Digest Archives Vol 1 Issue 128

From: owner-champ-l-digest@sysabend.org 
Sent: Sunday, January 10, 1999 11:30 PM 
To: champ-l-digest@sysabend.org 
Subject: champ-l-digest V1 #128 
 
 
champ-l-digest        Sunday, January 10 1999        Volume 01 : Number 128 
 
 
 
In this issue: 
 
    Re: GM Screens 
    Re: Need some mechanics help 
    Re: Need some mechanics help 
    Re: Paying for Equipment 
    Mail 
    Maps To The Stars Homes... 
    Re: Paying for Equipment 
    Re: Maps To The Stars Homes... 
    Re: Need some mechanics help 
    Re: Need some mechanics help 
    Re: Maps To The Stars Homes... 
    Need help for character design 
    Re: Maps To The Stars Homes... 
    Re: Paying for Equipment 
    Re: Maps To The Stars Homes...Part II 
    A Good Shopping Excursion 
    Re: Need some mechanics help 
    Re: Paying for Equipment 
    Re: Maps To The Stars Homes... 
    Re: A Good Shopping Excursion 
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 14:03:16 -0500 
From: Mike Christodoulou <Cypriot@concentric.net> 
Subject: Re: GM Screens 
 
At 01:10 PM 1/10/99 -0500, Lisa Hartjes wrote: 
>I'm thinking about making up my own set of Champs GM screens, and I was 
>wondering what kinds of things people have put on theirs? 
> 
>And, along these lines, I know that there is a file out there somewhere with 
>4 .pdf files for stuff a guy named Mike (at least that's what I remember his 
>name being) did.  I have only one of them, called "action.pdf" on my system, 
>and I can't for the life of me find the others.  If someone can help me find 
>that file, I'd really appreciate it! 
 
You're welcome to take a look at mine at: 
         http://www.concentric.net/~Cypriot/gaming/Downloads/ 
They're in XLS format. 
 
                    -- Some other guy named Mike 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 13:32:04 -0500 
From: Joe Mucchiello <why@superlink.net> 
Subject: Re: Need some mechanics help 
 
At 12:53 PM 1/10/99 -0500, Lisa Hartjes wrote: 
><<I agree with Joe, except that I would call it "Witchsight", "Second 
>Sight", 
>or "The Sight"--depending on the campaign--and make it just a little more 
>broad--seeing Faery Circles for what they are (not just a ring of stones), 
>for example.> 
> 
>Good idea. Would would the point costing be for this?  Would you do it as 
>Detect, made into a sense?  Would you require Discriminatory and Targeting? 
> 
>I wanted to have the power be just as vulnerable to flashes as Normal Sight, 
>ie. if she's blinded, then the "Fairy Sight" wouldn't work either, as she 
>needs her eyes to do it. 
 
That's tricky without a limitation.  Since you are calling it sight, I 
assume it is a sense, Discriminatory if you can tell the Faeries apart and 
Targeting because it is like sight.  For normal flashes to sight to affect 
it, it would have to have that limitation, Flashed by normal sight flashes. 
 Otherwise, only Faeries Sight flashes and flashes to the sight group would 
affect it. 
 
It is one of the few limitations on a sense I could call justified. 
 
  Joe 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 99 19:15:51  
From: "qts" <qts@nildram.co.uk> 
Subject: Re: Need some mechanics help 
 
On Sun, 10 Jan 1999 09:24:08 -0500, Lisa Hartjes wrote: 
 
>Hi!  I'm getting a character in one of my campaigns that has the ability to 
>see beings of Faerie - essentially, she can see anything that is typically 
>fairy-like.  She can see sprites, brownies, boggles, and any other creature 
>that is associated with this kind of creature.  Since most of the creatures 
>are invisible to people (except, traditionally, animals and children), would 
>Sense Fairy Being be enough to allow her to see through their invisibility? 
> 
>Or would it be better if I had her buy her normal sight with the advantages 
>of Interdimensional (fairy realm), as it can be said that the realm of fairy 
>exists alongside ours. 
 
Surely it's a standard Sense, Faerie, Ranged, Discriminatory, Always 
On? 
qts 
 
Home: qts@nildram.co.uk. 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 13:59:12 -0500 
From: Joe Mucchiello <why@superlink.net> 
Subject: Re: Paying for Equipment 
 
At 01:00 PM 1/10/99 -0500, Lisa Hartjes wrote: 
><<Remember, the price of everything is negotiable.  If you need to figure 
>out 
>how much something costs, role play it.  The personality of the seller is 
>probably the most important factor for determining cost in a FH setting 
>than in a high tech setting.>> 
> 
><sigh> Maybe it's because I'm a bookkeeper by training, but I really do like 
>to have at least a place to start to determine what an NPC would start off 
>asking for.  I mean, how much on average would a ring of invisibility be 
>worth?  Or a magical sword that increases your chances of hitting?  I just 
>need some place to start, and I'd rather not have to resort to T$R's 
>lists... 
 
