HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: aahz@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (no relation)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: SR: Decking (Was: Re: Shadowrun: Controlling magicians)
Date: 17 Apr 92 16:01:55 GMT
Organization: Threat Management, Inc.


In article <> nigel@rs733.GSFC.NASA.Gov writes:
>In article <> aahz@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (no relation) writes:

Hm, knew I probably shouldn't have spoken up about the SneakerNet
when I hadn't heard the term.  Ignore me  :)

>>>The Matrix is not a computer network.  It is, to quote the Shadowrun rules,
>>>a global telecommunications grid [more deleted]
>>Yup.  The Matrix sprang into being the second the first phone was hooked up.
>Well...I might not go that far...more like when 90% of the phone
>network became fiber optic (hey, that was a few years ago!), everyone
>had a fiberoptic drop into their house (hey, that's within a decade
>according to AT&T!), and computers and VR got cheap (cheap VR can be
>had for 5K these days...low res but VR...SGI has a new machine for
>real cheap hmmm...).

*VR*.  Key word, VR.

If you listen to the VR gurus of today (and i think they're right on this),
virtual space is all about information passing back and forth.  The hardware
involved is irrelevant.  The Matrix is simply one represtentation of this space
in one of its incarnations.  2020's net is another representation of the same
virtual space.  (The line about the first phone being the beginning of
virtual space came straight from the mouth of one of the folks at the
HIT Lab.)  Technically, the chums on the SneakerNet would be an aspect of
virtual space, even if they aren't flashy or high tech or anything like that.

>Nigel Tzeng

Aahz
From: labc-4ac@e260-4c.berkeley.edu ()
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Playing yourself in GURPS
Date: 10 Apr 1992 19:58:23 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: e260-4c.berkeley.edu
Summary: Yep, we did.
Keywords: GURPS Self

>	One neat-o thing we've done with GURPS is to make up a 
>character based as closely as possible on ourselves. Then we play 
>those characters through one night games against villians we already
>have made up as NPC's. It was interesting to see that since I was in
>the Army Reserve I could choose a proficiency with the M-16. One of
>our players is a Black Belt in Karate so he got a proficiency in that.
>Of course when we went up against the Super with Psionics it got hairy
>real fast. Anyone else ever try this?

We have done this many times.  One of the most fun game we had was where
we each made up a fifty point REAL character, then the GM gave us secretly
200+ points of SUPERS stuff.  In making the character real, I mean
taking all the wierd skills that real people have, like bicycle and
sports and such.  My chracter was a Frat Boy who was a little above average
in intellegence, but a LOT of fun.  He was a serious alcholic, and unfazeable
("He's got twelve tenticles and purple fur, well RUSH him!!!  Get the man
... err, thing a Brooski (tm)!!!).  The fun was trying to build fifty point
people, and then seeing how cool they were with 200+ points in SUPER stuff.
We also had a wierd time travel game as ourselves, and that was one STRANGE
game.  It went cross genra and such, (imagine 5 tee agers with WWIII weapons
in GreyHawk, being chased by a serch and destroy team from the RIFTS 
Colalition)  Well, we've done it, and it works REALLY well.


 -=- Matthew L. Seidl

"You slip while climbing the wall and fall, (rolls dice) you seem to have
sprained your left ankle"
"Matt, remember that in RIFTS my left leg was blone off by the dragon and
we got it replaced by a cyber limb."
"Well, err.... The floor is dented where you SHOULD have fallen!!"

or

(in an AD&D style world)
"Mike, you come up to a pit with a plank over it.  There is a NASTY looking
fighter standing on the plank.  There is no way arround the pit.  The 
fighter is armed with a quarterstaff.  The pit appears to be filled with
LARGE sewer rats."
"Well, I whip out a concussion grenade, pop the pin, and toss it into the 
pit."
"OH SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Well, um, can you say rat puree"
.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: sjs28257@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Stelter)
Subject: Re: Inspired character names
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 15:56:59 GMT

sue%miracle@merk.com (The Dragon Queen) writes:

>Well, one more thread can't hurt..... :-)

>Here's a question:  What's the silliest or most unusual name you've
>ever given a character?

I once ran a silly "Keep on the Borderlands" adventure, played strictly
for laughs, in which I gave names like the following to some of the 
NPCs:

Dirt the Dwarf
Solly the Elf
Hitachi (the monk)
"Fingers" Florentino (the thief)
Sam "The Butcher"
Renee the Half-Elven Mime

The three PCs in the group were Borf the fighter, Frob the wizard, and
of course the obligatory cleric, Marvin.

