From: jh39 [jh39@ukc.ac.uk] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 7:28 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... On Fri, 3 Nov 2000 23:38:44 -0600 Greg Benage wrote: > > On a related note.....In case you don't realize it, the creators, > > writers and publishers of the BP line are all on this list. A vast > > majority of the time, we try to communicate in a friendly and constructive > > manner so this isn't the place to be if you just feel like bashing the > > game. We like having access to these folks and don't want to jeopardize > > the relations we've built up over years of interaction. > > Thanks for the comments, Brian. However, I don't want *anyone* to be > concerned that our feelings are going to be hurt by criticism. I think the > list should be wide open for criticism, as long as it stays civil. We know > that nothing we do is going to appeal to everybody equally, but we *want* > our fans to tell us what they like and don't like. And we do listen. Several > people have mentioned the fact that the section headers are harder to > distinguish than they need to be. Jeff and I both agree with that, and I'm > going to try to address it in the First Colony layout. We we *always* try to > improve with each and every book, though we realize that different folks > will have different ideas about what constitutes an "improvement." Well I hate to drag this on further but for the most part I didn't think that there had been a great deal of outright criticism. Even most people who prefer v1 still like v2 and since the majority of people here already own the game we're simply trying to help ensure that the game does well. Also, I find it quite noticeable that Jeff, Jason, Jim and Greg are very active on this list and that feedback is usually very prompt and very helpful. > In short, always feel free to tell us what you think. We've received more > than our fair share of praise for Blue Planet, and we can certainly handle a > little criticism. We won't hold it against you. :) Well I'm one of those that prefered the covers for v1 (but hell, I still have those on my old book anyway!) but as Brian says, it's the setting and game that are the important things and I'm planning on buying everything you guys print until my bank account can no longer handle it. Jason *************************************************************************** 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: Dominic Mooney [dom@cybergoths.u-net.com] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 4:37 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Layout, design and artwork, oh my! David Chart wrote: >Most people on the list will be here because of v1. Thus, there is >likely to be a bias in its favour. So, a survey now won't tell you >much. (And, of course, anyone who can comment on v1 bought it, and >thus was attracted by something, quite possibly the cover. People >here have bought v2, although the cover would put them off.) Actually, I didn't buy V1 even though it looked gorgeous - I borrowed a friend's copy and read it, loving the setting, but hating the rules. When V2 came out I was pleased to see it and bought the Moderators Guide because it could just be slipped into a rimward frontier Traveller setting. The lack of rules in this volume was attractive; however I do feel that it should have been called something like 'Poseidon Sourcebook' as 'Moderator's Guide' suggests rules (like the AD&D DMG or 7th Sea's GM's Guide). I skimmed the Players Book and saw some very different rules so I picked up a copy too. Since then I've picked up a copy of Fluid Mechanics and will be buying the Haven Sourcebook. I'm impressed and also like the fact that it's hardback. I'm paying maybe 2 GBP more for hardcover, and like it. The only obvious ommissions from my perspective are the lack of conversion notes for V1 characters (I snagged Natural Law etc and am going to have to grab my friend's copy to convert) and a design system for weapons and vehicles. The latter isn't so important but it'd be nice if we could get a copy of the design sequence, even if it is a modification to Greg Porter's VDS and GGG^3. One thing I am curious about is if there will be a Sol system Sourcebook - I noticed on the BioHazard Site that this was planned and going to be called 'A World of Hurt'. I also noticed that the section on Earth etc was called the same in V2. Is this all we will see? Cheers, Dom *************************************************************************** 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: Brain-Lovin' Zombie Bob [necrobob@compfxnet.com] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 7:39 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... > Several >people have mentioned the fact that the section headers are harder to >distinguish than they need to be. Jeff and I both agree with that, and I'm >going to try to address it in the First Colony layout. Can't wait to see that one...of course, I still haven't had time to finish the GM's book, much less Fluid Mechanics (which I keep wanting to call Fluid Dynamics for some reason...). ____________________ Necromancer Bob, Drag Queen of the Apocalypse Visit The Gate: Necromancer Bob's Domain at: http://www.intws.com/necrobob AOL IM: NcroBob ICQ #78542780 *************************************************************************** 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: Brain-Lovin' Zombie Bob [necrobob@compfxnet.com] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 7:44 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Layout, design and artwork, oh my! >however I do feel that it should have been called something like >'Poseidon Sourcebook' as 'Moderator's Guide' suggests rules (like the >AD&D DMG or 7th Sea's GM's Guide). Agreed. Or maybe call it "Archipelago v2", since apparently most of it is from that one...I'm about halfway through it, and so far the only GM's information is that three pages at the front. It's a great book, but I'm not sure I would call it a GM's book as such. >One thing I am curious about is if there will be a Sol system >Sourcebook - I noticed on the BioHazard Site that this was planned >and going to be called 'A World of Hurt'. I also noticed that the >section on Earth etc was called the same in V2. Is this all we will >see? I don't know about that, myself. While I wouldn't mind seeing a sourcebook covering the Earth of 2199 and maybe the various Colonies, I'm not sure it would be something I would use. Everybody knows that the Earth is going to Hell- the focus of BP is on the new frontier, on Posiedon itself. That being said, a sister game set in the Sol system would definitely be attractive- a different take on the cyberpunk/post-apocalypse future. ____________________ Necromancer Bob, Drag Queen of the Apocalypse Visit The Gate: Necromancer Bob's Domain at: http://www.intws.com/necrobob AOL IM: NcroBob ICQ #78542780 *************************************************************************** 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: David Chart [hist@dchart.demon.co.uk] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 8:03 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... --On 4/11/00 13:27 +0000 jh39 wrote: > Well I'm one of those that prefered the covers for > v1 (but hell, I still have those on my old book anyway!) Me too (couldn't resist saying that under this subject line...) But then, I still have the cover to v1 and the great big poster version of the cover. Just thought I'd gloat about that. (I bought BP and GenCon 97, and played in the Deep Trouble demo scenario. At one or the other, I got the poster.) David Chart *************************************************************************** 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: jh39 [jh39@ukc.ac.uk] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 8:36 AM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... On Sat, 04 Nov 2000 14:03:09 +0000 David Chart wrote: > --On 4/11/00 13:27 +0000 jh39 wrote: > > > Well I'm one of those that prefered the covers for > > v1 (but hell, I still have those on my old book anyway!) > > Me too (couldn't resist saying that under this subject line...) > > But then, I still have the cover to v1 and the great big poster version of > the cover. Just thought I'd gloat about that. (I bought BP and GenCon 97, > and played in the Deep Trouble demo scenario. At one or the other, I got > the poster.) Poster? I don't have a poster? Why don't I have a poster? Where do I get a poster? Jason futile attempts to put off starting coursework. *************************************************************************** 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: Andy Wills [andywills@stormsurge.org] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 2:24 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Review and others. So, I got my review of Blue Planet accepted in Pyramid--that's pretty cool. It also tips the balance in favor of me buying Fluid Mechanics. Many thanks to Paul Lesack for the jumpcraft and whoever sent in the link about the undersea currents. This brings up a question--I'm planning on writing up a bibliography for Stormsurge. Any suggestions of links especially, but also books and such that could work for Blue Planet? Also, how would people recommend dealing with newspaper links that aren't designed for permanent storage? Chao, Andy *************************************************************************** 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: Chris Stilson [crazycat@orcalink.com] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 1:58 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... > Poster? I don't have a poster? Why don't I have a > poster? Where do I get a poster? RE: Someone obviously didn't order v1 direct from Biohazard... :) My poster is slightly water damaged (along with my v1 rulebook, causing the pages to be somewhat distorted, although fortunately not impairing legibility), but it still occupies a prominent position on the wall right behind me, so I can see it when I turn around to thump the printer for not working :) -- ChrisTheS www.stormsurge.org *************************************************************************** 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: Chris Stilson [crazycat@orcalink.com] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 2:02 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Review and others. Well, I would recommend copying the text, putting it into Storm Surge's format, and then uploading it to our server, but the problem is that we've only got so much space on that account and I'd like to use as much of that as possible for fanfic and comics so I don't have to pay the company any more than is absolutely necessary. Of course, it COULD be loaded onto a free hosting site, but then we'd have to put up with unwanted ads. -- ChrisTheS www.stormsurge.org ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andy Wills" To: Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 12:24 PM Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Review and others. > So, I got my review of Blue Planet accepted in Pyramid--that's pretty cool. > It also tips the balance in favor of me buying Fluid Mechanics. Many thanks > to Paul Lesack for the jumpcraft and whoever sent in the link about the > undersea currents. > > This brings up a question--I'm planning on writing up a bibliography for > Stormsurge. Any suggestions of links especially, but also books and such > that could work for Blue Planet? Also, how would people recommend dealing > with newspaper links that aren't designed for permanent storage? > > Chao, > > Andy > > *************************************************************************** > 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. From: Dr Ian McDonald [ian.mcdonald@iname.com] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 4:05 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... Water damage? To the rulebook? Well, if you're going to damage your BP stuff, at least do so in a way that is right for the genre :). Chris Stilson wrote: > > > Poster? I don't have a poster? Why don't I have a > > poster? Where do I get a poster? > > RE: Someone obviously didn't order v1 direct from Biohazard... :) > > My poster is slightly water damaged (along with my v1 rulebook, causing the > pages to be somewhat distorted, although fortunately not impairing > legibility), but it still occupies a prominent position on the wall right > behind me, so I can see it when I turn around to thump the printer for not > working :) > > -- ChrisTheS > www.stormsurge.org > > *************************************************************************** > To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com > with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. -- 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: Dr Ian McDonald [ian.mcdonald@iname.com] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 4:12 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Economics, was Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... I wrote a somewhat technical and slightly critical email a while back, which I think didn't get a reply. It was about how Poseidon's economics worked, and I wonder if this is the right moment to pose them in a more neutral way. What links Scrip to corporate earnings? Why is Xenosilicate ore hyperdeflationary? Thanks, Ian Greg Benage wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: > To: > Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000 10:56 PM > Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... > > > On a related note.....In case you don't realize it, the creators, > > writers and publishers of the BP line are all on this list. A vast > > majority of the time, we try to communicate in a friendly and constructive > > manner so this isn't the place to be if you just feel like bashing the > > game. We like having access to these folks and don't want to jeopardize > > the relations we've built up over years of interaction. > > Thanks for the comments, Brian. However, I don't want *anyone* to be > concerned that our feelings are going to be hurt by criticism. I think the > list should be wide open for criticism, as long as it stays civil. We know > that nothing we do is going to appeal to everybody equally, but we *want* > our fans to tell us what they like and don't like. And we do listen. Several > people have mentioned the fact that the section headers are harder to > distinguish than they need to be. Jeff and I both agree with that, and I'm > going to try to address it in the First Colony layout. We we *always* try to > improve with each and every book, though we realize that different folks > will have different ideas about what constitutes an "improvement." > > In short, always feel free to tell us what you think. We've received more > than our fair share of praise for Blue Planet, and we can certainly handle a > little criticism. We won't hold it against you. :) > > Greg Benage > FFG > > *************************************************************************** > To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com > with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. -- 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: Greg Benage [gbenage@ix.netcom.com] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 5:18 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: Economics, was Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... ----- Original Message ----- From: Dr Ian McDonald To: Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 4:12 PM Subject: Economics, was Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... > What links Scrip to corporate earnings? What links it? Incorporate statute. Why is it linked? Like so many other things Incorporate, it's a result of their origin in the chaotic early years of the Blight. National economies had collapsed around the globe and consumer confidence in traditional currencies flatlined. When the Incorporate states were formed, they developed their own currencies -- effectively corporate vouchers -- that could be used to purchase goods produced by the Incorporate and/or sold in Incorporate stores. The value of the scrip was loosely pegged to the Incorporate's earnings (at least in principle -- I somewhat doubt there would have been strong incentive for the Incorporate to make their numbers public) simply as a convenient and intuitive way to lend confidence and legitimacy to the currency. It's a way of saying, "This scrip is valuable because we're producing goods that people want to buy, and you can use it to purchase those goods." > Why is Xenosilicate ore hyperdeflationary? I don't think we claim anywhere that Long John is hyperdeflationary -- though in its effect as an informal currency, it is. As its purchasing power continually increases, the effective price of goods continually drops. The *value* of Long John has tended to be hyper*inflationary*, that is, continued to rise. Its much easier to develop new uses for the stuff than it is to actually harvest it, so demand has constantly outpaced supply. Of course, that won't go on forever, especially if it is successfully synthesized. Greg Benage Fantasy Flight, Inc. *************************************************************************** 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: Chris Stilson [crazycat@orcalink.com] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 7:26 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... Actually, it arrived that way (now if only the six GEO t-shirts I ordered at the same time had arrived with it, they might have soaked up most of the damp :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dr Ian McDonald" To: Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 2:04 PM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... > Water damage? To the rulebook? Well, if you're going to damage your BP > stuff, at least do so in a way that is right for the genre :). > > Chris Stilson wrote: > > > > > Poster? I don't have a poster? Why don't I have a > > > poster? Where do I get a poster? > > > > RE: Someone obviously didn't order v1 direct from Biohazard... :) > > > > My poster is slightly water damaged (along with my v1 rulebook, causing the > > pages to be somewhat distorted, although fortunately not impairing > > legibility), but it still occupies a prominent position on the wall right > > behind me, so I can see it when I turn around to thump the printer for not > > working :) > > > > -- ChrisTheS > > www.stormsurge.org > > > > *************************************************************************** > > To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com > > with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. > > -- > 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. > *************************************************************************** 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: Dr Ian McDonald [ian.mcdonald@iname.com] Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 6:47 PM To: blue_planet@lists.ient.com Subject: Re: Economics, was Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... Greg Benage wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Dr Ian McDonald > To: > Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 4:12 PM > Subject: Economics, was Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Easy on the "Me Too" Babble..... > > > What links Scrip to corporate earnings? > That's what I guessed. I suspected the whole 'corporate earnings' thing was a bit of an incorporate sham. > > > Why is Xenosilicate ore hyperdeflationary? > > I don't think we claim anywhere that Long John is hyperdeflationary -- > though in its effect as an informal currency, it is. The introductory chapter, when the narrator describes it as a currency, he calls it hyperinflationary because its value kept rising. I just assumed the narrator meant hyperdeflationary, and the "error" hadn't been caught in proofing. (I've only heard the terms applied to currencies, not goods. I'm not an economist. I follow that if something is hyperdeflationary as a currency, its price in other currencies hyperinflates.) > As its purchasing power > continually increases, the effective price of goods continually drops. The > *value* of Long John has tended to be hyper*inflationary*, that is, > continued to rise. Its much easier to develop new uses for the stuff than it > is to actually harvest it, so demand has constantly outpaced supply. Of > course, that won't go on forever, especially if it is successfully > synthesized. > This I don't understand. If everyone knows the price going to rise, why doesn't its price rise in anticipation to the point where it's no longer the best place to put your money? The value of anything in the stock markets depends largely what investors think its value is going to be in the future. (Possible answer: once it is synthesized, its value would go through the floor. Adventure seed: someone goes to great lengths to fake rumours of synthesized Long John, with plans to buy up supplies when the price goes down.) > Greg Benage > Fantasy Flight, Inc. > > *************************************************************************** > To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com > with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. -- 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.