Usenet 1994 January/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicjanuary1994.iso/answers/games/roleplay/part2

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Subject: [rec.games.frp.*] Frequently asked questions Part 1
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Date: 1 Dec 1993 18:17:31 GMT
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Archive-name: games/roleplay/part2
Last-Modified: 12/1/93

* Asterisks denote new/updated items. *

* Please also see the DND FAQ on rec.games.frp.dnd, the Shadowrun FAQ on .cyber
  and the GURPS FAQ on .misc.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON REC.GAMES.FRP HIERARCHY

This posting contains some of the most common questions that get posted
in the roleplaying discussion groups, at least those which have stock
answers and which aren't answered by the regular postings on
news.announce.newusers.

Questions Answered:

 1:  What are the rec.games.frp.* newsgroups for? What are their charters?
 2:  How do I get hold of a copy of the Net.<whatever>.Book?
 3:  What is the address for the <whatever> mailing list?
 4:  How do I access the <whoever> Games BBS?
 5:  Are there any clubs for roleplayers besides the one run by TSR, Inc?
 6:  Does anybody know what E. Gary Gygax is doing these days?
*7:  What about Steve Jackson Games vs. the United States Secret Service?
 8:  What is Fluff?
 9:  What is this rec.games.rpg newsgroup I keep seeing mentioned?
10:  What's a Cthulhu?
11:  I want to sell some of my old game stuff. How should I go about it?
12:  What is Munchkinism? What does the Wizard of Oz have to do with
     roleplaying games?
13:  I've run out of adventure ideas for my game. Does anybody have ideas
     for new plots?
*14: What game magazines are out there?
15:  I've heard of the Arduin Grimoire but am unable to find it. Where is
     it?
16:  What is MONTY HAUL?
17:  I want a group dedicated to my favorite game, how do I do it?
18:  What's the Facts on ICE and bankruptcy?
19:  What is FUDGE?  Where Do I get it?
* - new or updated items

1: What are the rec.games.frp.* newsgroups for? What are their charters?

NAME:      rec.games.frp.advocacy
CHARTER:   Frequently discussion on rec.games.frp amounts to vigorously
           overstated disagreement about the quality or lack thereof of
           a particular game system or game company. This unmoderated
           discussion newsgroup will give readers of the rec.games.frp
           hierarchy an outlet for such material. This newsgroup would
           be expected to hold such lines of discussion as: Champions
           versus GURPS; AD&Dv1 versus AD&Dv2; AD&D stinks; class
           systems versus skill based systems; game critiques wanted;
           mine are bigger than yours; and so on.

NAME:      rec.games.frp.announce (Moderated)
MODERATOR: Coyt Watters <[e-mail]>
           backup by Joshua Levy <[e-mail]>
CHARTER:   This group is intended for all announcements relating to
           roleplaying games. This may include, but is not limited to,
           game release announcements, pbem announcements, convention
           announcements, and any other events. Discussion of material
           in this newsgroup should be done in the appropriate
           roleplaying discussion group. Please direct followup lines as
           appropriate.


NAME:      rec.games.frp.archives (Moderated)
MODERATOR: Steve Mansfield <[e-mail]>
CHARTER:   This newsgroup will serve as a temporary archive for postings
           that should be archived on one of the anonymous ftp or
           mail-server sites, and which do not belong in one of the
           other roleplaying newsgroups. Therefore only finished work
           such as net.books, campaign background, convention modules,
           the tabolport project, fiction, poetry, compilations, and so
           on should be posted here. This newsgroup is not for
           discussion purposes, and discussion of anything in this
           newsgroup should take place in the appropriate roleplaying
           discussion group. Please direct followup lines appropriately.


NAME:      rec.games.frp.cyber
CHARTER:   This moderated newsgroup is for the discussion of Cyberpunk
           specific topics.  This group replaces the moderated group
           rec.games.cyber.  Topics of a General Interest should be
           directed to rec.games.frp.misc.


NAME:      rec.games.frp.dnd
CHARTER:   This unmoderated discussion newsgroup is for discussion of
           the official rules and settings of the D&D family of
           roleplaying games, produced by TSR, Inc., including
           Collector's Edition Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), Basic D&D,
           Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D), and AD&D Second
           Edition. This proposed newsgroup would include discussion of
           TSR's rules and products and compatible products, such as:
           character classes; character races; monsters; magic spells;
           weapons; Greyhawk; the Forgotten Realms; the Known World;
           Dark Sun; Spelljammer; RavenLoft; Hollow World; City State of
           the Invincible Overlord; and so on. Crossposting between this
           group and other groups in the rec.games.frp hierarchy is
           discouraged, however issues of general interest that happen
           to involve a D&D rulebook or setting are more than welcome.


NAME:      rec.games.frp.marketplace
CHARTER:   This unmoderated newsgroup is intended to hold For Sale and
           Wanted postings for roleplaying game materials.


NAME:      rec.games.frp.misc
CHARTER:   This is a discussion group for all aspects of roleplaying
           games which are not subsumed within another rec.games.frp.*
           newsgroup. It fully replaces rec.games.frp within the
           roleplaying newsgroup hierarchy. The acronym "frp" refers to
           Fantasy Role-Playing, but this does not mean that the scope
           of the group is restricted to pseudo medieval settings where
           magic is common and powerful. The common misuse of the word
           "fantasy" comes from the marketing distinction between the
           literary genres of science fiction and fantasy. Fantasy
           actually means anything that is set in a time or place that
           is **in some essential way** unlike our own.  Science Fiction
           fits this definition of fantasy, as do other genres including
           Horror, Tolkeinesque High Fantasy, and Westerns. Lines of
           discussion in this newsgroup can be expected to include,
           among other topics: roleplaying advice; gamemastering advice;
           reviews of roleplaying products; scenario ideas; rules;
           errata; gaming anecdotes; and many peripherally connected
           subjects. Crossposting between this group and other
           roleplaying discussion groups is to be discouraged.

In addition, there are a few groups which, while not part of the actual
hierarchy of rec.games.frp.*, are close cousins of the core groups:

           alt.games.frp.live-action is an alternative group (and thus has
           a more restricted distribution than the core groups) for the
           discussion of issues related specifically to live action
           roleplay.  Discussion of live action is also welcome on the
           .misc group.

           rec.games.design is a "multicultural" group which is used to
           discuss issues of game design.  This group is visited by
           designers of both computer and traditional games.  FUDGE (q.v.)
           was designed, in part, on this newsgroup.

           rec.games.miniatures, while primarily a discussion group for
           wargaming, often has discussion of scenery building, miniature
           painting and other topics of interest to "traditional" role
           gamers.

           See also rec.games.board, rec.games.pbm, alt.torg and many
       others for related topics.

2: How do I get hold of a copy of the Net.<whatever>.Book?

A:     First off, thanks for reading the administrative articles before
       posting. One of the administrative articles is entitled
       "Net.*.Books" and contains details of how to get at the Net
       Books, suprisingly enough. Please check in there before posting a
       request to rec.games.frp.misc.

3: What is the address for the <whatever> mailing list?

A:     Once again you'll find the answer in another of the
       administrative articles, in this case the two part "FRP Mailing
       Lists and Digests" posting. If the answer isn't in there, go
       ahead and ask the net at large - if you get results, please let
       us know so we can update the postings.

4: How do I access the <whoever> Games BBS?

A:     First off, look in the "BBS's of interest to gamers" posting,
       where a number of games companies' BBS's are listed.

5: Are there any clubs for roleplayers besides the one run by TSR, Inc?

A:     Yes. There are several. The National Association for the
       Advancement of Role Playing (NAARP) is nominally an association
       for the USA only, but accepts members from other countries.
       CARpg, which is associated with the NAARP, is the Committee for
       the Advancement of Roleplaying games, and is a strong pro-gaming
       voice in the fight against BADD and other groups that think that
       roleplaying is evil.  The following is some info for the NAARP.

       The National Association for the Advancement of Role-Playing, Inc
       is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the
       hobby of role-playing.  NAARP provides its members with an annual
       membership directory, so game players can contact each other.
       NAARP publishes a quarterly newsletter featuring information on
       upcoming releases from the industry, and news about conventions.
       NAARP is also dedicated to educating the public about the hobby
       through tournaments and public discussions.

       If you'd like a membership form and more information, send an
       SASE to

             NAARP, Inc
             P.O.Box 2752
             Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2752

       or if you have specific questions E-Mail to

       USENET  chatham![e-mail]

       WWIV Net  94@9955


6: Does anybody know what E. Gary Gygax is doing these days?

A:     As of May 17, 1992 EGG has completed a multi-genre fantasy
       roleplaying game for Game Designer's Workshop to be called
       Dangerous Dimensions. June 5: The name was changed to Dangerous
       Journeys, rumors were that TSR had some problems with the "D&D"
       abbreviation. It has been released and is now on the market.

7: Wasn't there a lawsuit between Steve Jackson Games and the Secret Service?

A:     You bet, and without further ado, here's email from SJ himself:

       PRESS RELEASE                   March 15, 1993 - For Immediate Release

             STEVE JACKSON GAMES WINS SUIT AGAINST SECRET SERVICE

       Steve Jackson Games and its co-plaintiffs - Steve Jackson himself
       and three users of the Illuminati Bulletin Board - have won their
       lawsuit against the US Secret Service. The decision was announced
       late Friday, March 12.

       Federal judge Sam Sparks ruled for SJ Games on the PPA (Privacy
       Protection Act), saying that the publisher's work product was
       unlawfully seized and held. Under the ECPA (Electronic Communications
       Privacy Act), he ruled that the Secret Service had unlawfully read,
       disclosed and erased the messages - despite their repeated denials
       that they had done any such thing. On a separate ECPA count, he ruled
       for the defendants, saying that taking the computer out the door was
       not an "interception" of the messages on it within the meaning of the
       law.

       The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which sponsored the suit, hailed
       the decision as "groundbreaking." According to Mike Godwin, legal
       services counsel for the EFF, "This case should send a message to law-
       enforcement groups everywhere that they can't ignore the rights of
       those who communicate by computer."

       The judge awarded damages of $1,000 per plaintiff under the ECPA, for
       a total of $5,000. Under the PPA, he awarded SJ Games $42,259 for lost
       profits in 1990, and out-of-pocket costs of $8,781. The plaintiff's
       attorneys are also entitled to costs, an amount which will be well in
       excess of $200,000.

       The Justice Department has not stated whether it will appeal.

       Sparks' opinion was quite critical of the Secret Service's behavior,
       before, during and after their raid, calling the affidavit and
       warrant preparation "simply sloppy and not carefully done."

       Commented Steve Jackson: "I'm overjoyed, and a little numb. We stood
       up to them and we won. It was never a sure thing . . . legally, this
       is all new ground. We won because what the Secret Service did to us
       was totally outrageous, and because our lawyers did a great job of
       penetrating their cover-up and bringing out all the facts.

       "I'm more grateful than I can say to the Electronic Frontier
       Foundation for making the suit possible. And since the government
       will have to pay our legal costs, the EFF will get their money back,
       to fight the next case!

       "And if I've gained any notoriety from all this mess, I want to use
       it to work for changes in the law, to stop this kind of abuse forever."

  And, another note:

       NEWSFLASH! STEVE JACKSON GAMES WINS LAWSUIT AGAINST U.S. SECRET SERVICE

       A games publisher has won a lawsuit against the U.S. Secret Service
       and the federal government in a groundbreaking case involving
       computer publications and electronic-mail privacy.

       In a decision announced Friday, March 12, Judge Sparks of the
       federal district court for the Western District of Texas
       announced that the case of Steve Jackson Games et al. versus the
       U.S. Secret Service and the United States Government has been
       decided for the plaintiffs.

       Judge Sparks awarded more than $50,000 in damages to the plaintiffs,
       citing lost profits for Steve Jackson Games, violations of the
       Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and violations of the Privacy
       Protection Act of 1980. The judge also stated that plaintiffs would
       be reimbursed for their attorneys' fees.

       The judge did not find that Secret Service agents had "intercepted"
       the electronic communications that were captured when agents
       seized the Illuminati BBS in an early-morning raid in spring of
       1990 as part of a computer-crime investigation. The judge did
       find, however, that the ECPA had been violated by the agents'
       seizure of stored electronic communications on the system.

       Judge Sparks also found that the Secret Service had violated
       Steve Jackson Games's rights as a publisher under the Privacy
       Protection Act of 1980, a federal law designed to limit the
       ability of law-enforcement agents to engage in searches and
       seizures of publishers.

