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           +-+--+-+--+-+     VOLUME FIVE                   NUMBER ONE 
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           |           |      BITNET Fantasy-Science Fiction Fanzine
        ___|___________|___  X-Edited by 'Orny' Liscomb <CSDAVE@MAINE> 

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                                  CONTENTS
              X-Editorial                          Orny
              Complete Game Design                 Orny 
              Origin of a "PBM" Game               Stephen Tihor 
              Nuclear Autumn                       Joseph Curwen 
              ELFQUEST Supplement Review           Richard Jervis
              A National Gaming Organization       Mike Barbre 

            Date: 072086                               Dist: 157
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                                X-Editorial 
      Well,  hello,  and  welcome  to the  roleplaying  game  and  other
  assorted miscellany issue  of FSFnet! Included in this  issue you will 
  find some  interesting gaming-related  articles, including  an article
  by a  gentleman who has  designed a  rather extensive PBM  game. There
  are  also a  few  odd  tidbits, including  an  extra  story by  Joseph 
  Curwen. Issue  VOL5N02 will be  out very  soon after you  receive this 
  issue,  and  will  return  to   the  Dargon  project  with  some  more 
  excellent  fantasy  fiction  by  BITNET  authors.  I'd  also  like  to 
  mention  that we  might  be losing  some of  our  Dargon authors,  and
  would like  to encourage readers  who dabble  in writing to  try their 
  hand at  writing a Dargon story.  It is, after all,  a writing project
  for the authors, and an excellent writing exercise. 
      As  for news,  there is  some. New  books are  appearing left  and 
  right,  as well  as reprints,  so I  would suggest  that people  check
  several bookstores  for their favorite  authors, and perhaps  some new 
  ones. Also,  I highly  recommend  the Bowie/Henson  movie "Labyrinth". 
  Although the  plot is  a little  bit contrived,  the remainder  of the
  film is well  worth the admission price. Bowie was  highly bearable in 
  his role as  Goblin King, and Henson created some  effects that really 
  shake you  up. I would  go see the movie  twice or three  times simply 
  to appreciate the action. Excellent film.
      But on to the  meat of the matter, an issue  dedicated to the fine 
  art of  roleplaying gaming. Enjoy,  and we'll see  you in Dargon  in a 
  couple weeks!
                          -Orny  <CSDAVE @ MAINE> 

