From: Leif Magnar Kjønnøy [leifmk@pvv.ntnu.no] Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 9:16 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Help please... On Sat, 13 Jan 2001, Pawel Daruk wrote: > Ah I have another question. > We observe a drastic change of human height in the recent decades. How > tall/heavy are people in 2199? The 20th century statistical increase in height and body mass in the prosperous parts of the world is due to better public health and better (or at least more protein-rich) nutrition. This has already been taken pretty much to its limit in western Europe and North America and other places, we're not going to get any larger around here (except maybe sideways if we keep eating too much, or unless we begin taking extra growth hormones in our breakfast cereal or something). In Blue Planet's twenty-second century there are plenty of prosperous areas where people will be well-fed and large, and there are other areas where malnutrition and diseases are quite common. So I'd say that "natural" humans will span about the same range of sizes as they do now. The big exceptions come from genetic engineering, and from growing up in an extraterrestrial environment (it is usually assumed that growing up in less gravity would cause someone to grow taller and thinner than he would on Earth). Two hundred years isn't long enough for natural evolution to do much, but in the world of Blue Planet there have been genetically altered humans and not-quite-humans running around for well over 100 years, and both the Moon and Mars have been inhabited for a while. As for genetic engineering, I think that while different types of genies will tend to different specific body sizes (for instance, Transhumans are probably often tall because that's considered attractive), none of them will be outside the range we consider normal today. I'm pretty sure we won't be seeing engineered giants, for instance; human bodies just don't work very well on Earth if they grow much above 2 m tall (people suffering from growth-related disorders often have serious health problems because of their size; most famous "giants" throughout history have died young). *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Thomas Jeenicke [Thomas_Jeenicke@public.uni-hamburg.de] Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 6:42 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - More "contents" please! Hello again! I haven't had much time to occupy myself with First Colony, but from what I have seen so far I'm - as usual - quite pleased. I do have a complaint, though - a complaint concerning all BP books, in fact. The table of contents are too short. It is nice that every book has an index, but that index does only help when you know exactly what your are looking for, e.g. if you know the name of the adventure you'd like to take a look in right now (without consulting the index or simply flipping through the book). While this circumstance is no big deal concerning FC (not a big book, after all), it gets really annoying with the Moderator's Guide. It is especially difficult to find one's way inside the first chapter. Take example by [is that grammatically correct?] the various GURPS supplements: They all have a detailed table of contents and an index. This is, of course, only a formal complaint. On the "material" side, the BP books are first quality! Thomas Oops, almost forgot: welcome to all new list members! *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Andrew Ragland [araglan@us.ibm.com] Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 11:21 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - New Campaign for Kids I'm starting up a new campaign for homeschooler kids, ages roughly 7 - 13. The group looks to be 7 or 8 kids. We'll be meeting weekly. I'm using Blue Planet as an educational tool, to foster research, report writing and peer teaching skills, and to foster an interest in science. The players will get skill levels for their characters by turning in reports on the appropriate subject or related subject, with a good report earning 1 skill level, an excellent 2 levels and an extraordinary 3 levels. I'll allow skill level buy-up for skills used in-game only. Any suggestions, advice from people who have done something similar, recommendations of online resources, etc.? Andrew Ragland Information Hunter/Gatherer: Explorer, Mapmaker, Guide araglan@us.ibm.com t/l 348-6665 ph (847) 240-6665 Skytel 1731111 "It is our choices ... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -- A. Dumbledore *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: necrobob [necrobob@mail.compfxnet.com] Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 12:16 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - New Campaign for Kids >I'm starting up a new campaign for homeschooler kids, ages roughly 7 - 13. >The group looks to be 7 or 8 kids. We'll be meeting weekly. I'm using Blue >Planet as an educational tool, to foster research, report writing and peer >teaching skills, and to foster an interest in science. Wow. Sounds pretty cool, actually. The lack of anything resembling magic and the fact that it's a hard SF setting should help keep any fundamentalist whackos off your back. }-> Ya know, we've been hearing for years from psychologists that role-playing and pretend play are excellent tools for teaching and child development. Of course, this doesn't mean RPGs, but still, in essence it's all kinda the same thing. Although I'm not a teacher, I have a bunch of friends and family who are or are planning to be, so I get interested in this kind of stuff. Let us know how this works out. >"It is our choices ... that show what we truly are, far more than our >abilities." >-- A. Dumbledore Appropriate quote. }-> -Necromancer Bob *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Wil [dreamweaver@keyway.net] Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 3:11 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - New Campaign for Kids > Ya know, we've been hearing for years from psychologists that role-playing and pretend play are excellent tools for teaching and child development. Of course, this doesn't mean RPGs, but still, in essence it's all kinda the same thing. Although I'm not a teacher, I have a bunch of friends and family who are or are planning to be, so I get interested in this kind of stuff. Let us know how this works out. Actually, the organization for honors teachers/programs (used to be GATE, could be anything by now) has endorsed roleplaying games for years. "Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?" Dreams of Flesh & Spirit: http://www.atomicrumpusroom.net/tribe8/ The Datacore: http://www.atomicrumpusroom.net/jovianchronicles/ *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Iceman [iceman@exlibris.freeserve.co.uk] Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 5:56 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Seasoned Veteran (Gaming that is!) I've just recently joined the list but I have been gaming for ... a while lets say. I bought the first edition of Blue Planet and it was interesting but just didn't have the spark that the second editions have. All the books so far have been excellent and I am sure First Colony will be up to the mark. I am working on my own website at the moment and it will most definitely have a Blue Planet page. I am more of a gearhead that adventure writer so with any luck I will be uploading tech with a military/ heavy equipment bent. John Robertson - Hey! That looks like a mis... - *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Gareth Hanrahan [hanrahag@iol.ie] Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 8:15 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Powered armour Nicked this off the Nobilis list.... > BBC News | SCI/TECH | The military get mightier: > http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1112000/1112411.stm Gar http://www.irishgaming.com/warpcon http://chrysanthemumRoad.tripod.com - L5R fansite http://www.commcore.f2s.com/oceanview - Blue Planet fansite *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Atti2dboy@aol.com Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 9:45 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Seasoned Veteran (Gaming that is!) In a message dated 1/15/01 3:01:18 PM, iceman@exlibris.freeserve.co.uk writes: >I am more of a gearhead that adventure writer so with >any luck I will be uploading tech with a military/ >heavy equipment bent. Welcome fellow gearhead! I look forward to your infernal machines. :-) Rich "Chaos, panic, & disorder - my work here is done." *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: ChrisTheS [stormsurge@stormsurge.org] Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 10:01 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Hello, Ideas and stuff > The focus of the one off was a hovercraft crash with the group rescued and > housed at a native settlement. Things were fine until one of the outsiders > found some Long John and then was murdered (and the colony rescue teams were > still five days away due to lack of satellite communications here). I'm > working on a more detailed access denied for it. Where would be a good > place to submit this, is there anywhere? RE: Well, I'll do a shameless plug here... www.stormsurge.org. We're always willing to accept new adventures/campaign plans/tech specs/NPCs/you name it. Just send anything you want to me, and so long as it's Blue Planet-related (and within the amount of server space I have), I'll host it. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: ChrisTheS [stormsurge@stormsurge.org] Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 10:05 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - New Campaign for Kids Ah... one of the reasons I ought to become a teacher. Except that if I did I'd be poor. OK, forget that. Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions or advice, except to offer the opinion of a student (me) that it's a good idea. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andrew Ragland" To: Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 9:21 AM Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - New Campaign for Kids > I'm starting up a new campaign for homeschooler kids, ages roughly 7 - 13. > The group looks to be 7 or 8 kids. We'll be meeting weekly. I'm using Blue > Planet as an educational tool, to foster research, report writing and peer > teaching skills, and to foster an interest in science. The players will get > skill levels for their characters by turning in reports on the appropriate > subject or related subject, with a good report earning 1 skill level, an > excellent 2 levels and an extraordinary 3 levels. I'll allow skill level > buy-up for skills used in-game only. Any suggestions, advice from people > who have done something similar, recommendations of online resources, etc.? > > > Andrew Ragland > Information Hunter/Gatherer: Explorer, Mapmaker, Guide > araglan@us.ibm.com t/l 348-6665 ph (847) 240-6665 Skytel 1731111 > "It is our choices ... that show what we truly are, far more than our > abilities." > -- A. Dumbledore > > *************************************************************************** > To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com > with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message.