Regarding my Champions ninja with the prosaic name "Katana": In one
adventure, Katana trashed some VIPER agents and grabbed a Cobra assault
cannon (that big gun from "Robocop").  The assault cannon was so 
effective that another player suggested to Katana that he carry it 
around with him all the time as a permanent addition to his reportoire
of weapons.  My reply: "Nah...then I'd have to change my name to 
'Gun.'"  

:)

                                       --Steve Stelter
                                         sjs28257@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
From: richard@cs.vu.nl (Berwald R)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: u-area?
Keywords: u-area,swapping
Date: 8 Apr 92 08:03:37 GMT
Distribution: comp.unix.wizards

weeks@astroatc.UUCP (Pat Weeks) writes:

>While trying to run a software program I got the following area on a client
>machine(SPARC IPC)

>panic: error swapping to u-area

>Can anyone shed some light on this??


>						Ghostwheel
>					weeks%astroatc.uucp@cs.wisc.edu

Try comp.unix.wizards. They might know.

Richard
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: an26@sol.acs.unt.edu (Roberts David)
Subject: Re: Inspired character names
Organization: University of North Texas
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 17:20:40 GMT

Then there was the Barbarian I played back in '83 (Boy, those were the 
good ol' days, young 'un 8) ).  My god, he was stupid.  Mind booglingly
stupid.  Thick as a post.  Couldn't talk, so he was named after his 
favorite noise -- Uk.

	Player: Hey, Uk!
	Uk: Uk?

SideNote:  On his first adventure (solo), he ran across a pile of gold 
coins in a cave.  He dimly looked at them for awhile, and suddenly 
realizes he has some of these in his pocketses (Don't ask me why, we
weren't much in to explanations back then.  It was his starting money.)
So he puzzles about this for awhile, strikes upon an idea, takes out his
gold coins, and returns them to their family again.

----------
Dave (an26@sol.acs.unt.edu)
From: jca@crash.cts.com (John C. Archambeau)
Subject: Re: Killer: Live RPG
Organization: Crash TimeSharing, El Cajon, CA
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 11:19:13 GMT

In article <1992Apr9.094720.1@runt.appstate.edu> grs02500@runt.appstate.edu writes:
>Killer can be obtained through Steve Jackson Games, who are located in Texas,
>San Antonio I believe.

Killer was discontinued by SJG a few years ago and is out of print.
I've had no luck in finding it here in San Diego.
--

     // JCA

 /*
 ** ARPA    : jadpc!thewall!jca@nosc.mil | "If it's SCO, it's CRAP!"
 ** INTERNET: jca@thewall.cts.com        | 
 **           jca@thewall.uucp           |     - jca@thewall.cts.com
 ** UUCP    : nosc!jadpc!thewall!jca     |        (i.e. me)
 */
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: c9e-al@danube.Berkeley.EDU (Huggie Bear)
Subject: META: Another Public Domain Game ( And a Response to Keith )
Summary: Another public domain RPG at rec.games.design, + Keith
Keywords: Public Domain, Keith
Organization: /etc/organization
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 07:48:30 GMT


There's another Public Domain fantasy RPG at rec.games.design. It's
a fantasy RPG this time, so check it out.

Also a response to Keith about his posting about Joshue. Joshua is
the moderator of rec.games.cyber, and what might have happened is that
you tried to send a post to both r.g.c and r.g.f at the same time. As 
I found out ( I've done this before ), the post will only go to r.g.c. Joshua 
was probably just trying to resend it out on r.g.f for you, and since he
probably doesn't stay in Indiana, he can't send it out with that 
distribution. I'm making a lot of assumptions, but I think there's no need
for such an outburst when all he's trying to do is a favour.

Chua
====
From: sue%miracle@merk.com (The Dragon Queen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Sex and RPG's - Why Oh Why ?
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 92 03:06:45 EST
Organization: Miracle Computer Consultants

wilsom3@jec304.its.rpi.edu (Michael Lane Wilson) writes:
>In article <3>, droe@cs.tcd.ie (David Roe) writes:
>|> 
>|> This has all been very illuminating, but has concentrated on female
>|> _players_. How about feedback on female GM's, from their players and
>|> themselves? Personally, I reckon that the style of GMing would say more
>|> about the differences than the style of playing.
>
>	Good idea!  I'd really like to hear about some of these.  I've never
>EVER actually run into a female GM, and I HAVE looked.  Of course, if you look
>at the from line, you'll see that I'm blessed with attending the Rennsell...
>Rensela...  rinskella....  RPI.  8^)  RPI, where the ratio of men to women
>as you approach RPI goes to infinity.....  Suffice it to say that I rarely see
>women PLAYERS, hell, I rarely see women at all!  (Yes, that's an exaggeration,
>but it does get the point across.)
>	Are there any female GM's out there?

