HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dnab@wpi.WPI.EDU (dnab, I wanted dna)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Stupid adventures
Summary: What was YOUR stupidest one?
Keywords: Smurfs, Burger King, Aiiiieeeee
Date: 9 Apr 92 10:46:30 GMT
Followup-To: rec.games.frp
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute


	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!

	I'll be the first, as I wouldn't ask anyone to do what I wouldn't...
It was the latest dimension on their crosstime/crosspace trip... They had
dealt with giant reptiles, hideous mutants and machine-worshipping savages...
But now they had entered the realms of Burger, ruled by- The Burger King!
(His main bodyguard was called Big Mac).  He asked these powerful adventurers
to help out with a rather pressing problem- Ronald MacLich, the undead fiend
who desired to conquer the Burger Kingdom and pervert it to evil...
	To make an all too long story short, they met Fry Guys, the Smurfs,
the New Kids On The Block (yes, they killed them- got bonus XP's for 
creativity), some run-of-the-mill spectres (boy, did _that_ surprise them!)
and Ronald himself.  They beat these challenges and more...
	Problem is, I _might_ have pulled this one off, but (a) I was running
on No Sleep, and (b) we had inter-player problems (only PC death was caused
by another PC).  But the humor just wasn't there, and they've been reminding
me of it ("Say, remember Ronald MacLich?") at least monthly for the last three
years...

	-Dan Brainerd, Master of the five-minute adventure


-- 
Dnab, Dan Brainerd, dnab@wpi.wpi.edu, take your pick...
"I have a .plan, a .plan of unusual significance..."
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: mwasson@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Michael Wasson)
Subject: Re: CHAMPS: Creating Spider-Tracers for Spider-Man
Organization: University of Hawaii
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 03:18:30 GMT

Spider tracers? You could just buy Danger Sense inobvious accessible
focus, with charges. Special F/X are kind of weird, but ....

"Detect spider tracers" seems kind of lame, and Tracking Sense doesn't 
seem on the mark -- he can't really *track* a person, he just combs
the city waiting till bells go off in his head.

----------------------
mike wasson, u of h
"You've been a thorn in my side for too long!"
From: drcheng@sales.GBA.NYU.EDU (David R. Cheng)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: RuneQuest => Impale/Slash/Crush
Date: 17 Apr 92 20:56:53 GMT
Organization: NYU Stern School of Business


In our games, we've modified Imp/Sl/Cr a bit.  I submit it to you
for your comments.

Impale:  Double basic weapon damage (ie a 2H Longspear does (1d10+1)x2,
         or 2d10+2.

Slash and Crush:  Full basic weapon damage (ie a war maul does 2d8.
         Don't bother rolling, automatically do 16 pts of damage).


We started this because we felt a special with a slashing/crushing weapon
deserves more than more knockback, (especially considering we hardly ever
use the knockback rules).  But, we wanted to keep the impale a "better"
special result.  Yes, you could say it's not really better, (ie you could
roll low for your double damage), but the potential for higher than full
damage is still there, whereas with slash and crush, it's not.  You just
get in a really good, hard shot...

-David Cheng
 drcheng@sales.stern.nyu.edu
From: gt9405b@prism.gatech.EDU (Lynn Richard Akers)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Shadowrun: Controlling magicians
Date: 12 Apr 92 08:08:30 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In article <1992Apr11.180855.4586@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> apearlma@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Andrew Pearlman) writes:
>Isolated, it takes at least several minutes to call this up.  With the matrix,
>touch a button, show security clearance, then announce over the loudspeakers
>that unless Feather surrenders herself *right* now, Renraku takes out her
>family.

     Well, there's always the option of just having a copy of the data
pretty much everywhere it's needed.  Considering the fact that one MP (It's
been too long.  I don't even know if that's right.  Anyway, one of those
memory things.) will hold a LOT of data, it wouldn't be too expensive to
do, say, a bi-weekly update on that type of information.  And the risk of
stuff that you DON'T want known being compromised becomes a lot less.
                        Lord Goodgulf the Wizard

P.S.  And that still doesn't explain security systems.  I don't remeber the
      last time I've wanted to log in remote and shut down the alarm system
      where I work.

-- 
Lynn Richard Akers                                                              "Her name was Cind.  She was very, very young and very, very lovely.  It was
that special kind of beauty that grabbed at the heart through the loins.  Cind  was also one of the most highly regarded practitioners of that supremely lethal
art--sniping."    Allan Cole and Chris Bunch, The Return of the Emperor         uucp:	  ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt9405b
Internet: gt9405b@prism.gatech.edu
From: John_Morgan@mindlink.bc.ca (John Morgan)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: DMs AID
Date: 12 Apr 92 10:10:01 GMT
Article-I.D.: mindlink.11383
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada

> The Dragon Queen writes:
> 
> Msg-ID: <11Apr92234138@miracle.UUCP>
> Posted: Sat, 11 Apr 92 23:41:38
> Org.  : Miracle Computer Consultants
> 
> 
> Sounds good hypothetically.  It kinda depends on how user-friendly you
> made it.....

How about mostly mouse control?
Right now I am considering it to be run on a mouse/menu system.
> 
> Maybe I'm just biased, not to mention old-fashioned.  I think I'll stick
> to rolling dice by hand, and creating my encounters on my own, rather than
> let a computer do it for me.
> 
> Anyone else used SSI's DM's Assistant?  Am I the only one who thinks it's
> incredibly cheap?

I am just looking for ways to make things easier and less boring for the DM!
And yes I am trying not to take away from the DM doing his/hers duties. :)
> 
> Later!
> 
> D.Q.

Ciao Ciao
    J

--
######################################################################
#                        #                   ARMY                    #
#  John Morgan           #              Another fine game            #
#  a345@mindlink.uucp    #              By Milton Bradley            #
#                        #                 Ages 17 & up              #
######################################################################
From: gdg019@cck.coventry.ac.uk (N Ridley McIntyre)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Shadowrun: Controlling magicians
Date: 15 Apr 92 09:13:54 GMT
Organization: ICG, Coventry, UK

In article <NIGEL.92Apr14185117@rs733.GSFC.NASA.Gov> nigel@rs733.GSFC.NASA.Gov writes:
>In article <1992Apr14.201111.6482@ulowell.ulowell.edu> rcashman@cs.ulowell.edu (The Jester) writes:
>
>[stuff about matrix and how it might work deleted]
>
>>   Uh, guys?  Could I insert just a SHRED of reality here?
>
>>   IT'S A GAME!!

Here, here...

>
>Ohhhhh....why thank you for telling us...why not run over to
>rec.arts.startrek (or whatever it is these days ;-) and tell them it's
>only a TV show.
>

Yes, but apart from the actual intracacies of the films/TV show, what else *is*
there to say about startrek...
 
>>   The matrix works the way it does because it fits the genre.  There's no
>>   NEED to speculate on how it does this or that.  It just DOES!
>
>Game designs and game concepts that are totally bogus are a royal pain
>in the ass to keep consistant.

And game designs that are totally bogus that are based on novel ideas that are
totally bogus are a regal pain in the ass to keep consistant, I know, I'm 
still trying to write a Decking system for my game. I could go on about whether
you mean "bogus" as in "doesn't work" or "bogus" as in "a lot of baloney", but
I won't, because if you mean that Shadowrun's Matrix is a "lot of baloney" then
the magic system's even further out of touch with reality - at least computers
exist. If you just meant it's a system that doesn't work then find a better
system or just put up with its restrictions. The reason why I'm posting this
at all is because I'm sick of reading pernickity articles about the realism
of a certain thing which is neither real, nor realistic. Roleplaying games
are exactly that - GAMES! as the poster above pointed out, and should be
taken as such. Now I know I've been blowing my soozaphone about game consistency
and stuff, but it's alright for me - I don't play anymore. The thing is that
roleplaying games are not realistic - you don't roleplay every minute of the
game day even in a seige (how many times have you roleplayed eating or drinking
and how many times have you roleplayed going to the toilet? A damn sight more
of the former than the latter I'm sure), so it's not realistic. Everyone knows
it ain't *real*, so what's the problem?

Flame me if you want, I'll have left the city by the time it all gets to me.

See y'all after Easter,

Ridley.



-- 
N Ridley McIntyre - Ronin Ironpig - gdg019@cck.cov.ac.uk  | The one and only
"It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it"     | |)
                           - Steven Wright                | |\ <> |\| | |\| 
smail:ICG, 6 Northfield Rd, Stoke, Coventry, CV1 2DB, UK  |    IRONPIG
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: laurence@cco.caltech.edu (Dustin Lee Laurence)
Subject: Re: 100-DICE: they don't work.
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 20:11:08 GMT

torbenm@diku.dk (Torben AEgidius Mogensen) writes:

[...]