But what is average?  How much effort went into making it?  How much did 
the wizard spend to become a wizard?  How much does he still owe his 
mentor?  How much does it cost the wizard to do his research?  In coin and 
in blood, sweat, tears?  How much does the individual wizard value his own 
blood, sweat, tears in relation to gold?  Are wizards a silver piece per 
dozen or are there only seven on the entire planet? 
 
Bleh.  But don't use TSR prices, especially from the 1st ed DMG, they are 
ridiculous and they are not balanced with how expensive things cost in HERO 
terms (AP). 
 
Try looking at it from this angle:  If a peasent earns about 4 gold pieces 
a year by toiling on a farm 18 hours a day, and your heroes have more than 
4 gold pieces to their names, then they are rich.  If a nobleman has 
several thousand serfs and taxes them 1 gold piece a head each year, and 
your heroes have more than several thousand gold pieces to their names, 
then they are filthy rich.  (This is based on various reading material that 
I cannot quote here, unfortuneately.) 
 
Assuming you haven't made that mistake, if a wizard could profit by 1000 GP 
from a ring of invisibility, why would he ever need to make more than one? 
He could retire instantly on selling the first one.  That means that the 
cost of materials dictates the cost of the ring.  Most craftsmen mark items 
up 100%, thus a ring that costs 1000 GP to make is going to cost 2000 GP to 
buy and the wizard will get that magic 1000 GP profit I warned about. 
Makes your head hurt, right? 
 
The problem with buying magic items is that they cost more than a fantasy 
economy can hold.  The GNP of a kindom (GKP?) is less than the normal 
profit a craftsman would take for creating the item.  (Where do dragons get 
thousands of gold pieces?) 
 
Personally, I would look at how much money they have and charge twice that 
amount for any magic item.  Why?  If the party has 100,000 GP, then any 
number of adventures have 100,000 GP, and since adventurers demand magic 
items, wizards can charge 200,000 GP for a ring of invisibility.  In fact, 
if the tone of your world is that the party's action have very little 
effect on the world, then there are many adventurers with even more money. 
Thus driving the demand up. 
 
Sorry, if that doesn't help.  Bob suggested Active Cost times Real Cost, 
which isn't a curve that I like but maybe its a jumping off point.  (I 
don't like the curve because generic powers cost Active Cost squared.  That 
just seems wrong to me.)  You might also try 1000 GP / primary power and 
start fudging from there. 
 
Good Luck, 
  Joe 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 10:29:37 -0500 (EST) 
From: Jason Sullivan <ravanos@njcu.edu> 
Subject: Mail 
 
	I haven't received mail in twho says previous to today (the 10th). 
 
	Was the list slow, or was my server dead? 
 
- -+-<-+->-+-<-+->-+-<-+->-+-<-+->-+-<-+->-+-<-+->-+-<-+->-+-<-+->-+-<-+->-+-<-+- 
"Fools are my theme, let satire be my song."  
	-Lord Byron; English Bards and Scotch Reviewers.  Line 6.  
- -=-_=_-=-_=_-=-_=_-=-_=_-=-_=_-=-_=_-=-_=_-=-_=_-=-_=_-=-_=_-=-_=_-=-_=_-=-_=_- 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 14:21:18 -0800 (PST) 
From: Dale Ward <daleaward@rocketmail.com> 
Subject: Maps To The Stars Homes... 
 
Greetings! 
 
     I need some information on an RPG called (I think) "Universe".  It had a 
ponderous character generation system and it was practically impossible to 
play, BUT... 
 
     It had MARVELOUS rules for designing stellar systems and a poster-sized 
star map with the Earth-Sol system at the center and X-Y-Z coordinates for all 
the stellar systems within a certain distance of Earth. By plugging the X-Y-Z 
coordinates into an equation, you could tell the distance between any two 
stars on the map. 
 
     I used to have this game, but lost it in one of my many moves. I'd love 
to be able to get another copy (just for the map and star systems), but I 
can't remember who published it. Can anyone help? 
 
Dale A. Ward 
 
_________________________________________________________ 
DO YOU YAHOO!? 
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 18:33:40 -0500 
From: "Robert A. West" <robtwest@erols.com> 
Subject: Re: Paying for Equipment 
 
Lisa Hartjes wrote: 
>  
 
> <sigh> Maybe it's because I'm a bookkeeper by training, but I really do like 
> to have at least a place to start to determine what an NPC would start off 
> asking for.  I mean, how much on average would a ring of invisibility be 
> worth?  Or a magical sword that increases your chances of hitting?  I just 
> need some place to start, and I'd rather not have to resort to T$R's 
> lists... 
>  
> Lisa 
 
If you can lay your hands on a copy of Chivalry and Sorcery, I would 
highly commend it as a basis for pricing in any Fantasy campaign, 
regardless of system.  The monetary system and price list for mundane 
items is based on actual medieval prices (albeit multiplied by a factor 
to avoid making four gold pieces a fortune).  IIRC, there is a suggested 
price list for magical items, with the caveat to players that YMMV.  Of 
course, you will probably need to convert to the monetary system in use 
in your world, based on a comparison of prices for things that you have 
established. 
 
