HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Axly)
Subject: Re: Rifts
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 20:47:44 GMT

"Mark A. Baxter" <mb8p+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:

>approximately 75+75 level.  Why dont I like Palladium?  A few things, I
>really hate Mega-Damage, it irks me no end.  I also don't like the

Why does the Mega-Damage concept bother you? I find it is one of the
few things I like about Palladium's modern combat system. I'll admit,
I don't like MDC personal armor, which I think is quite ridiculous.
I did like the idea that hitting a PC (normal human type) with most
ridiculous class weapons would kill them , whereas in some other
systems, characters actually survive getting plugged with a burst
of Heavy machine gun fire.

Axly

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: trip@cco.caltech.edu (Trip)
Subject: Re: Military Mechs?
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 10:10:42 GMT

chem7l@jane.uh.edu writes:

>Also, it is entirely possible that the myomers convert the electrical
>energy to mechanical energy at almost 100% efficiency, but even if they
>don't the fusion engine can produce so much more energy that it doesn't
>matter.

>Conversion of electricity to mechanical energy is not _that_
>efficient, but you do have a point.

Nothing personal, but this is an error I've seen come up several
times.  *Modern* electrical motors are better than 90% efficient at
converting electrical energy to mechanical energy. I *think* current
ones are above 95%; the last number I saw was 93%, and that was in a
late 80s textbook. For comparison, muscles are about 30% efficient in
converting chemical energy to mechanical energy.

Oh, and all the other pro-mech arguments are silly too. Two years ago I
persuaded rec.arts.anime of this. I wonder why it is that r.g.frp.*
readers are so much more boneheaded?

Trip			     |Running for my life and never looking back
President, ECNG		     |In case there's someone right behind
(trip@cobalt.cco.caltech.edu)|To shoot me down and say he always knew I'd fall
			     |				-_Chess_
From: oroboros@acca.nmsu.edu (The Wyrm Ouroboros)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Cyberpunk (was: SR: SRII combat mods)
Date: 23 Jul 92 04:49:55 GMT
Organization: The Clearing House, Ltd.

Well, we've heard the great debate of Armed Decker versus Unarmed Decker.
I'd have to say that armed is better -- because when the corpcops drop
'twixt you and your sams, and turn on the sams, well, it's nice to be able
to shoot them in the back after a moment or two of AIMING.

Y'all keep forgetting that little chance, huh?  Aim for three actions, 'cause
your Decker should have an intelligence of 6 (That's what you hired him for,
wasn't it?), which will drop your targets by a few into a range where you can
plug the fragger.

Works in PBeM's, can't see why it wouldn't in a personal game.

Ouroboros
The Wyrm of the .NeT
From: laird@think.com (Laird Popkin)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Best Super system
Date: 23 Jul 1992 16:15:15 GMT
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: django.think.com

In article <1992Jul23.135009.19129@news.columbia.edu> jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim) writes:
>In article <14ksupINNiub@early-bird.think.com> laird@think.com (Laird Popkin) writes:
>> jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim) writes:
>>>	The other thing to be careful of is cost ratios. For example, 
>>>damage generally costs 6pts per d6, whereas defense is 3pts per 1DR. This 
>>>means that attacks will tend to overwhelm defenses. Pair up a bunch of 
>>
>>[complaints about DR and hit points being too expensive deleted]

I should point out that more limited defenses are much less expensive.
"Against everything" defenses are more expensive than attacks, but
specialized defenses are a good bit cheaper.  I think that the goal there
was to encourage characters to have specialized defenses, which happens
fairly often in the comic books.

In actual play, Supers with the "stun damage" rules seemed to work pretty
well.  Basically, it gives everyone 5x as many hit points, making HP 1/5
the cost, which puts HP and DR back into balance, and cures the "armored
creampuff" syndrome, as someone on Illuminatti labeled it.

Without using the "stun damage" option, Supers tend to die rather easily,
and there's not much margin between shrugging off an attack and being dead.

>>As I've said before, the fix is simple -- make them cheaper if that's what
>>you want in your campaign.  You're complaining about the value of a number,
>>not the way the system works.
>
>	I am not complaining about a number, I am complaining about *lots* 
>of numbers. I agree that most of my complaints about Supers are not too 
>difficult to solve - but they are very numerous. 
>
>	I'm not saying the system is 'inherently flawed' or anything like 
>that - it's just that it is alot of work to implement and balance. 

Well, in that case I think we're not too far apart.  We both agree that
there are some numbers that are wrong, but merely disagree on the how we
feel about the effort it takes to fix the problems.

>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>John Kim                    | "Stop, you fiend, or I'll stand remarkably 
>jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu | still for a long period of time."
>Columbia University         |                           - Stone Boy
>
>


-- 
- Laird Popkin, Thinking Machines

Connection Machine: Massively parallel supercomputer.  Also a cool black
cube with more blinking lights than you can shake a stick at.
From: gil@smtc21.engr.scarolina.edu (Gil Young)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: GURPS: Alien races -- Too powerful?
Keywords: GURPS Aliens Space
Date: 30 Jul 92 04:04:00 GMT
Organization: USC  Department of Computer Science

dfrancis@tronsbox.xei.com (Dennis Heffernan) writes:

>In article <1992Jul29.024035.18924@rchland.ibm.com> BillSeurer@vnet.ibm.com writes:
>|On "point breaks" for non-humans in GURPS Fantasy and GURPS Aliens.
>|
>|SO WHAT!   (Pet Peeve warning!!)
>|
>|If there is going to be any meaningful difference between races some are
>|going to probably be better than others at certain things.  If all your
>|elves are are humans with pointy ears who live in the woods, why bother?
>|
>	If there's going to be any meaningful reason to use a point system,
>everyone has to pay the same price for the same thing.  If you're going to
>give nonhumans a point break, or make them pay more, then telling your
>players to make "100 point characters" is meaningless.

What about *realism*?  It would be easier for a gormelite to work his
ST up to 17 with a base +4 than for a human.  GURPS promises reealism,
for tthe most part, delivers.  If I want an abstract art deco alien race
system, I'll play Champions, thanks.  What I was asking about was ways
to keep the realism and make it game balanced.  And I think my way
works.

>|Now in GURPS (and I assume other point games) it will be "cheaper" to make
>|a strong, tough, (stereotypical) dwarven fighter than an equivalent human
>|fighter.  Now, if the only reason a player wants to be the dwarf is 
>|'cause it's cheaper, that's her problem.  She's a lousy roleplayer.  Dump
>|her and get some real players who want to play a dwarf 'cause they fell
>|in love with the little buggers while reading Lord of the Rings (or 
>|whatever) and want to be a DWARF, not a short little human tough guy.
>|
>	Writing different numbers down on paper will not change how a character
>is played.  It is just as easy to take one of the horrendous GURPS
>Aliens/Fantasy Folk races and play it exactly like a human, as it would be
>if their point costs were balanced.

But then you've got a human with wierd stats.  I want to play an alien,
thank you, and no alien race in my campaign is "Humans in cat suits."

>	By all means, require whatever attributes or advantages you think are
>appropriate for a given race.  Just make them pay for it like everyone else.

>dfrancis@tronsbox.xei.com   ...uunet!tronsbox!dfrancis     GEnie: D.HEFFERNAN1

Gil Young
From: warmongr@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Krishgan)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: SRUN: Essence, Cyberware and Psychosis (was: Essence Foci)
Summary: -an interesting set of leads folks...
Keywords: Shadowrun, SR, SRUN, SHADOWRUN
Date: 25 Jul 92 12:54:44 GMT
Organization: the Night Crafters Associated Press

Regarding the topic of Essence Foci, with regards to Mary Kuhner and Kent
  Jenkins recent postings...

->>[Actually guys, the concept of animation and Essence "Imbuement" is not
  all that new OR frightening.  It is just frightening from the standpoint
  of game balance.  Let me elaborate...

