HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: albert@chain.ssctr.bcm.tmc.edu (Rick Jones)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re: Beginning TORG Campaign
Date: 6 Oct 1992 20:43:26 GMT
Organization: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tx
NNTP-Posting-Host: chain.ssctr.bcm.tmc.edu

In article <1992Oct6.173317.11893@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> schwarts@cps.msu.edu (Steven Eric Schwartz) writes:
>	1) Which fiction/story books are out and good?
	I liked Mysterious Cairo, Out of Nippon, and the original Trilogy of
books.  (although they were written before most of the sourcebooks, so some
of the mechanics may be shoddy)
>	2) What errata and/or rules fix are floating around?

	There was some published in Infiniverse issues, but that's about it.
Two pages tops. (Which is a shame as they need more)

>	3) Which game supplements/books are good or useful?

	Very Good:
	Orrorsh, Nippon Tech, Nile Empire, Aysle
	Good if you like the genre:
	Cyberpapacy, Land Below, Delphi Council
	Not too great:
	Tharkhold, Space Gods (SG does have the psi rules, which is it's 
saving grace, IMHO)
	Avoid:
	Living Land (unless you're a BIIIIG fan of the LL)
	
	Good Supplements:
	GODnet, Pixauds's (perhaps the Kanawa Catalogs, which I haven't
bought)

	Good Adventures:
	Relics of Power Trilogy (a good base intro to the world)
	High Lord of Earth (if you eliminate some pointless combat in the 
middle act)
	City of Demons (with the Ks Jim fixes to Thratchen)
	Full Moon Draw and Cylent Scream have okay adventures in them.
	Cassandra Files has the germs of a few good adventures.
	When Axioms Collide: so-so.  They forgot a GODnet map for
an important data-run, and there are some holes, IMHO with the 
Cyberpriest.   I'm running it tonight, however.  It REQUIRES a decker,
NPC or otherwise.

	Not so good adventures:
	Central Valley Gate: even though I'm on the cover, the module had
too many huge battle scenes.  The intrigue parts were good, but organized 
pooly.  I had a good time with this adventure, after some reworks.
	Operation:Hard Sell: the worst of the 2x4 adventures (the plot
is beaten across your head with a 2x4)
	Crucible of Pain: The fiction surrounding the module was quite good,
but the adventure in the middle stunk on ice.  First of all, the entire party
is spilt up into individual adventures (bad idea #1), then they neglect the 
stats on main NPC (bad idea #2), and I never got the sense that any Storm 
Knight worth the name would take any of the deals offered.  The fiction is
very good, however, shame about the module.
	Not reviewed: Temple of Rec Stalek. (My pc's loathe the Living Land, 
so I never bought it).

	Eagerly Awaiting: THE GAUNT MAN RETURNS....
	MWAH-HAH-HAAAAA.

	Actually, IMHO, WEG is overusing Orrorsh.  I know I was in the 
homebrew adventures I was running (mostly because the Power of Fear seems
to be the only thing that works well against the party), and then, to give
them a break, I started looking through the adventures I have, and realized that
Orrorsh is used alot.  
-- 
Rick Jones				Systems Support Center
albert@bcm.tmc.edu			Baylor College of Medicine
Voice: 713-798-7352			standard disclaimers apply
Sky fits heaven, so ride it.  		Remote has button, so MUTE it.
From: usenet@transfer.stratus.com (Mr. Network News)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re: A quick q 'bout transformations...
Date: 30 Sep 92 22:43:08 GMT
Reply-To: Dave_Wetzel@vos.stratus.com
Organization: Dave_Wetzel

In article <80790@ut-emx.uucp> gdavis@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Grant R. Davis) 
writes:

> 	To complicate things even further, there's a story in _Mysterious
> Cairo_ about a Core Earther who disconnects (she doesn't even transform)
> in the Nile and immediately has a 'radiation accident', gaining 
Electro-ray.
> She reconnects after a few rounds, but she could still use the power.

I don't think we should rely too heavily on a novel/short story for game 
mechanics...  Think of this event as an example of GM Fiat ("It happens 
because I *SAY* it happens!") if that helps.  It was dramtically 
appropriate to a situation, and shouldn't be treated as a general rule.

My opinion of course.

