From: John M. Kahane [jkahane@comnet.ca] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 5:31 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Rogues On Tue, 12 May 1998 10:53:03 EDT, Disturbnce wrote: >> So, do you have any rogues that you'd like to share with >> folks? I'll be creating a couple of pages for my BLUE PLANET website >> which will have characters submitted to me by players and others. >Give me a few days to get the sheet worked up in VISIO, so I can have JPGs of >the character sheets available, and I'll post the URL when they're up. Okay, that's cool. You can even send stuff to me in e-mail at the address noted in my signature below. I prefer text files, since that makes them real easy to convert to HTML, but whatever works as long as I can see it. :) ... "If the computer came up with it, it must be true." - Nathan Spring (SC) JohnK jkahane@comnet.ca http://www.comnet.ca/~jkahane *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Disturbnce [Disturbnce@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 0:54 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Game Supplements In a message dated 98-05-13 13:44:25 EDT, you write: > (And while I'm piping up here, just wanted to say, hi Andrew R., welcome > to the BP list; you'll find that the flame level is pretty low around > here. Methinks that the Earthdawn list is showing it's age...) Hey, Dan. Glad to see a familiar .sig around here. Yeah, the ED list is getting on, isn't it, in online terms? Just wait, BP will see its first flameware before the year is out... :) ObBP: What's the chances of a Tech book being on the list of upcoming products? A game like this cries out for a book chock-full of weapons, spacecraft, submersibles, computers, medlab gear, mining equipment, deep-sea drilling rigs, pressure dome floor plans, all that kind of stuff. Oh, gosh... Fluid Mechanics is already on the list, isn't it? I really should read all my mail before writing this stuff. So what's going to be in this fabled and foretold tome? Andrew *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: John M. Kahane [jkahane@comnet.ca] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 5:02 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Competence Levels On Mon, 11 May 1998 17:34:48 -0600, Greg Benage wrote: >The point is, if your character has competent levels in the >above skills, he or she can do oceanography; it's certainly >possible to create an oceanographer in BP, it'll just >require knowledge of more than one skill. This actually raises another question. Having recently looked through BLUE PLANET again, I can't find any indication of the actual competence levels for skills at given percentages. As an example, what skill percentage makes you a World Expert on the subject? Any chance of the Jeff or Greg giving us a table listing these levels of expertise for BLUE PLANET? ... One good thing about pain: it proves you're alive. JohnK jkahane@comnet.ca http://www.comnet.ca/~jkahane *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: John M. Kahane [jkahane@comnet.ca] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 4:58 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Oceanography Debate On Mon, 11 May 1998 17:34:48 -0600, Greg Benage wrote: >>John M. Kahane wrote: >>> Why is is for a game system that deals with a waterworld, >>> there is no skill called Oceanography? :) >>Yes, I missed something like that, too. There is Geology, for example, and >>Meteorology, if I remember right. But both do not cover the special >knowledge required >>for a water world, which would mostly include water currents, salt content, >>temperature, etc. >Obviously, Jeff can offer a more decisive answer to this question, but as >far as I know, oceanography is an intensively interdisciplinary field. It >integrates geology, physics, chemistry, meteorology, and biology. When >developing a skill list, you have to be careful to ask yourself whether >something is a distinct skill, a specialized application of a skill, or an >amalgamation of other skills. I think oceanography qualifies as the latter, >as do some other notable exceptions from the skill list, such as "hunting" >(stealth, tracking, longarms, orienteering, etc.). I've also just seen Jeff's post about this, Greg, and would have to agree with this on the basis of his reasoning. When it comes down to the integration of the various skills you list for Oceanography, however, it would seem to me to make sense to have both Biology and Marine Biology in there. >The point is, if your character has competent levels in the above >skills, he or she can do oceanography; it's certainly possible to >create an oceanographer in BP, it'll just require knowledge of more >than one skill. This brings up the question of the Munchkinism in gaming, you know. If I have to buy 30 percentage points in each of the skills listed above, it means that I'm suffering when it comes down to it since I could purchase Oceanography (the single skill) at 120%. However, I do see the logic of the argument here. And yes, it does help. :) ... Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. JohnK jkahane@comnet.ca http://www.comnet.ca/~jkahane *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: John M. Kahane [jkahane@comnet.ca] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 5:23 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Market Exposure On Mon, 11 May 1998 23:47:14 -0400 (EDT), tun kai poh wrote: >> Yes, that's certainly true. Most gaming stores are like that, >> especially given the whole "high profile" nature of companies like >> TSR, WotC, WW, and some of the others. You would think that game >> store owners would wantt he smaller companies to start selling their >> products, and that would require a more prominent place on the >> shelves. Truth is, of course, that most game store owners want to >> make money. The bigger companies' stuff sells; the littler >> companies' stuff doesn't. That's the market truth, to some extent. >It's still possible to overcome this by producing enough supplements to get >your game into the view of the public. Hollistic did it by putting out lots of >supplements for Fading Suns, on a regular basis. Although many stores in my >area don't carry Fading Suns, those which do carry lots of it, thanks to the >diversity of product. FADING SUNS has been on the market now since June or July of 1996. They've been pulishing stuff in the past year on a one product per two months basis, although they do delay products if the quality is not up to what they want or sometimes for other reasons. There is also the fact that products for a game have to be good quality products in order for the fans to appreciate them and continue buying them, especially at the gaming prices today. Most of the rest of your comments above I agree with. >The point is this: people are more willing to order a game if it looks healthy. >If there are plenty of supplements out there on the shelves, it's more of a >prospect than some obscure game sitting alone out there with no support for it. That's certainly true. However, if the products for a game aren't quality, fans will drop the game in the long run and move on to another game. I've seen this more times than not. Mind you, there are exceptions to this rule as well. :) >[rant ON] >That's why Archipelago should've been in the making long ago, and should have >been out earlier. Even with any setbacks from late freelancers, Biohazard ought >to have had backup plans to make sure it came out not more than six months >after the main book. It took them years to get the first book out, but there >should be a learning curve at work: it's expected that the next book shouldn't >take a whole year to put out, and it's already been more than ten months! While >we fans can wait patiently, the market might not be so forgiving. This is certainly all true, although based on the conversation I had with Jeff a couple of days ago, the circumstances surrounding the postponement of ARCHIPELAGO from November of last year had really solid reasons. But you're right about the book being out in six months to take advantage of the market for the game. I've had folks come into the store and see BLUE PLANET on the shelves...they won't buy it, however, when I tell them that there isn't another supplement for game out yet, because they feel there's no support for the game. Hopefully, that will change in June. :) >At this point, it's a good idea to produce the GM screen as soon as possible, >because it wouldn't require as much work as a whole new supplement. It won't >take that much effort to reprint all the helpful tables in one place; most of >the work will probably go into the new illustration for the screen and the >Access Denied book. This way, the company can get a third Blue Planet product >into stores that much sooner. Agreed, and this will be an excellent move on the part of the company. >As for me, I'll keep waiting for Archipelago, as long as it takes, and I'm >happy with Undercurrents, but I'd be much happier to see Biohazard support its >sole games line with saleable products that keep Blue Planet visible in stores. I can't argue with this, being both a gamer and a bookstore owner who happens to sell some rpgs Iincluding BLUE PLANET) in his store. :) ... "The universe will reboot in 5 seconds...this is a recording...." JohnK jkahane@comnet.ca http://www.comnet.ca/~jkahane *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: John M. Kahane [jkahane@comnet.ca] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 5:09 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? On Mon, 11 May 1998 20:31:18 EDT, BIOHZD wrote: >Greg is exactly right. Many *apparent* skills are actually an amalgamation of >other, more basic areas of knowledge. To include every possible discipline in >a game's skill list dillutes the whole, making each skill less distinctive. In >terms of game play, this makes chosing the appropriate skill for a task much >more arbitrary and reduces the unique contribution each type