       Mike Godwin, legal services counsel for the Electronic Frontier
       Foundation, which has underwritten and supported the case since
       it was filed in 1991, said he is pleased with the decision.
       "This case is a major step forward in protecting the rights of
       those who use computers to send private mail to each other or
       who use computers to create and disseminate publications."

       "Judge Sparks has made it eminently clear that the Secret
       Service acted irresponsibly," Godwin said. "This case should
       send a message to law-enforcement groups everywhere that they
       can't ignore the rights of those who communicate by computer."

       Press can contact Mike Godwin at 617-576-4510, or by
       pager at 1-800-SKYPAGE, 595-0535.

       Update: The government has agreed to a cost figure in excess of
       a quarter-million dollars - this goes to the EFF and the lawyers,
       not us. However, they still have a month in which to turn around
       and appeal . . .


8: What is Fluff?

A:     Fluff is the polite net.word for stories based on roleplaying
       campaigns. Net roleplayers are violently divided on the quality
       and utility of stories on the network. If you post your stories
       to rec.games.frp.misc please put STORY: at the beginning of the
       subject line so that those who hate fluff can avoid it and those
       who love it can find it, and use a consistent title so that those
       who like or dislike your stories can identify them quickly.

       Fluff also is used to indicate non-gaming compilations such as
       the "Famous Last Words" and "Secret Government Warehouse" lists.

9: What is this rec.games.rpg newsgroup I keep seeing mentioned?

A:     rec.games.rpg is a defunct newsgroup that was created (amongst
       some controversy) a few years ago and then promptly deleted from
       most of the news sites in the world. However, some sites still
       carry it. It only propagates to 20% or so of the net.world. If
       you want to discuss roleplaying games but are not interested in
       the "fantasy" genre your best bet is to participate on
       rec.games.frp.misc instead of trying to use rec.games.rpg, which
       reaches only a fraction of the readership of the official groups.
       If your site gets rec.games.rpg, you should ask your friendly
       sysadmin to remove it.

10: What's a Cthulhu?

A:      H.P.Lovecraft wrote a number of scary science fiction stories
        in the early twentieth century. These stories, along with others
        written in conscious imitation of Lovecraft by like minded
        writers, have come to be known as the "Cthulhu Mythos" of
        stories after Cthulhu, who is an awful, terrible being from the
        stars who sleeps in his temple in a sunken island much like
        Atlantis in the seas of the Earth.

11: I want to sell some of my old game stuff. How should I go about it?

A11:    Post to rec.games.frp.marketplace. There are several things that
        you should do if you are selling items through news: (1)
        describe each item you have for sale, including complete,
        accurate name and publication information (2) if you have firm
        prices or minimum bids for items, put them in your posting. (3)
        supply a valid internet return address.

12: What is Munchkinism? What does the Wizard of Oz have to do with
    roleplaying games?

A12:   Munchkinism is similar to "Monty Haul" gaming; however it involves
       playing at incredible power levels purely for the sake of
       watching the terrain get blown away by player characters who
       are unstoppable.  Munchkinism also involves "rules rape," wherein
       players milk every advantage out of the rules.  Often a munchkin
       will carry a favorite character from game to game, usually with
       the maximum allowable ability scores, skill ratings, etc - and
       enough hardware/magic to destroy the planet four times over.

       Munchkin is the term referring to the ages of players who do this,
       as a general rule, munchkins are younger gamers, in their early
       teens.

13: I've run out of adventure ideas for my game. Does anybody have ideas
    for new plots?

A13:   There are only so many times you can use the same plot pattern
       before it grows tiresome. So use different plot patterns.

       This is condensed from Georges Polti's _The 36 Dramatic Plots_.

       Each short plot description starts with the title of the plot
       pattern. After a hyphen the main characters to be found in the
       plot are given, separated by commas.

       Supplication - Persecutor, Suppliant, a Power in Authority
       Deliverance - Unfortunates, Threatener, Rescuer
       Revenge - Avenger, Criminal
       Vengeance by Family upon Family - Avenging Kinsman, Guilty
          Kinsman, Relative
       Pursuit - Fugitive from Punishment, Pursuer
       Victim of Cruelty or Misfortune - Unfortunates, Master or Unlucky
          Person
       Disaster - Vanquished Power, Victorious Power or Messenger
       Revolt - Tyrant, Conspirator(s)
       Daring Enterprise - Bold Leader, Goal, Adversary
       Abduction - Abductor, Abducted, Guardian
       Enigma  - Interrogator, Seeker, Problem
       Obtaining - Two or more Opposing Parties, Object, maybe an
          Arbitrator
       Familial Hatred - Two Family Members who hate each other
       Familial Rivalry - Preferred Kinsman, Rejected Kinsman, Object
       Murderous Adultery - Two Adulterers, the Betrayed
       Madness - Madman, Victim
       Fatal Imprudence - Imprudent person, Victim o lost ect
       Involuntary Crimes of Love - Lover,eloveRevea
       Kinsman Kills Unrecognized Kinsman - Killer, Unrecognized Victim,
          Revealer
       Self Sacrifice for an Ideal - Hero, Ideal, Person or Thing
          Sacrificed
       Self Sacrifice for Kindred - Hero, Kinsman, Person or Thing
          Sacrificed
       All Sacrificed for Passion - Lover, Object of Passion, Person or
          Thing Sacrificed
       Sacrifice of Loved Ones - Hero, Beloved Victim, Need for
          Sacrifice
       Rivalry Between Superior and Inferior - Superior, Inferior,
          Object
       Adultery - Deceived Spouse, Two Adulterers
       Crimes of Love - Lover, Beloved, theme of Dissolution
       Discovery of Dishonor of a Loved One - Discoverer, Guilty One
       Obstacles to Love - Two Lovers, Obstacle
       An Enemy Loved - Beloved Enemy, Lover, Hater
       Ambition - An Ambitious Person, Coveted Thing, Adversary
       Conflict with a God - Mortal, Immortal
       Mistaken Jealousy - Jealous One, Object of Jealousy, Supposed
          Accomplice, Author of Mistake
       Faulty Judgement - Mistaken One, Victim of Mistake, Author of
          Mistake, Guilty Person
       Remorse - Culprit, Victim, Interrogator
       Recovery of a Lost One - Seeker, One Found
       Loss of Loved Ones - Kinsman Slain, Kinsman Witness, Executioner

14: What game magazines are out there?

A14:   Here is a limited list. I know there are more, but these are all
       available at the addresses given.

          White Wolf Magazine
          4153 Indian Manor Drive
          Stone Mountain, GA 30083
          Bi-monthly, $25/yr US, $40/yr Canada, $52/yr Overseas
          404/292-1819; FAX: [phone]

          Alarums and Excursions
          Attn: Lee Gold
          2965 Alla Road
          Los Angeles, CA 90066
          Monthly, Postage + $1.50 per issue
          310/306-7456

          Polyhedron Newszine
          RPGA Network Headquarters
          POB 515
          Lake Geneva, WI 53147

          Silver Griffin
          Attn: Devlin Janax
          POB 1751
          Saint Paul, MN 55101

          The Gamer
          127 N. Madison St, Suite 202
          Pasadena, CA 91101
          818/795-8130
          Bi-monthly, $15/yr; $25/yr Canada or Mexico; $40/yr elsewhere

          Dragon (US)
          POB 756
          Lake Geneva, WI 53147
          Monthly, $30/yr; $50/yr anywhere other than US, Canada, or Europe
          Ph: 414/248-3625; Fax: [phone]

          Dragon (Europe)
          120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,
          Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom
          Monthly, 16 pounds/yr UK, 24 pounds/yr Non-UK Europe
          Ph: [phone]

          The Unspeakable Oath
          Pagan Publishing
          1409 Wilson Ave.
          Columbia, MO 65201
          Quarterly, $4 per issue
          Inet: [e-mail]

          Tales of the Reaching Moon: THE RuneQuest(tm) Magazine/Fanzine
          Quarterly, price varies by country
          UK: David Hall, 21 Stephenson Court, Osborne St, Slough,
              Berkshire, SL1 1TN, #1.75 per issue, or #5 for three
          Au: Michael O'Brien, 2/33 Carween Ave., Mitcham 3132, Victoria
            $5 (AU) per issue
          US & Canada: David Gadbois, PO Box 49475, Austin, TX 78765, USA,
            [e-mail], $3 (US) per issue
          Germany: Dr. Lutz Reimers-Rawcliffe, Theodor-Heuss-Ring 1,
            D-5000 Koln 1
          Norway: Lars-Roger Moe, Hans Hagerupsgt. 1, 7012, Trondheim
          Sweden: Jussi Hyvonen, Henniksdalsringen 65, S-131 32, Nacka
          Finland: Lauri Tudeer, Fantasiapelit Tudeer Oy, Laulurastaantie 1,
            01450 Vantaa

          Vortext
          Vortext Publishing
          5506 Beaudry St #C
          EmeryVille CA 94608 USA
          Quarterly, US$2.75 per issue, $10 subs. ( 4 issues )

          Abyss
          Ragnarok Enterprises
          POB 140333,
          Austin TX 78714 USA
          Quarterly(?), US$2 per iss, $10/6, $18/12, $25/18 iss
          Ph: 1-(512)-472-6535

          Dungeon
          Dungeon Adventures
          TSR, Inc.
          POB 5695
          Boston MA 02206
          Bimonthly, US$3.75 per iss, $18/yr subs

          Interface
          R. Talsorian Games
          P.O.Box 7356
          Berkeley, CA  94707
          One year subscription is $16 USA in USA and Canada, $26 elsewhere.

          The Eternal Soldier Newsletter
          Tom Harris
          1837 Paddington
          Naperville, IL  60563
          Internet: [e-mail]
          The Eternal Soldier Newsletter is a Twilight 2000 /Merc 2000 based
          amateur newsletter published with the help of GDW.  The editor Tom
          Harris has a net address and will accept submissions for publication
          via e-mail Articles regarding Dark Conspiracy and Cadillacs and
          Dinosaurs will be accepted as well.  S-mail address is 1837
          Paddington, Naperville, IL 60563.


          Space Gamer
          P.O. Box 11424
          Burbank, CA 91510-1424
          [phone]

          The Last Province
          TFR 45 Duke Street
          Edinburgh, Scotland
          EH6 8HH

          TLP is a general gaming magazine, dedicated to intelligent
          articles and scenarios about a large variety of role-playing
          games.
          It is available in the US currently through Atlas Games
          distributors, and should go into print in the US presently.

15: I've heard of the Arduin Grimoire but am unable to find it.
    Where is it?

A15:    When Dave Hargrave passed away the rights to the Arduin line
        were split between two companies.  The two companies' addresses
        are as follows:

          Dragon Tree Press
          118 Sayles Blvd
          Abilene, TX 79605

        Has rights to Arduin Grimoires IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII (or 5-8)

          Grimoire Games
          POB 4363
          Berkeley, CA 94704

        Has rights to the original Arduin Trilogy, and the Arduin
        Adventure, which turns Arduin from a D&D supplement (WHICH IT
        REALLY IS, down to reproducing the typos in the original D&D
        monster listings) to a free-standing game.

16:     What (or who) is Monty Haul?

A16:    Monty Hall was the host of an American game show called
        _Let's Make a Deal_, which was on in the 60s and 70s. People
        would dress up in stupid costumes and come onto the show
        and Monty would hand them money then talk them into trading
        it for whatever's behind curtain number one, number two, or
        number three, or you can keep the money, or you can take this
        box right here. He would keep on getting them to trade, some
        times letting them see what they had so far and sometimes not,
        until they declined to trade any more. Sometimes they would
        win a car, a hawaiian vacation, an airstream mobile home, and
        other times they would win a goat, a bucket of rubber monkeys,
        or a year's supply of automotive wax. The prizes were random,
        sometimes good, sometimes bad. Gary Gygax dubbed a style of
        play of D&D where the gamemaster hides treasures behind some
        doors and monsters behind others Monty Haul style, punning
        on the game show's host.

17:     I want a group dedicated to my favorite game, how do I do it?

A17a:   The simple answer is not to do it at all, you'll save yourself a lot
        of grief and pain if you learn to use a KILLFILE to limit the volume
        of information you receive.  The current hierarchy was forged after a
        long discussion and massive flaming.  If you insist on trying, please
        read the guidelines for group creation over on news.answers.  In a
        nutshell, you have to start a request for discussion on news.groups,
        which must be at least two weeks long.  In the rec.games.frp.* is was
        considerably longer, because of all the bugs which were ironed out.
        After getting an acceptable charter and namespace figured out, then
        a VOTE must be run.  This vote has to meet certain criteria to
        fulfill the guidelines for group creation.  If, and only when the
        vote is considered VALID, i.e. there are no legitimate complaints
        about the voting, the new group is created.  ALT groups are easier to
        start, because there is no network control over ALT groups, however
        ALT is only carried on about 10% of the net.

A17b:   Check the fourth and fifth parts of this informational bulletin,
        ROLEPLAYING MAILING LISTS AND DIGESTS,  there is a good chance the
        system you want to discuss already has a mailing list dedicated to
        it.  Mailing lists send the postings directly to your mailer,
        rather than reading them through netnews.

18:     What's the Facts on ICE and bankruptcy? *

A18:    John Nephew [e-mail]:
        Someone raised the question of ICE's solvency.  I asked Bruce Harlick
        of Hero Games ([e-mail]) about these rumors, and he responded:

        >ICE is NOT in Chapter 7, Chapter 11, or Chapter 13. They were in a
        >voluntary-type of receivership, but it wasn't a formal one. They are
        >out of that now. They are even starting to pay off their back author
        >debt! Or so I've heard. ICE should be in fine financial shape.

        So that should settle the rumors.  :)

19: What is FUDGE?  Where do I get it?

A19: Here's an extraction from:
     "FUDGE Frequently Asked Questions, (answers by Steffan O'Sullivan):"

Q1.  What is FUDGE?
===================
A1.  FUDGE is a free role-playing game (face-to-face table gaming, that
     is - not a computer game or Live Roleplaying Game).  It is just a
     gaming "engine" - each GM must provide the "body" of the RPG in
     order to make it work.  A certain amount of customization work is
     necessary in order to use FUDGE, and many things are left
     unstated: the GM will have to fudge a lot.

     However, it provides a simple, word-based mechanism for creating
     characters and resolving actions that is very easy to use in
     almost any given situation.

     FUDGE stands for:
     Freeform   (simple, laid-back, not rules-heavy.  Customizable to
                 taste.)
     Universal  (usable with any genre.)
     Donated    (it costs nothing, and may be reproduced and given to
                 players legally.)
     Gaming     (role-playing gaming, that is.)
     Engine     (it's just the basic mechanism for character creation
                 and development, as well as action resolution.  No
                 world details are provided.)

     FUDGE was written by, and is copyright by, Steffan O'Sullivan.
     Much valuable aid was received from many people on
     rec.games.design, most of whom are credited in the actual FUDGE
     manuscript.

Q2.  Who is the target audience?
================================
A2.  FUDGE is for experienced GMs, though it can be used with novice
     players.  You must enjoy making decisions on the fly in order to
     run FUDGE.  It's also not for those who want extreme detail.  You
     must enjoy either creating or adapting your own world background,
     as none is provided (but sample characters from a number of genres
     are included).

Q4.  Where can I get it?
========================
A4.  FUDGE is available via anonymous ftp from:

     Site: oz.plymouth.edu
     Directory: pub/fudge

     It is in a single, compressed, tarred file called fudge.tar.Z.

     Ask your sys admin if you don't know how to ftp or extract files
     from a tarred, compressed file.

     Basically, after you get the file via ftp (be sure to enter "binary"
     before getting the file), you first uncompress it then untar it:
          uncompress fudge.tar.Z
          tar xf fudge.tar

Q5.  Can I contribute?
======================
A5.  Yes, you can.  I am acting as "editor" (or "filter" if you prefer)
     for suggestions and feedback.  This is very subjective, however,
     so don't be offended if your suggestions don't make it into the
     main text.  My main criteria for including rules are simplicity
     and necessity.  At this point, new suggestions won't make it in
     the main text for a few months, at best.

     It is easier to contribute to the Addenda that is attached to
     FUDGE.  I still filter things, but am more tolerant.  Simply write
     a clear, concise rules addition, in ASCII, using existing Addenda
     sections as guidelines.  E-mail any submissions to:
     [e-mail].

     (MS-DOS ASCII or XyWrite format submissions may be sent to:
      Steffan O'Sullivan, P.O. Box 465, Plymouth, NH  03264 USA.)

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