Since C&S has a system for making magical items that helps quantify 
factors such as time to make, rarity and expense of materials, and 
external factors such as the need to make a fire wand under a fire-based 
astrological sign, you should be able to get some feel for what they had 
in mind. 
 
If I am wrong about there being suggested price lists for magical items, 
then at least their suggested income lists for mages and various other 
professions should help you determine price ratios. 
 
Robert A. West 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 17:37:56 -0600 
From: "Michael (Damon) & Peni Griffin" <griffin@txdirect.net> 
Subject: Re: Maps To The Stars Homes... 
 
At 02:21 PM 1/10/1999 -0800, Dale Ward wrote: 
>Greetings! 
> 
>     I need some information on an RPG called (I think) "Universe".  It had a 
>ponderous character generation system and it was practically impossible to 
>play, BUT... 
> 
>     It had MARVELOUS rules for designing stellar systems and a poster-sized 
>star map with the Earth-Sol system at the center and X-Y-Z coordinates for 
all 
>the stellar systems within a certain distance of Earth. By plugging the X-Y-Z 
>coordinates into an equation, you could tell the distance between any two 
>stars on the map. 
> 
>     I used to have this game, but lost it in one of my many moves. I'd love 
>to be able to get another copy (just for the map and star systems), but I 
>can't remember who published it. Can anyone help? 
 
I don't know the game, but I can supply you with the X-Y-Z coordinates for 
a great many stars, and the equation for calculating their separation. 
When I was setting up for last year's Star Hero campaign I did a mountain 
of research because I wanted to use the Real Universe as the campaign 
backdrop.  Much of the research was just reading library books or magazine 
articles, or downloading information from various web sites, but I did buy 
several books as well.  (It's a shame that campaign folded so quickly; I 
will want to polish it an try again one of these days, with another group 
of players.) 
 
One of the books I bought was Terry Kepner's "Proximity Zero" which not 
only gives information on the nearest 200 stars (40 light year radius from 
Earth) but also provides 36 pages of tables giving the distances between 
all the stars listed -- so for those 200 stars, the calculations have 
already been done for you.  This is a 92 page spiral bound book; at the 
time I ordered it, it was available from Terry Kepner, P.O. Box 428, 
Peterborough NH 03458.  I'm afraid I don't remember the price. 
 
The "SciFi - Arizona ASTROGATOR'S HANDBOOK" doesn't calculate all those 
distances for you, but it does extend the list of stars out to 50 LY.  It's 
downloadable from the website (www.scifi-az.com). 
 
Links I found useful in some way when setting up the campaign: 
 
3-D Starmaps (tons of linked stuff) 
http://www.clark.net/pub/nyrath/starmap.html 
 
NOTE: Among the space-related games listed on this site was UNIVERSE from 
SPI.  I can't tell if it's the same one you had, but it's described as 
coming with "a very nice fold-out 3-d starmap".  The Sentry Box in Canada 
lists one RPG item from SPI: Star Gate - 
http://www.sentrybox.com/games/roleplaying/games-rp19.html.  Can't tell if 
it's part of the Universe game or not.  (SPI #2346 $9.00 Canadian). 
 
 
Alien Planet Designer 
http://www.compulink.co.uk/~vicarage/planets/ 
 
Extrasolar Visions (Guide to planets beyond our solar system) 
http://www.jtwinc.com/Extrasolar/evmain.html 
 
Free Virtual Galaxy Project 
http://www.netwave.net/members/jrsmith/ 
 
Space Settlement 
http://members.aol.com/oscarcombs/settle.htm 
 
Home Planet Release 3.0 (astronomy freeware) 
http://www.fourmilab.ch/homeplanet/homeplanet.html 
 
There were many more, but some of the links seem to be dead now, and most 
of the others you can probably get to by branching off one of the above, or 
doing web searches...in other words, find 'em the same way I did.  :) 
 
If you do rediscover Universe, or even confirm the name and publisher of 
the game, please let me know.  I'd like to see the "MARVELOUS rules for 
designing stellar systems".  I don't mind searching for the game on my own, 
but I need to know for sure what I'm looking for; publisher would probably 
be of more help than the name (especially if the name really is something 
as generic as "Universe"). 
 
Good luck. 
 
