From: BIOHZD@aol.com Sent: Monday, November 08, 1999 11:57 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Some thoughts on the "newbie" thread... Hey Rich, You write: Sure, but the rule book is also lacking in ground vehicles although many of the islands are big enough for them to be useful. >>>>The reasons for this "lack" is neccessity, versatility and infrastructure. Neccessity - most people outside the major urban centers have no need for land vehicles. They live in mostly coastal settlements and could not reach anywhere of note overland even if there were roads. Versatility - Vehicles are worth their weight in Long John on Poseidon, so the more versitile your one vehicle is the better - hence the ubiquitous nature of jumpcraft. Infrastructure - In urban centers there is little need for land craft other than scooters and electric trucks. Haven, Atlas, Dyfedd, etc, all have good public transportation. There is also a distinct lack of roads outside of town - where would they go? They would use less fuel than the VTOL's and if they run out of power the pilot does not have to worry about the lack of glide characteristics. :) >>>>Now where is the fun in that? ; ) Since the extreme weather caused by a lack of large land masses does not seem to be a concern in the game (although I have not read the section on geography and weather) >>>>Well, then by all means read it! The weather is *very* much a concern in BP. Your characters ever live through a Noah? Apparently as hard as you want to make it. It should be easy and quick if you have access to power. Even small settlements will have some type of generator. They'll most likely charge the PC's to use it. >>>>Good call... >5) Exactly what is the manufacturing base on Posidon? Is it reasonable to >assume they can produce attack subs? If so that's a fairly strong >production level. >>>>Production level is high enough to provide almost anything - it may however be quite expensive. The sections on al-Mamlakah, Lebensraum and Dyfedd offer a good look at Poseidon's industrial base. The Incorporates seem to have advanced manufacturing. How much that filters down into everyday life and your PC's is up to you. Some GM's like to keep their PC's "hungry", other GM's don't want to sweat the little stuff. Just don't go overboard at first as it is harder to rationalize scarcity later. >>>>Another good call... I highly recommend photocopying the section Poseidon: A Survival Guide on pages 002.31 - .40. >>>>Hey now! ; ( *I* on the other hand would *recommend* you encourage your players to buy their own copy of BP instead For starting GM's and PC's alike. It would also make a great addition to the resources section of Biohazard's web page as a .pdf (Hint, hint, hint). >>>>Well...ah...er...we already offer more free game-goodies on our website than most companies. It would be nice if we...ah...made enough money to go along with those freebees that we could continue to put out new BP product. Just a thought... From the Depths, Jeff Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: BIOHZD@aol.com Sent: Monday, November 08, 1999 11:58 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Starting a campaign off Poseidon Hey Gareth, You write: I think I've posted this before, but a friend of mine wants to run a set of introductory games set in the past. Game 1 takes place on board the Calypso, game 2 in the worst days of the Blight, game 3 during the Isolation, and game 4 during the present... >>>>We hope to *someday* publishing a scenario book set on Poseidon during the Abandonment. We are not sure how much interest there would be in this, but I would certainly dig it... I'd start characters off on Earth, and then play through the trip to Poseidon. Put the players in the same boat as the characters by making Poseidon unfamiliar to both player and character... >>>>This sounds like a good idea, but beware. I know of several groups that tried this, but as is a common problem with some gamers, they did not have the stamina/attention span to see it through to the best parts - life on Poseidon's frontier. >>>>It is a good idea though. The first BP scenario I ever ran started with the PCs stepping off the down shuttle from Prosperity Station. They were fresh out of the coolers from Earth, and soon found out that the independent mining company they had contracts with had just gone up in smoke - literally. Needless to say, that was a very long time ago, and I sincerely hope my BP campaigns have gotten a bit more sophisticated... ; ) From the Depths, Jeff Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: BIOHZD@aol.com Sent: Monday, November 08, 1999 11:58 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Introductory nature of scenarios... Hey Jason, [small spoilers may follow] You write: Presumably a Con Scenario is designed to get people interested in the game, not as part of an ongoing campaign, but it still seems to be lacking a certain element of uniqueness to me. >>>>We have been sensitive to this from the begining, but we have come to the conclusion that an all inclusive introductory scenario is virtually impossible to write - especially without becoming too expository. To add more of the Blue Planet game into it I would think that the characters would need to be carefully thought out. >>>>This is why we advocate the "criminal" approach to Dusk 'till Dawn. We assumed that this would be a new take for most groups, and therefore a more compelling roleplaying experience. That way you could have them banding together for survival, but you still have the possibility of argument and exploration of some of the other aspects of the game. >>>>This was/is actually one of the key elements of Natural Insticts/Law. If played with the pregens provided, that scenario allows the players to explore just about every aspect of the BP social backstory. There is the by-the-book GEO Officer, the native patrolman, the hybrid, the criminals, and the native terrorist. They are even pitted against Incorporate intrigue-turned-compassion on the one hand, and Incorporate brutality on the other. To date I think this is actually the most diverse/introductory scenario we have platested or published. From the Depths, Jeff Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: BIOHZD@aol.com Sent: Monday, November 08, 1999 11:58 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Con games and PC conflict Hey Ender, You write: the pregen characters have cool bios, thought out skill groups and nice, but reasonable gear....and it all goes out the window 20 seconds after the gamer picks up the sheet. Noone wants to be the nay-sayer or problem character in a 4-6 hour event. Everyone immediately buddies up, finds the objective, and goes after it. >>>>I am not so sure. If the scenario is well constructed, and the PC conflict is a crafted part of the story, this can make for an *excellent* convention demo and roleplaying experience. The best con game I ever played in was a CoC game in which every player had a hidden agenda that they were supposed to work towards, while hiding their intentions from the other players. It was the focus of the game and worked great. >>>>Natural Instincts/Law, run with the pregens, is a less subtle version of this sort of game. About a third of our dozen or so NI con sessions have focused PC interaction and conflict - by intent and to great success. In one session Greg ran, the characters failed to even leave the beach before they were all dead, dying or escaping out to sea - and the players had a great time. Go figure... For what it's worth... Jeff Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: BIOHZD@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 1:54 AM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Blueheart Hey Rich, You write: BTW: Has anyone read "Blueheart" by Alison Sinclair? From the blurb on the back cover it sounds very similar to BP. *ARRGH*...the "blurb on the back cover" was the only thing worth reading. I have seldom been so disappointed in a book. The setting was awesome (actually to many BP similarities for my comfort), the science was great, and the writing quite good. All it lacked was a story... ; ( Read Legacy of Hereot or Red, Green, and Blue Mars instead. For what it's worth, Jeff Barber Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Brian Betty [bbetty@glad.org] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 9:54 AM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Insurgencies (was: Landsrechts & Terrorism) Follow Up Flag: Reply Flag Status: Flagged "I give up. It seems our opinions are too divergent to reconcile. Never mind." Not at all. I am simply discussing the issue. I guess I just came at the situation from a different angle - after all, Blue Planet is a *dark* future, perhaps I'm thinking it's darker than it is intended to be. I'm not aiming to contradict you; I'm talking about the long-run here, so I think I'm talking past people. Apologies for not being clearer. I agree with you that the Natives have a definite advantage: familiarity with the planet some 2 generations deep, bio-adaptions, and a lower reliance on Earthtech. I buy that argument - you'd know, after all. I'm just pessimistic - the steamroller of corporate capitalism is relentless. To continue our previous discussion, the Vietnamese "won" against the US, and now they're begging foreigners to come and invest in their country. As they are smart to do, because that's a tried and true path of success. For one generation, maybe two, they won 'independent' political control of their own lives. But in the end, everyone seems to bend over to the relentless forces of economic imperialism. I'm not some hippie, as Eric Cartman would say. (J'accuse! J'accuse!) I'm just seeing that there is a parallel between the advance of militarised Western capitalism and the exploitation in Blue Planet. In your future, a lethally effective network of corporations has the Earth in a stranglehold, and now Natives are becoming cranky as they start to put down their vampiric roots on the new world. So they resist in a lot of different ways. Unfortunately, I just can't see how Blue Folk can stand off in the long run. Sure, they live in nice, 'natural' communities and can be a bitch to uproot. But corps are shipping in colonisickles by the boatload from the rather desperate home planet, they have phat tech and medicals that can make a real difference: in short, I can't see how Native resistance will continue to be significant in the future. It seems as inexorable as the way they took the Earth. I guess I'm a pessimist. Native losses are costly to Native alliances, while another dead corp soldier is like another dead ant. You got another dozen behind him - if you're desperate enough to get shipped to a hostile alien planet in such an unpleasant manner, you're probably willing to risk more AND you're expendible and replaceable. What happens if you cap a GEO Marshall? They hire a new one. What happens if you cap Bataku? His resistance network suffers greatly. Of course, knowing as I do about some things which would be spoilers if I were to mention them, maybe there is hope. But coming from a family of aboriginal origins myself, I have to say that while I want to see the Natives kick ass, there's a little voice in me telling me what's gonna happen there is the same thing that's happening to real people here. SPLAT! Goes the culture and UP! Go the profits of the rich and DOWN! Goes the living situation of the poor. So, in short, I think that the long view is bleak: at minimum, it will be ugly and violent, and in the long run it will just suck and become another Corp-Earth. But I'm hopeful ... maybe there's something you know that I don't that would affect my view of things. Of course, perhaps I'm unduly influenced by our own lives. The polar icecaps are demonstrably melting, and the latest reports show that all the great rivers of Asia may be doomed - the Himalayan glaciers are going, going, gone by 2050. And I'll be lucky if there are any orang-utans left to study when I finish with my orang-utan grad school - I was in Indonesia and they were practically extinct *before* the Great Fires burnt off half of Sumatra and killed off half the species. Nevermind the real-life plight of cetaceans and overfishing. young but already bitter, Monkeyboy bioanthropologist in training and wannabe-member of the Church of Whalesong Theogony. - Monkeygod (8-0) My big secret is gonna hover over your life -Fionna Apple *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Brian Betty [bbetty@glad.org] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 10:03 AM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Punchy buggies Jim wrote: "Sorry about that. I'm not sure how more or less coffee would impact. I DO know fewer meetings would improve things significantly. Or if the meetings had some purpose or benefit. Sorry. The danger of working for a large bureaucratic organization." No apology needed: you were clearly on the punch-drunk side of life and it was amusing, 'sall. I'm sure I can commiserate, especially on Friday afternoons. I was that way last night, actually: we were so caffeinated and exhausted after trying to work out our bills that we kept crank-calling the phone company. We were bitter that they screw you by billing you here in Cambridge with a 10-page phone bill full of mysterious $1-$2 charges. We kept calling them and saying, "What's this mean?" Then the lady would tell us something, and we'd say, "Nope. Take it off. Don't want it." Then I'd start laughing inexplicably and someone would take the phone away and hang it up on me. I really wanted to find out what poor excuses they were bilking us with and make them stop it (TelePlus Sure Line Maintenance? Why can't I just have *regular* line maintenance?), but we were too silly to function. Maybe I'll try again today. - Monkeygod (8-0) My big secret is gonna hover over your life -Fionna Apple *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 10:10 AM To: blue planet list (E-mail) Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - Landsrechts (was "Flame the newbie!") -----Original Message----- From: "David Klingenberg" To: Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - Landsrechts (was "Flame the newbie!") Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 16:55:12 -0800 >>>>>>>>>>Disengaging lurking device > The Viet Cong weren't more heavily armed than the U.S. and R.V.N. Armies > either. You forget that it was a political war that was not . The over all strategic planing was greatly controlled by the paper pushers. Objets were not necessary chosen based on military importunes alone. If the military was given full control and no targets barred including foreign shipping supplying arms then that war would probably have turned out differently if it did not escalate into a full blow world war. :) Engaging lurking device >>>>>>>> David Klingenberg *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Christopher Sakal [c_sakal@yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 10:19 AM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Insurgencies (was: Landsrechts & Terrorism) Follow Up Flag: Read Flag Status: Flagged OK, how the natives can "win" (whatever exactly that means, it does seem clear that Poseidon will never be free of corporations altogether as long as there is longevity ore there) is pretty much the same way that The United States "Won" the American Revolution. Basically, the natives don't have to completely defeat all of the armed forces the corporation can bring to bear, they merely have to make it more expensive than it's worth to do business of Poseidon. What's going on isn't really even a guerilla war, There are not two (or any number) of really distinct forces struggling for control of territory; it does a native terrorist group little good to destroy three attack subs and a platoon of soldiers, sure, it stings the corp,. but mainly what it does is make them mad. Now to plant some explosives on a multibillion dollar underwater mining rig and destroy it, that's a serious blow to the corporation, both in terms of money and time required to salvage some function or build another one to start mining again. Granted, the huge profit margin of longjohn makes it harder to make the corps give up, but they do face some pretty substantial logistical difficulties in getting material from Earth to Poseidon. What will probably happen in the long run is the worst of the corps, or those unlucky enough to piss an especially tenacious group (I do agree that cetacians have a definate edge) will suffer economically and will eventually sell out to a corp that's a bit better in the native relations department. Remember, it's a two-front conflict, there is the physical war and the PR war, a corp can smash the opposition, but if they become so unpopular that they loose their customers doping so. then they have really lost. Probably what will happen is the longjohn exploitation will move towards a more enviornmentally friendly approach (if for no other reason than it's cheaper to spend the extra monet to keep the natives happy than to get facilities bombed and have to rebuild or repair them), the most radical native groups will become fringe elements, and the more mainstream will reach a point where they're at least somewhat satisfied with the level of corporate responsibility. ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 10:22 AM To: 'blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com' Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Shooting Civilians (was: Landsrechts) > -----Original Message----- > From: Kevin L. Nault [mailto:jskln1@uas.alaska.edu] > Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Landsrechts (was "Flame the newbie!") > > More importantly, Poseidon is just as much unlike the incorporates > normal operating environments (excepting Hydrospan) as Viet > Nam's jungle was to the US Army. > In 1965 (when our direct involvement in VN started) the last time the US Army had fought in the jungle was 1945, twenty years earlier. One of the running jokes in the US military is that we train to fight the last war (not the next one). That would mean they were ready to fight Korea again. A set-piece war (however there were some special operations and irregular warfare). > Also, the way a traditional > fighting force is trained still only poorly equips them to figure > out which four people in that crowd of 100 will stick a knife in > their kidneys - they lean more towards shooting the entire 100. > The US Army does NOT trains it's soldier to shoot the entire 100. There is specific training about the Rules of Warfare, Standards of Conduct During Wartime and the responsibility of every soldier to question orders which may even appear to be unethical. While you didn't say they were the implication was there and I just wanted to clarify that. I seriously doubt the military forces of any other non-third world nation are trained in that manner either but I have no facts verifying that supposition. It is true they (the US Army specifically) are ill-trained to conduct irregular warfare. However there are groups within the US military which can conduct special operations. Very well in fact. Just to clear something up, however, the US Army Special Forces (Green Berets), while they are trained for commando type operations (snatch missions, raids, etc.) their main mission is training (insurgent forces). The graduation "final exam" for the John F. Kennedy Special Operations School is an exercise called "Robin Sage". During this exercise they (a 12 man A Detachment) have to contact a group of local insurgents, establish a relationship with them and train them how to fight a guerrilla war. Jim former US Army Combat Engineer Jim Heivilin, Project Manager Systems & Applications Group, IAT Services University of Missouri at Columbia mailto:banzai@missouri.edu, 884-3898 *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 10:29 AM To: 'blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com' Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - Landsrechts (was "Flame the newbie!") > -----Original Message----- > From: Atti2dboy@aol.com [mailto:Atti2dboy@aol.com] > Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Landsrechts (was "Flame the newbie!") > > In a message dated 11/8/99 5:27:21 AM, bbetty@glad.org writes: > It seems to me that with Poseidon's low (human) population reclaiming > islands from the natives is a costly expence with few returns. > "We killed 137 people and took their island. Now we have 324 > square miles of insect and carnivore infested low lands, and > every Native within 1,000 square miles is sabotaging every refueling > station we've got. Who's idea was this, and why does he still work > for us?" :) > Very true. I'm sure, however, that every Incorporate has it's share of megalomaniacs. "How DARE they think they can attack [fill in corporate name] and get away with it! Bomb them back to the stone age where they belong!" Probably depends on the resources on the island or any other perceived advantage. "Ha, now we have a base within range of [fill in corporate name]'s mining facility!" Jim Jim Heivilin, Project Manager Systems & Applications Group, IAT Services University of Missouri at Columbia mailto:banzai@missouri.edu, 884-3898 *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Tun Kai Poh [t_poh@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 10:43 AM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - Landsrechts (was "Flame the newbie!") Tried to send this to the list earlier, don't think it got through: Malayan (not Malaysia until Sept 16, 1963) Communist Emergency from 1948 (not 1956) to 1960. See Noel Barber's WAR OF THE RUNNING DOGS for a good run-down. 'Twas one of the first modern guerilla wars. The Malayan Communist Party was mostly ethnic chinese rebels armed with the weapons the British airdropped them in WWII to fight Japanese conquerors. The Brits responded by calling in ANZACs and Gurkhas, even relocating entire rural villages so that the MCP couldn't get at sympathizer supply lines. First conflict in which the brass realised how useful shotguns were for brush fighting that they actually mass-issued them to the troops. After the British gave Malaya independence in 1957, the Communists ran out of reasons to fight and eventually faded away into the jungle and fled across the border to Thailand. Lots of good material for BP GMs looking at ways to do a Native Resistance campaign. Kai Poh Malaysian Lagomorph ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Derek Guder [kabael@bu.edu] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 10:57 AM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Blueheart > > Read Legacy of Hereot or Red, Green, and Blue Mars instead. > those are all _damned_ good books indeed. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 11:03 AM To: 'blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com' Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - Landsrechts (was "Flame the newbie!") > -----Original Message----- > From: Tun Kai Poh [mailto:t_poh@hotmail.com] > Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - Landsrechts (was "Flame the newbie!") > > Tried to send this to the list earlier, don't think it got through: > Brits responded by calling in ANZACs and Gurkhas, even > relocating entire rural villages so that > What information I had on the conflict came from unit histories and other material concerning the history of the SAS (Special Air Service - the British Army's green berets so to speak). This conflict allowed them to formulate many of the things they practiced during WWII into modern concepts. For those interested South Yemen was another conflict the SAS were involved in, thought IIRC the outcome there wasn't as successful as Malaya. Gurkhas. Another group you *really* don't want to be on the wrong side of. > the brass realised how useful shotguns were for brush > fighting that they actually mass-issued them to the troops. > Something the ANZAC forces remembered when Vietnam came along a few years later. Something the US Army had to learn over again. My thanks to Kai Poh for filling in the details for me. BTW: From Brian's post earlier. If my sig has Biohazard in it I am "speaking" as a Biohazard Guy. If it's the work one (University of Missouri) then I'm speaking as some dumb gamer. Attach whatever significance to that you will. Jim *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Sean Michael Whipkey [highway@cstone.net] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 11:28 AM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Landsrechts (was "Flame the newbie!") Tun Kai Poh wrote: > airdropped them in WWII to fight Japanese conquerors. The Brits responded by > calling in ANZACs and Gurkhas, even relocating entire rural villages so that > the MCP couldn't get at sympathizer supply lines. First conflict in which Wasn't that the conflict that during the time of it the British made it mandatory to punch holes in the tops of cans when selling them so that they couldn't be stored for too long and thus denying man supplies to the rebels? Just wondering, SeanMike -- Sean Michael Whipkey - highway@cstone.net - www.cstone.net Engineering Department, Cornerstone Networks, Inc. - 804.817.7000 Report spam with full headers to: spam-report@cstone.net - TINLC Happiness is mandatory. Are you happy, citizen? - _Paranoia_ *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Brian Betty [bbetty@glad.org] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 11:44 AM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Speaking from on High. Jim H. observed, "BTW: From Brian's post earlier. If my sig has Biohazard in it I am "speaking" as a Biohazard Guy. If it's the work one (University of Missouri) then I'm speaking as some dumb gamer. Attach whatever significance to that you will." Aha! And when you reply without a .sig, such as in this message, you are ... confusing us? ********************** Brian Betty, Front Desk Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders http://www.glad.org Tel. (617) 426-1350 *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Rachel Kronick [rachelkr@ms35.hinet.net] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 1:28 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Introduction and Insurgency Hi all! I don't know if this is appropriate or not, but to be honest, a big reason I get on mailing lists is to meet people, not necessarily to get ideas, so... I thought I'd introduce myself. I've had /Blue Planet/ for only a few months now, and I've never played it, but I do love the background quite a bit. As with so many folks, I'm working on my own campaign background. The on-line part of it is at . It's fairly hard-SF, star-spanning, somewhat reminiscent of /2300AD/, but not so politically conservative. I've been influenced quite a bit by /Blue Planet's/ depth and ecological sense, and I'm trying to work some of that into my own game. I like many RPG's, but my favorite system overall is /Harnmaster/. I'm actually writing a system based on it for use in my SF campaign. I'm also interested in East Asian stuff, and I live in Taiwan. (That's part of why I haven't played /BP/ yet -- there's a very small gaming community here, and getting them into SF is often rather difficult.) And various other things -- please have a look at my web page if you have time. For a bit of on-topicness -- does anyone think that the /Blue Mars/ offers a possible solution to the Natives' dilemma? That is to say, the Natives should just get organized, hammer out a statement of principles, make sure the media 'faucet' is wide-open, and then just try to live their lives nicely? If the Incorporates try anything, the Natives can put it on media everywhere. While I'm not sure how much influence individual consumers will have in the future, surely mass boycotts can't be good for any Incorporates...? (Hmm, I sense a battle for control of the 'faucets' lying on either side of the wormhole in this.) In any case, presenting a united front would surely be far more useful to them than a fragmented insurgency. Of course, organizing won't be too easy. Hope this has been interesting... -- Rachel Kronick *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Jason Hockley [jh39@ukc.ac.uk] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 1:55 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Blueheart On Tue, 9 Nov 1999 02:53:32 EST BIOHZD@aol.com wrote: > Hey Rich, > > You write: > > BTW: Has anyone read "Blueheart" by Alison Sinclair? From the blurb on the > back cover it sounds very similar to BP. > > *ARRGH*...the "blurb on the back cover" was the only thing worth reading. I > have seldom been so disappointed in a book. The setting was awesome (actually > to many BP similarities for my comfort), the science was great, and the > writing quite good. All it lacked was a story... ; ( Well, I've read this too and I would have to say that I wouldn't go this far in condemning it. The story certainly was a little slow, and seemed excessively dragged out in places, but it was there nonetheless. There are parallels with Blue Planet in it, but frankly I think if you read it for that then you're going to be even more dissappointed. Admittedly the difference in opinion here might simply be that it cost me nothing to read it. I borrowed it for free from the local library and I had little else to read at the time. There are certainly better books you could buy. > Read Legacy of Hereot or Red, Green, and Blue Mars instead. > > For what it's worth, I have to admit I've never heard of "Legacy of Hereot" before, but I've read Red Mars and Green Mars and quite enjoyed them. The main characters annoyed me a bit, but it is a very good series. Jason "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." - Robert A. Heinlein *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 2:10 PM To: 'blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com' Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - Speaking from on High. > -----Original Message----- > From: Brian Betty [mailto:bbetty@glad.org] > Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Speaking from on High. > > Aha! And when you reply without a .sig, such as in this > message, you are > ... confusing us? > Yup. Either that or I'm lazy. Jim Jim Heivilin, Project Manager Systems & Applications Group, IAT Services University of Missouri at Columbia mailto:banzai@missouri.edu, 884-3898 *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Tun Kai Poh [t_poh@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 7:36 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Legacy of Heorot > I have to admit I've never heard of "Legacy of >Hereot" before, but I've read Red Mars and Green Mars and >quite enjoyed them. The main characters annoyed me a bit, >but it is a very good series. I agree with Jeff; The Legacy of Heorot is very good. By Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steve Barnes. Great eco-mystery, nasty alien monsters, colonial drama and tensions... *** POTENTIAL SPOILER SPACE *** ...and I never looked at salmon the same way again. :) Kai Poh Malaysian Lagomorph ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Atti2dboy@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 8:48 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Blueheart In a message dated 11/8/99 10:56:16 PM, BIOHZD@aol.com writes: >*ARRGH*...the "blurb on the back cover" was the only thing worth reading. I >have seldom been so disappointed in a book. The setting was awesome (actually >to many BP similarities for my comfort), the science was great, and the >writing quite good. All it lacked was a story... ; ( Thanks. I opened the book to a random page and started reading and was bored within 4 sentences. I was wondering if I would miss anything by passing on it. I saw another recent SF book based on a water world. It was either book 1 or 2 of a series. It has been some months since I last saw it so I do not know who wrote it or what the title was. The blurb on the back made it sound like military SF. Next time I get to a bookstore that sells new books I will look for it. >Read Legacy of Hereot or Red, Green, and Blue Mars instead. I read Legacy of Hereot, and it was good. Good enought that I bought Beowulf's Children and read it all the way through. It was not so good. I have received mostly bad reviews of the Red/Green/Blue Mares books. Perhaps I will give them another look. =Rich "I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks." *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Atti2dboy@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 8:48 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - Landsrechts (was "Flame the newbie!") In a message dated 11/9/99 7:34:50 AM, banzai@missouri.edu writes: >"How DARE they think they can attack [fill in corporate name] and get away >with it! Bomb them back to the stone age where they belong!" "Bomb what, sir? Every village nearby bugged out 12 hours after we wasted the village." >"Ha, now we have a base within range of [fill in corporate name]'s mining >facility!" "Um, sir, the natives told [fill in corporate name] where our new base is and gave them a map of the local reefs." Divide and conquer. :) =Rich "I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks." *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Atti2dboy@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 8:48 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Some thoughts on the "newbie" thread... In a message dated 11/8/99 9:00:54 PM, BIOHZD@aol.com writes: >>>>>The reasons for this "lack" is neccessity, versatility and infrastructure. > >Neccessity - most people outside the major urban centers have no need for >land vehicles. They live in mostly coastal settlements and could not reach >anywhere of note overland even if there were roads. I agree with that for the smaller islands, and atolls. However, Solstice, Paragon, Endeavor, Westscape and Prime Meridian are large enough that ground vehicles would be useful. Westscape and Prime Meridian even have areas devoid of jungle, so a 4x4 would not be out of the question. >Versatility - Vehicles are worth their weight in Long John on Poseidon, so >the more versitile your one vehicle is the better - hence the ubiquitous >nature of jumpcraft. Reliability is more important than versatility on the Frontier, IMHO. Also, ground vehicles would be cheaper than jumpcraft. So if you don't need one why spend the money? Personally I figured that the exclusion of ground vehicles was an editorial decision based upon book length. >Infrastructure - In urban centers there is little need for land craft other >than scooters and electric trucks. Haven, Atlas, Dyfedd, etc, all have good >public transportation. There is also a distinct lack of roads outside of town >- where would they go? 4x4s (and 6x6s for additonal SF effect) don't need much infrastructure. Dune buggies for beach patrols and 4x4 range trucks for farmers are what I was thinking of. Call me maladjusted but I find the deserts of Westscape and Prime Meridian interesting, and I wouldn't want to be in *any* aircraft while navigating the winds around those pinnacles. >They would use less fuel than the VTOL's and if they run out of power the >pilot does not have to worry about the lack of glide characteristics. > :) > >>>>>Now where is the fun in that? ; ) The fun in that is not creating a new character. ; ) >>>>>Well, then by all means read it! The weather is *very* much a concern in >BP. Your characters ever live through a Noah? I was thinking in terms of building materials and designs. I did not see much in the book that talks of 50 foot waves breaking over a village and wiping it all away. I have not yet had the opportunity to play BP. : / >>>>>Good call... > >>>>>Another good call... Thanks. I believe that if the players want to go shopping of fight for fuel they can do that in the real world. Role playing shopping bores the higher thought processes out of me. >>>>>Hey now! ; ( *I* on the other hand would *recommend* you encourage >your players to buy their own copy of BP instead As is your right. I, however, am fundamenntally opposed to any role playing game costing more than $20. Since so much of BP should not be read by players, I feel it is unfair to encourage them to shell out $30 for something that they can not get full use out of. The new publication of Trinity is $15 (full set of rules). It's crap, but I bought it to support a trend in cheaper gaming materials. Now if Biohazard were to publish a player's book under $15, that I would recommend. ; ) >>>>>Well...ah...er...we already offer more free game-goodies on our website >than most companies. It would be nice if we...ah...made enough money to go >along with those freebees that we could continue to put out new BP product. I greatly appreciate the "free game-goodies" on your website. Here's an option, publish a few $2.99 game material supplements. I'm not necessarily character sheets, but the Survival Guide, and vehicle record sheets, 11"x14" copies of the maps (better yet 17"x22"). Stuff that the GM can hand out at games and not swear over not getting back. Biohazard makes a little money, Gm's and players don't have to make an extra trip to a copy store, and game stores get stuff to fill out their shelves that people come in for every couple of months. Just a thought. =Rich "I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks." *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Ankfix@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 9:02 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Blueheart In a message dated 11/9/99 9:50:25 PM Eastern Standard Time, Atti2dboy@aol.com writes: > I read Legacy of Hereot, and it was good. Good enought that I bought Beowulf' > s > Children and read it all the way through. It was not so good. I have > received > mostly bad reviews of the Red/Green/Blue Mares books. Perhaps I will give > them another look. Oh, you must! The books were simply amazing. The number of cool ideas/page was astounding. I got more ideas for my gaming from that series than I have from any other single source. And, there's even a new addition to the series coming out titled _The Martians_. I've already got mine ordered. :-) - Fixer *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Greg Benage [gbenage@ix.netcom.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 11:55 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Some thoughts on the "newbie" thread... -----Original Message----- From: Atti2dboy@aol.com To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Date: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 6:50 PM Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Some thoughts on the "newbie" thread... >The new publication of Trinity is $15 (full set of rules). It's crap, but I >bought it to support a trend in cheaper gaming materials. Now if >Biohazard were to publish a player's book under $15, that I would >recommend. ; ) I'm fundamentally opposed to losing large quantities of money. Now if we could do printruns, say, 20% the size of White Wolf's, maybe we could sell a $15 book. That won't happen, though, as long as people would rather just photocopy the parts of the book they want. I'm sorry you're opposed to the $27.95 we charge for BP. If it makes you feel any better, we're not making any money on it. >I greatly appreciate the "free game-goodies" on your website. Here's an >option, publish a few $2.99 game material supplements. Our take from the distributor would be $1.20. If we're real cheap, that will cover printing and shipping. As long as we don't presume to pay ourselves anything, or do any advertising, and avoid warehousing costs by filling our living rooms with the unsold product, we can break even! I don't want to get into a discussion of the economics of RPG publishing, but I just thought I'd add my two corporate scrip... Greg Benage Biohazard Games *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Kevin L. Nault [jskln1@uas.alaska.edu] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 10:45 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Oooh! Oooh! I've got it! Christopher Sakal wrote: > > Granted, the huge profit margin of longjohn makes it > harder to make the corps give up, but they do face > some pretty substantial logistical difficulties in > getting material from Earth to Poseidon. And back. How's this for a Con adventure: hijacking an Incorporate interstellar cargo ship full of Long John? You'd need a GEO sympathizer or two, maybe a Native insurgent, Merchant Crew and a Pilot (someone's got to drive the thing after you steal it). The actual adventure would probably end with stealing it (or not), with most of it being concerned with getting to the thing, getting aboard, and jumping the crew. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Kevin L. Nault [jskln1@uas.alaska.edu] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 10:53 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Shooting Civilians (was: Landsrechts) "Heivilin, Jim" wrote: > > The US Army does NOT trains it's soldier to shoot the entire 100. There is > specific training about the Rules of Warfare, Standards of Conduct During > Wartime and the responsibility of every soldier to question orders which may > even appear to be unethical. While you didn't say they were the implication > was there and I just wanted to clarify that. I seriously doubt the military > forces of any other non-third world nation are trained in that manner either > but I have no facts verifying that supposition. Sorry, hadn't meant to imply that. I was just saying that regular army training consists of the techniques you use when wiping out 100, not 1 in 100. And yes, every branch of the U.S. military has at least one group trained to do so, but they'd be spread thin in a Poseidon-like situation, and represent a far larger training investment, so that when insurgents get them, the sponsor feels it. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Kevin L. Nault [jskln1@uas.alaska.edu] Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 10:54 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Landsrechts (was "Flame the newbie!") Follow Up Flag: Reply Flag Status: Flagged "Heivilin, Jim" wrote: > > Gurkhas. Another group you *really* don't want to be on the wrong side of. Now I demonstrate the gaping holes in my knowledge: What's a Gurkha? *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message.