HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ksoutor@unl.edu (kevin soutor)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Level draining
Date: 12 Jan 1993 22:30:31 GMT
Organization: University of Nebraska--Lincoln	
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: unlinfo.unl.edu
Keywords: level drain, undead

umkullm1@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Jennifer M.E. Kullman) writes:

>Hi.
>I'm in the process of creating an AD&D campaign and I want
>to have the undead that drain levels do something else. 
>Any ideas?

Yeah.  Give each character a "life level" characteristic equal to an 
average of their CON and WIS.  Have the undead drain this instead and 
when "life level" raches 0 the character becomes an undead.  As the 
"life level" is reduced you can: a - make the character weaker (i.e. 
fight with reduced ability, blow spells, etc.) and/or b - have the 
character undergo sporadic fits of being under the draining undead's 
control, subject to a saving throw based upon current "life level" 
adjusted by the WIS modifier.  "Life level" damage can be healed by 
normal rest or magical spells.  This system will avoid the experience 
level drains that were so stupid in the first place.
--
       Kevin Soutor        | "Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms!" |
 ksoutor@unlinfo.unl.edu   |               -- Outlaw Josey Wales  |
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.dnd,rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: cwatters@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Coyt D Watters)
Subject: Quickie FTP directory
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 14:19:56 GMT


***--------- FTP sites with Roleplaying Material (brief list) --------------

ics.uci.edu				potemkin.cs.pdx.edu (131.252.20.145)
greyhawk.stanford.edu (36.8.0.243)	ccosun.caltech.edu
soda.berkeley.edu (128.32.149.19)	ocf.berkeley.edu (128.32.184.254) 
ftp.white.toronto.edu			iesd.auc.dk (130.225.48.4)
quayle.mu.wvnet.edu (129.71.32.151)	rainbow.cse.nau.edu (134.114.64.24)
usdcsv.acusd.edu (192.55.87.6)

Check the biweekly FAQ on rec.games.frp.announce for more information!



I have also added a .plan file to my account (Thanks Andrew Bell for the info!)
so if you need a quick reminder about the ftp sites, they're available by
using finger cwatters@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu.  At least, that's the theory.

-Coyt
From: kgieselm@bonnie.ics.uci.edu (Kenneth Gregory Gieselman)
Subject: Re: Vampire: Some questions
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Reply-To: kgieselm@ics.uci.edu (Kenneth Gregory Gieselman)
Organization: Univ. of Calif., Irvine, Info. & Computer Sci. Dept.
Keywords: Vampire
Date: 8 Jan 93 23:51:51 GMT

In article <C0JA4p.50M@sci.kun.nl> gip207@sci.kun.nl (gip2 course) writes:
>I just bought Vampire: The Masquerade (second edition) and have some questions
>for you experienced players out there:
>
>1) In the example of character generation given in the book they let the
>   character buy 1 willpower point for 1 freebie, while the table also given
>   there mentions a 1 for 2 cost. Which is the correct one? (I assumed one on
>   one since the xp-cost to increase willpower is half that of the cost to
>   raise humanity which starts on a 1 for 2 bases during character creation.).
>
	The 1 for 2 cost for willpower, IMO, is really best.  It prevents
	*every* character from having a willpower of 8 or 9.  It makes the
	players do more careful consideration of where they're putting their
	freebie points.

>2) In the `psychomania' story included in `Milwauky by Night' the NPC
>   characters
>   spend blood points to activate Potence and Fortitude as well as Celerity.
>   According to the sourcebook Potence and Fortitude don't need blood points to
>   be used, is this a leftover from the 1st edition?

Yes, it seems to be left over - was Milwaukee By Night put out before or after
the 2nd Edition?

>
>3) The `ambidexterity' merit given in the Players Guide allows a character to
>   fight with two weapons without the penalty on the `off' hand, unfortunate-
>   ly no rules are given for melee combat with two weapons, with or without
>   ambidexterity. How would you handle an ambidextrous character who wants to
>   fight with 2 knives?

Wielding two weapons warrants two attacks.  There are two ways to look at it.
Either the character can only attack with one per round (barring Celerity) due
to balance constraints, or they can be used complimentary to one another.
Realistically, I don't see how a person could wield two knives *and* maintain
his balance after the first attack.

Just one way to look at it...