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                            Complete Game Design 
      There  are four  aspects of  every roleplaying  game that  must be
  properly coordinated and  supervised by the gamemaster to  result in a
  successful game  or campaign.  In this short  article I  shall attempt 
  to share some of what I have learned in my gamemastering experiences. 
      The first  and most basic step  in any game is  choosing what game
  rules  system to  use.  There are  virtually  countless rules  systems 
  available  commercially,  and  most  gamemasters feel  that  they  are
  sufficient  for  their  purposes.  Some gamemasters  decide  that  the 
  rules  are  acceptable with  minor  modifications.  A few  gamemasters
  eventually   undertake  to   create  their   own  rule   systems.  All
  gamemasters, however  must choose  between these  options, and  I have
  developed some  criteria by which  gamemasters may choose  the systems
  they use. Firstly,  the gamemaster should know what he  wants from the
  system, weighing  elements he desires  to incorporate and  elements he 
  wishes to  avoid. Special  attention should be  given to  the tradeoff
  between realism and  playability. Finally, the best  way to understand
  the  shortcomings  and  strengths  of   a  game  is  to  playtest  it.
  Playtesting is  one of the strongest  tools of the game  designer, and
  is  the  proving  grounds  for the  system.  Overall,  an  intelligent
  choice   of  game   systems,   be  they   commercially  available   or
  self-designed, is a critical point in game design.
      The second  aspect of a game  which must be addressed  is the game
  locality  and  environment. THis  includes  the  layout of  the  land,
  geographical  features, maps,  towns,  NPCs, and  so  forth. The  best
  policy to create  an environment is to start  small. Often gamemasters
  start  out by  drawing entire  continents, and  run into  trouble when
  play  concentrates on  a smaller  scale. Detailed  maps are  excellent
  tools, and  accomplish the dual  purposes of arousing  player interest 
  and avoiding the creation of generic "areas" that lack in detail. 
      Thirdly  is  scenario design;  the  adventure.  When designing  an
  adventure,  keep  the  players  interest  in  mind.  Bring  the  party 
  together  in  a   logical  and  believable  manner.  As   soon  as  is
  convenient,  grab their  interest  by  giving them  a  major event  to
  think  over. For  example,  they  find out  that  several people  have
  disappeared from their  town. This will give the  players something to
  think about  and a  purpose to  unite them. As  the major  plot builds 
  up,  throw in  minor  subplots  (ie they  find  out  that the  trusted 
  sheriff is  a werewolf), leading up  to the climax of  the major plot.
  For each adventure,  there is a time  to think and a time  to act, and
  your players  should not be confused  as to which is  which. A balance 
  of  "think'n'sweat"  and  "hack'n'slash"  will  keep  everyone  happy. 
  During each  session your players  should feel a sense  of achievement
  or gain, as  well as some doubt at the  mess they've gotten themselves
  into. The  purpose of the  game is to make  your players feel  some of 
  the  emotions of  their  characters, and  to  suspend their  disbelief
  just enough. A well designed scenario is a major factor in this.
      The  final  point  is not  an  aspect  of  the  game, but  of  the
  gamemaster.  As  gamemaster, you  must  carefully  implement the  game 
  system, the environment,  and the scenario to have  a successful game. 
  Your   performance  in   actually  running   the  game   can  make   a
  badly-designed  game exciting,  or a  well-designed game  a flop.  THe
  first  thing  to remember  is  to  know  the  game system.  Having  to
  constantly page through  rules detracts from the  players enjoyment of 
  the  game, and  is  rather unprofessional.  Keeping  things moving  is
  very important.  Waiting for the  players to  stumble upon a  key clue 
  is futile  and aggravating for  the players.  It is also  important to 
  not be predictable in  what you do. Players who know  what you will do 
  are bored players.  Finally, make the players play the  roles of their
  characters. That's what roleplaying is all about.
      A  careful  management  of  the game  system,  the  campaign,  the
  scenario,  and  your gamemastering  style  will  result in  successful 
  all-around game  design. Each aspect  has its pitfalls, which  must be 
  learned  to  be   avoided.  I  hope  that   sharing  my  gamemastering
  experiences are of use to you in yours.
                          -Orny  <CSDAVE @ MAINE> 

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                            Origin of a "PBM" game
      I have  been involved in fantasy  gaming and, to a  lesser extent, 
  wargaming since  the late 60s when  I started dropping by  the old SPI 
  offices  in New  York  for  their Friday  night  playtest sessions.  A
  number of  my friends also playtested  for SPI and some  of them, such 
  as Greg Costikyan,  went on to become professional  game designers. It 
  is  only natural  to want  to design  one's own  game after  seeing so 
  much  happen in  this  environment,  but I  always  found the  heavily 
  competitive style and the WW II orientation  of traditional  wargaming 
  uncomfortable. 
      With the arrival of  D&D in late 1974 I found a  medium in which I
  was comfortable working,  and have  been involved  in running  various
  rolegames ever  since. Edi Birsan, another  NY area gamer with  a more
  wargaming bias,  changed his campaign from  face to face to  a fantasy 
  wargame/miniatures campaign (reversing the  evolutionary path  of D&D) 
  which many  NY area  players found interesting. Unfortunately it had a
  strong flavor  of gamesmaster intervention which was generally felt to
  be a "bad thing."
      Most of my  effort (and that of our group)  went into evolving our 
  local rules systems first  from D&D and the later our  own design in a
  project for SPI, part of  which was eventually degenerated  into their
  RPG,  Dragonquest. The  idea  of a  "play  by mail"  style  game in  a 
  fantasy envrionment  continued to  intrigue me.  Last summer  a couple 
  of my  friends who were  playing in a  number of commercial  PBM games 
  suggested that  it would be interesting  to do our own  game. The idea 
  immediately appealed  to me but I felt that it had  to be designed for
  computer   moderation   from  the   begining.   After   a  couple   of
  brainstorming sessions we agreed on a number of game principles: 