  1.  A spell or spell-like ability that would allow one to move essence
     into another target vs. its original source already exists.  It is known
     as Essence Drain.  If someone with this spell or ability were to learn
     to send a "feedback" from the essence into another target, would they
     not be giving it "stolen life?"

  2.  I agree with Mary, in that the spell would need to be Health, though
     Manipulation is capable of doing it.  Maybe when 2nd Ed Grimoire comes
     out, they will break down Manipulation a bit more than they have already
     to date.

  3.  The idea of a spell effecting essence isn't all that bad, simply take
     the -Reduce Attribute- spells to their logical extensions.  Now I know in
     the SR books it says that "spells cannot increase magic attribute" but
     I don't *personally* remember anything about effecting the actual 
     essence of a victim, er rather subject.  Sure would make for an
     interesting effect for a Street Samurai though, give a much higher limit
     to the balance of Cybernetic Implantation they could receive.

  4.  I also like the idea of "cybersymbiosis" that Mary was hinting at when
     she said "flesh growing into the cybered parts" or "metal invading the
     flesh."  Who knows, it might be the next step in Biotechnical Research
     and its possibilities...but I'm not saying, my games are somewhat more
     in the future of SR possibilities, and I'm not telling if this happening
     or not...  ;)

  5.  On the subject of "psychological side-effects" I had another question,
     and I think I would like to field it here.  I have more than one decker
     and/or rigger who has headware capable interfacing (including the new
     C-Square stuff).  What if you had such a guy/gal and say she began to
     develop a bad habit, say sleepwalking?

     As it is now, one of my own characters uses Subconscious training and
     informational reviewing to do a major part of his Icon Design and
     Creation scheming.  He simply leaves a hypnotic series of recordings
     and/or sense linkings playing while he sleeps.  As his conscious self
     sleeps, the "rest" of him goes off and does things like Matrix 
     Interactions and Program (re)Writing.

     What else do you think could be achieved along this line of "thought"
     and any ideas for rulings and such on it?

  But these are just my responses...]<<
    -Keith
From: v131p9t3@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Ninstar Cybermage - Back Again from the Mists!)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Military Mechs? Hexapod
Date: 31 Jul 92 18:08:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Jul31.122352.89629@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au>, jwadsley@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au writes...
>In article <1992Jul30.232825.3784@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au>, ins769v@lindblat.cc.monash.edu.au (Veltyen) writes:
>> Anybody thought of jump jets??
> 
>If you know what's good for you, do not bring up jump jets. You've been
>watching too much Astroboy.

[Impracticality problems deleted]

If you know what's good for you, you won't lecture us about technology.  You
should know perfectly well that computers can make ANYTHING controllable.  We
don't need to have the pilot running everything manually, you know.  That's
why so many of our weapons systems are computerized to compensate for
combat at Mach 1+.  Nothing is uncontrollable.

Of course jump jets WOULD work about as well on tanks as on mechs, though I 
think a hexapod would make a better landing platform than a pair of tracks.

James Shank           	#		v131p9t3@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
AKA: Ninstar Cybermage  #	or	shank@acsu.buffalo.edu
###############################################################################
"Ten thousand years old...He could be trouble." -Vampire Hunter D
"Every night I say a prayer, in the hope that there's a heaven..."-Styx
"How do you make ammends for a god's sins?"-Forgotten Realms
##############################################################################
Sneaky Types,Inc.:Clandestine operations for the common man.
	"Don't call us.  We'll just bill you when it's done."
From: rod@mks.com (Rod Currie)
Subject: Media in Roleplaying Games
Organization: Mortice Kern Systems Inc., Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 05:18:57 GMT

	I am just curious about how other GMs treat the media in
their campaigns, especially in Superhero games.   The superhero
genre is a breeding ground for media interaction, since it deals
with larger than life characters with a knack for getting involved
with events that are sure to make the evening news.  Does anyone
have any media-related tales from their campaigns?  Let's hear
about them.

	My personal favourite involved a group of terrorists who
decided to attack a talk show to take out a guest that they did not
particularly care for.  Unfortunately, they got the date wrong and
attacked a day early when the show featured a panel of superheroes
discussing the pros and cons of a heroic career.  Needless to say,
the terrorists did not enjoy the experience.

Rod Currie
rod@mks.com
From: v131p9t3@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Ninstar Cybermage - Back Again from the Mists!)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Military Mechs?
Date: 29 Jul 92 19:42:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <13850@mindlink.bc.ca>, Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca (Nick Janow) writes...
>woodhams@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Michael Woodhams) writes:
> 
>> Fortunately, I have the solution to make everybody happy. Put the mechs on
>> bicycles.
> 
>Hahahahahahaha!  I vote Michael as the winner of the "best comment in this
>debate" award!  :-)

Seconded here!

Ummmmm... Hey Mike.  Do they use ten speeds or standard trail bikes?


James Shank           	#		v131p9t3@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
AKA: Ninstar Cybermage  #	or	shank@acsu.buffalo.edu
###############################################################################
"Ten thousand years old...He could be trouble." -Vampire Hunter D
"Every night I say a prayer, in the hope that there's a heaven..."-Styx
"How do you make ammends for a god's sins?"-Forgotten Realms
##############################################################################
Sneaky Types,Inc.:Clandestine operations for the common man.
	"Don't call us.  We'll just bill you when it's done."
From: ez007612@hamlet.ucdavis.edu (Tim Prestero)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Richard the Lionheart
Date: 29 Jul 92 19:23:05 GMT
Organization: Computing Services, UC Davis

In article <1992Jul26.062534.27506@tamsun.tamu.edu> jrp3935@tamsun.tamu.edu (Jonny Ray Purvis) writes:
>This game was once advertised as an upcoming project of Columbia Games, the
>people who make Harn products.  Did it ever come out?  If so, could someone
>please give a review of it.  

Well, it's less of a game than it is a campaign sourcebook. It's called
_Lionheart_, and its been out for at least 6 months (that's how long I've
had it). I was quite impressed with the quality.

The first 40 or so pages give brief histories of the various kingdoms of the 
british isles; England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales. It discusses the Saxon
invasion, succession of kings, etc. This was well written, and summarises
then history of the region pretty well. Saves GMs like me, intent on
historical accuracy, the hassle of digging the stuff up in the library.

The rest of the book is devoted to an Ecyclopedia Harnica-style description
of every town marked on the map, and a number of interesting places, 
religious orders, personalities, and legends. Entries are in alphabetical
order, and I spent lots of time just randomly reading through the entries.
There are no specific maps of any one city or castle; instead places are
described in brief, noting important elements of each place.

Finally, the book comes with a big pull-out map of the british isles, and
a teeny corner of france. major roads are all marked, as are villages,
monastaries, and castles. Pretty nifty, and about the same quality as all
of the harnic area maps.

The book is not intended as a stand alone game. There are no role playing
rules included. There are no suggestions as to how the information
contained could be used for gaming (ie no scenario ideas). It's more of 
historical primer on England in the time of King Richard the Lionhearted.
If that's what you're looking for, though (I was), its quite useful.

Tim Prestero
ez007612@hamlet.ucdavis.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: gray@visix.com (Gray Jones)
Subject: Re: SR, Wimping out wizards
Reply-To: gray@visix.com (Gray Jones)
Organization: Visix Software Inc., Reston, VA
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 92 20:34:45 GMT

In article <UePMKVq00WBK42w0gk@andrew.cmu.edu>, "Mark A. Baxter" <mb8p+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
|>     How can the abilities of mages be limited to such an extent that
|> they are on par with other characters in effectiveness?  If someone has
|> any ideas on this, if they have experience such that they agree or
|> disagree, or if they just want to post, please respond.     
|>    Also, as an aside, could someone tell me if they've fixed the
|> mechanical problem in the rules such that it makes more sense for me to
|> buy all my spells at force two to four, and get eight spells, rather
|> than force six, and get four or five.  I rarely cast above force two or
|> three, particularly for high drain spells, because the target numbers
|> get too high to resist fatigue.  And I can just toss most of my sorcery
|> pool in for the extra power I'd otherwise use force for.  

yeah, I fixed it, but nobody is gonna like it.

Mages don't choose spells.  Any mage can cast any spell at any time.

Mages always cast spells at force 6.  To raise or lower the force of a 
spell takes 2 dice from the magic pool for each point.

If your magic attribute is lowered by cyberware, you still always cast
at force 6 and take physical drain.

I also raised the drain staging on mana combat spells (now it's 2),
stun combat spells (now it's 3, it's harder not to kill people), and
fireball spells (now it's 4, but it does damage for 6 turns).

Health spells always have have a drain staging of +2 and ALWAYS
have physical drain.

To counter balance some of this, I allow starting characters to have
Centering.  It adds some character development.

I also bend centering so the target number is the character's current
magic pool.  Each success adds one die to the magic pool.  Multiple
centering tests are allowed, but once a test fails, all subsequent
tests will fail until the character casts a spell or starts over.  Each test
takes an action.

A mana blast is a lot of power and should be a real bitch to cast.
In my campaign, mages stick to spells like mana/power missle
(staging 2, drain M2) to be able remain conscious.

Most of the magic pool goes to avoid drain, under normal circumstances.

I dunno, I just started playing with this system.  

--gray
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: Elizabeth.Mccoy@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Elizabeth Mccoy)
Subject: Re: GURPS: Alien races -- Too powerful?
Keywords: GURPS Aliens Space
Organization: Extended Bulletin Board Service
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 15:17:13 GMT

One proposed "fix" for non-humans is to restrict them to 30 points in
disads, rather than 40. 

In a high-tech game, races with extra IQ are more likely to be
problematical than races with extra DX.  Extra HT looks harmless, but
you'll have to get out a stun cannon if you want to be *sure* of taking
down someone non-fataly.  Extra ST mostly means that the PC wins bar
fights and gets hit with more than one tangler at a time.

(To illustrate how having a non-human character may not make a
difference... I have an 81-point race, cat-centaurs, with (among other
kitty things like claws and night vision and catfall) ST 10/20, DX
11/12, IQ 10, HT 13. Just to be odd, I based the character on mental
stuff (comm officer).  Even if she were mostly physical skills, she
still wouldn't do that much in a high-tech game.  The current star of
the game is a human with eidetic memory 2, IQ 14.)

If a race has a high point cost, with mostly "misc" advantages (catfall,
night vision, etc.) that can be acquired for cash (anti-grav belt, IR
goggles), then it becomes less of a temptation for point-mongerers. If a
race already has lots of disads attached, and is *still* expensive, it's
a pain trying to figure out which disads you can use. (Dependants for a
race with an 81-point base grow up *fast*.) And probably only a "real
roleplayer" will want to play one like that.


--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  bbs.oit.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
From: cassidy@cps.msu.edu.cps.msu.edu (John J Cassidy)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Point or Random Systems, What about both?
Date: 28 Jul 92 19:01:48 GMT
Reply-To: cassidy@cps.msu.edu.cps.msu.edu (John J Cassidy)
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, Michigan State University
Originator: cassidy@indian.cps.msu.edu


	I guess I like both Point and Random.  I like Point systems
because it pretty much assures that one starting character will not
dwarf others by the basis of a lucky roll, or a number of luck rolls.  
HOwever, I like Random systems because the characters stats stay around
a believable level, and players can't minmax as much.
	But I do achieve a balance between such systems, such as when I
run COC in Hero.  The players roll their stats on 4D6 and assign points
as if they had bought them.  The rest of the points go to buy skills and
talents.  Powers in my game can always be bought, but I keep a tight
reign on powers in any non-Super campaign, they have to be SEVERELY
limited and believable within the milieu.  That's it.  And if I want the
characters to have a lot of psych lims and disads then I make the point
base smaller.	

	John J Cassidy		Cassidy@indian.cps.msu.edu
	~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~