Ken
>
From: by670@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Marc-Eivind Cruz Evensen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: A Shadowrun Question (both 1st and 2nd ed.)
Date: 10 Jan 1993 20:32:52 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


   A small point about about and availability of medical care for SINless.

1. Cash does exist in the Shadowrun universe (at least I'm told it does by
our group's Shadowrun trivia guru), but it is reserved for the shadier
side of shady deals... I think Shadowrunners qualify. In addition to this
certified credstick would be useable by SINless, as it requires no ID.

2. Medical care? That's what the street doc contact is for, true you can't
get DocWagon, but it works. Most street docs will accept almost any form of 
payment (including the cyberwear or body of the guy who lost the fight).

3. I'm also told that somewhere in one of books, the prices for fake SINs
are given -- not too expensive if I remember, but possibly a real life (and
time) saver.

-- Marc
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: marc@cfmu.eurocontrol.be (Marc Philips)
Subject: Re: RQ: RuneQuest French
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 15:37:17 GMT
Organization: Eurocontrol - Central Flow Management Unit

In article <1993Jan11.140652.1@wharton.upenn.edu> millerl@wharton.upenn.edu writes:
>In article <07JAN93.12497814.0162@music.mus.polymtl.ca>, FM14@music.mus.polymtl.ca (FM14) writes:
>>      I'm looking for book for RQ in french.  I'm doing a game in that
>> system in turbo pascal But I need more information on Elder Races and
>> equipments.
>>      I've have the book of Genertela, Eldarad and Gloranthan Bestiary
>
>I understand that RQ is published in france, so perhaps that is all you
>need. There is also a fine magazine published in france for runequest
>called "Broos". I don't read french so can't tell you more about it, but
>I've heard it's very nice. Try your local game store for information on
>how to order these items.

As far as I remember, RQ items published by Oriflam so far are :

	Runequest (the RPG) : until recently, it was a box containing a
	softcover book and a few additional material.  It's now published
	as a hardcover book.  Most references to the Fantasy Earth have been
	removed from the French edition and additional material on Glorantha
	has been added.

	Genertela (Glorantha), Les Dieux de Glorantha (Gods of Glorantha)
	and Les Secrets des Anciens (Elder Secrets) are hardcover books.

	Le Sentier de la Pomme (Apple Lane) and Le Bestiaire (Gloranthan
	Bestiary) are softcover books.  Le latter includes a Gamemaster
	Screen which was never published in the U.S. (not by Chaosium or
	A.H. anyway).

	Tatoo is a bimonthly magazine published once every 4-5 months, it
	was originaly intended to be called "Broos" but Oriflam didn't want
	people to think it was devoted to RQ only.  It contains articles,
	modules and informations about Oriflam products namely runequest,
	Stormbringer, Hawkmoon and Tank Leader.

For anyone interrested, here's Oriflam address :
	7, rue de Villers l'Orme
	57070 METZ
	FRANCE

I buy RQ stuff in English (I usually do not want to wait until it's
translated).  I have had a look at those books and the quality of the
translation seems above average (often, game material is translated
by people who know both languages very well but nothing about games
in general and much less about role playing games).

I have the first four issues of Tatoo and they contain good material,
including (through issues 1-3) the start of a campaign set in Sartar;
the end of it is yet to be printed.  I stopped buying the magazine when
I saw that in issue 5, all the RQ stuff was translated from A.H. (now
dead) Heroes magazine.  The latest issue is number 7.

BTW, can anyone in the U.S. confirm that Heroes magazine is indeed no
longer published by A.H. and let me know what was the last issue
published.

Marc

-- 
Marc PHILIPS                    Davantage d'avantages avantagent davantage.
marc@cfmu.eurocontrol.be        
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: phill@crash.cts.com (Phillip Sunbury)
Subject: Re: Hero Bestiary and other Hero Stuff
Organization: CTS Network Services (crash, ctsnet), El Cajon, CA
Date: 12 Jan 93 04:42:48 GMT

In <1993Jan8.220905.3761@midway.uchicago.edu> abg1@quads.uchicago.edu (andrew brian gross) writes:

>In article <1993Jan8.192405.25167@noose.ecn.purdue.edu> dunning@chainsaw.ecn.purdue.edu (GALACTIC COMMANDER) writes:
>>In article <phill.726351007@crash.cts.com> phill@crash.cts.com (Phillip Sunbury) writes:
>>>
>>>What you fail to realize is that to determine stun you multiply by the
>>>stun mult. which is 1d6-1 which gives you the results of 1,1,2,3,4,5 you
>>>have a 1/3 chancce of getting a 1 which means you do dink for stun and only
>>>1/6th to do the big  stun! You can't just count the Maximums! Stun is
>>>distorted to do a small amount often because of the two ones!

>But the whole point is that if you do not penetrate defenses, then it doesn't
>matter in the least whether or not you don't penetrate by 5 body or by 50
>body; it's just irrelevent.  Thus, the low end of the distribution-- where
>you're not getting through the targets' defenses, anyway (at least most of
>the time-- there are exceptions)-- doesn't matter at all.  Only the mean and

But the low end does matter IF it's more likly that the low end will happend wi
It's alot more likely that less stun will be done with a killing attack then a 
normal attack! Your just looking at the numbers and not looking at the
statistics! the people at hero didn't just pick this thing out of the
blue they actualy did computations!

>Put another way: if your *average* damage is getting through defenses and 
>having an effect, then what are you worried about?  It's probably not a
>major villain, and unless something really wierd is going on, you are going
>to win the battle, one way or another.  But if your *average* damage is
>NOT getting through, then what possible difference does it make that the low
>end of the normal attack does more damage than the low end of the killing
>attack?  None of it is getting through, anyway!  In that case, all that 
>matters is the high end; and for that high end of the distribution, the 
>killing attack is clearly superior.

WRONG because if more of your attacks don't go through because the odds are 
 greater that they are going to be lower (which they are for killing attacks) thhen they have less of a chance to get through! Trust me I've seen the Math but if you really want me I'll fill up screens of information about the statistics but hopefully you'll take my word (but I doubt it)


>-- 
>"Brave, foolish, or both-- there is  | Andrew B. Gross 
> something attractive about an       | abg1@cicero.spc.uchicago.edu 
> outrageous and futile undertaking." | "Cultivate philosophy and run like hell."
From: dleland@dante.nmsu.edu (LELAND)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Champions: mage special effects
Date: 7 Jan 93 02:11:07 GMT
Organization: New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM

In article <RATINOX.93Jan5174543@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu> ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu (Gone with the Lemming) writes:
>Another method of making "super" mages is with a number of small to
>moderate sized Multipowers. For example, a possible elemental mage could
>have 4 40-Point Multipowers, one each for Earth, Air, Fire, and Water
>spells. Each individual spell is a slot in the Multipower.
>

This is fine, except that a 40 pointer is hardly what I'd call a "small" multipower 
for a typical Fantasy Hero game. By a 40 pointer I assume you mean active points.
If we make Wizzo the mage with, say, four of those, plus stats and skills, we're
looking at a 250 to 300 point mage with not much left over for other odds and
ends. What is the point level of this proposed game? If this is a single superbaddie
intended for lots of PCs to beat on, that's ok. But a typical FH game is around 
75-150 points isn't it? He'd mop up the floor with an average party!


Queen of Swords
dleland@nmsu.edu
From: laurence@cco.caltech.edu (Dustin Lee Laurence)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Old time D&D reminiscing
Date: 11 Jan 1993 06:22:20 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: sandman.caltech.edu

mmcalees@cs16.UVic.CA (Michael McAleese) writes:

[Arneson's description of the Egg of Coot]

>  Hmm. Forgot the bit at the end about "gentile readers". It does look more
>and more like a poke at Gygax (who always talks about his "gentle readers").
>I was going to comment on the points, but they pretty much speak for 
>themselves.

I thought so too for a while, but the details of that description leave no
doubt: The Egg of Coot is clearly TSR Games.



-- 
Dustin Laurence       "As sensitive and broad-minded humans, we must never
                       allow ourselves to be in any way judgmental of the
laurence@alice         religious practices of other people, even when these
caltech.edu           people clearly are raving space loons." -- Dave Barry
From: mavra@cpac.washington.edu (Peter D. Adkison)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Dumb Moves By Game Companies
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Date: 07 Jan 93 14:57:52 GMT
Organization: Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
	<1992Dec31.001743.25722@netcom.com> <1462@blue.cis.pitt.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: bailey.cpac.washington.edu
In-reply-to: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu's message of 6 Jan 93 20:45:57 GMT

In article <1462@blue.cis.pitt.edu> seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:

>	   By comparison, one of the Smartest Moves was by Wizards of the
>   Coast -- watch the Net, find good consultants, make a good product, then
>   ADVERTISE  IT!

