   |  "I'm too sexy for my .sig ..."           |
+---------------------------------+-------------------------------------------+
From: mscs057@vax1.mankato.msus.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: AD&D Humanoid Shamans
Date: 16 Apr 92 00:57:19 GMT
Article-I.D.: vax1.1992Apr15.185720.1734
Organization: Mankato State University

Very good question, Steve, I, being a humanoid sage, have this to tell you.
For a gnoll shaman you roll first your 2d8 and then add to that 3d4. There is 
a reason behind this. It is started in the 1st edition. It is that shamans and
wicth doctors of the humanoid races receive a d4 for every level of shaman they
are above 1st, for a witch doctor it is a d4+1 for every level above 1st.
   Do you know that humanoids can have magic-users also. These wizards use the
shaman hit point system also. If you wish for more knowledge post something on
here for the Humanoid Sage.

Thomas S. Magnum
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: cbergstr@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Chris N Bergstresser)
Subject: Re: pbm Arena Combat!! (AD&D2)
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 19:30:10 GMT

     For those who asked, the original message is at #48503.

     The game is _far_ from filled at the moment, I have 2 valid characters, 
and I just accidently erased one from my mailbox.

     Would whoever sent the munchkin Paladin please resend him to me?  (I don't
know what happened, my systems been screwy all week.  I knew it was bound to
happen.  And before I made a hardcopy.  And for whoever asked me what my secord 
post was about, check #48503.  (I killed your message too.)  <sigh>

     Oh, just to reclarify, NO psionicists.

     Keep sending those characters.
From: loydb@fnordbox.UUCP (Loyd Blankenship)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re:  Steve Jackson Games is gone?
Distribution: world
Date: 8 Apr 92 18:24:13 CST
Organization: Texas Net Illuminati

laurence@cco.caltech.edu (Dustin Lee Laurence) writes:
>IK20001@MAINE.MAINE.EDU (Society for Creative Solipsism) writes:
>
>>Oh for Christ's Sake....  Loyd????  Loyd Blankenship?  Settle all
>>this *please*.
>
>What was the net.consensus for the value of Psych. Lim.: No Sense
>Of Humor?  -5 or -10 points?
>

Sorry, Bruce Heard (my new boss here at TSR) won't let me answer questions
on the net. :-)

Loyd


***************************************************************************
* loydb@fnordbox.UUCP	     Once you pull the pin,  *	Loyd Blankenship  *
* GEnie: SJGAMES	    Mr. Grenade is no longer *	PO Box 18957	  *
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***************************************************************************
From: ins769v@lindblat.cc.monash.edu.au (Veltyen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: SR : Geeking Spirits
Date: 12 Apr 92 00:28:04 GMT
Organization: Monash University


      <<<<  Monash is great !!!!
              Reallly!!!!
               Trullly
                Allmost?? >>>>

     Dear Nigel Tzeng and Wildcard!!!
     
        I checked the rules in the grimoire last night. And you can
     attack a spirit in fire combat.
     IT says..
        Use willpower to attack in fire or in close..
        BUT in fire combat the spirit gets twice its force in 
            autosuccsesssess( too many sssssses you say ;Never!! )
        Ie. If you have two attacks one fire and one close combat
             take the combat and you have a better chance of hurting it.
     To explain my example better:
       The orc samurai ( hi to detrius if he's reading this ) fired at
       point blank range (which I count as half short range and an extra
       level of burst fire (3 extra bullets) effect) with a burst of
       15 bullets from his minigun. He has willpower 5 and to counteract
       against recoil , gas vent 4
                        hip pads
                        deluxe gyro mount
       for a total of 12 points of recoil compensation. He has a smartgun
       link so his target was 2 , recoil was (+2 for each level
       uncompensated) +6 ; therefore he had to hit a target of eight with
       five dice - a pretty easy event. 
          The spirit had no dodge pool allocated (as it hadn't had an action
       to allocate it :- what do you do about this?? Runners poping around
       corners geeking ppl before they can dodge?). It had an equivalent
       force of twelve and therefore 24 "armor". With 25 successess needed
       and an ungodly target to lower the effect with body resistance...
            need we say free fire elemental sludge??.

    Of course this leaves the runners with a pissed off spirit on their 
      arse in 28 days or so....