Right here!






---
|	  _\|/_          |This posting compliments of The Dragon Queen|
|	 /     \         |                                            |
|      	| O   O |        | Any imaginative suggestions about what can |
|__ooo__|___ ___|__ooo__ | be writen in this box are welcome at:      |
|  UUU      U      UUU   |           sue%miracle@merk.com             |
From: bjbisset@eos.ncsu.edu (BILLY JOE BISSETTE)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Stupid adventures
Keywords: Smurfs, Burger King, Aiiiieeeee
Date: 9 Apr 92 23:50:22 GMT
Organization: North Carolina State University

In article <1992Apr9.104630.15038@wpi.WPI.EDU>, dnab@wpi.WPI.EDU (dnab, I wanted dna) writes:
|> 
|> 	Okay, all you DM's, GMs, Storytellers and Judges out there- here's
|> a fun new thread to while away the hours...  What was the _dumbest_ 
|> adventure you ever refereed?  Preferably one of your own, but if you ran
|> a prepackaged adventure badly enough, you should include it, too!

Attack of the Cheerios(tm) Aliens 
and its short-lived sequel 
Cheerios(tm) Aliens vs. the Michelin Tire Man(tm)

You don't want to hear about them, I assure you.

-- 
----------bill the clueless, bjbisset@eos.ncsu.edu
Go, Go, Gadget Clue.  No, Gadget Clue, not Gadget Hammer!  Help Brain!
What do you mean, "The Swedish Chef got him."  Stop Gadget Hammer!
No, not Gadget Flame! Stop!  Stop!!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: <None>
From: hzhao@eagle.wesleyan.edu
Date: 10 Apr 92 08:36:37 EDT
Organization: Wesleyan University


Dennis Clark writes on the intellect of trees:

>   Who's to say that they are not?

    Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, eh? Let's just say it is
hardly readily apparent.
    In all this discussion of "intelligence", it seems it must be compared
against the human form, as it is the only unit of measure availible.


Those whom Dennis is responding to write:
>>>	I can imagine a nice race of ETs who hold incredibly destructive
>>>'wars' on regular basis. Perfectly pleasant people but the kids don't 

>>>kids, whatever portions of our social behavior that are dependent on how 
>>>we reproduce would be different for ETs.
>> 
>> but is not that fair chunk what in fact caused us to become an intelligent
>> race? there are rules to evolution, you may not know them, i couldnt tell
> [...]
>> it is my belief that you can not get to far from human culture and still 
>> have the proper conditions for developing intelligence

        Read some more Lovecraft on this point of varying attitudes and form of
intelligence. Even a different dominant sense (if any) will radically alter any
viewpoints.
        The 'alienness' of any aliens might be precisely their different views
and forms of consciousness.


>> >>	They may LOOK strange, but I doubt that they will  THINK so
>> >>strangely.
> 
>   That is an unjustified conclusion based upon an inadequate sample of one.
> 

    I must agree with Dennis here. Again, Lovecraft and other authors play
strongly with the notion of non-human thought processes. I am also reminded of
a piece by Poe when he derides those humans who once thought there was only one
or two (logic/intuitive) roads to truth or patterns of thought.

       It is easy even among humans to come across those whose thought
processes deviate greatly from our 'norm'. We label them either geniuses or
psycotics (perhaps sociopaths as well) depending on if they help us or not.

       Modeling an alien in a game can be as simple as the Vulcans were: just
take one facet of something (like logic), and make it dominant. 

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: plambert@sml.cs.psu.edu (Paul  Lambert)
Subject: Dealing with "you're sick" syndrome...
Organization: Penn State Computer Science
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 06:25:13 GMT

I'm wondering how other people (who run across it) deal with this problem.
Sorry if this sort of thread offends some people, but I'm really sick of
dealing with it.

At least 1 out of every 10 or so people I meet who eventually find out I play
AD&D (if I say RolePlaying Games, they don't mind, it's the "Dungeons&Dragons"
part that triggers them usually) decides that I'm a satanic, psycho, racist,
bigoted pig who probably has wives in seven states and beats my children 
regularly.  This is quite a thing to think of a 19 yr. old!