>	   The first is an example of being handed a Rolls-Royce and using
>   it as an off-road vehicle; the second is surveying the race-track,
>   getting a good car, tinkering up a first rate engine, getting good 
>   backers, and finding the right driver.

And then getting broadsided by an old clunker. . . . :-)

				--Mavra!
				  Peter D. Adkison
				  Janitor, Wizards of the Coast
				  mavra@wizards.com

The above internet address should be used for e-mail if it is
different from the e-mail address in the header.

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: kasab@luther.che.wisc.edu (John J. Kasab) 
Subject: PostScript Character Sheets (was Re: Star Wars Character Sheets)
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Date: 11 Jan 93 19:34:55 CST
Originator: kasab@luther.che.wisc.edu

Someone had posted looking for PostScript character sheets for the Star Wars
RPG.  If anyone has character sheets for this or other RPG's (eg., AD&D,
Champions/HERO), I would appreciate hearing from you and receiving a copy.
Alternately, would there happen to be an anon. FTP site that had these?

I will post a summary of replies that I get, depending on interest.

JK
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  John Kasab                             "I rarely speak in absolutes."
Internet: kasab@cae.wisc.edu             (alt: kasab@luther.che.wisc.edu)
      The NSF and UW--Madison don't speak for me, nor I for them.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: cluther@morticia.cnns.unt.edu (Clay Luther)
Subject: RQ: The Relation of the Red Goddess and Orlanth
Keywords: runequest,rq,gods
Organization: University of North Texas
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 16:49:52 GMT

A simple question that probably will generate a long answer.

Why is the Red Goddess killing Orlanth?  And how?

-- 
Clay Luther
cluther@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SF Poll
Date: 11 Jan 93 21:31:01 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@unixd3.cis.pitt.edu

In article <1ismoeINN28q@early-bird.think.com> laird@think.com (Laird Popkin) writes:
>It depends on what people are in the mood for.  I enjoy occasional Space
>Opera (I'm looking forward to GURPS Lensmen), but I also enjoyed a
			       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

	Ohmigod.

	Please, please PLEASE, PLEASE tell me this is some kind of very,
very SICK joke! 

	Of all the systems I could have imagined for the Lensman series,
GURPS is one of the very last. GURPS would be marvelous for Ender's Game,
but for Masters of the Vortex???

	This is the system that tries to make REALISTIC SUPERHEROES,
for Gog's sake! GURPS psionics are, at best, an average attempt at
the powers. There's nothing to distinguish it from anything else...

	GURPS works best in "realistic" milieus. The Lensman universe is 
a completely heroic one -- a person with a GURPS 18 strength would barely
make it into the soldiers of the Patrol, and would get crushed like
a bug by any member of the Valerian corps. 500 point characters would
be the NORM...

	Please tell me this is a nightmare.

				Sea Wasp
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: thornley@mega.cs.umn.edu (David H. Thornley)
Subject: Re: Dumb Moves By Game Companies
Organization: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, CSci dept.
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 17:58:40 GMT

In article <1if472INNo4c@titan.ucc.umass.edu> dunkelza@titan.ucc.umass.edu (KEITH C MCCORMIC) writes:
>In article <1993Jan5.223425.8273@netcom.com> akuma@netcom.com (Steven E Barnes) writes:
>>
>>On D&D and the invention of Role Playing:
>>
>>I was looking through the original 3 book set several weeks
>>ago (good for a lot of laughs).  This game (if you can actually
>>figure it out) was not role playing.  It was a wargame.
>
I never had to figure out the game from the rules, so I don't really know
if it's possible.

On the other hand, what constitutes a RPG as opposed to a wargame?  There
are wargame-style rules in D&D, so you can run around dungeons and
wildernesses, encounter random monsters, kill them, and loot their bodies,
but does the lack of role-playing rules mean it isn't a RPG?  What are
role-playing rules anyway?  Does any game actually have such a thing?

>  Eldritch Wizardry, Blackmoor, and Chainmail are NOT D&D.  They are the 
>fore-runners of it.  Those three books were published two or three years before
>the very first printing of D&D in 1974.  

Chainmail was a set of medieval miniatures rules with a fantasy supplement.
Blackmoor and Eldritch Wizardry were the second and third D&D supplements
respectively, and were indeed published after D&D.  (Unless you are
thinking of some other Blackmoor or Eldritch Wizardry, in which case I
want to hear about them.)

