HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: atra@galaxy.ucr.edu (wayne wallace)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Killing Attacks (Hero)
Date: 25 Jan 93 10:45:39 GMT
Organization: University of California, Riverside

In article <uplink.727776499@cwis> uplink@cwis.unomaha.edu (uplink 2099) writes:
>thornley@milli.cs.umn.edu (David H. Thornley) writes:
>
>>Has anybody actually tried to use one of these, or seen anybody else try?
>>I've been trying to think of something it would represent with no luck.
>
>	A player in another campaign I played in (he was a rules rapist)
>created a mentalist with a 1d6+1 RKA, Based on ECV, +3 Stun Mult.  If
>this wasn't a blatant example of trying to win the Damage Lotto, I don't
>know what is.  It was pointed out to him that a NORMAL 6d6 Ego Attack
>would do more Stun, on the average.

nope. calculate.

Ego Att
6 * 3.5 = 21.
RKA
1d6+1=3.5+1=4.5
Stun Mult
1d6-1+3=1d6+2
1d6+2=3.5+2=5.5

4.5 * 5.5 = 24.75

21 < 24.75

QED

P.S. Naturally in ten rolls or so, more of the 6d6 will center around 21 stun,
while the ECV RKA can scatter wildly with only 2d6 being rolled, the 6d6 will
let you down less, but won't give you the "critical hit" feeling.

P.P.S. the ECV RKA can max out at 7 * 8 = 56 stun, and will do a minimum of
2 * 3 = 6 stun. Note that the max will occur one in every 36 times with the
lottery, but with the 6d6, max is 36, which is 20 less, AND you have only a
1 in 6^6 or 1 in 46656 of getting it.

>uplink

Wayne
-- 
*    // Only /\      |Lord Zar,Commander Of All He Surveys|Stay Alert! Trust  *
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* \X/ Internet: atra@galaxy.ucr.edu wwallace@ucrengr.ucr.edu GEnie:W.WALLACE9 *
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From: burke@vxdesy.desy.de (Stephen Burke)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRII: Physical Adepts
Date: 26 Jan 93 21:45:11 GMT
Organization: (DESY, Hamburg, Germany)

In article <2713@cix.cict.fr>, maillet@tls-cs.cert.fr (Luc Maillet) writes:
>   Except for the first run ( our GM didn't have a good measure of what he gave ),
> we're getting between 1/20 and 1/10 of that, with bonuses for stealth. Well, if
> I got 200K for 1 run, I would soon retire to south australia...:-)

My group has a strong tendency to lose money (look at the price of
ammunition!). We generally end up collecting all the miscellaneous guns
and armour along the way, just to make ends meet. On our last run (in Scotland)
part of our pay came as several thousand nuyen-worth of (stolen) sheep - I kid
you not. We were not amused.

e----><----p | Stephen Burke           | Internet: burke@vxdesy.desy.de
 H   H   1   | Gruppe FH1T (Liverpool) | DECnet:   vxdesy::burke (13313::burke)
 H   H  11   | DESY, Notkestrasse 85   | BITNET:   BURKE@DESYVAX or SB2@UKACRL
 HHHHH   1   | 2000 Hamburg 52         | JANET:    sb2@uk.ac.rl.ib
 H   H   1   | Germany                 | Phone:    + 49 40 8998 2282
 H   H 11111 | HERA, the world's largest electron microscope!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Subject: Re: Burn, GURPS, BURN!
Reply-To: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 17:38:18 GMT

talbert@athena.cas.vanderbilt.edu (Robert Talbert) writes:
>  In practice, I must say that GURPS rulebooks far exceed the quality of 
>genre-specific games, for the simple reason that all the *rules* rules are 
>in the Basic Set, freeing up the worldbook to accomodate rules additions 
>and alterations as well as provide a substantial amount of background and 
>"atmosphere" material. 

	I think you are making rather sweeping generalizations here. 'GURPS 
rulesbooks far exceed the quality of *all* genre-specific games?' Please. 
Have a look at the amount of source material in the Call of Cthulhu hard-
bound book, *in addition to* the rules. Have a look at the amount of source 
material you get from Vampire, Ars Magica, or Shadowrun. These each include 
at least as much background and "atmosphere" as an average GURPS worldbook, 
in addition to the rules. 
	The 'quality' of these will largely be a matter of opinion. But 
I think the logic that you always (or even generally) get more source material 
with GURPS is flawed. 