Damon  
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 18:04:26 -0600 
From: "Melinda and Steven Mitchell" <mdmitche@advicom.net> 
Subject: Re: Need some mechanics help 
 
> From: Lisa Hartjes <beren@unforgettable.com> 
>  
> Steven Mitchell wrote: 
> <<I agree with Joe, except that I would call it "Witchsight", "Second 
> Sight", 
> or "The Sight"--depending on the campaign--and make it just a little more 
> broad--seeing Faery Circles for what they are (not just a ring of 
stones), 
> for example.> 
>  
> Good idea. Would would the point costing be for this?  Would you do it as 
> Detect, made into a sense?  Would you require Discriminatory and 
Targeting? 
 
It depends on the setting (and the various names above).  I'm building this 
roughly from some mythology I haven't read in a loooong time.  Besides, 
I've read an awful lot of modern retellings of Norse and Celtic myth 
lately, and they are starting to get inconsistent.  In any case, the 
different types are distinct, even if I've got the names and the details 
somewhat garbled.  So you guys cut me some slack if I get it wrong :-) 
 
Witchsight - just as the name implies, mages have it, but no one else does. 
 It's not terribly reliable, either--more like hearing than sight in its 
effectiveness.  Some of the older Celtic, Norse and Slavic myths feature 
this kind of sight.  Most Faery do not have it either, though they often 
have more experience detecting each other's tricks from other clues.  In 
such settings, magic is usually hereditary, though also recessive.  In 
fact, having Witchsight is the mark of the "magic gene" surfacing in a 
particular individual.  On the plus side, Witchsight can see not just 
Faery, but just about any illusion or invisible thing--presumably because 
these things are always Fey in nature.  In most stories, the mage has to 
specifically decide to use it--usually at the expense of his own sight.  
I'd buy it Detect Fey, Ranged, no normal sight while in use (-1 ?).  I'd 
also enforce (what I think is a house rule) that the base Detect starts at 
11- regardless of your PER.  In other words, more experienced mages might 
buy their PER up with this sense, but it is totally independent of their 
mundane PER and their INT.  Mages that aren't dumb as toast are also going 
to buy KS to help them identify what their Witchsight "sees". 
 
Second Sight - This shows up in some (Medieval) Romance period works.  I've 
always gotten the impression that they are mainly French, but this is just 
based on the style as translated into English.  (I can't read a word of 
modern French, never mind Old French.)  Also, many modern retellings of 
Celtic myth will use this, as Witchsight is apparently too limited some 
modern stories.  Second sight is very like witchsight, except that it is 
always available with normal sight, it works much like normal vision, and 
it is more widely distributed.  In fact, people born with this sight don't 
even think about it as a separate thing.  They see things with their normal 
vision that other do not.  From what colorblind people have told me, I 
imagine that it would be a very similar difference.  If you've got the 
sight, then you see things in a different way.  Perhaps it is also 
recessive, but is shows up in more people, and it apparently isn't a mark 
of other mage ability.  Mages always have it, but many people have it with 
no other talent.  It's common in the Fey, but not 100%.  I'd buy it Sense 
Fey, Ranged, Targeting.  I could go either way with Discriminatory, but I'd 
lean towards leaving it out.  Fey things are still odd and unique enough to 
require KS to tell what you are seeing.  Perhaps very powerful mages or 
elder Fey have Discriminatory, because they can see the patterns underlying 
all the Fey--i.e., any Fey thing they see they can understand.  Strangely 
enough, this sight is more limited in one respect, because Fey things are 
usually just one of many types of illusion or invisibility. 
 
The Sight - In modern works, this is often used as simply a synonym for 
"Second Sight".  In particulary, modern retellings of Norse myth will use 
this term.  Where I've seen a distinction made, it is usually felt that The 
Sight is something that anyone with any brains (or more often, imagination) 
can develop.  For example, this is why children can see Fey things--their 
imaginations will not automatically try to rationalize away what they see.  
It is the hallmark, not of mage ability, but a mage temperment--and why 
mages typically must start young.  That is why some bitter apprentices 
develop real ability, but will never become real mages--their masters can 
see that they have a fundamental block somewhere between their eyes and 
their brain.  So, The Sight is bought just like Second Sight, except that 
it is always Discriminatory.  Also, it makes sense (pardon the pun) to link 
it to the character's normal PER roll.  After all, this is just extending 
your own vision through intuition and imagination.  Finally, unlike the 
first two, The Sight typically encompasses all 5 senses.  In fact, many 
characters might develop the ability to sense Fey by smell or sound, long 
before they taught their eyes to belief what they see.  In this case, you 
would probably have to buy each sense separately--because if you are 
blinded, you cannot see Fey, but you can still use any other normal sense 
that you have learned to extend into the Fey realm.  It would be a very 
unusual Faery who did not have this sense.  He would be considered 
"retarded" (the way we once used the term) by other Faery, with very little 
inclination to consider him simply "sight impaired." 
 
> I wanted to have the power be just as vulnerable to flashes as Normal 
Sight, 
> ie. if she's blinded, then the "Fairy Sight" wouldn't work either, as she 
> needs her eyes to do it. 
 
I would just say that any sense sensed through the characters eyeballs is 
part of the "normal" sight group, no matter how abnormal the actual sense 
is.  So Flash bought to affect the normal sight group affects it. 
 
BTW, I bend the rules a little on Flash.  As I understand it, buying 1d6 
Flash against normal sight costs 10 points.  If one adds the entire sight 
group, it costs another 10.  OTOH, buy 1d6 Flash against normal hearing for 
10 points, then add the entire sight group for another 10.  What I do 
instead is say that if you extend the Flash from 1 sense to the entire 
group of that same sense, then it costs only 5 extra.  Or, if you prefer, 
it costs 15 points to buy 1d6 for an entire sense group.  (Obviously, if 
you are playing at higher point levels, this doesn't matter as much, 
because buying extra dice still only costs 10 points per die.) 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 20:06:02 -0500 
From: Ross Rannells <rossrannells@worldnet.att.net> 
Subject: Re: Need some mechanics help 
 
Lisa Hartjes wrote: 
 
> Hi!  I'm getting a character in one of my campaigns that has the ability to 
> see beings of Faerie - essentially, she can see anything that is typically 
> fairy-like.  She can see sprites, brownies, boggles, and any other creature 
> that is associated with this kind of creature.  Since most of the creatures 
> are invisible to people (except, traditionally, animals and children), would 
> Sense Fairy Being be enough to allow her to see through their invisibility? 
> 
> Or would it be better if I had her buy her normal sight with the advantages 
> of Interdimensional (fairy realm), as it can be said that the realm of fairy 
> exists alongside ours. 
> 
> Or would it just be a GM's call?  :) 
> 
> What would you do? 
> 
> Lisa Hartjes 
> 
> beren@unforgettable.com 
> http://roswell.fortunecity.com/daniken/79 
> ICQ:  Berengiere (9062561) 
> 
> "Klingons, demons, what's the difference?" 
 
Sense Fairy Folke as a sight sence.  Depending on how useful the sence is 
it would eigher be a 5 or 10 point power. 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 19:03:30 -0600 
From: "Daffy" <tethys@execpc.com> 
Subject: Re: Maps To The Stars Homes... 
 
the gam is Universe, and yes it was SPI... 
 
been out of print forever.. I also used to own it, but similarly lost it in 
a move.. If anyone finds a copy, let me know too. please? :) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- -----Original Message----- 
From: Michael (Damon) & Peni Griffin <griffin@txdirect.net> 
To: champ-l@sysabend.org <champ-l@sysabend.org> 
Date: Sunday, January 10, 1999 6:32 PM 
Subject: Re: Maps To The Stars Homes... 
 
 
>At 02:21 PM 1/10/1999 -0800, Dale Ward wrote: 
>>Greetings! 
>> 
>>     I need some information on an RPG called (I think) "Universe".  It 
had a 
>>ponderous character generation system and it was practically impossible to 
>>play, BUT... 
>> 
>>     It had MARVELOUS rules for designing stellar systems and a 
poster-sized 
>>star map with the Earth-Sol system at the center and X-Y-Z coordinates for 
>all 
>>the stellar systems within a certain distance of Earth. By plugging the 
X-Y-Z 
>>coordinates into an equation, you could tell the distance between any two 
>>stars on the map. 
>> 
>>     I used to have this game, but lost it in one of my many moves. I'd 
love 
>>to be able to get another copy (just for the map and star systems), but I 
>>can't remember who published it. Can anyone help? 
> 
>I don't know the game, but I can supply you with the X-Y-Z coordinates for 
>a great many stars, and the equation for calculating their separation. 
>When I was setting up for last year's Star Hero campaign I did a mountain 
>of research because I wanted to use the Real Universe as the campaign 
>backdrop.  Much of the research was just reading library books or magazine 
>articles, or downloading information from various web sites, but I did buy 
>several books as well.  (It's a shame that campaign folded so quickly; I 
>will want to polish it an try again one of these days, with another group 
>of players.) 
> 
>One of the books I bought was Terry Kepner's "Proximity Zero" which not 
>only gives information on the nearest 200 stars (40 light year radius from 
>Earth) but also provides 36 pages of tables giving the distances between 
>all the stars listed -- so for those 200 stars, the calculations have 
>already been done for you.  This is a 92 page spiral bound book; at the 
>time I ordered it, it was available from Terry Kepner, P.O. Box 428, 
>Peterborough NH 03458.  I'm afraid I don't remember the price. 
> 
>The "SciFi - Arizona ASTROGATOR'S HANDBOOK" doesn't calculate all those 
>distances for you, but it does extend the list of stars out to 50 LY.  It's 
>downloadable from the website (www.scifi-az.com). 
> 
>Links I found useful in some way when setting up the campaign: 
> 
>3-D Starmaps (tons of linked stuff) 
>http://www.clark.net/pub/nyrath/starmap.html 
> 
>NOTE: Among the space-related games listed on this site was UNIVERSE from 
>SPI.  I can't tell if it's the same one you had, but it's described as 
>coming with "a very nice fold-out 3-d starmap".  The Sentry Box in Canada 
>lists one RPG item from SPI: Star Gate - 
>http://www.sentrybox.com/games/roleplaying/games-rp19.html.  Can't tell if 
>it's part of the Universe game or not.  (SPI #2346 $9.00 Canadian). 
> 
> 
>Alien Planet Designer 
>http://www.compulink.co.uk/~vicarage/planets/ 
> 
>Extrasolar Visions (Guide to planets beyond our solar system) 
>http://www.jtwinc.com/Extrasolar/evmain.html 
> 
>Free Virtual Galaxy Project 
>http://www.netwave.net/members/jrsmith/ 
> 
>Space Settlement 
>http://members.aol.com/oscarcombs/settle.htm 
> 
>Home Planet Release 3.0 (astronomy freeware) 
>http://www.fourmilab.ch/homeplanet/homeplanet.html 
> 
>There were many more, but some of the links seem to be dead now, and most 
>of the others you can probably get to by branching off one of the above, or 
>doing web searches...in other words, find 'em the same way I did.  :) 
> 
>If you do rediscover Universe, or even confirm the name and publisher of 
>the game, please let me know.  I'd like to see the "MARVELOUS rules for 
>designing stellar systems".  I don't mind searching for the game on my own, 
>but I need to know for sure what I'm looking for; publisher would probably 
>be of more help than the name (especially if the name really is something 
>as generic as "Universe"). 
> 
>Good luck. 
> 
>Damon 
> 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 20:21:14 -0500 
From: Kim Foster <nexus@uky.campus.mci.net> 
Subject: Need help for character design 
 
I'm trying to design a villianess named Contagion. Her primary power is that 
she can change the genetic structure of anyone she an touch, inducing powers 
(and a grotesqupe mutanted appearance). She can tailor these powers and the 
longer seh touches her target, the more extenive changes she can make. Any 
suggestions?  
 
 
Oh! Its all hot and sticky. 
Is this blood? Nice.... 
	Lillith-Darkstalkers 3 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 17:39:47 -0800 
From: Christopher Taylor <ctaylor@viser.net> 
Subject: Re: Maps To The Stars Homes... 
 
>  I need some information on an RPG called (I think) "Universe".  It had a 
>ponderous character generation system and it was practically impossible to 
>play, BUT... 
> 
>     It had MARVELOUS rules for designing stellar systems and a poster-sized 
>star map with the Earth-Sol system at the center and X-Y-Z coordinates for 
all 
>the stellar systems within a certain distance of Earth. By plugging the X-Y-Z 
>coordinates into an equation, you could tell the distance between any two 
>stars on the map. 
 
I remember that game!! it had a terrific system for stellar systems, I wish 
I had it still, SPI put it out, it rocked... the robot rules and tech level 
stuff was terrific too, but it sort of vanished (like DragonQuest.. also a 
great game system ahead of its time). 
 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Sola Gracia		Sola Scriptura		Sola Fide 
Soli Gloria Deo    	Solus Christus		Corum Deo 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 17:42:28 -0800 
From: Christopher Taylor <ctaylor@viser.net> 
Subject: Re: Paying for Equipment 
 
>> <sigh> Maybe it's because I'm a bookkeeper by training, but I really do 
like 
>> to have at least a place to start to determine what an NPC would start off 
>> asking for.  I mean, how much on average would a ring of invisibility be 
>> worth?  Or a magical sword that increases your chances of hitting?  I just 
>> need some place to start, and I'd rather not have to resort to T$R's 
>> lists... 
>>  
>If you can lay your hands on a copy of Chivalry and Sorcery, I would 
>highly commend it as a basis for pricing in any Fantasy campaign, 
>regardless of system.  The monetary system and price list for mundane 
>items is based on actual medieval prices (albeit multiplied by a factor 
>to avoid making four gold pieces a fortune).  
 
Actually in my monetary system 4 gold IS quite a lot.  The basic monetary 
unit is copper, silver being 10 times that and gold 100 times silver (i.e. 
1 gold = 1000 copper).  If you get a gold, you got a lot :)  Copper is 
roughly a dollar, in our world. 
 
I charge a silver per active point cost of an item for base magic item 
value, but you know... few people sell items, cause they are like heirlooms 
and treasures for anyone.  Especially the guy who spent XPS makin it. 
 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Sola Gracia		Sola Scriptura		Sola Fide 
Soli Gloria Deo    	Solus Christus		Corum Deo 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 19:35:47 -0600 
From: "Michael (Damon) & Peni Griffin" <griffin@txdirect.net> 
Subject: Re: Maps To The Stars Homes...Part II 
 
More stuff that might be of some use, especially if Universe remains elusive: 
 
According to one website I ran across this evening, Decision Games has 
republished several SPI titles; however a visit to the Decision Games 
website suggests they only publish wargames (http://decisiongames.com/). 
 
