HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: murphy@npri6.npri.com (David P. Murphy)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.arts.books
Subject: more about Sherlock Holmes
Date: 5 Oct 92 13:40:35 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: NPRI, Alexandria VA



>>Holmes was addicted to cocaine....
>> 
>>cm182s182@pdrome.UUCP (Clayton Miner)

depends who you read.

>Or morphine, or opium.  It was one of those, I am definate about this. 
>One of the adventures details how he overcame this.
>I think that ACD _tried_ to kill Holmes off with Moriarty because he found
>the actual character of Sherlock to be ungentalmanly.  Popular demand 
>brought him back however.
>
>braca2@cspyr1.cs.adfa.oz.au (BRAY CHRISTOPHER)

oh, for the sake of knowledge.  (1)  he was _not_ addicted if you restrict
your intact to the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
he used cocaine on one occasion because he was bored, but there is no mention
of any "addictive" behavior and the drug is never mentioned again.  (2) in
the story "The Seven Per Cent Solution" by Nicolas Meyer, Holmes is shown
to be completely addicted and in fact has hallucinated the entire Moriarty
adventures.  needless to say, us purists regard both of the Meyer fabrications
(the other is entitled "The West End Horror" as so much soap opera fodder.
(3)  ACD did indeed have Moriarty and Holmes kill each other in a short story
called "The Final Problem", because he no longer enjoyed writing SH stories.
you are correct in that popular demand brought him back, although you might
be able to drop the letter 'r' over here^.

by the way, modern mystery fans will probably cringe when reading the original
SH stories.  after years of clever detectives such as Nero Wolfe, Sherlock
comes off as an amazingly lucky guesser who took blind stabs in the dark
from patheticly simple clues.

ok
dpm
-- 
murphy@npri6.npri.com 602 Cameron St. Alexandria, VA 22314 (703) 683-9090

              When every one is dead the Great Game is finished.  Not before.
                              --- Hurree Babu, "Kim"
From: sasha@cybernet.cse.fau.edu (David A. Tumarkin)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Call Of Cthulu V.5 -- Funsy Section Included
Date: 28 Sep 92 23:43:06 GMT
Organization: Cybernet BBS, Boca Raton, Florida

In the new 5th ed. CoC, is the fun section (with cartoons, poems, and the 
"Is this the lair of Great Cthulu?" included?  I've been meaning to get 
CoC for some time now and it'd be nice if that part was included.  Thanx.



                                                - Sasha

"Call of Cthulu is the only RPG where ... people are more willing to 
 smother a grenade with their bodies than try out a new magic item."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Though the fruits of crime bear bitter seaweed, the sea cucumbers of 
 crime makes a killer salad."
                                      - Dr. Calamari in the DC/Marvel
                                        Crossover with Suicide Squid
                                        and Archangler in THE DEVIL,
                                        THE ANGEL, AND THE DEEP BLUE
                                        SEA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: rible@vorpal.dell.com (Max "Slanty-wise Potions" Rible)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRII: Initiative Die
Date: 6 Oct 92 00:34:33 GMT

claymoar@next08pg2.wam.umd.edu writes:

>How about this idea for the number of dice an Physical Adept can roll
>for his/her initiative:
>  each extra dice costs two magic points up to a max of 4 extra die.
>   # of extra die     cost
>	+1d		2
>	+2d		4
>	...etc.
>Just a suggestion.

The one I'm going to argue for next time I'm in a SRun game is for
it to go triangularly:
+1d	1
+2d	3
+3d	6
+4d	10

I was disappointed at how depowered Physical Adepts were in SRII.
I was having enough trouble getting BArry the Troll (BA English
Lit, UC Berkeley) to do anything in combat when the mage and the
sam in the party were blowing away go-gangs in seconds.  (The
sam pulls out the Vindicator on the gyromount, the mage alternates
"Urban Renewal" with "Stun Blast", and Barry pulls out his bow and
arrows.  He was going to have some hi-tech arrowheads made up to
carry minigrenades, but he hasn't found a good armorer yet...)
--
/-----------------------v-----------------------------------------\
| Max Rible             | "Not quite as impressive a volcano god  |
| rible@vorpal.ucsb.edu |  as we were led to expect!" - Sam & Max |
\-----------------------^-----------------------------------------/
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: cwatters@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Coyt D Watters)
Subject: A call for addresses
Followup-To: cwatters@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Summary: addresses for Gaming Companies wanted...
Keywords: email, mail, addresses, gaming companies
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 13:12:55 GMT

Ok, as a net.assignment, here's this week's homework:

Send me the email or regular mail address of a publisher of 
a gaming system.  I do not need addresses for the following:

Steve Jackson Games
Wizards of the Coast
Ragnarok

Since they already know about rec.games.frp.announce and make use of it.

What I am primarily interested in is the EMAIL address, if you are a user
of another info service (Compuserve, AOL, Genie, etc) and there is a 
conference hosted by, or with participation by a gaming company, get their
internet reachable address and let me know.  This way I can try to expand
the number of companies sending announcements to r.g.f.announce, thus
giving more info to you, the net.community.

-Coyt  B^)  One day to the weekend!



Xref: sparky rec.games.frp.misc:6529 rec.arts.books:17669
From: jim@rand.org (Jim Gillogly)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.arts.books
Subject: Re: more about Sherlock Holmes
Date: 5 Oct 92 23:22:33 GMT
Organization: Banzai Institute

In article <6354@npri6.npri.com> murphy@npri6.npri.com (David P. Murphy) writes:
>oh, for the sake of knowledge.  (1)  he was _not_ addicted if you restrict
>your intact to the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
>he used cocaine on one occasion because he was bored, but there is no mention
>of any "addictive" behavior and the drug is never mentioned again.

One occasion??  Here are the ones I've found.

In "The Five Orange Pips" Watson describes him (among a long catechism of
qualities) as a self-poisoner by cocaine and tobacco.  Holmes grins at
this description.

In "The Man with the Twisted Lip" we see:
	"I suppose, Watson," said he, "that you imagine that I have
        added opium-smoking to cocaine injections, and all the other
        little weaknesses on which you have favoured me with your medical
        views."

In "A Scandal in Bohemia":
        ... while Holmes, who loathed every form of society with his whole
	Bohemian soul, remained in our lodgings in Baker Street, buried
        among his old books, and alternating from week to week between
	cocaine and ambition, the drowsiness of the drug, and the fierce
        energy of his own keen nature.

In "The Sign of Four" is probably the one you're thinking of:
	"Which is it to-day," I asked, "morphine or cocaine?"
	  He raised his eyes languidly from the old black-letter volume
	which he had opened.
	  "It is cocaine," he said, "a seven-per-cent solution. Would
	you care to try it?"

The end of this story is as follows:
	"For me," said Sherlock Holmes, "there still remains the
	cocaine-bottle." And he stretched his long white hand up for it.

And in "The Yellow Face" we have:
        Save for the occasional use of cocaine, he had no vices, and he
        only turned to the drug as a protest against the monotony of
        existence when cases were scanty and the papers uninteresting.

From these references I'd say it's clear that he's a habitual user of
cocaine by injection, and that Watson believes him to use morphine on
occasion as well.  However, the only other use of morphine I've been able
to locate is in "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client", where Holmes is
injected for medicinal purposes, having just been soundly thrashed with
cudgels.

	Jim Gillogly
-- 
	Jim Gillogly
	jim@rand.org
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp,rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.advocacy
From: cmeadows@nyx.cs.du.edu (Chris Meadows)
Subject: The game conversion book--I want it
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix @ U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 15:42:09 GMT


A while back, someone mentioned a book put out by some game company
called something like Archon, Archer, or Archery (or something) that 
would let you convert between multiple systems.  I was even given a
phone number to order.  However, I accidentally lost the mail message
that had these in it.

Could someone please email me this again?  Thanks...

---Chris Meadows

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.announce
From: kcj@dptspd.sat.datapoint.com (Kevin Jones)
Subject: Horror Con in San Antonio Texas
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Originator: cwatters@top.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Keywords: Convention Horror Shadowrun Vampires
Organization: Datapoint Corporation, San Antonio, TX
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 15:54:05 GMT

Horror Con will be held in San Antonio Texas Oct 31 and Nov 1 starting at 
10:00 AM.  It will be held next door to the Comics Unlimited Store in 
Ingram Park.  Many of the expected tournaments, plus Shadowrun and a 
live-action Vampire RPG will be held.


Horror Con is sponsored by  Game Master  C.O. Comics Unlimited, 6856  
Ingram Road, San Antonio Texas, 78238  Phone (512)522-9063.  Admission 
of $5.00 at the door includes both days of gaming.  There is a separate
$5.00 fee for participation in the Vampires Live-action RPG.  Thank you.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.announce
From: s903609@minyos.xx.rmit.OZ.AU (ACE)
Subject: Another Con (Aust)
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Originator: cwatters@top.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Reply-To: sender
Organization: RMIT Computer Centre
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 04:25:07 GMT


			RMITcon Announcement.
		When  : 12th to 14th February, 1993.
		Where : Most of RMIT, in the city of Melbourne.
		What  : Many events, including ;

	 		- Battletech 
			- AD&D 1st and 2nd edition
			- Cyberpunk 
			- Cthulhu 5th edition
			- Shadowrun 2nd edition
			- Freeforms 
				( inc. one from Morganna )
			- Fluffy 
			- Rolemaster 
			- ANIME exhibition 
			- PBM demos 
			- Trader stalls 
			- Awards ceremony 
			- And many, many more . . .

		How long : 8 sessions, starting friday evening.

	So tell all your friends, and write to me for anything else you
	wish to know, or would like to say. Organisers for more events
	can also contact me. Thank-you.

			      ACE
                  s903609@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au
	        " How deep is the ocean ? " Eric
" No Silicon Heaven ? But where would all the calculators go ? " - Kryton
-- 
			       ACE
                   s903609@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au
	        " How deep is the ocean ? " - Eric
" No Silicon Heaven ? But where would all the calculators go ? " - Kryten

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.announce
From: gbartoli@guild.socal.com (Guy Bartoli)
Subject: Re: Subject: [rec.games.frp.*] BBSes of interest to roleplayers
Followup-To: sender
Originator: cwatters@top.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 20:16:29 GMT


        Would appreciate it if you added my BBS to the FRP-Oriented BBSList.

Name: The Guild [FTS]
Type: CNet 2.x (Amiga 2000)
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Admin: Guy Bartoli
ToContact: gbartoli@guild.socal.com
Ph#/Address: 310-641-6909 (5 lines) - 300/1200/2400 8N1
Access details: RPG'ers, Cyperpunks, and opinionated people welcome.
Fees: RPG games and all local discussion groups are free of charge. Access to UseNet requires a small donation to subsidize paying for my feed.
Desc: The Guild [FTS] is appoximately a year old. It was founded with the premise that it would be primarily a RPG oriented BBS, but has since evolved into carrying many different SIG's. The Guild [FTS] >does< pick up the rec.games.frp.* hierarcy and is also a member of the C-Link network (private FIDOnet, over 120 nodes world-wide), which also has forums on RPG games.
Notes: None - Give The Guild a call, and please mention that you saw it advertised on the UseNet so that I know where you are coming from.

----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------
! UNET : gbartoli@guild.socal.com ! better get it when you get hit, rolling!
! CLINK: 1:5150/20.0  -- AMIGA -- ! around on the floor, out the door, up  !
! GUILD: 310/641/6909 -- PUNK! -- ! the stairway where the chumps play ... !
----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------
fIREHOSE,RHCPs,Ministry,Live,Primus,TribeCalledQuest,ArrestedDevelopment,etc
From: jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim))
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: State of the art
Date: 3 Oct 92 00:33:34 GMT
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM

In article <mumble> z_copeab@ccsvax.sfasu.edu writes:
>In article <grumble>, jogle@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim)) writes:

>> To be fair, almost every "big" RPG these days is guilty of the "you
>> have to buy hundreds of dollars worth of stuff to know everything
>> about this game" syndrome.  With multi-genre games like TORG or GURPS
>> you really can't avoid this problem though, since each different genre
>> is going to produce a sourcebook-sized pile of information.
>
>	Not really true. For Torg, you need the Boxed Set ($25) and the six
>main cosm books ($18 each) to play the game, for a total of $133.
>	For GURPS, at the basic level, you need the Basic Set ($20) and, well,
>it just depends on the genre(s) you want to play. Assuming a 'balanced'
>collection, let's say you get Magic ($15), C-Punk ($17), Space ($17) and the
>Bestiary ($17). That's only $86 so far. Want Horror? Now you are at $103.
>
>	The problem with Torg is that you *have* to get the 6 cosm sourcebooks
>(or so WEG presents it), while with GURPS you only need to get what you want
>(and even then you don't need all the supplements! -- I got along quite well
>without Space and C-Punk using my copy of The Traveller Book and RTG
>Cyberpunk).

You only *have* to get the six cosm sourcebooks if you're going to run
the full "official" campaign (which, BTW, is actually up to ten
sourcebooks these days, but will be down to nine next spring).  If you
don't want to, only buy what you want.  If you just want to use TORG
as a system without the background of the Possibility Wars then just
buy the sourcebook(s) for the genre(s) you want.  It would also be
possible to run a TORG game without a few of the sourcebooks just
using the information out of the boxed set (the Living Land for
example).

-- 
Kansas Jim (Jim Ogle, TORG guru)                               /|
jogle@aoc.nrao.edu (NRAO-VLBA, Socorro New Mexico)           o| |-
"I'd be apathetic if I cared."                              /|\\|
From: tomscud@ruf.rice.edu (Thomas Reid Scudder)
Subject: Villains and Vigilantes
Organization: Rice University
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 00:08:42 GMT

In article <6353@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP>, seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:
|> In article <Bv5L81.M57@rice.edu> tomscud@ruf.rice.edu (Thomas Reid Scudder) writes:
|> >Do you still use the silly "attacks vs. defenses" table for combat?
|> 
|> 	That's one of the best things of the game. A different defense
|>  works differently against a given offense (i.e., that Ice Wall will be
|> real nice against a Flame Bolt, but a vibration attack will shatter it
|> easily, and it won't do jack against a psibolt.).
Here's one thing i found VERY confusing about V&V...  What happens if you have
two defenses, one of which defends well against an attack, and one of which is
worse than having no defense?  (ie Frost Giant is attacked by a flame bolt, and
uses his ice powerrs as a defense.  On the other hand, size change larger
gives flame powers a better chance of hitting... (I'm not sure if this example
is right, but I know there were some cases in which it would be.)

|> 
|> >Do you still use the xp system?  (actually not a bad thing...)
|> 
|> 	Yep. I think we modified that somewhat... yeah, to make it a bit
|> like what Marvel's Karma turned out to be with respect to gaining
|> abilities (although that was more inspired by The Arcanum and its experience
|> system; in The Arcanum, you can gain XPs and go up in level, or use the XP
|> to buy a skill.
Sounds like a good system, and I do like the way the system gives an edge to
"veteran" super-(heros/villains).  Did you find a way to make the xp awards
be more in line with the power of your opponents?
|> 
|> >The one thing i do remember about V&V is that it takes slightly less time to
|> >make a character than in Champions, but only slightly, because of the amount
|> >of calculations and referencing tables that is required.
|> 
|> 	Well, I'd expect that an experienced user of both systems would
|> find it a lot faster to make a CONCEPT character in V&V than in 
|> Champions.
|> 
Hmm... gotta disagree a bit here.  The difference isn't THAT huge, when you
consider how much time it takes to work out the hit mod and carrying capacity
for a player, and much of the increased time in Champs is due to the extra
options a player is presented with.

Okay, one more thing from V&V which needs fixing...  Did you fix the
Charisma system?  (Shortly before I switched over to Champs I came across
an article in Dragon which made Charisma make sense, with a separate Charisma
stat, and a Reputation stat which modified your Charisma up or down depending
on who you were dealing with.)
|> 
|> 					Sea Wasp
|> 
(Oh, Sea Wasp, there's no reason to refer to Champs as Chumpions.  It's the
sort of thing I'd expect from a mindless woofer on one of the rec.sport
newsgroups, and certainly not from someone with your demonstrated capacity for
reasonable arguments B-))
Tom Scudder
tomscud@hadron.merit.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy,rec.games.frp
From: jalkanen@lesti.hut.fi (Janne P R Jalkanen)
Subject: Re: shadowrun and Death.
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland
	<JALKANEN.92Sep30140242@lesti.hut.fi> <BvEB4v.CI0@acsu.buffalo.edu>
Date: 30 Sep 92 18:43:43


> (overkill rules deleted)

	   Well, two points:
	   The treat spell now only removes a number of wound boxes equal to
   the number of successes.  The spell precludes (prohibits) all other first
   aid.  For a goon with the relatively high essence of 2, the spell target is
   still an 8.  So our friend the mage roles 10 dice, he's still lucky if he rolls
   2 successes.  Bottom line: your gonna be out of action for awhile.

Even though he had Essence 6, thus resulting in a target of four, it would still
take 20 rounds to heal him up. This is already enough to put him out of action
for the rest of the fight. Most of our combat scenes do not last over 30 seconds...
Besides, I was talking about SR I rules here. I have just purchased the SR II rules
set and I must say that they have handled it there well.

	   2) While not stated in the rules, it's possible to have wounds
   staged above deadly.  6 shots of AF from an AK-97 should do 13D if I'm correct,
   and what if you roll 6 extra successes (becuase of combat pool dice, etc.)?
   So, the target takes a deadly wound, and you can decide on an arbitrary number 
   of wound boxes for every damage level above D.  Say you choose 3 boxes, and
   in the example you clear four successes above Deadly, against a target with
   a Body of 5.  You put six damage boxes into an overflow with a max capacity of
   5.   Voila: instant death.

This sounds good. I must try it out (hyarrgh, hyarrgh...) Still, the chance of
death will not increase according to the power level of the gun... It is 
as probable to die out of a Assault Rifle shot as if you were hit with an Assault
Cannon. Not good.

	   Personally, I think things are starting to get violent out there.

Good. Now it's time for my players to learn a little bit of subtlety...

						   Jim Scannell
						   Killer GM at large
--
Janne Jalkanen           !
jalkanen@vipunen.hut.fi  !        Life is about making the right moves.
-'Good Die!'             !
From: z_copeab@ccsvax.sfasu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: Super rp's
Date: 27 Sep 92 20:39:12 CST
Organization: Stephen F. Austin State University

In article <1992Sep26.174913.1197@ccsvax.sfasu.edu>, z_copeab@ccsvax.sfasu.edu writes:
> 	You are attacking a straw man -- I didn't say that all police and 
> soldiers have combat reflexes, nor was I inferring that.

	Gak, that should be 'implying', not 'inferring'. Sorry about the
grammer mistake...


Brandon Cope
Xref: sparky rec.games.frp.advocacy:2605 rec.games.frp:25210
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy,rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: shadowrun and Death.
From: bob@nutmeg.ntu.edu.au (Robert Watkins)
Date: 2 Oct 92 17:21:16 +0900
Distribution: world
Organization: Information Technology, Northern Territory University
Keywords: Shadowrun, hit points, 

In article <1992Sep30.030321.18283@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, brehob@plantain.cps.msu.edu (Mark W Brehob) writes:
> I have only played SR on and off.  I don't know if this is covered in 2nd  
> edition rules, but the game system seems to be bad when it comes to dieing
> (Yes the whole 1st edition combat had problems...)  It looks like a mage,  
> with a treat deadly can save any char. after any hit.  One could get torn  
> apart by a heavy MG and still be treatable.  Am I missing something or is  
> this a game design flaw?
> Brehob


Okay, I can't say how SRII does this as I haven't yet got it, but the rules do
cover this (if badly).
When a character gets hit for a critical wound, and someone gets round to
treating them, the ref makes a body test for the wounded character. I can't
remember how it goes exactly, but it's in Behind the Scences or After the
Shadowrun in the first edition main book.
This test has a base target number of a certain amount (I think it's the
serious or deadly first aid figure) plus how many minutes since the character got
hit. This can get pretty big.
Even so, a decent mage can get a lot of dice, particulary if it is a mage with
elementals hanging around or a lot of Karma. So I made a couple of mods you may
be interested in:
	1) Weapon staging can go over deadly. i.e If you use a heavy pistol
(4M2, or 6M2 with Firepower), and get 8 success, the damage is One-over-deadly.
The only things that can reduce it are dodge and armour. If it is still over
deadly by the time it gets round to rolling body dice, you are dead, no healing
possible. (Note: I let over-deadly wounds permenantly damage armour as well.)
	2) You could increase the time base to cast healing spells. Cure Deadly
wounds has a base time of 20 turns. That's only 1 minute. I'm really nasty and
say that it actually has a base time of 20 MINUTES (that goes for all the healing
spells). As this has to be sustained constantly until that time is up, it gives
you more time to hassle them.

Also, if you use the rule mods for Autofire out of Rigger's Black Book, using
autofire bumps up the Damage category by one for every 3 bullets in a burst, and
the Power by one per bullet. That means that a HMG, on full autofire, does a lot
of damage base, and has a target number about 15, with a lot of success required
to bring it down. Miniguns do more.
As for recoil (a HMG at full autofire puts out a lot), I say if it's mounted on a
tripod or something that the recoil is halved. And that's before the compensators
I've gone and put in the gun.

Of course, this may all be outdated by now, thanks to SRII.

Robert