--------------
Dave_Wetzel@vos.stratus.com
From: aodn307@bongo.cc.utexas.edu (Joshua Henry Geurink)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re: The mailing list?
Date: 28 Sep 92 18:30:22 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX


Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: cbekar@fraser.sfu.ca (Clifford Bekar)
Subject: Re: Reality Bomb Plot
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 01:35:03 GMT

I would love to hear more about Scotts "Reality
Bomb Adventure", it sounds great.  Further, I'm already
thinking of borrowing a number of the ideas, any chance you
can give us more info? Maybe a more detailed outline of the
adventure, its really good reading.  How about the other
enterprising Torg GM's, any good home spun adventures you
want to share?

--------------------------------------------------------
Cliff
Simon Fraser University
From: gdavis@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Grant R. Davis)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: OK, I've got a pocket cosm, too
Date: 26 Sep 92 18:21:00 GMT
Reply-To: gdavis@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Grant R. Davis)
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX
Originator: gdavis@donald.cc.utexas.edu

My pocket reality isn't nearly as interesting as Festernoir, but it does have
a neat world law. It's the reality from the movie 'Streets of Fire':

Magic: 9
Spirit: 13 (due mostly to the world laws)
Social: 18
Tech: 21

World laws:

Law of Contra-escalation: Whenever someone attacks with a weapon that does
more damage than his opponents, the opponent gets a defense bonus equal to
the differences in damage adds. The bonus also applies to attempts to disarm.
For example, when the punk at the start of the movie pulls a knife (+3 damage)
on Michael Pare's character, he gets a +3 to disarm. The bonus only applies
to people, not inanimate objects. If someone uses this to cause damage 
indirectly (like shooting the bikes out from under the Bombers), the target
gets a bonus on any roll to avoid damage. The bonus lasts until the target
counterattacks with a more powerful weapon.

Law of Rock-and-roll: singing can be used to spark as many people as possible
with a single persuasion roll, resolved on the One-on Many table. If there
is no glorious action to sing about, the SK can just sing, and if she gets a 
60+ on the persuasion roll (and plays a Glory card), that can be used as the 
glory action.

Law of Bill Paxton: "Everywhere I go, there's always an asshole."

The Grant Man
gdavis@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu

"This is good[beer]. Remind me to take this world."-Lost Destiny
From: schwarts@cps.msu.edu (Steven Eric Schwartz)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: FTP sites
Date: 6 Oct 92 20:28:43 GMT
Reply-To: schwarts@cps.msu.edu (Steven Eric Schwartz)
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, Michigan State University
Originator: schwarts@atlantic.cps.msu.edu

Is there a TORG ftp site or mail list?


-- 
Steven Eric Schwartz            "It's not safe out here. It's wonderous, with
(schwarts@cps.msu.edu)           treasures to satiate desires both subtle and
125 East Wilson Hall-MSU         gross.  But it's not for the timid."
East Lansing, Michigan  48825                           - Q, "Q Who"
From: rwt@stiatl.salestech.com (Roger Terrell)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: telekinesis speed
Date: 4 Oct 92 13:18:24 GMT
Organization: Sales Technologies, Inc.


Last night while playing Champions a disagreement came up about telekinesis.
So, this morning, I opened my TORG "Space Gods" book to see what it says
about telekinesis and I find that it doesn't answer the questions:

How fast can I move an object with Telekinesis?
What if I'm moving (I'm on a plane, or have a Nile Empire Gizmo that gives
me Flight)?  Can I still move objects about within the range of my 
Telekinesis?  

The particular problem that came up last night was:  Character who can
fly really fast (but not FTL), wants to fly and bring others with him
by using his telekinesis to carry them along as he flies.

Can anyone help with a TORG interpretation of this?

Roger
-- 
Roger Terrell
UUCP: ...!uupsi!stiatl!rwt
Internet: rwt@stiatl.salestech.com
From: my3k+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael L. Yacht)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re: Homosexuality in the Nile
Date: 5 Oct 92 22:55:39 GMT
	<1992Oct5.002844.6066@zia.aoc.nrao.edu>
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim)) writes:
> In article <mumble> "Michael L. Yacht" <my3k+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
> 
> If you are talking about the movie "Zorro, the Gay Blade" you have to
> remember that it wasn't a pulp adventure, it was a comedy made within
> the last 20 years, a time when society's attitude towards
> homosexuality is much different from that of the 1930's (the "pulp
> era").  
> 
> If however the original Zorro was homosexual (not just gay, since that
> did used to mean something different) then you do have a good counter-
> example. 

that he was, oh guru-type.  I have some of the compic books at home,
they are worth a pretty penny.  He always saved the girl, but never
kissed her, and there is EVEN A SCENE (in one of my books) where he
kisses a man. :)

> Something to consider is that while homosexuality may not be
> moralistic, people's attitudes towards it can be (look at the
> Fundamentalists, who call it "a sin against God".)  Intolerance can be
> reflected in the Social Axioms (IMHO of course).

Tut tut, Jim.  NE LOM is not 'gee, tha's not right'  its THATS EVIL!
There is EVIL and good.  if people said 'that's not right' then the
vigilante hero's (Dark Avengers) would be EVIL.  Sorry, bud :)

> 
> -- 
> Kansas Jim (Jim Ogle, TORG guru)                               /|
> jogle@aoc.nrao.edu (NRAO-VLBA, Socorro New Mexico)           o| |-
> "I'd be apathetic if I cared."                              /|\\|
-Mike Yacht
-Carnegie Mellon University -- School of Computer Science
====================================================================
Mike Yacht             || specter+@CMU.EDU
From: schwarts@cps.msu.edu (Steven Eric Schwartz)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re: FTP sites
Date: 7 Oct 92 03:09:41 GMT
Reply-To: schwarts@cps.msu.edu (Steven Eric Schwartz)
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, Michigan State University
Originator: schwarts@atlantic.cps.msu.edu

In article <1992Oct6.233208.8310@zia.aoc.nrao.edu> jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim)) writes:
>In article <mumble> schwarts@cps.msu.edu (Steven Eric Schwartz) writes:
>
>>Is there a TORG ftp site or mail list?
>
>There were; they're gone now and no one appears to know if either or
>both will ever return....
>
>-- 
>Kansas Jim (Jim Ogle, TORG guru)                               /|
>jogle@aoc.nrao.edu (NRAO-VLBA, Socorro New Mexico)           o| |-
>"I'd be apathetic if I cared."                              /|\\|

O.K. since I came into the game late, can anyone email me any interesting
things from the old ftp, or a list I can pick off of?


-- 
Steven Eric Schwartz            "It's not safe out here. It's wonderous, with
(schwarts@cps.msu.edu)           treasures to satiate desires both subtle and
125 East Wilson Hall-MSU         gross.  But it's not for the timid."
East Lansing, Michigan  48825                           - Q, "Q Who"
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: 910427m@ace.acadiau.ca (JASON MATTHEW MCDONALD)
Subject: Re: Thratchen news
Organization: Acadia University
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 12:41:32 GMT

In article <1992Oct5.075741.6236@zia.aoc.nrao.edu> jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim)) writes:
>From: jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim))
>Subject: Thratchen news
>Date: Mon, 5 Oct 92 07:57:41 GMT
>West End has officially informed me that my rewrite of Thratchen is
>going to be published in Infiniverse Update #2 (as was announced at
>GenCon) and I'll be listed in the "Additional Design" portion of the
>credits.  
>
>One more step towards becoming a real game designer!  (Unabashed plug:
>I'm also listed in the credits for "Pawns", the latest from Wizards of
>the Coast for their Primal Order stuff.)
>
>
>-- 
>Kansas Jim (Jim Ogle, TORG guru)                               /|
>jogle@aoc.nrao.edu (NRAO-VLBA, Socorro New Mexico)           o| |-
>"I'd be apathetic if I cared."                              /|\\|


Hey congratulations, when is the infinverse update #2 due to be out?
I would assume not anytime soon.  I was impressed enough to actually know of 
someone who had a herald in the first update, but to know an actual 
game-designer-to-be, well that blows me away.

Kudos to you KJ
     ______________________________________________________________
   /|    ________________    ________ |                            |
  | |       /  ___  ___ ____    /     |   Jason "Toast" McDonald   |
  | |      /  /  / /__//___    /      |   910427m@ace.acadiau.ca   |
  | |     /  /__/ /  / ___/   /       |   Acadia University,       |
  | |---------------------------------|   Wolfville, Nova Scotia.  |
  | | "Squeeze me... Baking Powder?"  +----------------------------+
  | | "A bull behind a tapestry is when you can't see the taurus   |
  | |    through the frieze."                        +-------------+
  | | "Save the whales ....  Collect the whole set,  | This space  |
  | |    trade them with your friends."              |   for rent  |
  | | "Spam, the choice of a new generation"         +-------------+
  | | "Probitas lauditur et alget" -JUVENAL          |   0   000   |
  | | "Keep it up John, and I'll 'HAROUKEN'your ass" |   l   000   |
  | /------------------------------------------------+-------------+
  +---------------------------------------------------------------/
                                              (c) sigfiles inc.
From: jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim))
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re: TorgMUSH
Summary: bored bored bored
Date: 4 Oct 92 03:36:07 GMT
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM

In article <mumble> jkiley@andy.bgsu.edu (James H. Kiley) writes:

>> Kansas Jim (Jim Ogle, TORG guru)                               /|
>> jogle@aoc.nrao.edu (NRAO-VLBA, Socorro New Mexico)           o| |-
>> "I'd be apathetic if I cared."                              /|\\|
>							     ^^^^^^
>						What *is* this thing? :)
>						I mean, besides a bad ascii 
>						graphic... :)
>

It must just be a bad ascii graphic because no one seems capable of
realizing what it is but me...its supposed to be a radio telescope.
(The stuff on the left is the pedestal, the big things is the dish.)

>Well, if you're working *graveyards*... then you'll probably see this.
>Hi, Jim.

Yup, saw it.  8-)

What's worse than graveyards though is that without the mailing list I
miss everything on my days off unless I call in every six hours and
check up on things....

-- 
Kansas Jim (Jim Ogle, TORG guru)                               /|
jogle@aoc.nrao.edu (NRAO-VLBA, Socorro New Mexico)           o| |-
"I'd be apathetic if I cared."                              /|\\|
From: gdavis@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Grant R. Davis)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re: REVIEW: "Out of Nippon"
Date: 4 Oct 92 18:10:36 GMT
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX

Nigel Findley also wrote the Shadowrun novel '2XS', which was also a Mystery.

The Grant Man

Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim))
Subject: Re: A few more dumb questions...
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 20:47:04 GMT

In article <mumble> aodn307@bongo.cc.utexas.edu (Joshua Henry Geurink) writes:

>	Ya know, here I was last night just a flippin' through the 
>Nile Empire Sourcebook, designing the NPC for the next adventure
>(his name is Major Havoc.  You figure it out.) when a truly scary rule
>oversight(?) hit me.  It says, in the power drawback section, that 
>whenever a drawback occurrs, the character receives the possibilites.
>One of the drawbacks (the shock damage one) occurrs whenever the character
>uses his power.  Would this mean that good ol' Maj. gets three possibilites
>(and a shock point) every time he slugs someone using his super strength?  Or

It also says that for powers that are always on (like a Super
Attribute) the drawback lasts for the rest of the scene, so the
character would only get the Possibilities once per scene that the
drawback condition shows up in.

>	Oh, yeah, and one other thing:  might anyone know if the special
>perks for shapeshifters are a result of the skill, or as a world law of
>Orrorsh?  The Sacellum Were-Priest (long story.  He doesn't know he's a 
>werewolf) withstood a massive assault by a bone golem in Aysle (another
>loonng story), only taking about seven shock, before literally ripping
>the monster's spine out. (Rolling a 90 will do that with an all-out
>vital blow blindside attack).  What I wanna know is if the bozo shoulda been
>rolling for contradictions every time he took a hit, or if I shoulda
>centered this adventure in an Asylish pure zone.

A shapeshifter only makes the contradiction check when he transforms.
I think somewhere in the Orrorsh SB it mentions the minimum axioms
necessary to support transformation.  (There are also shapechangers in
Aysle so the ability itself is not unique to Orrorsh - the funky
powers though are probably unique to Orrorsh however.)


-- 
Kansas Jim (Jim Ogle, TORG guru)                               /|
jogle@aoc.nrao.edu (NRAO-VLBA, Socorro New Mexico)           o| |-
"I'd be apathetic if I cared."                              /|\\|
From: jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim))
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re: Cosms 'R' Us (minor reference to Re: FYI)
Date: 6 Oct 92 23:18:38 GMT
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM

In article <mumble> albert@chain.ssctr.bcm.tmc.edu (Rick Jones) writes:

>	I hate to say it, but the Toon cosm came out in in last April's
>Infiniverse, and rumor has it that the Toon cosm will be one of the 
>pocket dimensions attaching to Earth in times to come.

Not to mention Dave "I can do it!" Oakes' work at trying to create a
viable (ie, serious) Toon cosm....

-- 
Kansas Jim (Jim Ogle, TORG guru)                               /|
jogle@aoc.nrao.edu (NRAO-VLBA, Socorro New Mexico)           o| |-
"I'd be apathetic if I cared."                              /|\\|
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim))
Subject: Re: Homosexuality in the Nile
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 92 00:28:44 GMT

In article <mumble> "Michael L. Yacht" <my3k+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:

>Time ta slam ya, Ash me boy.  Ok, lets say that the NE LOM (Law of
>morality) says that there cannot be any homosexuals.  Then you are
>stating that Homosexuality is moralistic.  I can't disagree with you
>more.  And if you want a pulp hero with homosexuality: Zorro, the gay
>blade.

If you are talking about the movie "Zorro, the Gay Blade" you have to
remember that it wasn't a pulp adventure, it was a comedy made within
the last 20 years, a time when society's attitude towards
homosexuality is much different from that of the 1930's (the "pulp
era").  

If however the original Zorro was homosexual (not just gay, since that
did used to mean something different) then you do have a good counter-
example. 

Something to consider is that while homosexuality may not be
moralistic, people's attitudes towards it can be (look at the
Fundamentalists, who call it "a sin against God".)  Intolerance can be
reflected in the Social Axioms (IMHO of course).


-- 
Kansas Jim (Jim Ogle, TORG guru)                               /|
jogle@aoc.nrao.edu (NRAO-VLBA, Socorro New Mexico)           o| |-
"I'd be apathetic if I cared."                              /|\\|
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
From: jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim))
Subject: Re: TorgMUSH
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 92 23:15:03 GMT

In article <mumble> jkiley@andy.bgsu.edu (James H. Kiley) writes:

>TorgMUSH needs your help. :)
>Our site has recently been lost, and we're dead in the water as a result.

All right, that's it!  It's a damned conspiracy to get TORG off of the
electronic networks!  First we lose the GodNet, then the mailing list,
the Torg topic on GEnie mysteriously went away for a couple of days,
my site purges this newsgroup every six hours, and now the TorgMUSH
gets the boot!!!

Gotta be them sumbastiches at Kanawa....

>Given a real site (what's a real site?  About 10 Meg or so for right now, with
>reasonably reliable access and a 'god' account for code upgrades and such if
>possible, unless you're willing to do such things yourself)  What we *do*
>want is an okay from your sysadmin--we don't want to get busted for running a 
>game without permission.

How about we find a new site for the mailing list first?  PLEEEZZEE!
I can't take much more of this!  Aaaauuuugghhh!

-- 
Kansas Jim (Jim Ogle, TORG guru)                               /|
jogle@aoc.nrao.edu (NRAO-VLBA, Socorro New Mexico)           o| |-
"I'd be apathetic if I cared."                              /|\\|
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Date: Sat,  3 Oct 1992 14:12:01 -0400 
From: "Michael L. Yacht" <my3k+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: TorgMUSH
	<1992Oct2.231503.2657@zia.aoc.nrao.edu>

jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim)) writes:
> In article <mumble> jkiley@andy.bgsu.edu (James H. Kiley) writes:
> 
> >TorgMUSH needs your help. :)
> >Our site has recently been lost, and we're dead in the water as a result.
> 
> All right, that's it!  It's a damned conspiracy to get TORG off of the
> electronic networks!  First we lose the GodNet, then the mailing list,
> the Torg topic on GEnie mysteriously went away for a couple of days,
> my site purges this newsgroup every six hours, and now the TorgMUSH
> gets the boot!!!
> 
> Gotta be them sumbastiches at Kanawa....

Nah, its those sumbastiches at Carnegie Mellon.  Well, we were sorta
running it covertly out of a machine we had no business running it on.
Guys, we need an account.  It needs to be about 6-8 megs, and have
about as much memory.  I need access to this account (site, userid,
and PW), so that I can do all the code stuff necisary, as well as
reboots and backups.  PLEASE we need your help.

> >Given a real site (what's a real site?  About 10 Meg or so for right now, with
> >reasonably reliable access and a 'god' account for code upgrades and such if
> >possible, unless you're willing to do such things yourself)  What we *do*
> >want is an okay from your sysadmin--we don't want to get busted for running a 
> >game without permission.
> 
> How about we find a new site for the mailing list first?  PLEEEZZEE!
> I can't take much more of this!  Aaaauuuugghhh!

Bah, who cares about the mailing list?  hehehehe (grin)

-Mike Yacht
-Carnegie Mellon University -- School of Computer Science
====================================================================
Mike Yacht             || specter+@CMU.EDU
                     
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg