HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bret@technix.mn.org (Bret Indrelee)
Subject: Re: Magic Systems
Organization: Private System - Saint Paul, MN
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1992 02:03:50 GMT

One of the more unusual magical systems I saw was in the series "A man of his
word" by Dave Duncan.

I realize this is not a complete rules system, but I think it gave enough
of the flavor where it would not be impossible to develope the rules.

1.  Every character has a 'talent' for a profession.
2.  Magical 'words' are forces in and of themselves, granting power
    based on how few other people know the word.
3.  The more words the more power
    a.  One word gives mastery of the players talent
    b.  Two words makes the person an adept, capable of learning anything
        in record time.  They also become more physically powerfull.
    c.  Three words gives knowledge and power to work minor magic.  They
        have a 'feel' for how to work magic of a non-permanent nature, but
        can not make anything that lasts.  Study and new/better visualization
        would aid their ability to work magic.
    d.  Four words makes them capable of working permanent magic.
4.  People don't like giving away power, a person can only really compete
    directly with someone else of the same power-level (same number of
    words).
5.  NOTHING can force a person to reveal their word.
6.  The words, being magical, can not be accidently discovered (too complex)
    nor ever forgotten.
7.  Magic takes concentration.  Until you get four words, it is not
    possible to have a spell last any longer than you concentrate on it.


Basically, the characters start out with zero or one word.  They would
not want to share words, because then the other person would have the
upper hand for a short while.  Takes a LOT of trust to give another
person your word, and expect them to share their word with you.


I think this could be made into a reasonable gaming system, but the limit
on magic would have to be ROLE-PLAYED.  Probably would be smart to start
the players with zero words.

-Bret

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bret Indrelee               |         Insanity is all in the mind.
email: bret@technix.mn.org  |   
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: jmkaraka@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN MARTIN KARAKASH)
Subject: Re: GURPS Vampire?????????
Originator: jmkaraka@c00015-118dan.eos.ncsu.edu
Keywords: NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply-To: jmkaraka@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN MARTIN KARAKASH)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 01:08:54 GMT


|>	GURPS VAMPIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  White Wolf--how could you
|>do such a horrible thing!!!!!!!!  The Storyteller system is by nature a system
|>without an emphasis on mechanics--a godsend to players like me who enjoy the
|>ROLE playing much more than the ROLL playing.  GURPS Vampire is a mutation of al (sorry about that) the Storyteller system stands for.  Vampire for rollazoids--say it ani
|>
|>
|>	GURPS Vampire?????????????????????????  White Wolf--how could you do 
|>such a horrible thing??????????  The Storyteller system is by nature a system
|>without an emphasis on mechanics and dice rolling--a godsend to players like
|>me who enjoy the ROLE playing much more than the ROLL playing.  Vampire for
|>rollazoids--say it aint so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  GURPS Vampire is a mutation of all
|>the Storyteller system stands for.
|>
|>Christine
|>             If you haven't played Vampire the Masquerade, all you've
|>             been doing is rolling the dice.
|>                      --Me
|>	*************************************************************
|>	** GURPS VAMPIRE MUST DIE DIE DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  **
|>     	*************************************************************
|>
|>
	Christine...... take a pill.

Some people don't like Vampire and do like GURPS (I have both :).  GURPS was
designed to allow ANY genre to be included.  If they license a new product
to a section of the market that they can't reach otherwise, more power to
them!

You can role-play in any system (or no system at all! :)  So calm down and
think about all those people who'll be able to play in the gothic-punk world
and still use a game system they enjoy.

	-john-
From: tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Tim Dunn)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Hero System on 75 point a day
Date: 10 Nov 92 17:46:53 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: hairball.ecst.csuchico.edu

Louis Reash writes:
>The only rules I have is the main rule book a few random books from 
>different Hero games (Marvel,Palliduim,V&V,Champ.,etc...), 6-7 years
>of experence gaming in Marvel and alot of imagination.

The main book will suffice, especially if you are doing superheroes.
The other superhero RPGs are of questionable worth as directly
pertaining to a Hero campaign, though they have their proponents in
their own right.

>The Basis of the campaign will be Mercenaries/Bounty Hunters vs
>Superheroes of all shapes and sizes and some random normal people
>to make the PCs paranoid (luckly none of the players have access to
>the net)

I know this sounds like a silly question, but which sides will the
PCs be on?  Also, will there be uber-heroes around, at 200 or 250+
pt level?  (In other words, are the PCs 'starting out' characters
that eventually will grow into the higher point molds?)

For 150 total, that for me is my higher end for talented normals
(Indy Jones, James Bond, etc) and the middle of what I call my
'powered' normals games -- Scanners, cyber-stuff, etc.  These are
where the characters are *far* above norm, but still grounded in
reality (no market shortage of spandex, in other words).

I would hope you send them up against ordinary street folks: a
mugger/rapist/slasher that is on their turf, an abusive pimp,
a rival gang selling drugs laced with unpleasant agents, etc.
Unless the players are very compentent at (mis)using the rules,
they are not ready to duplicate the feats shown in standard 4-
color comics.

It's the existence of the 'caped clowns' that worry me.  If 
their presence is felt by the PCs, but in a distant sense,
that may be acceptable.  "Psi Wolf?  Yeah, he's a super alright.
Where was he when I had to take that old man to to hospital?
The guy bled all over my dash!"  If the PCs interact with the
super-NPCs on a regular basis, they may feel like sidekicks:

"Very good, team!  Can you run these villians to jail?  I have
to answer a Code-one distress call.  No, you can't come along.
It's too dangerous."  <intoned in a stereotypical "I'll save
you" voice -- deep, operatic, and very, very forced.>

>Thanks in advance for helping a new member of the Champians fan-club

No a problem.

-- 
You can't carve your way to success without cutting remarks.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: colin@Cayman.COM (Colin "Atilla" Steele)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Names of non-players / monsters / towns
Date: 6 Nov 92 18:57:37 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Cayman Systems Inc., Cambridge, MA
In-reply-to: amitp@owlnet.rice.edu's message of 5 Nov 92 22:46:57 GMT


I have a copy of a naming utility.  I'll be glad to send it along, if
anyone's interested.
--


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Colin Steele     | Cayman Systems, 26 Landsdowne St., Cambridge, MA 02139
 colin@cayman.com | (617) 494-1916 x209 | applelink D0523 | Fax (617) 494-9270
 
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Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: bcash@crchh410.BNR.CA (Brian Cash)
Subject: Re: Role Master Physics question
Reply-To: bcash@crchh410.BNR.CA (Brian Cash)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 02:01:24 GMT


>From: u894793@bruny.cc.utas.edu.au (Timothy D Little)
>What about 'conservation of energy', where T=1/2 mv^2 is constant?
>Combining this with 'conservation of momentum', p=mv is constant;
>and you get the result that neither 'm' nor 'v' can change at all!

I am guessing that the spell provides/removes energy to the system, thus
negating the requirements for conservation of energy (closed system). 

>Nevertheless, this *does not* contradict the spell description (as given)
>since it said that weight, not mass, is increased.

Ah!  I was under the impression (from previous posts) that the
spell increased the MASS of the object.  That changes everything.
Conservation aside, that would mean that EITHER the acceleration
and/or the mass increases.

If the acceleration increases, then the object falls short for 
the reasons stated previously.  ALSO the object (having the same
mass) does not do more (well, not much more) damage to the 
target if it strikes it (unless it falls on it).  That is 
because the object has the same m and v as when it started!
(1/2 mv^2 and mv  remain the same)

>In this case, Axly is right, since the acceleration downward will increase.
>Kinetic energy and momentum will be conserved, and even the Principle of
>Equivalence can be preserved by an appropriately sculpted gravitational 
>field (including only the affected object).  (The energy to create the
>field must be presumed to come from the magic)
>
>If this route is taken, the affected object will fall short, and do pretty 
>nasty damage upon impact (in fact, even worse than other 300lb objects from 
>the same height, due to more concentrated force, and higher impact velocity).

ONLY if it falls on them.  A horizontal strike will do only a bit more
damage (the vector is not completely horiz. due to gravity, the
downward componant will increase while the horiz. component will
stay the same. The increase depends on the ratio of v(horiz) to v(vert))

If mass increases, then my arguement (v decreases, g is constant)
is valid.  It doesn't hurt more when it hits (mv const., 1/2mv^2 is
now SMALLER).  This, of course, depends on the mechanics of the 
spell.

Again, I emphasize the importance of game balance over physics.
(it's your universe...it works however you want it to!)

Brian /-|-\









Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: deadlock@apache.dtcc.edu (Mike Masten)
Subject: Re: 2300AD Anyone play this game
Organization: Delaware Technical & Community College
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 22:33:39 GMT


Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Thanatos)
Subject: Re: Vampire/Werewolf... What next?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 03:30:27 GMT

In article <1992Nov9.021335.1858@news.duc.auburn.edu> fshaver@eng.auburn.edu writes:
>>I think Psychics would be a good idea for a future game or supplement
>>in the Storyteller line. I think rpg's lack a good game based on
>>Psychocs and mental powers.
>I agree.  I mean, how much more could they convolute the storytelling games? ;>
>Seriously though, perhaps psychic powers could be included in the _Magus_
>suppliment?  I don't think I'd want to fork out the $$$ for a separate
>suppliment (like I did for the _Mummies_ handbook, especially since it looked
>better than the _Vampire_ book).

I, for one, do not.  If you want a great game based on psi powers, get 
Psi World.  SURE, it's out of print, but that never stopped the majority of
you, right?
	As it is, the Storyteller system will be getting quite convoluted
indeed in expressing the Gothic Punk Universe.  Each game is an expression 
of one aspect of the world.  The first (V:TM) is about control.  The second
(W:TA) is about salvation.  Magus promises to be a HELLUVA game, trying to 
incorporate the modern Order of Hermes, with Shamans, Wiccans, crystal sniffers,
and anyone else who wields the mighty mana field around earth.  Psychics, I 
think, is one more unnecessary snarl.  _Make_ it a supplement.  You'd almost 
have to, since the Mage game will be very compact already.  
	The way the spllements work is that they're branches off the given 
theme of each game.  Those surrounded by ?? are things White Wolf has inferred.

Vampire:  The Masquerade
	Mummy
	Sabbat
Werewolf:  The Apocalypse
	Other were-creatures
	Minions of the Wyrm
Mage:  the Untitled
	?? Mad Scientists ??
	?? Psychics ??
Faerie (Covering pixies to elves, and everything in between)
	?? The Unseelie Court ?? 
Ghost (covering spectres to natural spirits to elementals)
	?? Demons ?? 

Psychics would nicely fit in with the game about "normal" humans with 
exceptional powers, but, (an I know you all have financial problems) does
NOT belong with Mage.  All the ststems within V:TM are all interrelated.
The Mummy magic system is TOTALLY different.  So too will be the difference
between Psychic powers and the Mage magic system.  
	BTW, mundane psychic powers are detailed in the Hunters Hunted, if
anyone's interested...  



-- 
I don't mind being the smartest	    / Thanatos, DeathUrge, Master of Unknown
man in the world...I just wish it   \ Time and Space tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu 
wasn't this one...	       	    / It's a Zen thing... 
	-Ozymandias 		    \	 you wouldn't understand...
From: nexus@ylum.cgd.ucar.edu (Jeff Berry)
Subject: Re: Claymores
Organization: Climate and Global Dynamics Division/NCAR, Boulder, CO
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 22:03:47 GMT

In article <1992Nov11.150454.8632@iscsvax.uni.edu> gobeski8618@iscsvax.uni.edu (Steve 'Gobes' Gobeski) writes:
>Agreed claymores are a footman's weapon, *but* zwiehanders (sp?) and other 7+
>footers *are* cavalry weapons.  You just have to make sure that you either hit
>or drop the sword if you miss, else be pulled out of the saddle.  (Hitting the
>target neatly takes care of all the balance and leverage problems, gruesome
>design, eh?).


Document, document, document!

have you any references for this assertation?  It seemd ridiculous, nay suidical
to use a zweihander in such a method. 




badger                                      Don Alexandre Lerot d'Avigne
Jeff Berry                                  Seneschal of Caer Galen, Outlands
               nexus@ncar.ucar.edu
NCAR doesn't tell me what to think, and I return the favor.
"You're a notch and I'm a legend"-------Alice Cooper
"I'm a revolution romancer"----Hawkwind
From: tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Tim Dunn)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SJ Games Licenses White Wolf's Vampire
Date: 12 Nov 92 00:30:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: charnel.1ds8i8INN1rc
Distribution: world
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: hairball.ecst.csuchico.edu

Shannon D. Appel writes:
>Loyd Blankenship writes:
>>	SJ Games and White Wolf License "GURPS Vampire"
>If this is actually true, I think I'm going to cry.

I dunno.  The only skepticism I have is if April came early for
Loyd, or if his machine has been compromised.  Barring these
two possibilities, Loyd's about as official as things get for
this group.


-- 
Paul Revere was a tattle-tale
From: steph@pegasus.cs.uiuc.edu (Dale Stephenson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: GURPS: Armor (Basic vs. Advanced)
Date: 5 Nov 92 21:42:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: pegasus.steph.720999750
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL

In <betel.720940106@camelot> betel@camelot.bradley.edu (Robert Crawford) writes:

>CX6L@MUSICA.MCGILL.CA (CX6L) writes:

>>As for armour, it will slow you and obstruct vision
>>enough that a dodging, weaving, ducking martial-artist
>>in light clothing can easily stay out of reach until
>>you screw up or he trips you. Once you're down, a

>	While armor is heavy, it isn't _that_ heavy. I've seen at
>least one person who can run faster in reverse _in_armor_ than most
>people can forward.

These are SCA people?  One of my favorite medieval stories is the knight who
fell of his horse in a battle, and couldn't move.  He just laid on his back
in plate armor until a group of enemy soldiers found him.  After unsuccessfully
trying to stick knifes through joints his armor, they finally got an ax and
chopped him as he lay there.

Granted, this was after the development of gunpowder.  But if someone runs
very quickly backwards in full plate, he'd better have supernatural strength.
-- 
Dale J. Stephenson |*| (steph@cs.uiuc.edu) |*| Baseball fanatic

  "It is considered good to look wise, especially when not 
   overburdened with information" -- J. Golden Kimball
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri)
Subject: Re: SR2ed, some questions about tech
X-Posting-Software: GNUS 3.14.1 [ NNTP-based News Reader for GNU Emacs ]
Reply-To: ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu
X-Signature-Virus-Protection: Version 1.51
X-Get-A-Clue: Have two, they're small.
Organization: 3WA, Boston Office. Or Nu Meta Chi. Take your pick.
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 01:37:03 GMT

>>>>> In article <10NOV199223435346@venus.tamu.edu>,
>>>>> tap2368@venus.tamu.edu (Saufferin) writes:

S> 1) anyone come up with a way to integrate the wonderful weapons of
S> today?  eg. Calico M-950A, HK-910

Most of the weapons in the Street Samurai Catalog (recently updated
and reprinted for SR2) are updates to current weapons. Like the
Beretta 200ST based on the Beretta 93R, the H&K line of weapons, and
the AUG-CSL. Anything else can be similarly "updated".

S> 2) If not what about the cylindrical magazines made by Calico,
S> capable of holding 150+ rounds?

This one's easy. ][ncrease capacity to large amounts, increase mass
appropriately, and make the weapon harder to conceal.

S> 3) called shots: if you have a smart link, which uses cross hairs,
S> shouldn't you get a reduction in the penalty? It's the same as
S> using a laser sight, only more accurate.

That's already been figured into the whole system. Any additional
bonus/T# reduction would be, well, unbalancing.

S> 4) has anyone come up with any system for various forms of martial
S> arts?

Brawling with concentrations and specializations, as long as both the
GM and the player know *exactly* what the concentration and
specialization do. The vastness of "martial arts" is just that: vast.
Whole game-books have been dedicated to the subject, many of which
fail miserably.

S> 5) would it be possible to run a taser(or other supershock weapon)
S> into a cyber spur? (stun the opponent in addition to dmg)

][ don't see why not.

S> 6) any oppinions about Dikoting a cyber spur or set of hand razors?

Heh :-).

--Rat
||||| | | | |  |  |  |   |   |    |    |    |   |   |  |  |  |  | | | | | |||||
Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat          ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu
And now we meet again, for the first time, for the last time.     --Dark Helmet
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: mathers@sibelius.trl.oz.au (Steven Mathers)
Subject: Re: Carrying weapons around (was Re: META:  Swords, etc)
Reply-To: s.mathers@trl.oz.au
Organization: Telecom Research Labs, Melbourne, Australia
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 21:50:08 GMT

|> 	Well, guess you'd be suspicious of an awful lot of the gamers I
|> have gamed with over the years. Several of them carry loaded large-caliber
|> handguns with them at all times. They aren't psychotics out to kill
|> someone, but they feel that there are enough "bad people" out there so that
|> it is worthwhile to carry a good piece of self defense around with them.

Ah, America...
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: betel@camelot.bradley.edu (Robert Crawford)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: GURPS: Armor (Basic vs. Advanced)
Date: 5 Nov 92 05:08:26 GMT
Article-I.D.: camelot.betel.720940106
Organization: Bradley University

CX6L@MUSICA.MCGILL.CA (CX6L) writes:
>access to certain dirty tricks. If you allow full-blown
>martial-arts in a non martial-arts campaign, then a putzy
>European mercenary who only knows how to chop with his
>sword *is* going to be disadvantaged when faced by a
>skilled unarmed fighter with a well-balanced style
>of striking, blocking and grappling! That is, sadly,
>real life.

	But that "putzy European mercenary" is going to be as skilldd
with his fighting style as the open-handed fighter. He's going to be
equipped with a "well-balanced style of striking, blocking and
grappling" It's just that he's also going to be using a nice lever
with a sharp edge to increase the effect of his strikes and blocks.

>As for armour, it will slow you and obstruct vision
>enough that a dodging, weaving, ducking martial-artist
>in light clothing can easily stay out of reach until
>you screw up or he trips you. Once you're down, a

	While armor is heavy, it isn't _that_ heavy. I've seen at
least one person who can run faster in reverse _in_armor_ than most
people can forward.

>     On the ground, or in close, a weapon user is in
>the territory of the unarmed fighter, and that weapon is
>not going to help much. Nor is a shield: why do you think
>there are PD penalties to DX for shields in close combat?
>Why do you think shields cannot block, and one hex and
>longer weapons cannot parry, in close-combat? Answer: in
>real-life, *they can't*!

	Well, since close combat is defined as both combatants inside
the same 1-yard hex, I'll say unequivocably that GURPS got this one
wrong. I've seen fighters standing toes-to-knees, or even
knees-to-knees parry and block with great effect.

--
"Let's face it, sticky fingers, waffles are nothing more than a
vehicle for butter and syrup."
        --- Dr. Forrester

Robert Crawford 			betel@camelot.bradley.edu
From: tdunn@ecst.csuchico.edu (Tim Dunn)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: APPLESEED
Date: 8 Nov 1992 04:48:56 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: hairball.ecst.csuchico.edu

John Martin Karakash writes:
>If SJ would finish up the vehicles rules and the mecha rules I'd say GURPS, 
>but since they haven't....

Then we use Hero, right?  I see no problems writing up anything in Apple-
seed in Hero, save some of the larger pieces of tech, like the gun plats
and that level.  Just rule that KA's do double damage after armor, and
you've got a relatively lethal game.

-- 
"The way to make a small fortune in the commodities market is to start
with a large fortune."
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: bkoike@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Bryce Koike)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: APPLESEED
Date: 10 Nov 92 17:41:54 GMT
Organization: University of California, San Diego

In article <1992Nov9.210812.2605@ncsu.edu> jmkaraka@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN MARTIN KARAKASH) writes:
>	As I said, I realize that GURPS doesn't have mecha rules... yet.

	That's wrong, actually.  There ARE GURPS rules for mecha
(John Nowak's?  Memory's bad), but they're unpublished, unofficial,
and though I haven't seen them, from what I've heard, they do need
help...
	(Just correcting my own statement, actually...)

>The vehicle rules are very close to being printed and the mecha rules
>will be, basically, just Vehicles with the few special rules you need
>to simulate that good 'ol anime action.
>	(This is a very hot topic on Illuminati BBS.  The one run by SJG)
>
>	-john-

	Is it, now?
	Hmn.  Two weeks ago (Yah, I'm there.  I drop in on occasion.
I don't have a whole lot to say that I haven't said to someone else
somewhere, so I'm more of a silent observer than anything else)
vehicles seemed fairly dead and mecha wasn't moving very much
either.
	Hope Vehicles is almost done...I HAVE been waiting for it!
(Actually, I've been looking forward to High Tech as well now that I
mention it.  Don't know if I'll buy it, but I do want to flip
through it!)
	Hmn...I hope that somewhere the "cinematic" anime rules
stress that cinematic doesn't always mean silly ("Wham!  Bam!  Take
that Mechagod Two!"), although it almost always means somewhat
unrealistic!  I've run very serious cinematic games in the past, and
sometimes I get a little sad when I read the GURPS cinematic
rules..."Hah!  It's only a flesh wound!  Bring 'em on!"
	(as if only cinematic games are silly....grin!)