>Rather than making a d100, it would be much more useful to make a dice
>with the numbers 00,10,20,30,...,90 to avoid the arguments after a
>roll is made over which dice was the tens. I might even have seen such
>dice somewhere?

They exist.  I have one.  However, anyone who has big arguments over
which dice is which digit needs to start drinking decaf.

-- 
Dustin Laurence            "Someone please stop me, before I net again."

laurence@alice.wonderland.caltech.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: bh967@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Greg Weller)
Subject: Re: Lich Killing Advice Needed
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 92 20:14:30 GMT


We have begun to like Ravenloft...Kill a few Treants everyday and you go
up in level in no time!!!  

Well tonight is the night!! We shall see what our DM has in store for us!!
Thanks for all the help guys!! We've devised a couple of plans and we hope
they work!!!

-Greg (praying devoutly)
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Monday, 13 Apr 1992 09:58:52 EDT
From: <RJD118@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Fluff: Silly GM tricks
 <1992Apr10.161314.8520@meaddata.com> <10APR199213523066@rosie.uh.edu>
 <1992Apr13.192742.3814@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au>

How about this one...Late at night, in the old section of town, a party of
medium level AD&D characters (a mage, cleric, thief, 2 fighters, approx 5th
level) wind thier way through the tunnels beneath the town. Eventually
they come out to the entrance of a very large, very dim room. A coffin stands
in the center of a faint pool of light. The party stands, aghast, as the
coffin opens...out steps a vampire...The vampire looks out into the darkness
(there doesn't appear to be a wall on the one side) and makes a bit of a
speech...onviously talking to himself. Then the vampire walks away from the
coffin, right toward the PC's! They back up, and the Vampire keeps walking
until he also leaves the room. The PC's are REALLY scared...and give the
vampire lots of cash to get him to leave them alone.
   Turns out that the vampire was really just a normal human, an actor, in
fact, and had just got done a scene in a play....he was overwhelmed when
these strange people gave him so much money for being such a wondeful actor...
they must really have been enthusiastic patrons of the theatre where they
were....
****************************************************************
Oh, Believe it or not, I'm walking on air          (Theme song from
I never thought I could feel so free                The Greatest American
Flying away on a wing and a prayer                  Hero....)
Who could it be...Belive it or not, it's just me....       Roger!!!
*****************************************************************
From: fts5792@zeus.tamu.edu (SRONCE, FRANK T)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Herb List Needed
Date: 9 Apr 92 21:07:00 GMT
Organization: Texas A&M University, Academic Computing Services
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Apr8.151035.1447@ccc.govt.nz>, vanhalewyns@ccc.govt.nz writes...
>Hi there all you fine upstanding citizens.
> 
>I'm aftr a list of herbs for roleplaying games, anybody know where I can
>pick up some such thing.
> 
>	- Shaun van Halewyn
>	- vanhalewyns@ccc.govt.nz

Reminds me of the Herbalist character class out of Bunnies and Burrows.

2 pages of herbs, how to prepare them, and what you get if you prepare them
wrong...

Kiz
From: ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Cyberpunk netrunner question
Date: 16 Apr 92 01:07:28 GMT
Reply-To: ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu
Organization: 3WA, Boston Office. Or Nu Meta Chi. Take your pick.
In-reply-to: jkirn@eagle.wesleyan.edu's message of 15 Apr 92 16:03:22 GMT
X-Signature-Virus-Protection: Version 1.51
X-Quote: "What's another word for Thesaurus?" -- Steven Wright
X-Posting-Software: GNUS 3.14.1 [ NNTP-based News Reader for GNU Emacs ]

>>>>> On 15 Apr 92 16:03:22 GMT, jkirn@eagle.wesleyan.edu said:

jkirn> To those with experience in Cyberpunk.

From someone with experience in real-world networks...

jkirn> I'm looking for information on how to better play a (R. Talsorian)
jkirn> Cyberpunk netrunner, if anyone has reams and reams of totally
jkirn> useless information on playing such to spare.  It's a new campaign,
jkirn> and the first time I have used the system, which I like
jkirn> considerably.  The only problem is that there is a definite lack of
jkirn> information available to the prospective netrunner in CP:2020.  So
jkirn> what gives?  One specific question that I have is whether it is
jkirn> possible to add a second CPU to a deck, and what the result would be
jkirn> (twice the memory?).