>
>The rules for most games will not even get you a tenth of the way there 
>as far as creating atmosphere -- "Chill" and "Paranoia" may be exceptions.

	Eh? Maybe things have changed with 2nd edition, but I thought that 
the 1st edition "Paranoia" rules were directly at odds with the atmosphere. 
The rules were far more complicated than they shoudl have been, with no 
streamlining for the sort of play. 
	I would nominate "Call of Cthulhu" and "Pendragon" for having rules 
which support the genre, and "Vampire" for trying. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Kim                    | "You're on the cutting room floor, Chaplin.
jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu | Not a good place to be."
Columbia University         |                  (from the movie 'Chaplin')
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: cmeadows@nyx.cs.du.edu (Chris Meadows)
Subject: Re: Amber RPG
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Distribution: rec
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 93 22:06:25 GMT


I love the Amber game.  Wish I could find someone to GM as I would
love to try playing it.  Just have it and read it, that's all.

--
Chris Meadows  | Robotech/RIFTS/Palladium fanfic author/editor                  
CHM173S@SMSVMA | They Might Be Giants about Star Trek aliens:                   
CHM173S@VMA.SMSU.EDU   | "Everybody wants prosthetic foreheads                  
CMEADOWS@NYX.CS.DU.EDU | on their real heads!"
From: jnephew@tirith.carleton.edu (John A. Nephew)
Subject: Re: True Reason
Organization: Carleton College
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 08:23:00 GMT
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.40    
Reply-To: JNEPHEW@CARLETON.EDU
X-Posted-From: tirith.acc.carleton.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

In article <C15u1B.HMB@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney) writes...
>Something I suggested to them at GenCon the year Vampire came out:
> 
>The decline of magic begins centuries AFTER the Ars Magica setting.  Its root
>cause is the the Reformation/Counter-Reformation.  This is also the cause of
>the decline of miracle.  Religious fervor swept the land and True Faith was
>probably much more common than in medieval Europe.  However, this was a war
>AMONG those of True Faith with themselves.  The Protestant armies (and the
>Catholic Reformation Catholic armies) actually CARRIED THE DOMINION ON THEIR
>BACKS AS THEY MARCHED!  This would, of course, play havok with Magi--especially
>if Dominion had the power of precedence over other Auras (which it would in
>the proper Ars Magica setting).
> 
>This would rather handily wipe out most magical, faerie, and infernal auras.
>Furthermore, having so much aura hostile to magic literally marching about
>could make magic harder in general.  However, at the end of all this trouble,
>God finally gets sick of the crimes committed in His name by those dedicated
>to Him upon those dedicated to Him and withdraws His overt hand from the world
>as a punishment.
> 
>Okay, now, by 1670 or so, we have a world where magic has been greatly weakened,
>faerie nearly destroyed, and infernal realms driven into (at least temporarily)
>hiding.  What takes the place of these paradigms?  The burgeoning scientific
>worldview, which has been growing under the tutelage of the Protestant states
>of northern Europe!  After all, nobody can find "real" magic or "real" fey
>anymore, so they mustn't "really" exist--and probably never did, just some
>sort of propaganda spread around (in other words, the revisionists take over).
> 
> 
>There, I explained things rather nicely, and without resorting to the
>abomination of "True Reason" to screw things up.  (Don't see why they
>even put it in the game, anyway--the sort of mindset that it claims to
>portray didn't really even get started until 200 years AFTER the Ars Magica
>setting, but that's White Wolf for you.)

That seems like a good explanation, and pretty much what I understood to be the
idea when I worked at Lion Rampant (1989-90).  Dominion was explained in such a
way that it could be the power of God, or it could be the presence of human
civilization; paving the way for a smooth move from a medieval Christian to a
more Humanist, Deist, or even Atheist view -- all with the same Dominion effect
against other auras.  I don't know why they felt the need to bring in True
Reason (I'd guess Mark just thought it was a neat idea), but it sounds like one
of the worse additions in 3rd edition.