Now, if these were just the unfortunately-too-common people who don't have the
curiousity or the wits to care about anything they've never experienced instead
of just believing everything they see on the Catholic channel (no flames!  I've
seen TSR bashing there!) then I wouldn't mind.  I would ignore them.
But often they are people I respect, professors, close friends, etc.  And a lot
of times they just won't listen!  I can't understand it.

I remember reading once that the one organization strictly opposed to D&D and
similar games has a case list of 4 (four) deaths they say were the result of
playing the game.  Seems to me out of the thousands, there's a higher suicide
rate among bridge players, right?  (This is just a sarcastic comment; I don't
have suicide figures for bridge players.)

anyway, does anyone know a good "defense" for those situations when I do feel
I should defend myself?  Reply to me via email, or post here, or both...

--Paul

P.S. they can't even say it runs MY life... I play once a week as a DM, and
     sure, I have about $600 worth of accessories (gathered over 7 years) but
     my brother has spent a lot more than that on remote control cars and he's
     26 yrs. old, so who cares?  Anyway, I was weird before I started playing
     :-)

--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
plambert@psuvm.psu.edu, plambert@endor.cs.psu.edu, or just plambert@cs.psu.edu
From: aragorn@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Steve)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Gamma World
Date: 14 Apr 92 04:14:23 GMT
Organization: Jobs With Peace @ University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

glock@glock.chip.cba.ufl.edu (Joe Granto (BACL)) writes:
: I saw in the new TSR catalog that Gamma World is being released in May.  
: Now, I have played both of the previous versions, and found the second 
: edition to be great.  The cover on the new edition is different from that of 
: the second edition, so I am assuming that things have been modified.  Anyone 
: out there know more about this??

Would you please give a quickie synopsis of `Gamma World' for us?  Or
should I say for me...  I've never heard of the game system and I'm always
looking for new sci-fi systems to pick-up.  Thanks...

- steve


-- 
     "Gentlemen, if we do not succeed, then we run the risk of failure."
                                            - Dan Quayle

               Steve J. White  ------>  aragorn@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: jerry@teetot.acusd.edu (Jerry Stratton)
Subject: ANNOUNCEMENT: Brand X Starter Kit Available
Organization: usd
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 92 06:40:24 GMT

Well, things are finally beginning to kick into gear. Some of you may
recall when the _Brand X Hero's Guide_ was put out near the end of
last year.  It's taken a while, but the Brand X Super Hero Role
Playing Game is almost ready for net publication. In anticipation,
I've placed the _Brand X Starter Kit_ on anonymous ftp at
usdcsv.acusd.edu. The Starter Kit is a Hypercard Stack of heroes and
villains, a Pagemaker 4.2 gaming screen, and some record sheets, in
either Pagemaker 4.2 or Microsoft Rich Text Format. Yep, this is
Macintosh stuff. If you've not got a Mac, we'll be releasing the same
things in Postscript format eventually (*after* getting the game
itself out).

So if you feel like taking a look, go ahead and ftp the files. The
ip address is 192.55.87.6; they're in the directory rpg/brandx.

Jerry Stratton
jerry@teetot.acusd.edu
jerry@usdcsv.acusd.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Humanoids (Draconians)
From: mscs057@vax1.mankato.msus.edu
Date: 10 Apr 92 10:09:23 -0600
Organization: Mankato State University

I have found that while rereading about Draconians that there was a big
difference in them. First, the proto- (Traag) do not like the other draconians.
Of the five remaining draconians, the Aurak, Baaz, Bozak, Kapak, and Sivak, 
the Aurak is the spellcaster.

Draconians are freindly with the evil dragons, but you can change this.
Draconians are born through the magical means of magic-users and good dragon
eggs (see Dragonlance).

I, personally, have come up with a system for humanoids. If it is/was made
or breed from anything strong it is strong. So if you wish you can give
draconians strength. I suggest that Aurak and Baaz have a 16 and then go up
with Sivak at 18/51 - 18/00.

Draconians do fight among themselves. This can be a rule.

If you wish to have more please read or look at the Dragonlance Compendium.

Steve
From: tna@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Matthew L. Wells)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: AD&D:  MONSTER CALL OUT (READ ME!!!)
Date: 15 Apr 92 23:29:25 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center


                      MONSTERS CALL OUT!!!
                      ====================


  We are now collecting monsters for a Monstrous Compendium.

  The completed manual when finished will have pictures for

  most of the monsters.  The distribution is not known at this 

  time due to the size of the Manual in PostScript, but it

  will be availible to the NET.     

  With all the AD&D players that are out there, you must at some

  point have made up some monsters of you own, so type them up and 

  mail them to us.  