         Each player would BE a single character in the world 

         Every  character  or unit  could  only  control up  to  FIVE
         other   characters,   units,   or   provinces,   but   those
         characters  or   units  could  control  up   to  FIVE  other 
         characters, or units, or provinces, etc 

         No  control  would  be  perfect and  permanent  but  we  are 
         playing  a  fantasy game,  not  Computer  Illuminati, so  it 
         would not  be easy to seize  control of a fifth  of player's
         entire hierarchy of control

         While a unit  remained loyal then command  and control would 
         be perfect (telepathy is a wonderful spell) 

         Each  character would  have skills  which could  be improved
         over time and new skills could be learned

         The  game would  be set  in an  Earth-like  world where  the
         technology was  that of the  middle ages, magic  worked, and 
         intelligent species other than humanity existed. 

         The basic turn would be one month

         A person,  unit, stack of  units, or province  could execute 
         one order per month

         A lone  rider on  horse back could  cover four  provinces in
         one month if not attacked 

         The  game would  be  entirely computer  moderatable with  no 
         human  intervention   in  the  adjudication   of  individual 
         orders needed  (i.e. no special  orders; if it's worth doing 
         it's worth making a part of the program)

         There is  limited information  about the world,  the actions
         of other players, and the exact values of the various skills

         More information could be discovered in the course of play 

         The    multi-player   diplomatic    aspects   and    limited 
         information would provide the major initial challenges 

         A  player need  not fight  for "world  domination" to  enjoy
         playing;  movement and  combat should  be credible  for both
         armies and small parties of adventurers

         The wargaming aspects  would be done first  since they would 
         draw more people into the game

         New  rules modules  and thus  activities and  playing styles
         will be added transparently

         New players can join at any time

         People and  places are  basically the  same things  and many 
         of  the same  options apply  to both,  thus you  can control 
         a city  directly  and  it in turn  may have  mercenary units
         working for it.