-John Nephew
President, Atlas Games
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: domnatr@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Kane)
Subject: Re: Vampire Help Needed
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 09:03:53 GMT

Sigh...

Last time I checked (although fellow Kindred are indeed few and far between)
I thought that was supposed to be a gesture of respect...

And I would be most loath to meet a Kindred, Prince of a city, no less, who
would magnanimously consent to drinking the blood of another Kindred on more
than the one occasion... such a Prince would indeed speak volumes for the city
and populace he governed.

I take these paltry steps toward the fulfillment of a character base

And I am rewarded with jest?

Sigh... (again)

________________________

(vampire smiley included for the humor impaired)

  \ /
  o o
   "
 \___/
  | |

_______________________

Kane        domnatr@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
aka
Solomon Conrad
Stefan Magyar
William DeVerrill
(countless others)
From: johnelbl@matt.ksu.ksu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: SRII initiative
Date: 25 Jan 1993 17:06:55 -0600
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: matt.ksu.ksu.edu
Summary: die rolls

     In the Physical Adept debate, I posted that it was possible for a 
Physical Adept(who WAS an npc) to have 9d6 initiative.  There have been
several responses that this is not possible. 
     First of all I stated that the character chose the adept ability of
3d6 initiative.  If this does not add to the 1d6 then what is the purpose
of the 1d6 increase initiative ability that costs 1 magic point?
     Second he had the Synaptic Accelerator.  Again, why get the one die 
only.  Plus, the rules only state that this piece of Bioware does not
work with cyber-ware.  No mention of Adept abilities or magic.
     Lastly I got the Increase Reaction Spell Lock (or anchored spell,  
whichever you prefer).  This spell states that it does not work in 
conjuction with CYBER-ware.  Does not mention anything about BIO-ware or
adept abilities.
    So, for my initiative I have the following recorded:
1d6 [initial] + 3d6 [adept] + 2d6 [Synaptic Accelerator] + 3d6 [spell when
active] =9d6.
    As for the Synaptic Accelerator, the NPC has 2 geasa; which pys.adepts 
can have.

resources:
SR2, Shadowtech, Grimoire2, Bryan Potter(GM), David Blood(GM), & 
Alex Savage(GM).

please inform us if we made some horrible mistake. and cite page numbers&book

Xref: sparky rec.games.frp.misc:11463 rec.games.frp.advocacy:3786
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (RedSwordTarga)
Subject: Re: SRII initiative
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 03:02:40 GMT

esper@cs35b.cs.umn.edu (Dave Sherohman) writes:

>Sorry, Axly, but I think Joymo deserves Munchkin of the Month, even if he
>missed a rule and thought himself more powerful than he really was...

Hell, no. The award committee came through last night, and Joymo has been
awarded *drumroll* The Munchkin Medal of Honor (or at least their conception
of that ideal). 

Axly
********************************************************************************
*  Axly            * "Well, yes, I did it... but it's not my fault. "          *
*  Red Sword Targa * "Alright, it is my fault... but I'm not responsible."     *
*                  * "Well, maybe I am responsible..but I'm not to blame."     *
*                  * "Yes, I am to blame... but they made me do it."           *
*                  *   -Axly                                                   *
********************************************************************************
From: cctony@sun1.mcsr.olemiss.edu (Tony Reynolds)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: RIFTS: PostScript Character Sheets, Anybody?
Date: 26 Jan 93 22:14:46 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Mississippi Center for Supercomputing Research


Before I hit pagemaker full on and make my own, does anyone have any
available? If I ever finish them, I'll post them to rec.games.frp.archive.

See ya, and thanks!
-- 
Tony Reynolds            Have you hugged      cctony@sun1.mcsr.olemiss.edu
Cray Network Intern    your Washburn today?                  (601)232-7206
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: brian@garfield.cs.mun.ca (Brian Paquet)
Subject: Re: Ethical Dilemna (GURPS Fantasy - LONG)
Organization: CS Dept., Memorial University of Newfoundland
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 14:35:00 GMT

I am a wee bit sickened by some calls to nail the party big time.
Things like Massive fines includeing artifacts...  tsk tsk.
Reminds me of a DM who had a 30th level mage in a zepplin 
ready to zap the characters should they do wrong, who
had a chef magic missle someone....

If these characters can get away with it [due to law or ability]
then let them. Punish them not because they did something stupid
but only as a NATURAL consequense of their actions. They killed a
few dirty peasants.. who cares, they arn't adventuring in a real
democracy or a "peoples" republic.. 

If there are characters who have the ability to get away with something
that is wrong.. let them. Just make them feel bad as human beings:)

As for the roleplaying questions.. What sort of people do you have?
If they respponded to the events from their characters perspective then
I see nothing wrong with it. If they didn't then you must consider
the possiblity that the players don't care about true roleplaying, you
can either force them into it or ignore it.. or quit in disgust.

1: punishments to PC's should not be more then to NPC's who commit
   same action, nor should more effort be spent to find them.
2: People who "roleplay" to avoid loseing points, are not roleplaying
   but minmaxing in a manner pleasing to the DM.
From: smurphy@unix1.tcd.ie (Mithrandir(S))
Subject: Re: Faerie Folk (Pedantic Note of no interest to gamers)
Organization: Trinity College, Dublin
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 11:21:11 GMT

In <18063@umd5.umd.edu> joe@astro.umd.edu (Joe Mcmullin) writes:

>>Daoine sidhe (Pronounce it if you dare!!)


>I dare....

>Thee-na Shee

    AAAAHHH!
   I'm sorry!
    Thank you for playing!

    Mind you, you're a little less than close.


>Joe
--
  To those tryiong to get in touch with Mithrandir, do not email
to the Address in the header. It is borrowed, cause my newsfeed
has exploded.  
     Email:tkelly@unix2.tcd.ie  Thanks.  
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: mjg@world.std.com (Mitchell J Gross)
Subject: Re: Vamp / Ars Magica
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 19:30:26 GMT

I've heard rumors that the MAGE game is actually Ars Magica adapted to the
Storyteller System and updated to the present.


-- 

                           >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>*<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
                           >            Remember...       <
                           >                              <
From: gt0542c@prism.gatech.EDU (MCCLURE,JAMES HUDSON)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: SR2 spells
Date: 28 Jan 93 19:54:38 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology


	I'm a newbie to posting, so I don't know if this will work.  
	
	My main question is, has anyone out there found or created a Silence
spell?  In Neo An. Guide to N. Am. I recall someone in the decker comments talk-
ing about a Silence spell, but never have I seen one.  Would this be an Illusion
spell (fooling the victim into believing that the noise coming from you is un-
important) or is it a manipulation spell (actually absorbing the acoustic waves
coming from you)?  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

	For information on NERPS, see Shadowbeat.  NERPS for your underwater
household needs

	And please, enough of the PA-St. Sam. debate.  It is getting REALLY
boring.


	Will deck for sigs.  ==>  Bob Marley

-- 
MCCLURE,JAMES HUDSON
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp:	  ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt0542c
Internet: gt0542c@prism.gatech.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: DragonQuest?!
From: scasterg@waltham.columbus.oh.us
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 93 20:01:15 -0500
X-Mailer: rnMac Buggy, I mean Beta, Test Version

> In essence, DragonQuest is a stripped-down version of D&D (not AD&D). Its
> intended to be a gateway into D&D. Seems T$R is aggressively pursuing the
> novist gamer. :)
> 
> Jon WolF

WHAT!!!! Have you ever *looked* at DragonQuest?

It is a re-release of a game that TSR acquired when it bought out SPI years ago. 
DragonQuest was so far & away superior to AD&D I think they were afraid to let 
it live. It is the most elegant game system I ever played. A masterful blend of 
simplicity and detail -- simple where you want it, detailed where you want it.

TSR has screwed up many elements of the game by tweaking default numbers and the 
like and simply excised some of the nicest parts, but the essence is still the 
same.

It does not try to be all things to all people, the way GURPS (my current 
system) does. It is designed for use in a fantasy environment, but it does that 
*very* well.

Yeah, there are things about it that I would have wished changed, but rarely 
have I encountered a system that played so consistently right out of the box.

There are details they thought to include as a matter of course that GURPS still 
hasn't dealt with. And somehow they managed to do it while still having a 
streamlined, smooth-running system.