   <<<< theres nothing wrong with rules rape as long as the corps can rape
        the rules as well. HE HA HI HO HU.... >>>>

    <<< look me big samurai with big gun ..
          see me dakka dakka corp sararimen post hast
            see me run like shit when corp agent with big gun dakka dakka
               at me... >>>>
     <<< bang . Ha got you
          dakka dakka dakka . Ha got you on autofire!
            BOOM . You got me with assault cannon! Is that in rules?? >>>>

                Veltyen ( No Good No Nothing )
                ins769v@lindblat.cc.monash.edu.au
                Snail: << Nahh internet is much faster>>
From: jcurrie@ccu.umanitoba.ca (James Gordon Currie)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: AD&D - 1st edition Bard - more info
Date: 9 Apr 92 21:34:24 GMT
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

Re:F/T/MU/Bard

          Did you realize that to become a Bard, you must be a single-class
fighter for (almost) 9 levels, *then* switch to Thieving for (almost) 6 levels,
*then* become a Bard??? If you wanted to throw-in the MU, you'd be the
equivalent of a dual-classes character (a 1st level MU in a 10+ level cmpaign).
As such, ccording to 1st ed rules, as soon s you did something out of character
for the 1st level MU, you loose *all* experience for that adventure...

Ciao
From: rbanfiel@pieman ( Raybans, the Wanderer )
Subject: Re: AD&D - 1st edition Bard - more info
Organization: UTLSA Swords Club
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 92 06:18:00 GMT

In article <08Apr92132718@miracle.UUCP> sue%miracle@merk.com (The Dragon Queen) writes:
>Okay, it seems in my other posting, I neglected to state some rather
>important info, so here goes nothing.....
>
>Class:  Fighter/MU/Thief/Bard.
>
>He is currently dividing his experience among ALL of these classes.
>
>Race:  Grey Elf.
>
>A few of you mentioned that only Humans or Half-Elves can be Bards, right?
>
>Alignment:  Chaotic Good.
>
>I'm not sure about house rules, but the 1st edition PH says that you MUST
>be a variant of Neutral.
>
>
>Str:  15
>Int:  16
>Wis:  16
>Dex:  17
>Con:  16
>Cha:  15
>Com:   2
>
>
>These stats have already suffered through one DM lowering them.....is it
>just me, or is it your opinion too that this guy has a problem reading
>die rolls correctly?

Quite, likely, ask him method used to roll them up. Or even adjust one or
two of them, or even all. Specially if someone has already done this.
>
>He also has acquired a long sword +3 (Frost Brand), although no one can
>remember exactly where he got it.  Hmmm.....
>
>Other items the munchkin has acquired:  a young adult wolf to fight for 
>him, Boots of Speed, Wand of Disintegrating, Mac-Fuirmidh Cittern, 
>Bracers AC 6, Cloak of Protection +3, Wand of Illusion (91 charges), 
>Ring of Earth Elemental Command, and, of course, the Foo Dog familiar.  
>Oh, and he also has an unhatched Dragon's Egg - he knows it's good, but doesn't know its exact alignment.
>The Dragon's Egg I gave him, but the rest is from unknown whereabouts.
>
Have an a grade thief steal several of the items from him one night/day
and leave him with a couple you think he can have.

>BTW - he worships both Hermes and Corellon Larethian.  Although, I haven't
>seen him paying the slightest bit of attention to either lately.  Don't
>know if this matters at all?

Make him loose all advantages worshiping these dieties give him till
he notices and starts paying attention to them again.

>
>One other thing - he hasn't been playing the character as a Bard.  More of
>a fighter/thief/MU - he never does any of the singing stuff that Bards are
>supposed to do, or anything like that.
>
???????????

What is point of being bard then if he isn't going to do it.

If he doesn't like it tell him to start a new character, with rolls supervised

	Raybans



--
From: wrasman@cs.utk.edu ('Walker Of Change')
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Gamma World
Date: 17 Apr 92 11:50:30 GMT
Organization: University of Tennessee, Knoxville - CS Department
NNTP-Posting-Host: duncan.cs.utk.edu

In article <sl6shINNa2h@agate.berkeley.edu> steveh@ocf.berkeley.edu (Steve Huntsberry) writes:
>First, there were three editions of GW, not two.
>The first was the grey cover original.
>The second had a reddish cover and was basically the first one,
>but expanded, and with some rules which made PSHs immune
>to mutation (since in the 1st edition, PSHs did not remain
>PSHs for very long ... they soon became mutants ...)
>The third edition was based on the Marvel Super Heros system,
>with a strange color chart, etc., which I played only once.

I wasn't based off of Marvel Super Heros. It was an editor's mess. It was
thrown together and never realy fixed up. They were trying to make it into a
balanced game but made some things to complicated and left somethings out
completely. (Which they later threw into the modules.) With the modules and the
3rd edition you could tel someone was trying to make Gammaworld into a workable
game but no one was really helping them get it done.

Hopefully, 4th edition will be alot more workable.

-- 
  @             Internet:wrasman@cs.utk.edu, as766@cleveland.freenet.edu 
 (!=>---        Bitnet:Razron@utkvx                                      
 / ) Raz        Usnail: 1629 w. Cumberland 818A Knoxville,TN 37916       
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp