HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: burdickd@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Dakin Burdick)
Subject: Old TSR stuff
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 14:41:29 GMT

I have two old items from TSR for sale by auction.  I will accept 
bids for the next couple of weeks.

Dragon #13 (Vol. II, No. 7, April 1978)
	Some binding wear and fading on the edges, but no rips.  
	Pages inside are in excellent shape, clean and white.
	It includes "How Heavy is my Giant," Cyborgs in Met. Alpha,
	Fineous Fingers, Wormy, Japanese Mythos, and a story by
	Gardner Fox, among other things.

Empire of the Petal Throne Rulebook
	First printing (1975) in excellent shape.  It was probably
	never used, but it is the rulebook ONLY.  It does not include
	the world maps or box (otherwise I'd keep it!).

It is assumed the bidder will pay postage and handling, so don't
include that in the bid.

Dakin
Bloomington, Indiana

burdickd@silver.ucs.indiana.edu

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Subject: Re: Swashbuckling
Reply-To: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 03:34:53 GMT

ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu writes:
>>irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Brent Irvine) writes:
>> Does anyone know of RPG games set in the 1492-1715 era?
>
>BI> I am starting to adapt Ars Magica to that era, but want to first
>BI> see how others are doing it...
>
>There's "GURPS Swashbucklers" <shudder!>

	Well, I am hardly a GURPS advocate, but if you are just looking 
for source material, I think "GURPS Swashbucklers' is certainly a well done 
supplement, and alot easier to find than other RPG's of that era - there are 
several, but they are tough to find, IME. 

>
>Almost any "heroic/cinematic" style of game could be easilly adapted
>for swashbuckling. HERO 4th edition, Star Wars, Shadowrun (with a
>*lot* of streamlining), TORG, and the Interlock games (CP2020/Mekton
>II) have lots of swashbuckling potential.
>
>I'd recommend staying away from the "realistic" games such as GURPS,
>Corps, Timelords/Warp World, and Phoenix Command (:-).

	Actually, if you are already very familiar with GURPS, then I don't 
think it is a bad choice for swashbuckling- and certainly easier to stream-
line than Shadowrun. Hero 4th edition is easily adapted, and is *MUCH* 
simpler than its reputation if you don't have to deal with superpowers. 
Ars Magica, OTOH, has a fairly 'quick-and-dirty' combat system by comparison, 
with less of the options and detail of the above games. 
	I have heard many good things about "Lace and Steel" by Australian 
Games something-or-other, but have been unable to find a copy. There is also 
"Flashing Blades" by FGU, which I also have not seen. 

	OTOH, there is alot more to the period of 1492-1715 than just 
swashbuckling. Perhaps you could be a little more specific in what you 
are looking for. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Kim                    | "ALERT: /Earth is 75% full - please delete 
jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu | all extraneous people."
Columbia University         | 
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: uplink@cwis.unomaha.edu (uplink 2099)
Subject: Shadowrun Mages too powerful?
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 09:56:51 GMT

	All I know about this topic is what is happening and has
happened in the game which I play in...

	When we were still using SRI rules, the greatest spells had
to be Increased Reaction +4, Increased Willpower +4, Shapechange,
and Control Thoughts.  Every mage in our game had them.  We had the
following characters: 1 ninja Phys Adept, 2 Samurai (one of whom was
me), 1 Troll Phys Adept, two Mages, a Coyote Shaman, and a Tiger
Shaman.  They all had these spells and were basically unbeatable.
Plus, they cast the Increase spells on the Phys Adepts and there went
the basic advantages the Samurai had.  When we complained to the GM,
his only response was, "Hey.  You can use SHADOWTECH to increase your
stuff.  You can get BETAWARE.  You're a lot more powerful than the
mages!"  Yeah, right.  With the spellcasters and Adepts gaining
Initiate levels like crazy, and all us poor Samurai could do was save
our nuyen a few ten thousand at a time.  The GM wasn't giving us
the nuyen we needed to compete with the mages!  And when I decided to
change characters, I was told not to.  I did anyway.  My Rigger was
a hell of a lot more powerful than those mages, though; when I tore
through a Lone Star Heavy Response Team with my Wandjina RPV, they
were suitably impressed.

	In the new game, using the SRII rules, we have one Samurai
(same player as before... tends to play a character with guns
mounted in his cyberarms all the time... he does this in my Cyberpunk
campaign too), a human Owl Shaman, a dwarven Shaman of some Totem 
(I don't know which), a hermetic Mage, and three Phys Adepts.  Guess
which spells the Mages have?  If you guessed Increased Reaction +3,
Increased Willpower +4, and Control Thoughts, you're right.  
There is no way my character, or any other of the non-spellcasting
characters, can compete.

	That's my situation.  And the GM's rote response to accusations
that Mages are unfair is, "You've got Shadowtech.  You can get
Betaware.  You're far more powerful than mages are!"  Right, asshole;
if you gave us enough nuyen for this stuff, we would be.


--
sig deleted
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: mavra@cpac.washington.edu (Peter D. Adkison)
Subject: Re: Palladium/Wizards of the Coast Lawsuit
Organization: Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
	<1992Dec17.204454.17079@unislc.uucp>
	<MAVRA.92Dec17173444@bailey.cpac.washington.edu>
	<1992Dec18.125720.28118@hellgate.utah.edu>
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 18:06:27 GMT

In article <1992Dec18.125720.28118@hellgate.utah.edu> hnguyen%peruvian.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Hung Nguyen) writes:

>   Sometime this is better depending on what they want.  If they want you to
>   pay some fee for using their Trademark and if it not expensive, then that
>   a lot cheaper and easier than to fight them in court.

Cheaper maybe for one system, but our entire marketing strategy for
capsystems relies on being able to print integration notes on how to
use the capsystem with a variety of game systems.  If we had to pay
licensing fees for one company, we'd soon have to pay for *all* of
them, and there's no way we could afford to print the book in that
case.

>   >That may be their intent.  It's possible that we'll be counter-sueing
>   >for unfair competition and anti-trust, claiming that they are misusing
>   >the legal system to unfairly drive out competition.

>   I don't think you can do that, since the judge did allow the lawsuit.  
>   I believe you stated that you already had a hearing and the judge allow
>   4 out of the 6 lawsuit.  If this is the case, you can't counter sue
>   for mis-using of the legal system.  If the judge threw out all the
>   lawsuit, then maybe but he didn't.

According to our attorney, we can counterclaim.

				--Mavra!
				  Peter D. Adkison
				  Janitor, Wizards of the Coast
				  mavra@wizards.com

The above internet address should be used for e-mail if it is
different from the e-mail address in the header.
From: wbarr@bma.jeslacs.wimsey.bc.ca (William Barr)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Stats Formula Sought
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 92 21:49:30 PST
Organization: Barr, McCormick & Assoc.

Hello,

I'm looking for a general probability formula for the following case.

If I have 13, six-sided dice, what are the odds (in terms of percent)
of being able to come up with 5 ones?

Is there a general formula that can be used to predict the odds of
Y identical faces occuring given X dice (where X is always greater
than Y)?  If there is, would someone please post it?

Many thanks!  :)


--
William Barr    Internet:  wbarr@bma.jeslacs.wimsey.bc.ca
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: wallacew@ucsu.Colorado.EDU (Dave Tolmie)
Subject: Re: GURPS 1/8 and 1/4 Points, & high defaults
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 08:25:38 GMT

kerr@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Shane Kerr) writes:

>Just a quick GURPS question:
>	For characters with Eidetic Memory, should 1/8 and 1/4 points
>be allowed for use on skills?  

No.  It says in a sidebar somewhere that if any less time than a 1/2 points
worth is spent on a skill, it just doesn't 'stick'.

>Hm.  One more quick question:
>	Can skills be bought up from high stats just like defaults off
>of other skills.  The case in point, can Sir Dudley Doowright, ST 16, 
>IQ 9, spend 2 points on his Leadership skill (MA, defaults to ST-5) to
>get it at level 12, or is he going to have to get it at level 9, based
>off of his IQ?

This, I think, is a GM call, but I wouldn't allow someone to buy up from a 
default attribute in my campaigns.  I can't off-hand think of a good reason,
but it doesn't 'feel' right to me.


Dave


>-- 
>kerr();  /* no comment */
-- 
David Tolmie				
dtolmie@nyx.cs.du.edu
wallacew@ucsu.colorado.edu

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: gestes@regan.next.nd.edu (gregory estes)
Subject: Re: Star trek game
Organization: University of Notre Dame
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 00:29:49 GMT

In article <1992Dec16.111755.19979@schbbs.mot.com>  
TUK865@maccvm.corp.mot.com (Stephen Gill) writes:
> samik@maths.tcd.ie (Samik Sen) writes:
> 
> > Just a short question.What is star fleet battles like?(or whatever it  
is
> >called).
> 
> >Samik.
> 
> I played SFB when it was still new and LOVED it, sort of CAR WARS in
> space. Nice simple rules so you could spend more time on the game than
> the rulebook. Then the expansion kits came out and there were errata for
> every rule, so OK we collated them, but what did we end up with? Nothing
> but a modern naval game where mines, missiles(drones) and planes(fighter
> shuttles) were more useful than the nice cruisers that most of us
> played the game for in the first place. And you could guarantee that  
your
> opponent knew it.
> 
> I never did buy the nice new Commander's Rulebooks, so I can't say what
> the game is like now, but the evolution of the ships and weapons felt
> all wrong. That said a number of the people I gamed with at the time  
felt
> it was the ultimate boardgame and would play at any time.
> 
> I would say that if you like complex boardgames as well as STAR TREK,
> though you mustn't be a serious trekker (or trekkie, which is it now?)
> as the universe is very different, you'd probably enjoy the game.
> 
	You think that Star Fleet Battles gets bad? Take a gander at  
Federation and Empire. Now, instead of ship to ship battles, you have to  
wage all out war on various fronts. I'd love to play the game, but it's  
hell to get accustomed to with limited time.

				Greg "No Sig" Estes
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: minerva.cis.yale.edu (Sam Kim)
Subject: Re: Ars Magica: A few questions
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Organization: Public Macs, Academic Computing, Yale University
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 18:45:24 GMT

In article <5096@equinox.unr.edu>, hodges@unssun.nevada.edu (Marcus Hodges)
wrote:

> I have gone through the rule book about 1 1/2 times, but still have a 
> few unanswered questions.
> 
> 1.  When a non-Magi uses a magical power (gaze attack, poisonous stinger,
>     etc.) is a stress die rolled for penetration vs. magic resistance?

     That is correct.
 
> 2.  If a person rolls a 0 on a stress die, is that an automatic failure,
>     or is their still a chance of success (for example, they have a +10
>     to their attack roll, and the defender only has an 8 defense total)?

     In this instance, the attack is an automatic failure, although you
have to roll for a Botch. The idea is that a zero is an automatic failure
no matter what your bonuses. Otherwise, with extremely high level abilities
and very favorable conditions, EVERY failure would be a botch. (and you
don't want that!) It would also probably be fairly unrealistic.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: an2813@anon.penet.fi
Subject: Mythus Character Generation v1.00
X-Anonymously-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Organization: Anonymous contact service
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 02:30:19 GMT


 I've uploaded a copy of my character generation program for Mythus to 

      wuarchive.wustl.edu

 in the directory

      pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS

 as the file

      mythus.arj

 
 It runs under Windows 3.1

 Features: -Implements most of the Advanced Character Generation rules
           -Lets you add your own Vocations and K/S Areas to the programs
            database
           -Modify any existing Vocation or K/S Area
           -Allows modifications to be made to several of the tables used
	    by the Advanced Character Generation rules.

 Regards,

 DGL
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To find out more about the anon service, send mail to help@anon.penet.fi.
Please note you _don't_ have to have an anon id to receive anonymous mail!
To see how your anonymized message would appear, mail it to test@anon.penet.fi
From: Jason_Mulligan@camelot.apana.org.au (Jason Mulligan)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: RMCVI
Distribution: world
Date: 17 Dec 92 22:47:17 EST
Organization: The TOWER BBS

Has anyone got Rolemaster Companion 6? What do you think of it. Are they
going too far with all these companions.

How many out there play RM?

-Jason

-- Via DLG Pro v0.992

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Brent Irvine)
Subject: T$R and Science Fiction RPGs
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 18:27:10 GMT

T$R has really flopped in the Science Fiction genre, I think
it was a too-bland, too little, too late that got them.
Gamma World in its first incarnation was my favorite game
for awhile. Metamorphasis Alpha I never really liked
(setting too limited).

Since then, though, *I* could have told T$R that their
game attempts would not work: Buck Rodgers?  Most of
their target audience wouyld not even know who the heck
he was, and a few older kids would remember the TV series
and be disappointed.  Star Frontiers was launched during the
peak of Traveller, which was a much more hard core than SF,
so T$R failed again.  

Fails like these usually drive smaller companies out of
buisiness (Like FGU, but T$R is the GM of Games.  It has
a VERY solid base of loyal AD&D players, mostly because 
it is the most known game to the public [even though there
are better fantasy games out there].


Oh, I wonder how T$R will attempt to go into cyberpunk. 
*shudder*

-- 
+-------------------------+-----------------+---------------------------------+
| Brent L. Irvine         | NE PER INGENIUM | The above personal opinions     |
| irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu | MEUM SED DEI    | can be yours too for only $50!  |
+-------------------------+-----------------+---------------------------------+
From: rgt@bifur.unh.edu (Richard G Tomasso)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Palladium/Wizards of the Coast Lawsuit
Date: 18 Dec 1992 01:36:22 GMT
Organization: University of New Hampshire  -  Durham, NH
NNTP-Posting-Host: bifur.unh.edu

I'm glad to see that this case has generated some responses, mostly sympathetic
and/or helpful.

Someone said (sorry, lost the post) Wotc should have used 'more generic' terms
for things. Well, the only specific terms we used were in the conversion notes.
Everything else about The Primal Order is (as far as I can recall) original.
The main terms used, like Primal, aren't used by Palladium or anyone else. From
what I remember the only place any games or game companies are mentioned are
in the conversion notes, the list of addresses of the companies so you can
write to them (Hey, Peter, wouldn't this sort of prove WotC isn't doing this
to hurt game companies, since you provide a reference to all the games so 
people who buy the book can check out a system they think looks neat?), the
blurb on the back that says "can be used with/provides notes for use with"
with the list of systems we made notes for, and maybe some legal fine print
that says the companies own their trademarks/copyrights/etc to their games.
Basically if we took out the Palladium system notes, I don't see how they
could have a case. (I suppose they could sue WotC for NOT putting their system
in...)

If this sounds like I work for WotC, I don't. I was just one of the sytem
experts and I happen to think Palladium has no case and WotC is a nice company
and TPO is a cool product.

As always, just my opinion.

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: flindholm@mta.ca
Subject: Re: SRII ?'s "Walking" fire, Ultrasound
Reply-To: flindholm@mta.ca
Organization: Mount Allison U, Sackville, N.B. Canada 
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 16:22:54 GMT

In article <1992Dec16.160812.89592@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu>, mak9@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (MICHAEL A. KAUFFMAN) writes:

>2) Why does the Ultrasound sight only half visibility modifiers due to dim
>light, darkness, and invisibility, as stated in the Sourcebook Updates section
>of SRII?  Ultrasound uses acoustic waves to target objects.  Modifiers based
>on the electromagnetic spectrum (or lack thereof), of which visible light is
>a component, should have no effect on Ultrasound.

>Guak

  I think this is because of two reasons. The first is that the Ultrasound
sight is not very precise and consequently  your vision is a bit blurry.
The seconed is much the same. At extended ranges the sound waves that are
bouncing off objects tend to get lost due to the distance and various things
that get in the way

       Cyrus
From: maxxon@swob.nullnet.fi (Mikko Kurki-Suonio)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: GURPS 1/8 and 1/4 Points, & high defaults
Date: 16 Dec 92 15:56:28 GMT
Organization: Sweet Oblivion

dripton@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (David Ripton) writes:

> Does anybody out there have a solution to the abuse of running skill, 
> other than banning it or charging an Unusual Background? The basic 
> problem, as I see it, is that Running-8 (more or less, depending on
> the fractional part of your basic speed) gets you +1 to Move, while
> c. Running-16 gets you +2. The net result is that just about everybody
> puts a point or two into Running skill. This kind of situation is why I
> hate half-point skills in general, and no-default skills most of all.

Why? It doesn't give them dodge bonus anymore (when it used to, running
was a very popular skill). I often find points so scarce I can't afford
running just to raise my move a bit.




--------
maxxon@swob.nullnet.fi (Mikko Kurki-Suonio) Voice +358 0 8092681
Sweet Oblivion (+358 0 8092678, V.32bis 8N1) Official SRP Headquarters
SnailMail: Maininkitie 8A8 SF 02320 ESPOO FINLAND
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: hague@cat27.cs.wisc.edu (Vince Hague)
Subject: FANTASY HERO: duration for spells
Organization: University of Wisconsin, Madison -- Computer Sciences Dept.
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 03:21:52 GMT

Presently, I am attempting to create a wide variety of spells
for a FANTASY HERO campaign (since the ones in the FANTASY HERO book
just don't cut it).
   One of the problems I'm having with spells concerns duration. I know
that there are several ways in which to get the different types of
duration:
  A) Instantaneous - single phase
  B) Constant/Continuous - on til END is not payed
  C) Persistant - on even if not awakw
  D) Reduced END -    
  E) Continuous charges - no END, extended duration
  F) END Reserve - used to feed spell

   Here are the things which I want to be able to do:
     1) duration of up to a day (for low power spells) 
     2) duration of up to a couple of hours (med power spells)
     3) spells cast on others which last for more than one
	phase; caster pays END when spellis cast (but not
	huge amounts)
         * like a magic resistance spell or missle deflection
     4) really LONG duration spells (curses)

  Lastly, can the DELAYED EFFECT advantage be used as follows:
     An armor spell which will activate when the wizard is attacked...

     Well???
Vincent.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: pmwg1641@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Peter M. White)
Subject: Re: Stats Formula Sought
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 23:42:18 GMT

In article <8c8sVB1w165w@bma.jeslacs.wimsey.bc.ca> wbarr@bma.jeslacs.wimsey.bc.ca (William Barr) writes:
>Hello,
>
>I'm looking for a general probability formula for the following case.
>
>If I have 13, six-sided dice, what are the odds (in terms of percent)
>of being able to come up with 5 ones?
>
>Is there a general formula that can be used to predict the odds of
>Y identical faces occuring given X dice (where X is always greater
>than Y)?  If there is, would someone please post it?

The general formula is:

	P(n,N)=[N!/n!(N-n)!]p^n(1-p)^(N-n)

	N = total number of events (in this case 13 dice)
	N!= N factorial= N(N-1)(N-2)...(3)(2)(1)
	n = total number that have a particular result (in this case 5)
	p = probability of the aforementioned result (1 out of 6)

	P(n,N) = probability of exactly n of N events
Warning: this formula gives the precise odds of getting exactly what it says.
Therefore, P(5,13) has excluded in its calculation those instances where
6 out of 13 were 1's.  If what you want is chance for 5 or more ones,
then use:

	P(5+,13)=P(5,13)+P(6,13)+P(7,13)+...+P(13,13)

Got it?

--Malthus

______________________________________________________________________________
						|
     "Guards!  Let me draw their fire!"		|	p-white@uiuc.edu
		   --Scapegoat,_Marshal Law_	|
______________________________________________________________________________
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: silber@cs.uiuc.edu
Subject: Re: STAR FRONTIERS:does anyone remember it??
Organization: Dept. of Computer Sci - University of Illinois
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 05:58:46 GMT


>In article <Bz9rnz.C2u@news.cso.uiuc.edu>, irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Brent Irvine
>) writes...

>>IMNSHO, TSR experimented with the bland Care-Bear whitebread no substance
>>generic game feel, ditched the beta system and took the theme over to 
>>their AD&D game!  [2nd Edition AD&D - blech!, also when they first
>>quietly removed Melnibonean Myths from Dieties and Demigods, and then
>>quietly changed the name to Legends and Lore I knew the end of the 
>>'golden era' of TSR was gone, reploaced by respecability/blandness].
>> 
>>Enough rambling,
>>Brent

>Well, the Melnibonean removal had nothing to do with 'respectability'...
>rather, it had to do with TSR attempting to avoid getting their butts
>sued off by the Moorcock estate (TSR knows about lawsuits :).

I think you're getting the Menibonean confused with the Cthuloid, in which
case it was, I think, the people who designed "Call of Cthulu" who objected.
The Melnibonean section was removed because Moorcock, who is quite alive
and well, threatened legal action (or more likely Chaosium, which has the
rights to make games (such as Stormbringer) based on his books).
The Nerwhon mythos was also removed, because it was done without
Fritz Leiber (who, it turns out, is a gamer) hadn't given his permission.
Fortunately, Mallory is long since dead.

.
-- 
ami silberman - janitor of lunacy
	silber@cs.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc