From: Thomas Jeenicke [Thomas_Jeenicke@public.uni-hamburg.de] Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 3:16 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Chapter 1; Introduction Dr Ian McDonald wrote: >Hi, > >I've recently got a copy of Blue Planet. I find Poseidon a really >interesting setting, but after reading the first couple of chapters, I >found the introductory fiction a little disappointing. I found a couple >of things badly explained, and a couple of factual errors. Are things >explained better (as opposed to simply in more detail) in the background >information chapters towards the end of the book? > >Thanks, > >Ian Hello Ian, welcome to the list! The introductory fiction does in fact only give a first impression for someone new to Blue Planet. Only after reading the chapters 7 through 9, one can really understand the setting. But try rereading the introduction after reading the whole book, then it will provide much more useful information! Thomas *************************************************************************** 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: BIOHZD@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 11:41 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Fluid Mechanics has arrived! Hello All, After a seemingly endless trip through the wormhole, Fluid Mechanics, the guide to technology in the world of BP, has finally arrived. Yee-friggin-ha! Preorders have already gone out, and distributors should have theirs soonest, if not already. If you have been waiting for the latest and greatest in bad-ass, bad-boy toys, your wait is over. The book rocks - it looks good, reads good...it even tastes good ; ). Check out your local retailer or hit FFG's website for e-ordering. We hope it's everything you bioplastic gearheads have been waiting for ; ). Enjoy... Jeff Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** 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: Ville.Halonen@minedu.fi Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 5:03 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Back with books Hi, I've been quiet for quite a while. A couple of reasons: - waiting eagerly for the second edition (maybe the anticipation occupied me too much) - I was in Prague for two weeks I haven't had the time to catch up with you yet, but. A friend (and future player) of mine joined the list about a month ago, but is disappointed in the way GM secrets are spoken of without any warning. So the first Kraken message got through. Hope he doesn't remember much. He's been thinking about unsubscribing, at least for a while. Please don't give him a reason to do that and LEAVE SPOILER SPACE, please! And the day I left for Prague, I noticed the BPv2 had finally arrived at the gaming store! Of course, there was practically no time to read it on the trip, and I've only made about 40 pages through the Player's Guide, and my comments on that and the quick peek through them both: - I loved the first edition and especially the Archipelago layout. The futuristic frames are a bit silly and camp, but I've gotten used to them. Now they're ok, even the sidebar "hands". - I've come to like the covers. A little less objects would've been nice, of course, but I like them. But just imagine what the PG cover would've looked like ONLY without the VTOLs, the orca and the human, just the sea, the clouds, the island and the platform...And the logo, of course. - The interior art could've been better. The chapter title page pictures are lovely and there are other nice ones also, but the GEO recruitment poster on pg 201 and especially the cat hybrid on 171 are from the stinking end of the art pipe. Aw hell, why am I complaining? There are always bad pics in the RPG books. Overall, both of the books seem to be sturdy (long live hardcover!) and full of great stuff. Looking forward to playing it and to the supplements. Maybe I'll get FluMech by Christmas... - Ville *************************************************************************** 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: Myles Corcoran [myles@irls3101.ck.cit.alcatel.fr] Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 6:01 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Back with books Ville.Halonen@minedu.fi wrote: > - I loved the first edition and especially the Archipelago layout. The > futuristic frames are a bit silly and camp, but I've gotten used to them. > Now they're ok, even the sidebar "hands". I have to agree. I found the first edition nicer to read and nicer to look at. > - I've come to like the covers. A little less objects would've been nice, of > course, but I like them. But just imagine what the PG cover would've looked > like ONLY without the VTOLs, the orca and the human, just the sea, the > clouds, the island and the platform...And the logo, of course. Nothing beats the mystery and sheer "Look at me!" quality of the original cover. Archipelago also had that hard-SF meets exotic locale quality. The new covers are nice but don't seem to grab the attention quite the same. In general I think the interior art is okay, but as there's a lot more of it than before there's also more poor quality stuff. I really liked the vision of the natives conjured up by the 1st ed. artwork, and I don't like the new art detailing the natives. Still, as you say, there are always bad pics in RPGs. It's a pity that the quality (though not the quantity) didn't match the 1st ed. All in all, I'm fairly happy with the 2nd ed. I do feel a bit poorer as a result (two hardbacks!), but that's at least in part due to the maddening strength of both the dollar and sterling against the euro currencies (the Irish pound being my portion of the euro-mess). If I wasn't a supporter of Biohazard and keen to keep BP on the market I'd feel that the new edition doesn't really offer a lot to someone (like me) who already has BP 1st ed. and Archipelago. The new system is nice enough, but I'm not buying games for systems nowadays, and will always tinker, even if someone gave God's own RPG--Genesis RPG, create a world in 6 days, and game on Sunday! I am waiting eagerly for Fluid Mechanics. At last something *new* for BP. Myles -- Myles Corcoran - 023 20469 (w) - 023 20481 (fax) - 021 4503904 (h) Alcatel Ireland Ltd., Bandon, Cork, IRELAND - myles@ck.cit.alcatel.fr "It is the mark of a savage to believe that the ways of one's people are laws of Nature." *************************************************************************** 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: Jerome Darmont [jdarmont@dionysos.univ-lyon2.fr] Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 6:22 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Web update I've just added - the interactive character design sheet for v2 - "What to do in Dyfedd when you're genlifted?" characters v2 stats (French only, sorry) on http://fly.to/bleue.planete . -- Jerome Darmont, mailto:darmont@multimania.com http://www.multimania.com/darmont/jdr/ *************************************************************************** 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: The Smyks [the_smyks@sympatico.ca] Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 6:21 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Back with books So the first Kraken > message got through. Hope he doesn't remember much. As a new member of the list (and non-gamemaster), I would just like to say... "What's a Kraken?" Careful that you don't include spoilers in your request to not post spoilers... ;) Derek *************************************************************************** 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: Malcolm Craig [malcolmcraig@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 8:53 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Fluid Mechanics has arrived! Hurrah! >From: BIOHZD@aol.com >Reply-To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com >To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com >Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Fluid Mechanics has arrived! >Date: Wed, 4 Oct 2000 00:40:31 EDT > >Hello All, > >After a seemingly endless trip through the wormhole, Fluid Mechanics, the >guide to technology in the world of BP, has finally arrived. >Yee-friggin-ha! > >Preorders have already gone out, and distributors should have theirs >soonest, >if not already. If you have been waiting for the latest and greatest in >bad-ass, bad-boy toys, your wait is over. The book rocks - it looks good, >reads good...it even tastes good ; ). Check out your local retailer or hit >FFG's website for e-ordering. > >We hope it's everything you bioplastic gearheads have been waiting for ; ). >Enjoy... > >Jeff Barber >Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** 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: Ville.Halonen@minedu.fi Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 8:13 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: VS: [BLUE PLANET] - Sourcebook possibilities... Jeff Barber wrote about a week ago... >In fact, the deal with FFG is allowing us to consider a number of supplements we >had been unable to before, such as Incorporate, cetacean, native and GEO titles. >What interest would there be in such books? What sorts of similar titles would you >all like to see? I'm not much of a hybrid fan, so in my opinion the U/C concentrating on them is enough. Of course, my opinion could change with the arrival of the aforementioned info pack. I'd love to see anything related to the sea. I remember some mentioning about sort of a Oceanography for Gamers expanded? Or was it Survey, with all the flora, fauna, meteorology, oceanography and such? Of the different factions, yes, the natives and cetaceans are closest to my heart (not to forget the Aborigines). I like the theme of a paradise lost. And that is why I'd like the ecoterrorists, wardens, poachers and such to have if not an entire book, a large chapter at least. The natives and cetaceans deserve separate books, both of them. IMHO. And by the way, the idea of updating the moderator's screen through the net is superb. Wouldn't have wanted to discard the good -- no, the excellent -- old one. - Ville *************************************************************************** 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: Brian Betty [bbetty@glad.org] Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 8:44 AM To: Blue Planet Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - The Blight is real ... and it's HERE! Oh *k'soyarou*!! The Blight is here, people ... quick, make friends with an orca and move to Alaska where there's salmon to eat! -monkeygod Anti-opium fungus: Concern engineered fungus may be used by eco-terrorists L O N D O N, Oct. 2: Britain and the United States are developing a fungus that attacks opium poppies, but the project aimed at withering the heroin trade could end up producing a dangerous biological weapon, the BBC reported today. Research on the pleospora fungus is being done at a former Soviet biological warfare plant in Uzbekistan, with some samples ready to be sprayed on poppy fields, the BBC said in its investigative program Panorama. The report, "Britain's Secret War on Drugs," said critics raised the specter of eco-terrorism and feared that the cash-strapped institute may deal with private parties if London and Washington did not provide more funding. Possible Crop-Eater A BBC reporter, who was shown the fungus at the Institute for Plant Genetics in Tashkent, questioned whether it could be prevented from mutating or spreading to other crops, a transcript of the report to be aired this evening showed. "The fungus sounds like a silver bullet but it could easily become a poisoned chalice," Paul Rogers, a British plant pathologist, told the BBC. "Once you develop a technology to spread plant diseases intentionally, you are developing a technology which could easily be misused by bad people against legitimate food crops." A spokesman for Britain's Foreign Office said research into the fungus came under the auspices of the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) and was not a British project. He said he was not aware of any request for extra funding. "We contributed, in 1998-1999, 100,000 pounds [$147,000] to the development of the project, which may be able to attack the opium poppy," he said. "If there is any risk to human or animal health or the environment then the project would be stopped. It [the fungus] will not be used without the agreement of all countries concerned and pending safety measures." Danger of Mutation Genetic modification has become a controversial issue in Britain, where environmental activists have damaged test crops on several farms. The BBC said trials by scientists at the plant in Tashkent had shown the fungus to be an effective killer of a sample of Afghani opium poppies. But it said confidential UNDCP documents showed "private fears and anxieties" that the fungus "may be difficult to contain … may transform or mutate," and may open the way for "offensive biological warfare targeting food crops." Monkeygod ****** 'If you follow your dreams, you will always end up naked in the middle of a shotgun range, listening to New Age music and trying to figure out your Palm Pilot.' -Karen Brown *************************************************************************** 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: Brian_Ferrenz@americanchemistry.com Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 9:18 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Chapter 1; Introduction Welcome Ian! Could you elaborate on some of the inconsistencies? We'd be more than happy to help out. Brian Dr Ian McDonald cc: Sent by: Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Chapter 1; Introduction owner-blue_planet@list s.ient.com 10/03/2000 05:19 PM Please respond to blue_planet Hi, I've recently got a copy of Blue Planet. I find Poseidon a really interesting setting, but after reading the first couple of chapters, I found the introductory fiction a little disappointing. I found a couple of things badly explained, and a couple of factual errors. Are things explained better (as opposed to simply in more detail) in the background information chapters towards the end of the book? Thanks, Ian -- Ian McDonald http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~type40/alternative.html http://travel.to/startrekcolony - Star Trek: Colony site & .mov http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~type40/who-rpg.html - Dr. Who RPGs *************************************************************************** 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: Ml10@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 10:57 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Fluid Mechanics I got FM last night. I was a little disappointed at first. It wasn't full of wizbang gadgets like I thought it would be. Then I read about the pre-fab bioplast construction techniques and realized that it was a lot cooler than a collection of neat gadgets. The pre-fab stuff alone changed how I thought of terrorist training camps. Suddenly my description of them became less generic and more unique to Blue Planet. Congrats to everyone involved! Mike Z *************************************************************************** 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: Eva [c718678@showme.missouri.edu] Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 11:17 AM To: Blue Planet Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - The Blight is real ... and it's HERE! On Wed, 4 Oct 2000, Brian Betty wrote: > Oh *k'soyarou*!! The Blight is here, people ... quick, make friends with an > orca and move to Alaska where there's salmon to eat! > > -monkeygod Yikes. It's early. Later, Eva @@@(* > *)@@@ *************************************************************************** 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: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 1:13 PM To: Blue Planet List (E-mail) Subject: [FWD] Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Sourcebook possibilities... -----Original Message----- Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Sourcebook possibilities... To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Date: Wed, 4 Oct 2000 11:08:31 -0700 If you do a bestiary type book, stick in some of those full page or even two page spreads that you see in real encyclopedias. You know, the ones that have bunches of pics of fish (a swordfish, sunfish, flying fish, tuna, etc) Those would be great, go crazy, lots of pics and names. Then maybe a one or two line statement about each one. Every creature the characters are going to see is not going to try to eat them, that is the problem with most bestiaries for RPGs. It would be nice to have a visual of lots of 'mundane' Poseidon wildlife. Rusty *************************************************************************** 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: Imiritish [imiritish@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 2:58 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - new player Greetings, New to the list and to the game I just thought I would send out a hello and say that I have only read throught the players guide thus far and overall it looks great. I was introduced to the game through the president of a different RPG at shorecon (I already have all his stuff) and was sold on the game, I picked up everything including fluid mehcanics. (hurray for impluse buying) I am hoping to introduce the game to the 20 or so players in the area some time over the next month and I was wondering if the lot of you have any suggestions for 1st time bp gms. Also how was the old system? I see that the new version uses a different system that is nice and streamlined and I was wondering if the previous versions players like the new system better. I get the impression that the system is fairly lethal and that appeals to me, am I wrong in this assumption? Any other suggestion to someone new to the world of poseidon would be appreciated also. later, Jim __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/ *************************************************************************** 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: Troy Gustavel [troy_nevermore@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 3:39 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [FWD] Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Sourcebook possibilities... You know, I have to agree with this. In general, and especially with blue planet, what is needed is lots of "mundane" animals to provide scenery and flavor, not a monster manual. You could probably provide stats for just a dozen or so nasties and descriptions and pictures for hundreds. Mabey with some charts and table breaking up the animals by habitat. --- "Heivilin, Jim" wrote: > If you do a bestiary type book, stick in some of those full page or > even two page spreads that you see in real encyclopedias. You know, > the ones that have bunches of pics of fish (a swordfish, sunfish, > flying fish, tuna, etc) Those would be great, go crazy, lots of pics > and names. Then maybe a one or two line statement about each one. > Every creature the characters are going to see is not going to try to > eat them, that is the problem with most bestiaries for RPGs. It would > be nice to have a visual of lots of 'mundane' Poseidon wildlife. ===== Troy Gustavel 5825 Bolender Rd. Akron, OH 44319 (330)882 5468 Troy_Nevermore@Yahoo.com "Once upon a midnight dreary..." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/ *************************************************************************** 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: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 4:46 PM To: 'blue_planet@lists.ient.com' Subject: RE: [FWD] Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Sourcebook possibilities... > -----Original Message----- > From: Troy Gustavel [mailto:troy_nevermore@yahoo.com] > Subject: Re: [FWD] Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Sourcebook possibilities... > > You know, I have to agree with this. In general, and especially with > blue planet, what is needed is lots of "mundane" animals to provide > scenery and flavor, not a monster manual. You could probably provide > stats for just a dozen or so nasties and descriptions and pictures for > hundreds. Mabey with some charts and table breaking up the animals by > habitat. > There actually is a book on the production schedule that will fill this need. AFAIK it's still on the list. I don't know where it fits in the new schedule, however. http://www.biohazardgames.com/bh.html ======================== SURVEY Lions and tigers and bears oh... whoops, wrong planet. Anyway, the intent is the same. Survey covers the whole spectrum of ecological discoveries made on Poseidon - animal, vegetable, mineral and ah...other. There is a section devoted to the ongoing GEO survey of hazardous and resource species, as well as a section on new habitats unique to the planet. There is also gamer- friendly information on ecology, geology, meteorology and oceanography as pertain to the waterworld. So, if you slept thought most of your colonial orientation program, we highly suggest you pick up this supplement. It may be the difference between you finding lunch, and being lunch. ======================== Jim Jim Heivilin, Webmaster Biohazard Games http://www.biohazardgames.com *************************************************************************** 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: BIOHZD@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 10:20 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Mundane Creatures Hey All, Several folks commented on dangerous creature overload in RPGs... We were sensitive to the tendency to put only scary/deadly animals in RPG beastiaries, and we specifically avoided this in BP. The field guide is a "hazardous and resource species" guide. Many of the creatures in it are harmless, and were included for other purposes, such as usefullness in, and flavor for, the setting. ie - blimps, rumble bees, and harvester worms. Jeff Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message.