  
  ** NOTE **  Please no requests at this time for a copy.
              I will post when the manual is done and
              at that time take any requests.



  We are trying to compile a Compendium the meets the style of the

  2nd edition Compendiums.  Please use the template below for the

  monster(s) you send to us.  This is a basic 2nd edition monster table.


  We would like to compile about 100-150 monsters before releasing the

  first compendium, but this will mainly depend on the help we can get

  from all of you with the monsters.


  There is no set world that we want monster from, but please state in

  which world the monster was designed to be used. (ex. Greyhawk...Ravenloft...)




  Send all monsters to:  tna@mentor.cc.purdue.edu

  
  Any questions you might have send to the above address as well.

  We will try to answer all questions a fast as we can, but please give 

  us time.


          
         Thanks,


             Matt and Trevor

  

---------MONSTER TEMPLATE IS BELOW---------



MONSTERS NAME     [  WORLD/REALM  ]

Climate/Terrain:   
Frequency:         
Organization:      
Activity Cycle:    
Diet:              
Intelligence:      
Treasure:          
Alignment:         

No. Appearing:     
Armor Class:       
Movement:
Hit Dice:
THAC0:             
No. of Attacks:    
Damage/Attack:     
Special Attacks:   
Special Defenses:  
Magic Resistance:  
Size:              
Morale:            
XP Value:          

      

Appearance:



Combat:



Habitat/Society:



Ecology:




Variants:
From: hennessy@acsu.buffalo.edu (Mathew A. Hennessy)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Shadowrun
Date: 8 Apr 92 19:44:24 GMT
Organization: UB


	or a grenade launcher with reactive trigger, or any single shot with
reactive trigger...

	oh yeah in DARK CONSPIRACY I think I recall an autofire shotgun..


-- 
   /I\          The Power of the Pyramid...  working for ME!  HAHAHAHA!!
  /(*)\         hennessy@acsu.buffalo.edu...  master of discord!
 /IIIII\        UB could care less what a student thinks, let alone says.
/IIIIIII\       Someone you trust is one of us.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: gblock@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Gregory R Block)
Subject: Re: AD&D  Invisibility/Detection
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 05:14:36 GMT

repayne@newstand.syr.edu (Robert E. Payne) writes:
:   I brought this ruling up, after the game, and another player said that he
: believed that detect magic should have detected the mage as invisibility is
: magical.
: 	My question is this:  What do you think of my decision?  Was I wrong in
: ruling this?  If so, why would there be a HIGHER level spell do detect invis,
: the lower level (less costly) detect magic (more general) do it?  If you have
: thoughts on this matter please respond via email as well as posting.  (I am
: behind in my news readings right now, because of my course load, but I read
: my mail several times a day.)  Thanks in advance.
: 
: 				-Rob
: repayne@mailbox.syr.edu
: 

Well, here's my ruling.

	Invisibility is illusion magic.  A detect magic, a divination
spell meant to allow the caster to "see" magical auras, works.

Except IT DOESN'T.  Consider the auras to be "invisible", as well as
the caster.  The illusion renders the caster and his auras invisible.

There ya go.  I know it sounds kind of strange, but if you think about
it, it makes perfect sense.


Or, there's the alternate thought.  You still can't see it.  Because
it is a spell that augments the capabilities of the naked eye, it can
only place magical auras on things that are "visible", whether that be
opaque or transparent.  "invisible" things are as if they were not
there at all (thanks to the illusion), therefore the spell can't
reveal the auras.

In the first, the auras are there, they're just invisible, and in the
second, you can't detect what you can't see.

Either of the two, in my opinion, is a perfectly logical explanation.

Greg
-- 
"Walking in London, and you are watching me walk,      gblock@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
 Talking Italian, and you are watching me talk,            Gregory R Block
 Singing in Sydney, and you are sitting right there,
 Feeling you with me, everywhere, everywhere."  -Concrete Blonde
From: jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Steve Jackson Games is gone?
Date: 13 Apr 92 17:20:45 GMT
Reply-To: jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney)
Organization: Purdue University

In article <3426@balrog.ctron.com> smith@ctron.com writes:
>It's after April 1st, Brian, cut him some slack, huh?  We're gonna be
>hip deep in this stuff...


Poor, poor soul.  First resorts to a name-twisting so old that my great-
grandfather has told me about how children at the turn of the last century
would call him that.  Then he mis-spells my first name.

As for "cutting slack", I tend to think that those not bright enough to sense
the preposterous deserve to wallow in the consequences.