I play GURPS because that is what my current group uses, but if I thought I 
could get them to switch, I would do it in a second.

Stu Castergine
scasterg@waltham.columbus.oh.us
From: camelsho@gemini.ksu.ksu.edu (   James A Seymour)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Arcanum <----- What ever happened to it?
Date: 22 Jan 1993 16:51:19 -0600
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: gemini.ksu.ksu.edu

In article <MAVRA.93Jan22112940@bailey.cpac.washington.edu> mavra@cpac.washington.edu (Peter D. Adkison) writes:
>Yup, we own it now and we haven't done a dang thing with it.  But we'd
>like to! And I'm sure we will, it's too good not to deserve a second
>chance.  But don't hold your breath, 1993 is looking very tight and
>very busy.  
>
Peter, could you please post a brief history of your company?
I'm curious from both a casual standpoint, and from a game
writer wanta be viewpoint.

james seymour/camel/camelsho@matt.ksu.ksu.edu
From: rowe@soda.berkeley.edu (Eric Rowe)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Ethical Dilemna (GURPS Fantasy - LONG)
Date: 24 Jan 93 00:12:28
Organization: UCB Integrative Biology
NNTP-Posting-Host: soda.berkeley.edu
In-reply-to: kerr@csugrad.cs.vt.edu's message of 23 Jan 93 23:44:11 GMT

Please kill PC's like this.  I can't think of any rational world where this
behavior is tolerated.  I agree with Loren though and maybe the Jesuit could
just be imprisoned for life or something.

eric
From: mab@wdl39.wdl.loral.com (Mark A Biggar)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Killing attacks as pseudo-NND's
Date: 22 Jan 93 18:20:30 GMT
Organization: Loral Western Development Labs

In article <1993Jan20.095019.267@gems.vcu.edu> porterg@gems.vcu.edu writes:
>Actually, A killing attack that does no BODY makes a cheap "NND", provided the
>"defense" is "resistant defense".  After all, you do STUN that is only stopped
>by resistant defense, *not* the inherent PD or ED of the target.  In a number
>of campaigns, this could be a useful attack, provided you can come up with
>some rationalization for its existence.

The only good rationalization for KA no body I ever saw was as the basis of 
an ego based illusionary attack where the target only thinks he's taken body 
but really only takes the corresponding "shock" to the system.

--
Mark Biggar
mab@wdl1.wdl.loral.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: gray@visix.com (Gray Jones)
Subject: Re: SRII:  hosing with autofire
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 15:44:04 GMT
Reply-To: gray@visix.com (Gray Jones)
Organization: Visix Software, Reston, Virginia

In article <C1DuvJ.81t@world.std.com>, jtd@world.std.com (Jonathan T Drummey) writes:
|> In article <C1BJJy.G1H@visix.com> gray@visix.com (Gray Jones) writes:
|> >
|> >What if I don't try and aim my autofire weapon and just
|> >rake an area?
|> >
|> >Would it just count as a bunch of stray bullets with
|> >targets determined randomly?  I'd like to think so....
|> >
|> 
|> Depends...  I use three different types of autofire in my bastardized
|> set of combat rules for SRII (based on SRII, FNFF, and 3G3).  They
|> are:

[complicated rules deleted]

I dunno, what about:

The character indicates the area they want to spray.  They roll firearms
skill vs (number of bullets fired - number of linear meters to spray).  If they
fail this test, stray bullets leak out of the fire zone.  Recoil modifiers
apply to this roll.  The number of stray bullets is equal to the target number
for the test.  The stray bullets hit outside the fire zone on
one or both sides (GM's discretion).  The number of linear meters refers to
the number of linear meters at the weapons short range (if you want to
spray a 10 meter wide area that is 100 meters away, it will be harder
than spraying a 10 meter wide area 10 meters away).  Linear distances
can be approximated (heh, I'd encourage it).

The GM determines randomly which possible targets in the firezone are hit.
Two dice are rolled vs. the base target number for range (4 for short range,
etc.).  A success causes 1D6 additional successes for determining effect.
Damage is resisted based on the unmodified power level for the weapon.
In other words, treat all of the bullets like stray shots.

This method requires fewer additional mechanics (one extra test).

--gray