The same website I visited above notes "Desert Fox Games carries many 
out-of-print SPI titles. They're at 42156 10th St West, Lancaster, CA 
93534, phone 805-723-2088. But they charge a steep premium for them."  No 
email address or URL was given for Desert Fox Games.  But again, the 
company name suggests they'd be into wargames, not sci-fi RPGs. 
 
A different site mentions Universe along with other games that feature 
reality-based starmaps: 
 
"The Near Star List and Map in Traveller:2300 
 
Maps of the stars have long been of interest to science fiction 
game designers and players. Because state-of-the-art games 
and simulations depend upon the quality of the information 
they present, there is strong pressure from the marketplace to 
produce maps that accurately represent the neighborhood of 
Sol. 
 
 
Previous Maps 
 
Triplanetary (GDW, 1973) started the modern realistic genre 
of science fiction games with a vector movement structure set 
in the solar system. The map in Triplanetary used a hexagon 
grid and an astrology text to place the planets for the year 
2000. Stellar Conquest (Metagaming Concepts, 1974) was an 
interstellar exploration and warfare game which sidestepped 
the problem of true stellar positions by setting its situation in a 
hypothetical globular cluster. Star Force (Simulation 
Publications, Inc., 1975) produced a 3D map of stars within 30 
light years of Sol and touted it as the most accurate map yet 
produced. However, no supporting data was produced and 
some starnames on the map were obscure or fanciful. 
Universe (SPI, 1982) upgraded and revised the Star Force 
map, but it still lacked a solid source listing for its stars. 
Imperium (GDW, 1977) produced a 2D map of the region 
near Sol which became less accurate with distance (although 
at least one reviewer was taken in and marveled at its 
accuracy). Taveller (GDW, 1977) used the Imperium map as 
the basis for its Solomani Rim (GDW, 1982) maps of portions 
of an interstellar empire in the far future. 
 
Traveller:2300 
 
The decision (in 1985) by GDW to proceed with the design of 
a science fiction role-playing game using state-of-the-art 
gaming rules created a requirement for a state-of-the-art stellar 
environment as well. The underlying philosophy of the game 
was established as "playable realism," and a realistic star map 
was considered absolutely necessary. 
 
The basic reference for near star data is W. Gliese's Catalog 
of Nearby Stars, 1969. Naturally, we went to that first, and 
the catalog was keyboarded into a series of Apple II + DOS 
3.3 data files, proofread, and then transferred to a Macintosh. 
During transfer, stars at a distance of greater than 50 light 
years were eliminated. 
 
MacSpin (TM) was the essential program for this project, and 
it was an invaluable resource; it allowed projection of the star 
points onto a Macintosh screen to produce a 3D image of 
space within 50 light years of Earth and then rotating it to 
discover the details of stellar locations. Using MacSpin (TM) 
we produced a view of the nearby universe as if looking down 
on it from a distant point. That view (an XY plot) was 
produced and saved as a MacPaint file, then blown up using 
Poster Maker and individual star names were added. Stars 
were size coded based on height in the Z axis. The final 
poster-sized map was printed out on an Imagewriter, taped 
together, and sent to the GDW art department. 
 
The GDW art department executed the map, color coding 
stars according to spectral class, and producing size codes 
based on height on the Z axis. The final product was produced 
as a poster map measuring 22 by 25 inches. At the same time, 
the data files were sorted alphabetically by star name, 
formatted and transferred to a Compugraphic typesetting 
system for final production. The data was then printed as an 
eight-page list of near star data. But don't think the project was 
easy; it consumed nearly two months of effort on the part of a 
designer and a typist, and that doesn't count the further work 
performed by the art department to finish it off. 
 
The result was not only a beautiful map of the space around 
Earth; it is the most accurate map of nearby stars ever 
produced. The Near Star Map from Traveller:2300 shows, to 
the best that modern science can determine, what space is 
actually like within 50 light years of Earth. Because true 
spatial relationships are maintained, you can tell at a glance 
what stars are near what other stars, and which ones have no 
real connections. 
 
Near Star List on Computer Media 
 
The data on the Near Star List and in the Near Star List is is 
also available in the following forms: 
 
Apple II + Text Files: Two DOS 3.3 disks containing 19 files 
with the basic data formatted for random access. A file editor 
(Basic language) is included on each disk. A file printer 
(configured for MX-80) is also included. Use of the data will 
require some knowledge of AplleSoft Basic. These files 
contain the entire list of stars from Gliese's Catalog of Nearby 
Stars. They are in rougher shape than the Macintosh files 
(below), and contain some typographical errors (primarily in 
names). 
 
Macintosh Files: One Macintosh 400k disk contains files for 
MacWrite, MDS Edit (also accessible by other applications), 
Record Holder, and MacSpin. It also contains supporting 
documentation in MacWrite files. 
 
The MacWrite file is used for printing out the basic data. The 
Record Holder file is used for data base purposes. The MDS 
Edit is a generic text file which can be accessed by other 
applications (we used ZBasic for this sort of work). The 
MacSpin file is used with MacSpin, a three-dimensional 
graphical data analyzer. The disk contains only data files, no 
applications or system files are included. 
 
These files are a subset of the Apple files (only stars with a 
distance of 50 light years or less are included). They have 
been edited to correct errors as they were found. Star names 
have been checked, and correct constellation names included 
where possible. 
 
The Traveller:2300 game system required some fanciful 
names; actual catalog names are appended to the fanciful 
names in the data listings. 
 
                                      -Marc W. Miller" 
 
 
Quoted text above was lifted verbatim from -- 
http://www2.crosswinds.net/anchorage/~stevec/t2300dn2.htm#TNSL&MITT 
 
Damon 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 20:57:57 -0600 (CST) 
From: gilberg@ou.edu 
Subject: A Good Shopping Excursion 
 
        I stopped in at a Game Store in S. Oklahoma City today as I was in 
that area anyway.  I knew they had a great selection of games, including 
used stuff.  While going through their old used Hero products, I came upon a 
copy of Champions, 1st edition.  (I think 1st printing, copywrite 1981.) 
Only $1.95.  It is now a part of my collection. 
 
 
                                                -Tim Gilberg 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 22:30:24 EST 
From: llwatts@juno.com (Leah L Watts) 
Subject: Re: Need some mechanics help 
 
><<I agree with Joe, except that I would call it "Witchsight", 
"SecondSight", 
>or "The Sight"--depending on the campaign--and make it just a little 
more 
>broad--seeing Faery Circles for what they are (not just a ring of 
stones), 
>for example.> 
> 
>Good idea. Would would the point costing be for this?  Would you do it 
as 
>Detect, made into a sense?  Would you require Discriminatory and  
>Targeting? 
 
I know many people don't like the spirit rules, but you could probably 
extrapolate from either Astral Vision or Aura Vision to do what you want 
- -- either way, it would be a flat 10 points.  Since it's defined as 
vision, Flash vs. sight would take it out. 
 
Leah 
 
___________________________________________________________________ 
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. 
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html 
or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 22:30:38 -0500 
From: "Dave Mattingly" <dave@haymaker.win.net> 
Subject: Re: Paying for Equipment 
 
>>Does it say anywhere how to figure out the money cost for high tech items? 
> 
>If anyone ever does a 4th/5th edition Gadgets update, perhaps it will be 
>covered there...Bob? Dave?  Will you take a stab at this in The Ultimate 
>Gadgeteer? 
 
 
It will definitely be covered (probably more than one way to do it, with 
pros and cons of each) in TUG. 
 
Bob and I have discussed this, but I can't remember the outcome and I have 
to give my new hard drive this week before I can look at my notes. But one 
good method that I saw somewhere (can't remember where without checking) was 
to base the cost on the Real Points times some base amount, times the 
tech/restriction level. 
 
So, for example, a pistol (RP = 8) might cost $800 in a modern campaign, or 
$8000 in a restricted zone (if you know where to buy it), or $80,000 in 
medieval times (where it's even harder to find!). 
 
 
 
 
Dave Mattingly 
http://haymaker.org 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 22:59:40 -0500 
From: "Lisa Hartjes" <beren@unforgettable.com> 
Subject: Re: Maps To The Stars Homes... 
 
<<the gam is Universe, and yes it was SPI... 
 
been out of print forever.. I also used to own it, but similarly lost it in 
a move.. If anyone finds a copy, let me know too. please? :)>> 
 
*I* have a copy of 2nd ed. in my hot little hands, complete with fold-out 
map. :) 
 
You have no idea how long I've waited to be able to say that I have a game 
that someone is looking for.  <big grin> 
 
 
Lisa 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 22:31:43 -0500 
From: "Ronald A. Miller" <rabmiller@email.msn.com> 
Subject: Re: A Good Shopping Excursion 
 
Nicely done :) 
BTW, Hero Lite is quite pathetic before the expanded skill system, eh?  But 
those basic days did have a charm all their own.  If you can get any of the 
original Enemies, get them.  I've always liked "Frisbee"  :D 
 
Miller 
 
 
> 
>        I stopped in at a Game Store in S. Oklahoma City today as I was in 
>that area anyway.  I knew they had a great selection of games, including 
>used stuff.  While going through their old used Hero products, I came upon 
a 
>copy of Champions, 1st edition.  (I think 1st printing, copywrite 1981.) 
>Only $1.95.  It is now a part of my collection. 
> 
> 
>                                                -Tim Gilberg 
> 
 
------------------------------ 
 
End of champ-l-digest V1 #128 
***************************** 


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