>  One other thing you must remember:  Even if Arneson and Gygax didn't 
>INVENT RPGs, the popularized them, and are therefore the fathers of modern 
>role-playing games due to their role in the development of the gaming 
>subculture.
>
Am I being overly optimistic or are we converging on something approximating
true and useful statements?  D&D could be used for roleplaying, and, due
to its ability to handle numbers of players in the same room, encouraged it
to some extent.

DHT
From: at731@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Troy L. Nothnagel)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SR: Question about shielding
Date: 9 Jan 1993 02:16:55 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, dmm@head-cfa.harvard.edu (David Meleedy) says:

>
>I have a question about shielding.
>Does anyone out there have any thoughts about all this?

Sure, leave it the way it is in the rules.  It is a SHIELD, and hence
provides resistance to spells.  Even if there were such a thing as
anti-shielding, it would only perform like ECCM, in that it would only
come into effect if there was shielding to counteract.  Which would mean
that if initiate A was using 4 dice to shield himself, initiate B could
use 4 of his dice to eliminate initiate A's shielding.  IF you want to
do something along those lines, that sounds like the better way to go.
From: swaim@owlnet.rice.edu (Michael Parks Swaim)
Subject: Re: What do you look for in a magic system?
Organization: Rice University
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 21:59:34 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.130424.10709@ibr.cs.tu-bs.de> pvs9@ibr.cs.tu-bs.de (Praktikum Verteilte Systeme) writes:
>Another interesting consequence of this is that spell design and spell casting
>are actually two different matters.  There may be powerful spell casters who
>don't know how to design spells, and there may be excellent spell designers
>without magical power !
  Ars Magica has something like this, where you have different totals for
inventing and casting spells. The game weighs more towards inventing spells
over casting them, and for some characters, it's quite possible to know
spells you can't cast unaided.


-- 
Mike Swaim            | "101 Dalmations? Yeah I saw that."
swaim@owlnet.rice.edu | "You Did! REALLY? The same film?
Disclamer: I lie      | Let's stop driving! We must get out and jump
up and down and up and down and dance around and around!" Matt and Delerium
Xref: sparky rec.games.frp.misc:10740 rec.games.frp.dnd:8062 rec.games.design:2602
From: tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Stress Kitty)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.dnd,rec.games.design
Subject: Mechanics and the Lowest Common Denominator (Re: net.rpg:  world design)
Date: 12 Jan 93 00:38:20 GMT
Followup-To: rec.games.design
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: phantasm.ecst.csuchico.edu

In article <1993Jan10.223147.9119@trl.oz.au> s.mathers@trl.oz.au writes:
>I find it hard to see any redeamable features about AD&D mechanics,
>but it's awfully popular.  Sort of reminds me of IBM PC's in a way.

Aside from the obvious comp.sys.advocacy flame-bait, I'm interested
in the Lowest Common Denominator (aka Lingua Franca) contention of
D&D (which is more my theory than the quoted author's, btw)

I play a lot of systems, but avoid D&D for mechanics issues.  However,
I find that a lot of lay (non-gaming) people know rpg's as D&D, and
all too many people know only D&D as rpgs, so it's become a way for 
me to establish a common ground.

Anyhow, anyone else feel the same way?

-- 
Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today, because if you enjoy
it today you can do it again tomorrow.
From: porterg@gems.vcu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Small game co. advertising
Date: 12 Jan 93 14:15:34 GMT
Organization: Medical College of Virginia

On advertising:

1. Reviews are free advertising.
2. Product announcements are free advertising.
3. Many game cons will give you an ad in exchange for prizes.
   (i.e. you use the retail value of the games to pay for the ad, but the
    games actually only cost you your *production* cost).
4. Articles about your game are free advertising.
5. rec.games.frp.announce is free advertising.
6. Word of mouth is free advertising.
7. The rec.games.frp FAQ list is free advertising.

Numbers 1 and 6 only work to your benefit if the game is good, however...

Greg Porter
BTRC
(small game company extraordinaire, producers of TimeLords, CORPS, Macho Women,
 3G^3 and a bunch of other stuff we can't afford to buy ads for...;)

Note: I am on an America On-line panel on Wed., 1/13 (10pm), on starting your
own game company.  Interested parties please attend, or if you are stuck on
Internet, find a friend with an account.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc