HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: durrell@chop.isca.uiowa.edu (Bryant Durrell)
Subject: Re: Descriptions (from, but not related to Improvisation!)
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 13:51:12 GMT
Organization: University of Iowa
Keywords: description

In article <1992Aug21.122827.9895@u.washington.edu> surge@milton.u.washington.edu (Jonathan Sari) writes:
>In article <Bt3Dt6.BEL@acsu.buffalo.edu> swann@acsu.buffalo.edu (Stephen Swann) writes:
>>GM:  There's some bandages, a set of surgical implements, some bottles -
>>  probably for injection, they've got holes through the stoppers [...]

>Anyone else here bothered by the description Stephen gives of the
>bottles? "some bottles - probably for injection, they've got holes
>through the stoppers -"  Stephen is giving the players a conclusion,
>rather than just a description.

>As a player, I much prefer to make the deduction that the holes in
>the top were likely made by a syringe (minor, though it is) by myself
>rather than having it handed to me on a plate.  
>
>As a GM, I try to leave all the deduction up to the player. [...]

Interesting point.  I myself might very well describe something in the
way used in the example given to compensate for the fact that the players
can't see what I'm talking about.  It's harder to figure out what 
something is from a verbal description, and I like to counterbalance that
effect.

Pointing out that the holes were probably made by a syringe will give the
players a much better idea of what they're looking at much faster then
letting them deduce it.  Also, if you just say holes and leave it at that,
they're not unlikely to leave it at that and go away with the impression
that the holes are, say, the size of your thumb.  Which can cause problems
later.

Bryant

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: singley@helix.nih.gov (Erick D. Singley)
Subject: Re: Tales From The Floating Vagabond.
Keywords: Questions, Quality, Quizlings
Organization: (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD)
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 13:48:11 GMT

Erick
 

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Axly)
Subject: Re: SHADOWRUN: Blinded by the light
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 22:32:36 GMT

mancinis@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (steven mancini) writes:

>>Use ultrasounds sights. This toy lets you see everything and shoot
>>with no visual modifiers due to lighting. Best trick yet, drop
>>smoke on your own position so the magelings can't see you without
>>going astral. It's rock and roll time after that. IF they go astral
>>to spell you, run up and melee them while they are changing perspectives.

>	This, I like. However in the same area where I discovered the
>	above Light & Astral mix, it also says a mage *cannot* use
>	assensing to target physical beings, more specifically it cannot
>	be used Combat Spells.  So yor tactic has an even better effect
>	that you imagined eh?


Wow. Yeah, that makes it more effective. I've always known that Smoke
Grenades were my friends, but I didn't think they were that good a 
friend. *hugs his smoke grenades*

Axly
 

********************************************************************************
*  Axly             *  "... and grenades are also useful for digging foxholes, *
*  Red Sword Targa  *   removing unwanted shrubbery, unclogging drains..."     *
*                   *      -Axly's Book of Explosives for Pyromaniacs          *
********************************************************************************
From: Patrick_Andrew_Barnes@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: HERO's cheesy $ flow cost...
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 92 02:32:52 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
  <1992Aug19.212012.5515@colorado.edu>

I don't have the latest sets of HERO rules and it has been a long time since
I read the set that I *do* have, but I seem to remember the situation of mone
versus points for equipment being discussed in the rulebook.  If a character
is going to get significant use from the equipment from adventure to adventur
during the course of a campaign then the character has to pay for the item
in character points.  The wealth is used for incidentals and emergencies.  So
the way I understand it is that if the rich character was in a tight spot he
could rush into a gun shop and buy that AK-47 to blow away the bad guys with,
but if he wanted to *keep* that AK-47 as part of his arsenal, then he would
have to pay the points for it.  Of course, a really wealthy character could
afford to just buy all new equipment each adventure and not have to worry 
about paying any points for it, but this is where the GM steps in and prevent
abuse t of the system.  HERO was designed for honest players with integrity.
From: dunning@chainsaw.ecn.purdue.edu (GALACTIC COMMANDER)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Characters ( GMs: historical politics )
Keywords: improvisation
Date: 21 Aug 92 22:16:02 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network

In article <1992Aug20.191532.24225@nntp.hut.fi> gvbraun@vipunen.hut.fi (Toni Kotinurmi) writes:
>I don't just mean some mega-power-ultra-super-characters, but a standard
>pub-owner with his own style or phrases or... I have this journey-frp
>going on now ( GM'ing ) and I am running out of descriptions of _normal_
>persons. I have them on scraps of paper, I just write 'em up when
>I figure out something in bus, during lunch or whatever when it occurs
>to me. Anybody written characters up in computers ? I mean much more than
>some strength/fight/etc stats ( which I usually omit and just pick from
>standard data or roll up if somebody asks or if they are in character-
>description--but usually I have only one stat if even that readily made ).
>
>Toni

Actually I keep a card catalog of various people from innkeepers to 
Royal Scouts and from beggars to lords.  Everyone deserves their place
in my collection.  Race, sex, creed, religon, sexual orientation I
don't care  :)

Then I keep these system cross-referenced in a database file according
to race, sex, profession, and frequent location.  That way I can easily
identify people I need on the fly.  Just check the location with the
race, sex, and profession - instant NPC  (don't even add water).

Chip
--

-----------------------------\_/-----------------------------
 Elwood H Dunning III         |     I am a pirate, I don't
  GALACTIC COMMANDER          |           DO decency!!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: hutch@hutch (Stephen Hutchison)
Subject: Re: What price a soul?
Organization: Intel Corp., Hillsboro, Oregon
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 20:43:36 GMT

In article <1992Aug14.172054.24394@colorado.edu> juola@bruno.cs.colorado.edu (Patrick Juola) writes:
+In article <Bsz8Jv.E46@math.uwaterloo.ca> jglarson@watmsg.uwaterloo.ca (Johan Larson) writes:
+>I'm designing a Gurps character who has the interesting feature
+>of having traded his soul to the Devil 
+>for some specific advantages.  As part his part of the bargain, 
+>the character has to kill one person every week, or he will lose the
+>abilities and suffer other grievous consequences.
+>
+>I'm trying to fit this into Gurps by having a disadvantage
+>Demonic Agreement added to the game.  My problem is cost.
+>I'm not sure how much this disadvantage should be worth;
+>none of the disadvantages in the Basic set seem comparable.
+
+First rule of disadvantages -- you buy the effect, not the special effect.
+It's simply a Vow, possibly with attendant Bad Reputation.

Wrong.  It's got the component of "automatic retribution" which is not part
of a Vow.  It's a lot more like a Patron and Duty, combined, with some
predefined effects that will turn the Patron into an Enemy.

Actually, it's not even those.   Congrats, Johan, you've come up with
something really new and nasty...

I see two parts.  First, the book-keeping involved in determining point cost
and benefits.  Second, the mechanic of how it will work in play.

The second part first.  The agreement would grant a set of abilities or
conditions.  It consists of a set of advantages gained, and some Duty
which is attached.  Two possibilities on breach-of-agreement: 1) the abilities
remain, 2) the abilities are lost.   If they remain, then what kind of
penalty/retribution is the result?  Ditto if they vanish.  Finally, how
likely is it that the breach will occur?

I would suggest that the Unholy Thing with whom the agreement is signed,
is a "free" Patron of N points value.  The Duty should approximately match
the cost of the advantages gained.  Failing in the Duty has the defined result,
which can consist of changing the "free" Patron into an Enemy of that many
points, as well as possibly removing the advantages.

Hutch
From: dleland@dante.nmsu.edu (LELAND)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: For those NOT going to GenCon...
Date: 18 Aug 92 04:18:47 GMT
Organization: New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM

I had thought about going to GenCon this year but just couldn't afford the
expense or get away. I would be curious to know if anything really significant
is going to be unveiled there, such as new versions of games, really interesting
new games (not just the Yet_Another_Module brigade) and so on. I went to Dundra
Con a few years ago and it was kind of a letdown except for being on hand for
the unveiling of the 4th Ed Champions rules with Rob Bell and co. Otherwise it 
was kind of a letdown; lots of so-so tournaments and a free gaming room full of
people who all seemed to be playing "attitude man" characters who hated 
everything and killed everything in sight. I hope the standard at GenCon is
better. Is it? Who can tell me?
From: smith@ctron.com (Larry Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Improvisation!
Date: 21 Aug 92 18:40:42 GMT
Reply-To: smith@ctron.com
Organization: Cabletron Systems, Inc.

In article <1992Aug21.034834.5979@tronsbox.xei.com>, dfrancis@tronsbox.xei.com (Dennis Heffernan) writes:
>In article <qd#n57#.harp@netcom.com> harp@netcom.com (Gregory O. Harp) writes:
>|In other words, they found the guilty party: the minion.  However,
>|their observations allowed me to realize that there was a deeper plot.
>|I then improvise the new plot.

>	That's "changing reality".  If the perp was working for someone else,
>that should have been noted beforehand.  If the players convince themselves
>that he was, well, they can look all they like but they're not going to find
>any proof....

"Changing reality" - so what?  This is not any sort of objective reality in
the first place.  I made it up and I can change it.  If it's fun and playable,
my players are happy and come back for more.  If it isn't, it's bad GMing,
pure and simple, and we'll all head about it when people get on the net and
complain about the GM.

As for the "if the players" bit, the players won't get the idea unless they
_already_found_proof_.  You may not have meant to leave it there, but there
it is, or they wouldn't have found it.  Now perhaps they are wrong.  Perhaps
the proof they have found is purely circumstantial.  But also, perhaps it
is right.  Which way leads to the better game?  If it's the way in the notes,
they were wrong.  If it wasn't, maybe they were right.

>	However, when I draw up a mystery, there aren't any holes.  That's what
>the 11"x17" flowchart is for. ;-)

Maybe you can make that playable and fun, but that sure doesn't sound like
the starting point of a shared fantasy to me.

Larry Smith (smith@ctron.com)  No, I don't speak for Cabletron.  Need you ask?
-
How about we all do something reasonable?  I bet that'll confuse 'em!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: ken@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu (Ken Primer)
Subject: Re: Gencon Guide
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 08:08:25 GMT

    What? You forgot to mention all the Cheese and porno stores that
line i-94 between Chicago and Milwaukee. :-)

-- 
  HAVE A NICE DAY!                        ken@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu
(or die trying)--------AAAAAAARG! the paranoids are after me!

                                                               <fnord>
From: batemanc@p4.cs.man.ac.uk (Mad Chris)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Diceless or Senseless?
Date: 17 Aug 92 15:36:23 GMT

eeb1@ellis.uchicago.edu (e elizabeth bartley) muses:

>>Why is it better because you know when and who it is going to happen to?

>It isn't always.  It can be, though....  One of my characters in an
>Amber game (Llarana, Llewella's daughter, raised mostly in Rebma) has
>ten points of Good Stuff, which is what we decided the practical
>maximum was.  She's always been lucky, and it's fun playing with the
>ways that affects her personality.  (She *tries* not to rely on luck,
>but since she's always had luck it's really rather difficult to do so;
>she has to learn to do so based entirely on other people's
>experience.)

>Hm.  Well, you never know quite in what *way* you're going to be
>lucky....  And it's fun to have the breaks go your way regardless on
>how much you know.  If that doesn't make sense to you, then take my
>word for it: it's fun at least for some people to see their lucky
>characters be lucky.

Well said. This is a nicely worded reply, that actually makes a fair point.
Amber can't give the Lucky breaks I'm talking about, because I mean Lucky
breaks with regards to no-one-knows-they-re-coming-because-no-one-knows-
enough-about-quantum-physics-to-predict-dice Lucky breaks. I see your
point that a lot of fun could be had from playing a character which is 
naturally lucky - and the surprises therein - but this can happen in
a dice or diceless system. The post which generated this was almost
saying that Good/Bad stuff adequately replaced the Lucky break element
that dice provide. I say the Good/Bad stuff is nice, but does not 
give the same degree of Unknown that many people like.

Thanks for being polite,

Mad Chris.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: seurer@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (Bill Seurer)
Subject: Re: GURPS: What price a soul?
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 20:04:28 GMT
Reply-To: BillSeurer@vnet.ibm.com
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM Rochester

I'd call it an addiction.  It fits perfectly.  You have to do something
every so often or Something Bad Happens.  Naturally it's an "illegal
substance" addiction...
-- 

- Bill Seurer     Language and Compiler Development      IBM Rochester, MN
  Internet: BillSeurer@vnet.ibm.com    America On-Line: BillSeurer@aol.com
From: sl9b4@cc.usu.edu (Deep Six)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Speaking of ambushes (where we?)...
Date: 15 Aug 92 00:52:09 MDT
Organization: Utah State University

Ambushes have been sort of a big topic in my campain lately. Both for
the players and for me. Here is my dillema. 

My characters are fairly bright (for mortals), and they are really 
paranoid about getting ambushed. For that reason, they routinely avoid 
areas on the map where there is the slightest chance to be ambushed. I'm 
perplexed on how to ambush the characters. The party is a squad in a 
military organization, so they often go on patrol. Lately,I have been 
marking areas on my GM's map where there will be ambushes, but the party 
never goes into my kill zones. Now, I don't want to kill the PCs off, but 
I would like to see them have to react and defend more, rather than being 
always on the offense. 

So, I have been toying with the idea of setting up ``unavoidable'' 
ambushes, where I as GM say, ``where ever the party goes, there will be 
an ambush.'' Is that fair to the players? Like I said before, I don't 
want to kill the players, I just want them to be on the receiving end a 
little more often.

Thoughts?

Okay,
+  Chadd  L.  VanZanten   SL9B4@CC.USU.EDU  +
+  ``You know,  I thought this was a good   +
+  idea but this is one weird mama-jama.''  +
+                    -- TV's Frank, MST3K   +
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Axly)
Subject: Re: SRun: Mag 3 Cyber Eyes in Combat
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 00:53:49 GMT

juola@bruno.cs.colorado.edu (Patrick Juola) writes:

>In article <BszxGt.9pI@news.cso.uiuc.edu> dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Axly) writes:
>>
>>If you can see the target better, like as if it were in front of you, it's
>>easier to hit. I'd say a full sized image of the person vice the reduced 
>>size you see at a large distance just might be helpful.

>How?  It's not going to be any easier to figure out if your gun
>is pointed in the right direction.

Hmm. That smartgun link that superimposes a blinking crosshair where your
gun is aimed isn't any indication of where you are aimed...

Axly
From: smith@ctron.com (Larry Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Hack 'N Slash vs. Real Roleplaying
Date: 13 Aug 92 13:56:07 GMT
Reply-To: smith@ctron.com
Organization: Cabletron Systems, Inc.

In article <4380@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP>, seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:

>...I'm not the type to suffer from elf withdrawal for elves' sake.

Hah!  I bet you're "spry".  ;)

Larry Smith (smith@ctron.com) No, I don't speak for Cabletron.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Daily I'd go over to Congress - that grand old benevolent national asylum - and
report on the inmates there.  Never seen a body of men with tongues more handy,
or information more uncertain.  If one of those men had been present when the
Deity was on the point of saying "Let there be light" we never would've had it.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: darknite@camelot.bradley.edu (John S. Novak III)
Subject: Re: Improvisation!
Organization: Bradley University
Date: 17 Aug 92 04:33:29 GMT

In <3095@isgtec.isgtec.com> robert@isgtec.com (Robert Osborne) writes:

>Where do you guys get your % of improv?

Why, the 20-80 rule, of course.
80% of what you need is in 20% of what you have.

Following this logic, you can prepare exhaustively, and maybe
cover some 80% of the likely probabilities that will occur, but
you'll only use about 20% of your prepared material.  Going even
further, 80% of that 80% is in 20% of that 20%, and therefore,
64% of the possibilities can be covered in about 4% of your
prepared material.  Going backwards, 80% of the 20% you missed is
in 20% of that 80% you didn't use, so actually, 96% of what you
need is in 36% of what you prepared.

Its that simple.  In other words, a little preparation goes a
long way, but it will never handle everything.  You also have to
know your group fairly well to get any real use out of these
ratios-- the secret is in learning what not to prepare...

This is only somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

--
"If you're not winning, you're not cheating effectively."
          -Steve Gutschlag, 10-08-91
John S. Novak, III		darknite@camelot.bradley.edu
From: kcrook@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Prince Of Amber)
Subject: Amber Question Answered
Keywords: Amber, Diceless, Benedict, Zelazny
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 22:02:48 GMT

Why was it necessary for Corwin to knock out Benedict?  Fairly simple,
there are two major reasons...  1) Further the distrust of Corwin
amongst his brethren, especially Benedict and Gerard.  This leads up to
2) the meeting with Gerard in which Ganelon is revealed to be something
other than what he really is (at least to everyone but Corwin... what a
dolt!).  "Gee, Ganelon is a better fighter than I thought.  He caught
Gerard's arm in mid-swing and then kicked his ass... oh, well."  That
was the main point of it (besides also setting up Dara as a bit more
'evil' seeming.  It also foreshadows Gerard's attack on Corwin in which
he hangs him over the cliff and threatens to kill him.  Remember, Corwin
will be implicated shortly thereafter in Caine's death and this previous
part makes him look all the more guilty of such a thing.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: darknite@camelot.bradley.edu (John S. Novak III)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: ALternate Gaming Groups
Date: 14 Aug 92 08:06:18 GMT
Organization: Bradley University

Robert J. Hall writes:

>Has anybody out there come up with some unusual situations for running their
>group? Here's a couple of ideas for what I have in mind:

Heh heh.

> 2. The player characters have all joined an underworld crime organization.
>    While cooperating to further the organization, they are also plotting to
>    backstab one another. Lots of politics.

My GM for a space campaign went one better.  We're all terrorists
(or at least, some of us are, and the rest haven't made the
knowledge public, but we were all 'arrested' by a Corporate
Happiness Squad on our own planet) being transported back to
Earth.  Well, that was their plan, anyway.  They thought wrong.

_FUN_ campaign!


--
"Morons are tricky. You can spot the fool right away (not to
mention the cretin), but the moron reasons almost the way you do;
the gap is infinitessimal."
	  -Jacopo Belbo
John S. Novak, III		darknite@camelot.bradley.edu
From: swann@acsu.buffalo.edu (Stephen Swann)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Descriptions (from, but not related to Improvisation!)
Keywords: description
Date: 21 Aug 92 18:26:42 GMT
Organization: UB

In article <1992Aug21.122827.9895@u.washington.edu> surge@milton.u.washington.edu (Jonathan Sari) writes:
>>GM:  There's a black bag there, too.  Pretty standard looking medical
>>   issue type thing.
>>p1:  I open it.
>>GM:  There's some bandages, a set of surgical implements, some bottles -
>>  probably for injection, they've got holes through the stoppers - a
>>  stethescope, a black case about 8" by 2" by 4", a necklace with
>>  some beads [and a little cross], a couple of rolls of surgical tape.
>
>Anyone else here bothered by the description Stephen gives of the
>bottles? "some bottles - probably for injection, they've got holes
>through the stoppers -"  Stephen is giving the players a conclusion,
>rather than just a description.

Yeah, that is a preculiarity of my DMing style that people just have
to be aware of before they start playing (all my players have been
with me for between 3 and 12 years).  Anyway, here's how it works: 

I usually only do that (suggesting a conclusion to be drawn) when I
want to avoid an extensive description of something that should be
entirely evident to the viewer.  Like if I was to try and describe the
volume knob on a television to you.  We could beat around the bush
about it, or I could just tell you that it looks like the volume knob.
My players all know my style well enough to know that my saying "It
looks like a volume knob" or "It's probably a volume knob" is a
description of their impression of the object, not a positive
"definition" of what the object is.  This is a time saving device,
I only use it for "easily recogniseable" things.

You could, of course, choose not to believe my "prompting" about what
you think the object looks like.  My players often don't.  I guess
they just don't trust me.  :-)

-- 
Steve Swann                 |    Speak to me in many voices; make
swann@acsu.buffalo.edu      |      them all sound like one...  -BOC