      It  turned out  that I  was the  only one  of the  designers in  a
  position to  code extensively  so I  ended up  writing the  entire 12k 
  lines  of C.  I chose  "portably written"  C rather  than LISP  as the
  implementation  language  to  insure  that  the  game  would  be  very
  portable, there  would be adequate fast  implementations available for 
  the  top  of  the  line   microcomputers   on  which  the  game  would
  eventually have to live  if it worked well enough to  move it beyond a 
  hobby  project. My  general goal  would  be for  it to  expand to  the 
  point that it can  be run be a NY area game  company as a "for-profit" 
  project  and  I   can  stop  having  to  run  the   turns  myself  and 
  concentrate on development. 
      This winter I felt the program was solid  enough  that  I  started
  collecting  local playtesters.  The first  six turns  were run  weekly
  but as  people gradually came to  want longer turn deadlines  we moved
  to biweekly  turns. Then  people wanted  more actions  so I  moved the 
  basic action  from units of  a month with four  weekly movement/combat
  phases to  units of  a week,  with some actions  taking more  than one
  unit.  The  underlying  implementation  of  time  was designed  to  to 
  handle very small  quantums of action since I  felt uncomfortable with 
  large turns containing  many smaller phases and  more comfortable with 
  actions  taking  place  in continuous time.  Breaking  the  monolithic
  month required only changing a couple of constants.
      With the  move to a longer  turnaround it became possible  to have 
  players not  within shouting distance  and I solicited some additional
  playtesters  using the  Usenet newsgroup  net.games.frp. We  currently
  have 21  active playerships and perhaps 14  semi-active ones.  Many of
  the more  active players  are network players  since they  have faster
  communications than  even some  of the  "face-to-face" players  do. It 
  has  been interesting  watching the  flow  of message  from player  to
  player  as  initally  everyone  took advantage  of  the  anonymity  of 
  messages sent  though the gamesmaster  and the newsletter  rather than
  simply exchanging phone  numbers and addresses. In the  last few turns
  the  communications rate  has climbed  steadily as  one player  seized
  the  capitol   and  others  began  aligning   themselves  against  his
  position. As  I send  this off  the Game is  turning the  year counter 
  over.  People are  now  writing orders  for the  first  "lune" of  the
  second  year of  play. One  effect of  the continuing  nature  of  the
  playtest is  that players continue to  join the game as  time goes on.
  To  adjust for  the inital  position effect  the starting  resources a
  player  was given  increased steadily  over the  first seven  turns to 
  compensate for not  being able to submit moves for  the earlier turns.
  Some players  are also being placed  on a second land mass to separate 
  them from  then rather messy war  starting on the mainland  until they
  get their sea legs,  as it were. (Most players take  a couple of turns 
  to get the feel for how things are done.)
      Lately  my  efforts  have   been  divided  fairly  evenly  between
  expanding  the world  by  adding additional  places  and NPCs;  adding 
  documentation such as  lore sheets on provinces,  players, and skills;
  and, expanding  the basic  game options by  adding additional uses for
  skills, enhancing  the underlying economic  model and sections  of the 
  game that are only  now being used (the first player  ship on the high
  seas prompted  me to finish  the "Storms at  Sea module", and  add new 
  major  modules. The  current  big project  is  the Heroic  Adventures,
  random  encounter sequences  which  present  options  for actions  and
  support for attacking Dragons with one Hero rather than one Legion.
      We  lost a  few  players when  the spring  term  ended at  several 
  schools.  It is  time to  add a  some additional  players with  stable 
  network access. If anyone wants to contact me I can be reached at: 

           UUCPnet:                {ihnp4,seismo,...}!cmcl2!tihor
           ARPAnet:                TIHOR@NYU-ACF1 or TIHOR@NYU
           BITnet:                 TIHOR@NYUACF

      Copies  of the  setup package  are  available on  request but  are 
  fairly lengthy  to send  over UUCP  links. They can  be picked  up via 
  anonymous  FTP from  NYU.ARPA  (or  NYU.EDU) as  ~ftp/pub/tihor/rules.
  The  current newsletter  is .../tihor/newsletter  and is included with 
  setups.  The costs  for network  turns are  negligable so there is  no
  charge for  people getting their turns  in person or by  e-mail but it
  is recommended that most  network players  send me  a couple  of SASEs 
  for hand  written responses if they  include an ad in  the T'NYC Times 
  (the newsletter) which  solicit  responses since some  players will be
  giving me handwritten replies.
                      -Stephen Tihor  <TIHOR @ NYUACF> 

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                               Nuclear Autumn
      In the last  days of a decadent race, the  eternal children sought 
  what tawdry  pleasures they  could, well  knowing but  never realizing
  that their  time was nearly  at an end.  These were the Glorious Days,
  filled with  all the myth and  wonder of Man's devising.  And myth and 
  wonder there  were. So much  so that a man  might live out  his entire 
  life, which could  no longer be adequately measured  in years, without
  perceiving even  the slightest  hint of the  cold realities  which had
  faced  their  historical predecessors.  No  pleasure  palace of  Kubla 
  Khan could  compare with the  vast panorama  of delusion in  which Man 
  had  enfolded  himself.  In  truth,   the  commonalities  of  such  an
  existence would  have caused  even the most  tainted of  Sultanates to 
  blush.  But of  course, the  act of  blushing itself  had grown  to be 
  only  the  vaguest  of   myths,  half-heartedly  sought  by  countless 
  numbers of  pleasure seekers who  were incapable of conceiving  of any 
  emotion  leading  to its  expression.  Life  had reached the bounds of 
  Man's finite imagination, but still the populace desired more.
      It was  inevitable. The  sensual pleasures  had been  exploited to
  their  fullest.  The  intellectual   pleasures  had  long  since  been 
  abandoned as  requiring such great  an effort for such  small returns.
  Looking  back across  those  final years,  one  recognizes the  odious 
  progression  of those  dissatisfied with the ability  to define  one's
  own existence  with such precision.  One sees  a steady growth  in the 
  numbers  of  those who  desired  hardships and  death, and  those  who
  wished  to savor  the things  that  the society  constructed by  their
  forefathers had forbidden  them.  Perhaps it all  arose naturally from
  the destructive  instinct in Man,  which while carefully  channeled by
  society  into  acceptable  forms  could only  achieve  the  palest  of 
  expressions.  Society  had  done  its best  to  compromise  with  this 
  force,  providing more  and  more outlets  of  outre expression  which
  would  have  shocked any  sane  individual  of  another age.  But  the
  attractions of  the forbidden  were felt  in much  greater proportions 
  by  those unused to any  form of  self-discipline.  There could  be no 
  compromise. 
      Small  sects of discontents arose and grew  in  number until  they 
  encompassed  the greater  part  of the  entire  population. They  were 
  dissatisfied with  mechanized life  and  sought  refuge in  artificial 
  wildernesses,  harkening   back  onto  the  mythical   days  of  their 
  ancestors when  Man vied  directly with  Nature in  continuous combat.
  But  it  was  not enough,  as  as  they  knew  that they  were  in  an
  instant's  communication  with  great  mechanized  forces  capable  of 
  easily overcoming  any task,  there could be  no full  appreciation of 
  the  struggle to  survive.  As long  as  any man  had  access to  such
  devices, their day to day victories in the "Wilderness" shown shallow. 
      And  so after  a long  period  of fruitless  pursuit, an  unspoken
  resolution formed  in the  minds of  each and every  man. Man  must be 
  freed from his  devices, freed to struggle once more  in a world where 
  the  combat  was   meaningful,  a  world  with   obstacles  worthy  of 
  challenging Man  once again.  But turning off  the machines  would not 
  be  enough, not  so long  as they  could be  reactivated. To  free Man
  would  require  that  society  and   its  machines  were  totally  and 
  irrevocably destroyed.  This presented  Man's first real  challenge in 
  centuries for  the devices  of Man's society  had been  constructed to
  withstand any mishap  unscathed. They could not be  averted from their
  continuous and ever present functioning. 
      Man  puzzled long  over this  dilemma without solution, until  one 
  day a  very unfashionable elder,  who had  chosen to seek  pleasure in
  the lost knowledge  of Man's history, struck upon  a forgotten record.
  It seemed  that in  the days  long before  civilization, Man  had done 
  violence  unto himself  in massive  numbers. The  very concept  was at 
  once unbelievable and  exciting to these souls  trapped into passivity 
  by  their societial  machine. But  even more  than this,  it presented
  hope. In some  forgotten era of the race, Man  had constructed engines 
  capable  of destruction  well  beyond  even  their own  comprehension. 
  Man's  fear had  caused these  engines to  go unused  and unremembered 
  but  not untended.  As was  the practice  of all  the Great  Builders,
  these  engines of  violence were  perpetually maintenanced by machines 
  which would last until Armageddon.
      Here at  last was a solution.  There was no discussion.  They were 
  driven  by  their desperation,  knowing  there  was nothing  to  lose.
  Resolutely, the  masses uncovered the  engines of destruction  and set
  them  about their  inevitable course.  They awaited  hopeful of  their
  outcome, hopeful of escape. 
    And Man looked upon a new day....a new beginning. 
                     -Joseph Curwen  <C418433 @ UMCVMB>

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                     ELFQUEST the Roleplaying Game (tm) 
                    Companion I and The Sea Elves Review

      This was  intended to  be a  short review of  the new  gaming aids
  for  Elfquest players  by Chaosium,  but in  discussion with  others I 
  found that  the one  thing  all  of us  seem to  miss was  an extended
  table  of  Contents  or  an index  of  sorts.  Personally  I lean  too
  heavily  on such  things  when  learning  a  new  game,  from lack  of 
  familiarity or laziness or just  for  some  semblance  of  speed  when
  trying to involve others in my scenario. 
      When  the  Companion  came  out  in  August  I  had  hoped  for  a
  compendium  of sorts, or perhaps a  gamemasters guide  to tables and a 
  quick reference  outline for character  generation. While it  was full
  of information  both expected  and  desired,  there was no index. So I 
  made my own. At  the end of this article I'll list the  list  of "Poor 
  Richard's Index".  This is by  no means  exhaustive or complete,  as I 
  was only  attempting  to narrow  down  the areas  of info.  A complete 
  listing  would  include  the  Two  manuals,  the  Companion,  the  Sea 
  Elves, references  to the Quest ,  the Fanclub, and anything  else one
  might find useful. That  is a tall order when the original idea was to
  shorten reference time, not expand it. 
      Podium  aside, I'll  get  onto  the review  at  hand. Firstly  the 
  Elfquest  Companion   opens  with  some   updates  to  the  game  made
  necessary by  issues 19 and 20  of Elfquest in an  errata section. For
  example, the  modification  of the rule  about shaping dead  wood made 
  necessary  by  Redlance's  actions,  and  information  about  the  gas 
  bombs used by Ol' Maggotty.
      Also,  the  stats  for  17  more characters  from  the  quest  are 
  included, but  'Rotsap and  splinters in me  hand! No new soul-names!' 
  The section  on Finding  an Elfname  is useful... my basic rule  is if
  you don' t pick  one, One will be given.... "Help  with Elf design" is
  interesting,  I nicknamed  it "How  to draw  elves  the Pini  way." It 
  gives some filling out  for NPC's as well as being  a good  guide-line
  for undecided  characters. "Wolf  Ecology" is  a comparative  study of
  the wolves on  "The World of Two-moons"  and those of Terrestrial ilk. 
  I  think this  should be  "must" reading  for players  and Gamemasters 
  alike   to  help   with   role-playing   and  to   help  dispel   some 
  misconceptions about  wolves. The  Wolfhaven Holt, a  divergent branch
  of wolfriders,  gives some  good  ideas  for Holt  development in your 
  game.  A pseudo-history  is  included,  and  the  module;  "The  Dying 
  River" is  meant to be  played by a  branch of Wolfhaven  elves. (This
  doesn't  preclude   others,  it's  merely  a  suggestion.)  The Second 
  Module, "Fire Flight" is for several Plains elves. "The Sea  Elves" is 
  a complete culture supplement for Elfquest based  on the  concept that 
  some High ones fled  from the humans only to run  into the ocean. They
  colonized  several islands  with the  help of  dolphin like  creatures
  known  as  wave-dancers.  The supplement is  divided into  sections on 
  history,  the  islands  and  the creatures who  inhabit them.  We  are
  given  five new  powers  and  three  excellent  modules.  "Stormcoming
  Hunt"  is  a  race  against  time   and   tide,  "Littlesmoke  Island" 
  provides  a  backdrop  for   exploration  of  heretofore  undiscovered 
  islands,  and  "Assault of  Smalltower  Island"  presents a  different
  view of  elves, in  the role of pirates! I'll not say a lot more about
  the modules so as  not  to spoil the surprises,  except that they look
  real nice  and that there's  more to  them than their names imply. The
  Elfquest Companion  I and The  Sea Elves are available  from Chaosium, 
  INC. Box 6302-eqc, Albany CA 94706-0302 for about $6.00.
                    -Richard Jervis  <C78KCK @ IRISHMVS>

                 POOR RICHARD'S ELF INDEX FOR Elfquest (tm)
      (Sections  are   caps,  tables  are   marked  with  a   dash,  and 
  Characters  are in  quotes.  Numbers  suffixed  with an  's' represent
  selections in The Sea Elves.) 

  A-
  Age  18 
  -Age Factor Table 21 
  Animal Bonding 42
  Animal Lore 21,51 
  Antidotes   8 
  Anti-Healing 39
  Armour  62 
  Astral Projection  42 
  ATTACKING 49
  Automatic Success 24
  B-
  -Beginning skills table 2s
  Birth Rate  9
  Blue Mountain Folk 10,66-67
  Bond Animals 24
  Bone-shaping 8s
  C-
  Characteristics 19
       "         Increasing  29
  "Clearbrook"  20 
  Climb  21,34
  COMBAT 45-63
  -Combat Jargon Table  46-47 
  -  "    Modifiers Table 57
     "    results 54-55
  Communication  21,34,4s
  Covered Targets 56
  CREATING AN ELF 16
  Critical Attacks 49
     "     Parry 51 
     "     Success 25 
  Climb  21,31
  D-
  DAMAGE 30-32
      "       Bonus 20
  Darkness 56
  Derived Characteristics 20
  Desert Elves 12,69 
  Dexterity 47
  Dodge  21,34,52 
  E-
  -Earthquake Severity table 7s 
  -Encounter table 17s
  ELFQUEST EXPRESSIONS 73 
  Elf Lore 21,34 
  Experience Bonus 20
  F-
  Finding 44
  Firestarting 40
  Fish-finding 8s
  Fishing and Hunting 4-5s
  Fist and Kick 58 
  Fleshshaping 41
  Fumble 25
  -Fumble Tables 52 
  G-
  Game day 32 
  GAME SYSTEM 24
  Gobacks 10,67-69
  Grappling 59
  Great Waves 7s 
    -   "         "       table "
  H-
  Healing 32,41 
      "        Lore 21,34
  -Height and Weight Table 19
  High Ground 56
  High Ones 12
  Hit Points 20
  Hit Point Location 30
  Homing Instinct 8s 
  Humans 13,71 
  Human Lore 21,35 
  I-
  THE ISLANDS 6-7s 
  Island flora and fauna 6s
  Impale 50,52 
  J-
  Jump 21,35 
  K-
  "Kahvi"  67 
  L-
  LANGUAGES 13
           "         Lore 21,35
  "Leetah" 66
  Levitation 41
  M-
  MAGIC  21-23,38,5s 
      "     Feeling 44
      "     points 20 
      "     powers 38,8-9s 
      "      use 48
  Manipulation 21,36 
  Melee Activities 48-49 
     "     Round 33-46
     "     Skills 49 
           Weapons 57-58
  Mind snare 45 
    "     Stun 44
  Mineral Lore 21,36 
  -Missed Throw Table 38 
  Missiles 59-60 
  -Missile Weapons Table 60 
  Mounted Combat 55
  Movement 20,47-48
  -Movement Rate Table 33 
  N-
  Name  16 
  Natural Weapons 58
  Nets  60-62
  O-
  "Olbar" 70
  OTHER TRIBES 64-72
  P-
  Parry  51 
      "    an impale 51 
  passageways 56 
  perception 21,36
  -Perception  Modifiers 37
  -Pirate Statistics table 18s
  Plains Elves 12,70 
  Plant Lore 21,37 
     "      Shaping 41
  Power Gain Roll 29
  Preparing a weapon 48
  Preservers 13,72 
  Previous Experience 21-22 
  R-
  "Rayek" 64
  Recognition 9,19
  Recognized Lifemate 18
  "Redlance" 18
  Research 30
  -Resistance Table 26 
  Ride  21,37
  Ride Skill Limit 51
  Rockshaping 42
  S-
  "Savah" 64
  SEA & ISLAND CREATURES 9-16s 
  -Sea Elf Characteristics and skills  2s 
  Sea Elves 12,68-69,2-5s
  Seismic Activity 6-7s 
  Sending 23,45 
  Shape Changing 42
  Shield        45,51,63 
  Simple Success 24
  SKILLS 34 
  -Skills Table 21 
  -Skills Results Table 25 
   Skill Training 27 
  Skill vs Skill 24-25
  Social Structure 4s 
  Special Attack 50
  -    "      Attributes Table 23
        "      Environments 55 
        "      Success 25 
  Stealth  21,37
  -Stealth Terrain Modifiers 37 
  Stormseeing 8-9s 
  Strike Rank 20,47 
  -    "        "    Table 47 
  -    "        "    Modifiers Table 20 
  Sunfolk 10,65-66
  Surprise 48
  Swim 21,37 
  Synopsis 13-16 
  T-
  Telepathic Powers 42
  -Terrain Effects Table  33
  Time and Movement 32 
  Throw  21,38
  Trolls 71-72 
  Troll Lore 38
  Turns  33 
  Two Attacks 51
  U-
  Unfavorable Environments 56
  Underwater 56
  V-
  -Volcanic Eruption table 7s 
  W-
  Water Control 9s 
  Wavedancers 4s 
  Weapons 5s 
  Weapon Description 62-63 
      "       Length 47
      "       Use 57
  Weather 6s 
  "Winnowill" 67
  Wolfriders 10,24 

                       CHARACTER GENERATION SEQUENCE

  Age:   2d10 x 2d6 
  Recognition: age/10 on 1d100 
  Recognized mate alive?  POW x 5 on 1d100
  Roll Basic stats: page 19
  Dmg Bonus: If STR + SIZ >= 25.... 
  Experience Bonus: INT/2 
  Hit Points: (CON + SIZ)/2 
  Magic Points: POW 
  Strike Rank Mod: Table on Page 20 
  Special Attributes: Max of 2 rolls on table (23)
  Previous Exp  Tot Basic Stats X # on Age factor chart (page 21.)*Basic
   Stats can be increased (except   INT or SIZ) 
   Initial Skills: Table on 21
  Talent Roll: 1D100 
  Weapon use: Table on 58

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            Launching a National University Gaming Organization
      My  name  is Mike  Barbre  and  I am  the  Vice  President of  the 
  University  Gamers Unlimited  at  the University  of  Missouri in  St.
  Louis. I am sending  you all this note in the hope  that you will feel 
  as  I do.  It is  time  to begin  a national  organization for  gaming
  among  the universities  of the  world. This  can help  each of  us in
  many ways. I will list some of the benefits below;

         A list of people who share your gaming interests. 

         When   budgeting    time   arrives  at   the   universities, 
         belonging to a national organization is a big plus.

         I will  work to get each  member a standing discount  at the
         various companies who make our favorite games.

         (idea) a newsletter put out annually. 

         (idea) a  newsletter of the highest  quality containing just 
         advertising from our favorite companies (I like looking at ads) 

         and anything else we can think of.

      Ok,  your saying  what will  it  cost? Answer:  nothing more  than
  your groups address.  If I get enough  of a response I will  make up a 
  form letter  along with a  signup sheet to  be copied and  provided to
  each member  of your  groups. Each  member (hope)  would fill  out and
  return  the signup  sheet. By  doing  so I  will  add the  names to  a
  universal gaming database.  Using the miracle of SAS I  will then make 
  a 'phone  book' and  send it  to everyone. Generally  this would  be a 
  forum  of gamers,  with  the  benefits of  a  university.  If you  are
  interested at all  please send me a note, and  if possible provide the 
  address  (on campus)  of your  favorite gaming  organization. I  thank
  you for your time and hope to hear from you soon. 
                     Mike Barbre  <S4898002 @ UMSLVMA> 
                        University Gamers Unlimited 
                        250 University Center, UMSL 
                          8001 Natural Bridge Road
                            St. Louis, MO. 63121 

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Road
                            St. Louis, MO. 63121 

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