of profession can >bring to a party. I agree with this to some extent, but it makes it a lot more convenient to have the Oceanography skill or Marine Biology skill in the system, and have your players go, "Good, I can take Oceanography without having to give this all that much thought" and then worry about other skills they want to take. You're right about the lack of distinctiveness, but at the same time, why Farming and Aquaculture as separate skills instead of just taking three or four skills to come up with the Aquaculture agregate (as I now refer to such things as Oceanography)? >Regarding an oceanography skill specifically, as an oceanography teacher I can >assure you that in reality the science is an amalgamation of geology, >chemistry, physics, biology and meteorology - all skill fount on BP's list. In >fact, Oceanography at most universities is a *gut course*, and though way >cool, it is typically a rock for jocks class. If a person actually studies to >become an oceanographer, they spend the majority of their time in various >classes from the above dicsiplines - I did ; ). That's as good a reason as any I can find not to add the Oceanography skill. I think it's a matter of perspective, but so are skills like Marine Biology and Ecology, both of which aren't in the system, either. :) >In the final analysis though, game design demands a compromise between reality >and practical playability, and that is what guided our choice of skills in BP. Naturally. l wouldn't have expected anything less. :) >The really cool thing is however, that if you want oceanography as a >skill...hey...BP is your game so toss it in there! Personaly, I'm still upset >that Greg made me take take underwater basket weaving off the skill list - >talk about *applicable* to life on Poseidon! ; ) LOL!! :) I have to remember this one! For those obnoxious players who want to know what "applicable" skills are on Poseidon. ... "I'm sorry, but the tagline you've requested is no longer in service..." JohnK jkahane@comnet.ca http://www.comnet.ca/~jkahane *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: John M. Kahane [jkahane@comnet.ca] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 5:29 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Blue Planet Quick References On Tue, 12 May 1998 10:53:01 EDT, Disturbnce wrote: >> really what's needed, and tables wouldn't work all that well, imo, >> simply because there's a lot of information about character >> generation that you can't impart in tables. >Actually, there is. If you took, for example, all the Origins and Background >options, and made a reference table out of them, an experienced GM could whip >through that part of character generation by looking at two pages -- maybe one >if the type were small. The same could be done for the Professions. That's certainly a possibility. I think it might work that way, but it would have to be detailed enough to give a player an idea of what the Origin, Background, or Profession was about, and not just some listing of them. >I'm not saying that the extant text should be eliminated. I'm >saying that there should be a quick reference version of the >same information, without all the descriptive passages -- just >the numbers. This could be available perhaps as a PDF from >the Biohazard website. *hint hint* Yeah, but what about all the possible BLUE PLANET gamers who don't have access to the Web? It could even be put into Undercurrents, but not everyone who plays or runs the game subscribes to the magazine. I don't know, maybe including something like this as part of the GM Screen might be useful... ... A garden is the purest of human pleasures. (F. Bacon) JohnK jkahane@comnet.ca http://www.comnet.ca/~jkahane *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: John M. Kahane [jkahane@comnet.ca] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 5:13 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? On Mon, 11 May 1998 23:37:00 -0400 (EDT), tun kai poh wrote: >> Come to think of it, does anyone out there have any additional >> skills they'd like to see added to the game or that they've already >> added to the game? >Sports Culture would be quite useful for anyone who plays or is a fan of >hydroshot; I've suggested it for one of my contributions to Undercurrents. I agree with you, and I think that a Sports skill, where the character chooses a specific Sports skill (like hydroshot, baseball, null-g soccer, or whatever). Mind you, one might be able to do this as part of Athletics skill too. ... Everything will perish, save love and music. (Gaelic proverb) JohnK jkahane@comnet.ca http://www.comnet.ca/~jkahane *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: John M. Kahane [jkahane@comnet.ca] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 5:35 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? On Tue, 12 May 1998 10:06:56 -0500, Heivilin, Jim wrote: >> I don't personally think the Character Generation process is >> all that clunky, although I agree with you that there is a good deal >> of page flipping that goes on during the process. Streamlining isn't >> really what's needed, and tables wouldn't work all that well, imo, >> simply because there's a lot of information about character >> generation that you can't impart in tables. >> >[MHO] I find that if you (both as a player and as a GM) know the >character generation system well (you've gone through it a bunch of >times) then tables allow you to refresh your memory and get it done more >quickly than if you don't have everything in one place. True, but you have to get to that point through experience. >I usually create my own in excel or something similar and then make a >few copies so we can have one or two books for people in the group who >have questions and the handouts for everyone else so we can get all the >characters generated in one session. That's not a bad idea, but I don't have all that much time to spend working in spreadsheet programs these days. Handouts would work the best. Perhaps you could post the handouts you use up to the BHG website as PDF files, Jim? It would save a lot of work for most of us, you know, and give you some terrific gamer satisfaction in that you've made the lives of BLUE PLANET GMs out there all that much more easier. ... There's no easy answer in the Green Man's song. (Jethro Tull) JohnK jkahane@comnet.ca http://www.comnet.ca/~jkahane *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 10:22 To: 'blue_planet@MPGN.COM' Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Market Exposure > -----Original Message----- > From: John M. Kahane [mailto:jkahane@comnet.ca] > This is certainly all true, although based on the conversation > I had with Jeff a couple of days ago, the circumstances surrounding > the postponement of ARCHIPELAGO from November of last year had really > solid reasons. But you're right about the book being out in six > months to take advantage of the market for the game. I've had folks > come into the store and see BLUE PLANET on the shelves...they won't > buy it, however, when I tell them that there isn't another supplement > for game out yet, because they feel there's no support for the game. > Hopefully, that will change in June. :) > Perhaps you can point them to our web pages (http://www.biohazardgames.com) and the fact that it's updated nearly every week as an indication of our commitment to support the game. I can find both exceptions and other examples of both sides of this. Imperium Games (who published Traveller 4th edition) had a fair web site then suddenly it stopped being updated and every couple of weeks when I'd go and look I wouldn't see anything that hadn't been there for months. Their magazine died. I preorder the deluxe hard cover version and never got it (never even heard about anything). From what I understand now the company is gone and the future of Traveller is up in the air. So their static web site would seem to be an indication of an unhealthy company with little support for their line. Pinnacle Entertainment Group (on the other hand) is an example like us. Their web site is updated periodically and their list serve is active. I consider this to be healthy and an indication that the product line is being supported. Jim Jim Heivilin, Webmaster Biohazard Games ccbanzai@showme.missouri.edu http://www.biohazardgames.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Kevin C. Carpenter [keepiru@nationwide.net] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 10:29 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Tech Items I know that I would especially like to see in Fluid Mechanics specific brands and models of the more generic listings presented in the core BP book. Definitely products from the major Incorporate manufacturers as well as more esoteric technology from the Belts of both systems and possibly even some of the Free-zone Earth tech that they mention as being several years more advanced than the rest. The latter two items would undoubtedly be nearly impossible to procure on Poseidon, I would wager. Another important addition would be items of various quality and pricing. For instance, Lavender Organics is said to produce cheaper consumer biomods, and I would think there would be some notable differences between their lower-priced models and, say, Biogene custom-tailored ones, both in price and in function. Actually, just some guidelines on what the general production philosophy of the individual companies are would be very helpful as well. In that vein, a listing of other, smaller niche companies on Poseidon and elsewhere would be nice, or just a discussion on the existence of such enterprises. I have to think that some would exist, even if they were very small and specialized. - Kevin >ObBP: What's the chances of a Tech book being on the list of upcoming >products? A game like this cries out for a book chock-full of weapons, >spacecraft, submersibles, computers, medlab gear, mining equipment, deep-sea >drilling rigs, pressure dome floor plans, all that kind of stuff. Oh, gosh... >Fluid Mechanics is already on the list, isn't it? I really should read all my >mail before writing this stuff. > >So what's going to be in this fabled and foretold tome? > >Andrew *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Max Kalus [max.kalus@student.uni-augsburg.de] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 11:28 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Game Supplements BIOHZD wrote: > If this is what you are expecting out of Archipelago, you will most definately > *not* be dissappointed! ; ) Nice! I hope you will ship it to Europe soon after you print it... it takes ages to get over the sea anyway... Max Kalus. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Disturbnce [Disturbnce@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 12:03 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Rogues In a message dated 98-05-14 11:24:55 EDT, you write: > Okay, that's cool. You can even send stuff to me in e-mail at > the address noted in my signature below. I prefer text files, since > that makes them real easy to convert to HTML, but whatever works as > long as I can see it. :) I'll be doing them in HTML after all, since Jim was nice enough to point us to the HTML character sheets he zipped up and put online. Dunno when I'll get to them but sometime soon. Andrew *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Auberon [fskln1@aurora.alaska.edu] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 6:36 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? John M. Kahane wrote: > > On Mon, 11 May 1998 23:37:00 -0400 (EDT), tun kai poh wrote: > > I agree with you, and I think that a Sports skill, where the > character chooses a specific Sports skill (like hydroshot, baseball, > null-g soccer, or whatever). Mind you, one might be able to do this > as part of Athletics skill too. GRAV*BALL!!! -- (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*) May God stand between you and harm in all the empty places where you must walk. Auberon *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Auberon [fskln1@aurora.alaska.edu] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 6:48 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Market Exposure Heivilin, Jim wrote: > > Imperium Games (who published Traveller 4th edition) had a fair web site There is one other important difference between Blue Planet, Deadlands, and Traveller 4th. Imperium's version of Traveller blew. I still use MegaTraveller by preference, because I wasn't fond of TNE and 4th stank on ice. Blue Planet, on the other hand, doesn't suck -- exactly the opposite. From what I hear, Deadlands ain't half bad, either. That's the difference. -- (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*) May God stand between you and harm in all the empty places where you must walk. Auberon *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 16:05 To: 'blue_planet@MPGN.COM' Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Other games (was: Market Exposure) > -----Original Message----- > From: Auberon [mailto:fskln1@aurora.alaska.edu] > Imperium's version of Traveller blew. I still use MegaTraveller by > preference, because I wasn't fond of TNE and 4th stank on ice. > At first I liked it because the original designer, Marc Miller, was still involved and he was the one who wrote it. The more I have to use it the more I realize that it was VERY poorly organized. I kind of missed the entire TNE thing because I was defending democracy in Western Europe through most of the 80's. > Blue Planet, on the other hand, doesn't suck -- exactly the > opposite. From what I hear, Deadlands ain't half bad, either. > When Jeff, Greg, et al. finally got the main book done, Jeff told me he was finally going to be able to get back into some other gaming. And Deadlands was one of the ones he wanted to try. Seems he had met Shane Hensley at Origins or some other convention and the system/premise intrigued him. So he traded for a copy and gave it to me to run for him. Now I've been sucked into it. We generated characters a couple weeks ago and the backgrounds these guys created was great. Jeff runs the Right Reverend William Makepeace. Based on a preacher who financed his church by hunting bounties. "I forgive you, Sinner!" BLAM! I won't go on any further unless people want to hear about the group (via private email) and they have their own list! Jim Jim Heivilin, Webmaster Biohazard Games ccbanzai@showme.missouri.edu http://www.biohazardgames.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: czege@gatecom.com Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 18:16 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Amateur Psychoanalysis Portion of the Show >Jeff runs >the Right Reverend William Makepeace. Based on a preacher who financed >his church by hunting bounties. "I forgive you, Sinner!" BLAM! I won't >go on any further unless people want to hear about the group (via >private email) and they have their own list! So what's the source of Jeff's fascination with the cloth? A bounty hunting preacher and a Marshal named Church? Paul Czege *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: BIOHZD [BIOHZD@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 22:27 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Game Supplements Hello Andrew, You write: >>>Just wait, BP will see its first flameware before the year is out... :) ...and I have a good fire extinguisher ready at hand ; ). Seriously, it may not be PC, standard online practice, or email ettiquete, but, as warned on the website, we will not allow abusive posters to remain on this list. It's my personal belief that just because we are isolated and shielded by the medium, we do not have license to be uncivil. Consider this list a native village - not an Incorporate boardroom ; ). Jeff "Jack-boot" Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: BIOHZD [BIOHZD@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 22:27 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Fluid Mechanics Hey Andrew, You ask about the content of Fluid Mechanics. Well, the following is from Undercurrents, and I posted it here a few days ago, but here it is again. Jeff Barber Biohazard Games _______ In the words of an Orca I know, "Monkeys sure took advantage of that opposable thumb..." OK you gearheads, look out because here it comes. Pre-production has begun on Fluid Mechanics. This is the second Blue Planet sourcebook, and will be the technical manual for the world of Blue Planet. More than just a guide to gear, Fluid Mechanics will contain detailed information on the design and capabilities of computers, cybernetics, genetic modifications, vehicles, personal electronics, weapons and life-support hardware. This supplement features specific examples for diverse classes of equipment, interspersed with overviews describing how the technologies "work" both within the game setting and the mechanics. If you've been itching to get your hands on Hanover Industry's new Cormorantr ground-effect plane, Hydrospan's SmartGuider navigation software, or Atlas Material's Hard Targetr battledress, your wait is coming to an end. Fluid Mechanics powers up Summer/Fall,1998. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: BIOHZD [BIOHZD@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 22:27 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Missing? John, You write: >>>I agree with you, and I think that a Sports skill, where the character chooses a specific Sports skill (like hydroshot, baseball, null-g soccer, or whatever). Mind you, one might be able to do this as part of Athletics skill too. That was in part the intent behind the Physical Training skill (BP 291). Jeff Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: BIOHZD [BIOHZD@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 22:28 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Amateur Psychoanalysis Portion of the Show Hey Paul, You ask: >>>So what's the source of Jeff's fascination with the cloth? A bounty hunting preacher and a Marshal named Church? Though morbidly fascinated by the history and goings on of organized religions of all types, I have no real interest in the trappings of the cloth. First - the Preacher is based on a character from the novel Santiago, by Mike Resnick. Actually, one of my favorite books and a personal inspiration for BP. Second - Jason Werner has a unique penchant for making up cool names, and Peter Anton Church is one of his best. Sorry, no personal insights there... ; ). Jeff "Praised be the Creators" Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: BIOHZD [BIOHZD@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 22:27 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Skill Competence Levels Hey John, You ask: >>>As an example, what skill percentage makes you a World Expert on the subject? Any chance of the Jeff or Greg giving us a table listing these levels of expertise for BLUE PLANET? Well, there was originally a section on this that was cut in the final edit of BP. I had hoped to post you a back-up of the orginal file, but it is apparently trapped on a corrupt SyQuest cart (Thank the Creators I finally got a Zip!) Anyway, I suggest looking at the different professions and the defining skills of each. This should give you an idea of the qualifications of experts and novices. Here's a vague memory of that trapped file: Untrained - 10% Novice - 20% Amature - 30% Apprentice - 40% Trained - 50% Professional - 60% Skilled - 70% Advanced - 80% Expert - 90%+ Hope this helps, Jeff Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: BIOHZD [BIOHZD@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, 14 May, 1998 22:27 To: blue_planet@MPGN.COM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Tech Items Hey Kevin, You go on at length about what you want to see in FluMech - what, are you with the High Commisioner of Science and Technology? ; ) Don't worry, its all in there and then some... Jeff Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message.