Unfortunately, reams of real-world information about real-world networks
and computer systems is useless for you. The lack of hard information is
deliberate, because ``the Net'' as a consensual hallucination doesn't exist
today. The person you really need to get information from is your GM.

But, if you want a good lay-person's description of computer systems as
they exist today, take a look at the netrunning section of GURPS Cyberpunk.
IMO, it's the best description of computer nets, in simple English, I've
seen.

--Rat
--
||||| | | | |  |  |  |   |   |    |    |    |   |   |  |  |  |  | | | | | |||||
                                                   __        ___ 
Richard Pieri, Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat/   | /| / /   | The Worlds
Internet: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu /__  |/ |/ / /| | Welfare Works
    UUCP: ...!northeastern.edu!splinter!ratinox/   | /| / / / | | Association:
  BITNET: UA_RLP@NUHUB{.BITNET}               /__  |/ |/ / /  | | I will solve
  USNail: 14 Westdale RD  Holbrook, MA 02343 /   | /| / / /___| | any problem
 ICBMnet: 42 deg 1 min N, 71 deg 0 min W    /    |/ |/ /_//_____| for you.
From: jcl@sactoh0.sac.ca.us (John C. Laviolette)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: GURPS Spellcasting question
Keywords: I agree with your post on how to handle the huge costs of a
Date: 13 Apr 92 23:24:27 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Sacramento Public Access Unix, Sacramento, Ca.

Resurrection or similar high-cost spell, except for one point: the "-1 to
skill per assistant" rule applies ONLY to enchantment, not to ceremonial
magic in general.  So a skill of 15 is entirely suitable.
-- 
 ,-----------------------------------------------------------,
 !  "pay no attention to     !         John Laviolette       !
 !   the man behind the      ! InterNet=jcl@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US!
 !       curtain!"           ! or:     p.o. box 1493         !
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: SRUN: Dianetics
From: <UD137927@NDSUVM1.BITNET> (David R. Henry)
Date: Thursday, 9 Apr 1992 22:32:14 CDT
Organization: North Dakota Higher Education Computer Network

Yah, I knew this would happen. List up a real-world religion as an example
for GMs to study world-threatening evil and someone comes up and defends it.
:-)

Luckily, I come with sources. Time magazine did an excellent study of the
Church of Scientology last year. The Committee for Scientific Investigation
into Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), and their ever-readable publication
The Skeptical Inquirer have also dealt with the esteemed Mr. Hubbard.
A book of occassional use, written apparently by one of Hubbard's sons, was
also available at your local McBooks distributor a few years ago. I don't
spread paranoid rumors for no good reason, and no matter how good the CoS
might be for some of its members the information I've seen, from lucid calm
investigators that I have reason to believe, has me thinking that the
Scientologists as a whole are a bit more bloodthirsty than your average
youth club.

The response post in "defense" of the CoS read like its writer is a member
of the Church, or at least a practicer of Dianetics. If that's so, well, fine;
I'm glad they found a religion that fits them. I'm also aware that low-level
celebs such as Kirstee Allee and (at least at once) John Travolta were members
of the CoS, and that doesn't stop me from enjoying their work (when they give
performances which are worthy of enjoying :-). Personally, I find the idea of
alien agents working through humanity to raise us to a higher level of whatever
about equal mixtures of Transcendential Meditation hokum and a quick fix of
no-guilt Christianity.

As for game stats, I personally would give Scientologists no real magical
powers, but always access to the newest brainwashing technology, not to
mention probably some real hot deckers. As for the rest of you, I recommend
the Time article as a starting point. Just read it won an award for
investigative journalism, too.

"The intelligence of the world has remained constant. The population has just
 increased."  --yet another anonymous

>>>>>  CTHULHU IN '92! -- Why vote for the LESSER evil?  <<<<<
In related news:  George Bush is the Anti-Kate. Details at 11.
David Henry/Rogue Fan Club/Chaos Anonymous (ud137927@ndsuvm1.bitnet)
                                          (ud137927@vm1.nodak.edu)
What was your question? --K //Thanks... for the memories. -- Rogue
From: apd@math.ufl.edu (Alexander P Durham)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Wrestling RPG
Date: 3 Apr 92 20:13:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: math.1992Apr3.201330.15479
Organization: University of Florida Department of Mathematics

Sometime last year someone posted a Professional Wrestling RPG. Could someone
please send me a copy? Thanks.

The Beast, Jeremy Lakatos
apd@math.ufl.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: mark@trillian.jsc.nasa.gov (Mark Manning)
Subject: Net.Book.Riddles (Part 1)
Organization: Simulacron I
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 19:09:46 GMT

This is the Net.Book.Riddles which I said I'd collect and publish.
There are a lot of the things so if they don't all transfer I'll have
to try breaking it up and posting it again.

Please note that "The Riddle Manual" is included in this listing.
Also note that I tried to keep the people's names who submitted the riddles
next to the riddles themselves.  This doesn't mean that they wrote them,
but that they were the ones who sent me the riddles.

Duplicates of some riddles may have happened.  This is a first try and
all I'm trying to do is to get the book out there.  Validations come
later.

Nuff said.
From: boelter3945@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Inspired character names
Date: 15 Apr 92 16:00:15 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <15Apr92065528@miracle.com>, 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?
> 
> sjs28257@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Stelter) writes:
>>In a Champions solo adventure, I played a ninja with the inspired name
>>"Katana."  (Hey, I was young.)
> 
> Before I started DMing, I played a ninja named Kawasaki.....

   Once in a adventure, we had a cleric all made up that was supposed to be
part of the party, except the player who was going to run him had to leave.  I
NPCd him for a bit, not too active (as I had my hands full running the game
itself).  The name for the character never came up from the Player before he
left, so after a while, when the characters were in a role-playing/negotiation
session, another PC was introducing the party to someone, and faltered on the
cleric's name.

   So we named the cleric, "Medic".  Now, when in fights and someone starts
getting really hurt or in trouble, they just shout out.. "Yo, Medic!" or
something to that effect. :-)

                                        John "Nightwind" Boelter

--
*******************************************************************************
* John Boelter        a.k.a. Nightwind            boelter3945@iscsvax.uni.edu *
* Organizational Manager and contact person for everything and then some.     *
*******************************************************************************
* I don't know, I don't care, I don't want * They're fleeing the wrong way!!  *
* to know, and I don't want to care.       *        -confused adventurer-     *
*        -Martian Manhunter-               ************************************
*        -Justice League International-    * Why is the DM smiling like that? *
*******************************************************************************
From: jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Mages and Armor Question ( AD&D )
Keywords: mage, armor, ad&d
Date: 13 Apr 92 17:57:27 GMT
Reply-To: jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney)
Organization: Purdue University

In article <44998@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> va3@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan Newell) writes:
>So, the question:  How would you ( as a DM ) treat a society that is
>mistrustful of Wizards, and thus requires that all people entering it's
>borders wear a suit of ChainMail at all times.  Say this suit is locked
>onto the wearer and can only be removed by high strength or a key.
>It offers normal protection.
>


Too expensive.  No society with anything approaching non-cartoon economics
could ever afford to do this.  All they could afford to do would be to
require, by law, any "travellers, merchants, and sell-swords, including
that class of ruffian scum which call themselves adventurers" to wear a suit
of armor at least as heavy as studded leather at all times.  Unfortunately,
this would garuantee that any bandit would be pretty well armored, and
couldn't be hauled into court for violating sumptuary law.

A better means would be for them to simply have a new Clerical spell--detect
mage, which is virtually identical to detect evil, excepting that their gods
also hate mages as well as evil, so they invented this new spell to give to
their clerics.  Whenever something suspicious happens, the local priest 
casts the spell on everyone in sight, and a mage gets burnt at the stake.
In fact, one could have ALL of the "evil" or "alignment" spells availible
to clerics be modified thus, with "mage" or "magic" being suitably substituted.

After all, the Gods have whatever spells for their clerics they damned well
want--they are GODS, after all.


>Alternatively, what if a spellcaster was knocked unconscious, and then
>had a set of ChainMail welded onto him?
>

Kinky, very kinky.  The mage might have a few burns from the welding, but 
it would give no end of conniptions to the player.

>Would this negate completely the spellcasters spellcasting ability ( until
>such time as the ChainMail could be removed ) ?

I would, as a GM, grin horribly, and say yes.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp