From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of David Farnell [daf@iwa.att.ne.jp] Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 7:01 PM To: Delta Green List Subject: DG: Re: Re: Damn Near Everything From: Jason R. Armstrong > First- Mr. Farnell, as if you needed to be told; "Angel" is > ....just....fucking....great! [blushing] Actually, I _do_ need to be told. Often. :-) But preferably off-list--I'm easily embarrassed. > My only pet peeve that > sticks out (right now) was the "after" scene at the compound, when Our > Heroine is wandering around with the alleycannon. For some reason, it > struck me as...too cinematic? I don't know why; I keep pinging on Geena > Davis, and some movie or other. Not exactly useful criticism, though, so > forget it for now. The story is muchissimo tasty. I just wanted to say (reluctantly) that when people do dislike something, let me know (again, off-list is best). That doesn't mean I'll change it--I'm writing this to please _me_ more than anyone else, and no way am I going to write by committee. But feedback (positive and negative) does help to see things from the outside, even if negative comments do piss me off for about twenty minutes. I'm filing it all away for the rewrite, when I'll read back over it and take an objective look at the whole. I already see lots of things I want to change (mostly things that people haven't commented on), but I'm trying not to think about it until afterwards. I don't want to put out the fire. And Maria's a _lot_ shorter than Geena Davis. :-) > Which brings me to my next thing, stories versus novels. > I just read _RULES OF ENGAGEMENT_, by Senor Tynes. And damn, I > didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, or as much as I wanted to. I think I enjoyed it more than you did, but I have to admit that your point about seeing the framework is true. It's by far the best RPG novel I've ever read (not that I've read many--most are such obvious dreck that I easily pass over them), which I realize is a sort of "damning with faint praise," but writing a story in an RPG setting that transcends the RPG genre to stand on its own is very hard. However, I strongly recommend that DG players buy RoE--it should be required reading. It's a novel _and_ a game supplement, and as Jay says, there's a lot of magic going on in it. And coming out in paperback now. > Perhaps it's because the DG thing seems to work best for > me in short stories, abrupt little shocks. I mean, the very same things I > love about Tynes' writing are there in RoE, that are in "... Father's > Son", and "The Passage Through"; but I just felt dissatisfied with RoE, > whereas his short stories (including his personal website non-DG stuff) > fuckin' WORK. This is how I feel about Herman Melville and Stephen King, too--masterful short story writers, so-so novelists. Anyway, Tynes has many productive years ahead of him. I'm very much looking forward to "Sosostris." If "Ambrose" and "Broadalbin" are any indication of Tynes' abilities as a writer of longer works, I have full confidence that we can only expect better and better from him. > Maybe it's got zil to do > with whoever authors it; would I feel the same if "Tiger" was a novel? Or > "lesserdark"? Actually, "Angel" _is_ "'Tiger' as a novel," sort of. Novella, anyway. ("Angel" is about halfway through at this point.) I do think we tend to see the amateur efforts of fellow listmembers in kinder light, while being tougher on the published pros. Which is perhaps as it should be. In a way, I think of this list as being akin to HPL's beloved amateur writers' associations--a "safe" place to experiment, get feedback, and get a real vibe going. And it has inspired quite a few excellent stories, despite never (IIRC) inviting such postings. Just sort of happened. Dave From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of David Farnell [daf@iwa.att.ne.jp] Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 7:18 PM To: Delta Green List Subject: DG: EndTimes fiction Here's something I came across--not sure about the rest of the magazine (haven't had time to read it yet), but this story by a Dutch e-pal of mine makes for a pretty good Endtimes bit. It feels rather near-future-ish to me. http://www.sinisterelement.com/current/noframes/story7.htm Dave From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Stephen Devine [steve@devine09.freeserve.co.uk] Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 8:07 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: a question for the informed..... Duran Goodyear writes: >So, I was wondering if anyone out there had knowledge of, or access to the >aptitude tests that the military gives it's enlistees/officers. > >Specificly the job aptitude test that they analyse to decide what job you >should go into. Well, from a UK point of view, for other ranks the RAF (and from what I've heard the Royal Navy,) give you a series of four multiple-choice tests on maths, problem-solving, spelling and English skills and two on your knowledge of mechanics/engineering. These are carried out in the career office, under a fairly strict time limit ( averaged about 6 mins 30 secs to answer 40 questions or so if memory serves me correctly) and from that they tell you which jobs you can go for (you decide what kind of job you'd like before you sit the test). They're not especially difficult questions, and if you fail I think you can go back and sit the same test again at a later date. The two tests on mechanics and engineering are only relevant if you want a related trade - I couldn't make head nor tails of them! If you want to go for a commission in the RAF, you have to go to the Officer/Aircrew Selection Centre at Cranwell. Again the tests there are multiple choice (although on computer), pretty much the same thing as the pen and paper test although I sat through a few extra tests on speed/distance/time equations and bearing ( ie the screen would show a compass heading and you had to guess the what the heading was) 'cos I wanted to be a Fighter Controller - the guys trying for pilot/navigator got more tests mostly concerning maths. Not sure exactly what the tests are like for the other forces - I'm pretty sure the enlisted tests are the same throughout but in the army and Royal Marines you have to go to a selection centre and carry out a lot of physical tests as well, the centre you go to dependant on the regiment you want to join. Couldn't say what the tests are for a commission in the other forces, probably something along the same lines as the RAF though. http://www.open.gov.uk will get you to the website for any government organisation in the UK for further info. No idea how they do it in the US of A, however the ex-military members of my family who worked with the yanks said that although the average grunt was by no means stupid or slow-witted, the standard of literacy and basic general knowledge compared to British troops was (on average) quite low - training manuals had lots of big pictures in them to show to the squaddies, no lomg words etc. And if anybody's ever handled an M72 66mm LAW, it has pretty pictures on the side showing you how to use it...... not sure if this is a sign of a poorer education system, poorer recruitment methods, or both! Any of our colonial cousins out there care to comment on that? Steve From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Til Eulenspiegel [duggerj@mindspring.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 10:26 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: Re: a question for the informed..... -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 - ----- Original Message ----- From: Stephen Devine To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 8:06 PM Subject: DG: a question for the informed..... Duran Goodyear writes: >So, I was wondering if anyone out there had knowledge of, or access >to the aptitude tests that the military gives it's >enlistees/officers. > >Specificly the job aptitude test that they analyse to decide what >job you should go into. [snip] The American military uses the ASVAB, which high school students were given when I was in high school. This is a long test of various things, which I can't comment at length on. No time, no time, no time. Check your local yellow pages for a military recruiter and ask them. Feign interest if you must. If you live outside USA, tell me and I'll reply at length this weekend. [snippety-snip] Any of our colonial cousins out there care to comment on that? Watch that "colonial" comment, bud. ;-) -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGPfreeware 6.5.2 for non-commercial use iQA/AwUBOOGFroJ4fAzAb7AFEQKiSQCfSSSo79HWqFFaOjZ5tClBidPH3WkAmwRL aKaCj3WOj7wFUjP+twjpma0z =kx6d -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of David Farnell [daf@iwa.att.ne.jp] Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 10:08 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: Re: Bleedover to Fading Suns, etc. From: > I can't recommend the Fading > Suns game more for use as a perfect setting for a Futuristic Deep Space/Space > Opera game, especially a game that relies heavily on the occult and the > mythos. Sounds good--I'll check it out. > Now this has me thinking. Its easy enough to throw the Cthulhu Mythos into > Elric!, but what about Pendragon? How does it all fit into an > Arthurian/Judeo-Christian settting? What about making the Picts, remote lost > Highland Pictish tribes, Tcho-Tcho instead? (Stealing from Howard and > Lovercraft alike). What about using the Pendragon setting for Mythos > adventures....any ideas out there? Well, you mentioned Robert E. Howard already--you could check out The Golden Dawn, which is Victorian CoC, but the adventures section does have a strong link to the Pendragon era (I don't want to have to put in any spoilers, so that's all I'm saying). It has to be more than just Pendragon with CoC monsters. It needs the feeling of hopelessness and cosmic horror. I like the following scenario: Players (knights, most likely) discover a conspiracy within an area's pagan fertility cult that turns out to be GOO-related. Most likely, they eventually take on a black-and-white, Pagan vs Christian attitude, seeing all paganism as tainted with evil. But then they learn that the upper ranks of their own Church is equally tainted... You could even get really nasty and revise the whole setting so that Merlin, Arthur, etc. are secretly the bad-guy GOO-cultists. Morgan le Fay could be a good guy, or she could just be equally bad, but of another faction. Lancelot I see as a good guy serving a bad cause--when he learns of the true depths of evil, he goes mad. Dave From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of David Farnell [daf@iwa.att.ne.jp] Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 9:54 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Re: Tynes' stuff From: > I don't know, is it just me, or does this seem a little insensitive in a > message posted publicly to a list that is also read by the person that wrote > the work being critiqued? Looking back at what I posted, it was pretty hypocritical of me to say that I prefered to have critiques about my writings off-list, while going on to do the same to John Tynes' writings on-list. OTOH, it is a Pagan product, others of which we discuss pretty often and freely. But the point about empathy is a good one. Dave From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Matt Cowger [mcowger@kc.rr.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 8:21 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: Re: Re: Tynes' stuff From: Andy Robertson > Tynes' King In Yellow stuff is superb. > I _really_ can't say that too often. I agree. I really like his treatment of entropy as an almost palable prescence around every turn. In a way though, sometime I think he limitis himself in much the way the Dreamlands (Chaosium wise), i.e. antiquated or seemingly antiquated technologies, behaviours, etc. during times of manifest entropy. I'd like to see that viel of surreality pulled across modern times. Look at movies like 'Blue Velvet' or 'Being John Malkovich' that baste every day settings in a thick, rich surreality sauce- this can obviously be done to the same in CoC games and perhaps even more visceral effect. Why limit ones' self? ;) Matt C. From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Jason R. Armstrong [gerwalkveritech@juno.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 11:02 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: Re: Tynes' stuff Le Roi in Scales brought up some pretty thoughtful ripostes to my comments on RoE. Not specifically on the criticism, but on the form thereof. Hmmm. Yes. I could see it as being obnoxious to Mr. Tynes that I posted this opinion all over the list, instead of sending it to the Rev's personal mail. But.... But, indeed. I think what I was assuming, was that any opinion I was going to express wasn't going to be so very useful to the author himself, as the replies to my commentary FROM the list would be. I _think_ that's what I was thinking. It was very, very late, I'd come back from my second show in three days, midterm, blah blah blah. So I'm a little fuzzy, you see, as to my exact motives... (goddamn, I'm the only sober fella I know who has large chunks of short-term memory going AWOL constantly) But, yes, I'm seeing some pieces missing in my motive. I wanted to get a readout as to who felt what about the novel. All that I'd seen archived was pure plot points, and "does Lepus' recollection jive with the botched op" stuff (which was fascinating, though). So I wanted to do a critique without doing a review. Hmmmm. And what I wanted from that, I think, was a feel as to whether anything I was saying made sense, or if 25 people would be like, "What the FUCK are you talking about? How did you miss the ? How could you say this didn't string together nicely?" Why? I'm still worrying over that. I believe that it was because I was interested in discovering whether I was missing something. Ever since that Umberto Eco thing the list had, I've been worrying about my critical thinking capability. So I wasn't looking to discuss the work with Mr. Tynes, specifically. It's not as if he's going to revise the book on my behalf, anyway:) I was looking to bounce shit off of you all. Including Mr. Tynes, should he happen to be there. This has some problems, of course. It tends to make one believe that I can't stick by my own observations without outside approval or input. This is, though it does me little good to say it now, not the case. I'll just have to let that stand. Also, it sounds like I'm trying to throw bad public opinion towards RoE, in order to sour those who haven't read it yet. And that is where I feel truly like a heel, because that's exactly NOT what I wanted to do. Reading my message, you'll see that there was much I enjoyed about what I read. But the very fact that I'd posted as I did, makes the good stuff I said seem that much more smarmy, that much more "damning with faint praise". Shitshitshit. All I can do to make up for that, is put in what I should have AT ALL COSTS remembered to say the FIRST time. That, though everything negative I said concerning RoE, is MY definite OPINION, I WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THIS WAS UTTERLY WORTH READING, AND BUYING NEW, RATHER THAN WAITING FOR A USED COPY TO SHOW UP FIVE YEARS FROM NOW AT CRAZY EGOR'S. Furthermore, JOHN TYNES HAS THUS FAR PROVED TO BE TOTALLY WORTH GIVING A CHANCE, DESPITE THE FACT HE IS NOT (yet) THIS CENTURY'S GOGOL, DOSTOEVSKY, OR VONNEGUT. ANY PROBLEMS I SAW WITH HIS WORK DO NOT MAKE IT ANY LESS WORTH GETTING. MY NITPICKY CRITIQUE IS, IN SOME RESPECTS, AS MR. FARNELL NOTED, DUE TO THE FACT THAT TYNES IS ESTABLISHED, AND WE ALL HAVE HUGE EXPECTATIONS OF HIM <>I sound funny, but I'm being serious. His stories that I'd read prior to RoE have ramped up my expectations of him immensely. Hopefully not unfairly. And yes, that includes "Broadalbin" and "Ambrose". Even when I don't like his stuff as much as I want to, it's still worth the chance I took on it. And, like I said, there are lots of really magic bits I've got marked out. The book stays. It will not be something I'll read cover-to-cover often. But I'll be going back to it. Over and over. There. That's about all. Oh, except for Mr. McFadden's open-ended question, as to whether I (were it that I was a list author) would want my work publicly bzzzzzk'd on-list. In response, I can only say, damn, yes. The worst that will happen is that I'll be revealed as a hack. And that is, well, not something I'll like. Not by a long shot. But sometimes, I have to be reminded of my (considerable) limitations, because I'm occasionally* arrogant enough to assume I have none. Currently, I can keep my (considerable) limitations in mind-which is why I've not submitted anything yet :) :) *almost always PS- Still saving up the responses to the RL physics stuff. Still consulting my SEARCHING FOR SCHRODINGER'S CAT to understand half of what is said. Loving it totally. "There will be no victory, No progress made, If we do not separate Ourselves from the enemy, Our weak foundations That we've laid- Melt with the years- You are nothing. It's the end of a fucked-up year, There's another one coming..." Embrace-"End of A Year" xJAYx ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Daniel Harms [dmharms@acsu.buffalo.edu] Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 11:15 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Re: Tynes' stuff Frankly, I've found that one of the most important thing about being an author is having a tough hide. And I know John wouldn't have lasted as long as he did if he wasn't able to handle honest critiques. Enough said. Yrs., Daniel Harms dmharms@acsu.buffalo.edu The Internet: Learn what you know. Share what you don't. From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Don Juneau [djuneau@io.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 1:36 AM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: a question for the informed... On Tue, 28 Mar 2000, Duran Goodyear wrote: > So, I was wondering if anyone out there had knowledge of, or access to the > aptitude tests that the military gives it's enlistees/officers. > > Specificly the job aptitude test that they analyse to decide what job you > should go into. > > Me and some freinds were interested in what those tests looked like, and > were hoping to take them with out actually joining up... Hmmm. As someone else noted, the ASVAB is the "basic" test; you should be able to find a "How To Take The ASVAB" book at your local bookpusher or library. Beyond that, I suspect that how they "test" to see what you can do is just a simple check of "minimum" scores in specific areas, using the available positions as the base. When I went in ('86, US Army), I figgin' *nuked* the ASVAB. (High school graduate [barely], got a raw score of 96, corrected 97 [out of 100] overall. Next highest was the college grad at like unto 74, and that was a good 10-12 higher than the next. I couldn't answer some of the higher-math questions, *know* I missed some others, and screwed up about 20% or so of the "coding" section, which I only finished half of.) Of course, being Brainiac, they offered a *hell* of a wide range of jobs - something over 4 pages of specialties. Artillery, chemical weapons, computers/communications, Officer's Training Course (Instant Lieutenant, warm and serve), possibly rotorhead stuff (it's been a while). The only things I *don't* remember for sure are Chaplain School and Atomic Demolition Munitions. (May have been listed under another "umbrella" MOS.)(Military Occupation Specialty) H'wever, by going for infantry (11-Bravo), I would get damn near the max cash bonus for completion of Advanced Individual Training, *and* the max for college. (Cash topped out at $6,000, IIRC, and I would get $5,000 - the Airborne stuff didn't even come into the equation.) Needless to say, since we're dealing with the military, it doesn't matter *what* your tests and recommendations come out - they still might cram you into Cooks and Bakers School instead of Field Microbiologist Academy, if they need the manpower. (Even *after* AIT, you still might be "mis"-assigned.) I suspect that the Army (et cetera) might not be comfortable with letting out the dark mysteries of recruitment and personnel allocation, so that nice (desperate to make quotas) uniformed person at the office may be less than forthcoming. It might be worth digging into the military websites for US Army Training and Doctrine Command and the like; just like truck mechanics and grenade chuckers, recruiters have manuals... and unlike the "fun" stuff, those might not be restricted. (There might also be nice, "user-friendly" worksheets online.) Don From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of LizardRoi@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 3:00 AM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: Tests, recruiters, identity (insufferably long) In a message dated 3/28/00 2:39:33 PM Pacific Standard Time, dug96@hampshire.edu writes: << So, I was wondering if anyone out there had knowledge of, or access to the aptitude tests that the military gives it's enlistees/officers. Specificly the job aptitude test that they analyse to decide what job you should go into. Me and some freinds were interested in what those tests looked like, and were hoping to take them with out actually joining up... >> My info is years out of date. First, I took the battery of tests in'74. The aptitude tests at the time were virtually identical to the aptitude tests given to LA High School students in Guidance class. IIRC the aptitudes tested were: Mechanical reasoning Mathematical reasoning Spacial relationships Abstract reasoning Verbal reasoning Clerical aptitude and the military tests included a test on Electrical (knowledge?) Time was limited and deadlines were enforced, but you could go on to the next test if you finished a section early. Your scores determined which MOS (Military Occupational Specialty, IIRC) you were eligible for. At the time, high enough scores would make you eligible for the Nucular or Advanced Electronics (which included computers and programming of same) schools, but those had a minimum 6 year enlistment rather than the then standard 4 years. I suspect those tests haven't changed much, but it was '74. The odds of getting your hands on the test per se are not good, but most bookstores have a section of study guides for the SAT and CLEP and such, and almost always have practice standard aptitude tests. Here's a sample: 23) Which does not belong with the others? a) A hammer b) A nail c) A board d) A rabbit This is of course a trick question, since everyone should know that you can't nail a rabbit to a board without a hammer. One of my first jobs in the "computer industry" as it was called back then, was supporting every Army recruiter in Southern California as well as backup for Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. My employers had designed and built the mobile testing\demo system that could be painfully hauled about to local schools. It was essentially a Z80 microprocessor that controlled a Sony LaserDisc player and could act as a rudimentary PC. A monitor, a 5.25" (single-sided) floppy drive (with drive belt!), dot-matrix printer and some basic wordprocessing run off the floppy. Since I was a field engineer, I had a complete system at home that I used for hot spares. One of the BASIC programs that came with it was an unofficial pre-test that could point to which MOS would be the best to look into. After getting the printout with a list of best choices, the LaserDisc player came into the picture. The system included 10 laserdiscs chock full of video presentations on each MOS and travelogues featuring each potential duty station. All with the same vaguely familiar narrator I remembered from USN training films. I also had something the recruiters didn't. I had the detachable control unit that allowed it to be a vanilla LaserDisc player. Since the LD player seldom went bad in the field I got friendly with all the video stores with Criterion discs and pretty much had a home theater for the duration. When friends were over we would often put on a disc and give it the MST3K treatment. My favorites include the rather desperate grasping for something nice to say about a Arctic Circle post in Alaska ("it has a PX") and the tapdancing about what is at Ft. Huachuca. The Ft. Huachuca presentation is nothing but scenes of US Cavalry re-creation hobbyists wandering around the desert and raising dust while the narrator went into a vague spiel we lampooned into "Ft. Huachuca, with it's long tradition of history and legendary history of tradition...." At no time did you see the base, even from a great distance. If you want to take any of the tests, swing by a Recruiting office, there is no obligation and no one will call (much). Anyone younger than 25 shouldn't raise any eyebrows. If you go after school hours, you will get to observe a phenomenon that was a standard at every recruiting station I ever visited during those hours. There will always be two or more (usually kinda cute) High School girls hanging around as unpaid gofers and filing clerks. I offer this as a piece of atmosphere for fiction or gaming, the girls will be there. I honestly never got any hint of either hanky or panky, and the relationship seemed to be Big brother to sister, or favorite uncle to niece. Although there were often long private talks I got no Lolita vibe. I think it was a special little relationship of a guy being flattered by the attention and respect of a pretty girl and (apparently) bright girls wanting to talk to mature (silverback?) males without stumbling into crossed signals resulting in wrestling matches. Or, dare we say it, the Paternal Instinct? I never asked any of the Army recruiters, but I know from the son of a USN recruiter that all (male) USN recruiters are married and the status of the marriage is discretely monitored. I wonder if it's unique to recruiters, or do police and fire stations have similar unpaid staff. I wonder if the Police Scouts rose from a similar dynamic. ObDG: I'll be using the past tense a lot because my experience was circa 80-82. Southern California, 80-82, that's all I can report on. Your mileage may vary. A possible source of almost-Friendlies if you Tell the Tale well, a source for keys to access recruiter files (ho hum) and use the recruiters phone\ID\passwords to make military queries or arrange deliveries or gate passes (woo hoo). One caveat, tactically the Tale should not cast any aspersions on the recruiter and should perhaps hint at danger to him should he have knowledge of this investigation into a threat to the security of the United States which requires discrete unmonitored after hours access to all of the files and computers especially the computers and passwords to edit any trace of the subject of this incredibly dangerous and sensitive investigation and to delete any accidental connection between the recruiter and the conspiracy.....forget I said that. Pause, do not blink. Hold it. I mean that literally, if you don't want to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, forget. I. said. that. Then she says forget what and you have this, you know, moment. Keep your hands to yourself you drunken burnout, she's 17 fer chrissake and looks like your daughter would look, you think but you can't be sure now that she took out that restraining order after she saw how you had to take out what replaced your second wife that alternate Christmas. She didn't say shit. She wouldn't if she had a mouthful, just like her old man. After she leaves, react. A Bogie whistle followed by this confused look. Where was I? Oh yeah, recruiting offices. Every recruiting office was a office of that service, almost like an embassy, and could be used as such by military personnel if necessary. A travelling serviceman in distress can use their phone or even WATS line to report in, and inter-service courtesy was extended. Recruiting offices tend to be in areas without much military presence, and you will find only Navy\Marine and Air Force recruiters outside an Army base. The Coast Guard usually had recruiters at AFEES Centers. I imagine military investigators would be given carte blanche to use the office equipment such as copiers and land lines without a switchboard for long calls or long lists of calls to make. Fax, modems, etc. If it is indeed SOP, it would be a good idea to maintain a presence there if this is a day at the races and keep the nocturnal opera emissions separate, even if it means faking calls and such. As for the trail you might leave, I don't remember any logging their calls, though I'm sure any out of the ordinary long distance calls that weren't to a DC area code would be noticed. I'm improvising here, extrapolating from experience with military travel paperwork. And now, you lucky people, I want to share with you a sample, a taste, a whiff of the sort of serendipitous pure random chance that is my life since transcending the flesh online. Go to your favorite search engine and enter "Mark McFadden", just skim until you spot TSgt. Mark McFadden, US Army recruiter. I'm not giving the URL because you will notice something else if you do it this way, there's a lot of Mark McFaddens online. I guarantee that all the onesLater, try it with your own name. You'll either discover that you had unusually imaginative parents or you realize that "one in a million" would still fill several chat rooms in the continental US alone with all you, all the time. I mentioned my surreal identity experience seeing Richard Dreyfus get an Oscar for his Mark McFadden imitation in The Goodbye Girl. Davide Mana had a similar experience watching James Spader in Stargate. I just want to take this opportunity to say, Davide, as far as I'm concerned everyone's a winner, that's why they say "And the Oscar (or award) goes to:" because , really, the honor is just, you know, being characters people write movies about and looking like movie stars when other people aren't. Don't. So neener neener neener. And also, Davide, sorry your movie kind of sucked a little bit, in places, I thought. ;-) Anyhow, back to TSgt. Mark McFadden, US Army recruiter. He is not me, and I hope we are not who we seem to be. A lot of the URLS are his link in local High School websites, so it's pretty easy to get back to his home page. Oooooooohh, scarey. First of all, pump up the volume because it has a theme song, the theme music to Halloween. I refuse to speculate on the , um, choices or esthetic of a man who's online resume includes words like Airborne or Combat or Weapons unless I have unreservedly sincere enthusiastic things to say. There is a picture, it looks like the official one that comes with the job, too stiff in front of the flag. Sorry, that's my term for those pictures, and we all know the ones I mean. Too stiff in front of the flag. School principals are notorious for it. Year after year. In countenance, no Richard Dreyfus he. If anything, he looks like an uncomfortable Nicholas Cage. Now, remember, the theme to Halloween is playing. This other guy who I swear was not me, this, I don't know, guy was reading over my shoulder and he said that the guy in the picture looked like Nicholas Cage with, uh, something up his ass? As I sit here in my heavily fortified compound here in, uh, Tierra del Fuego I laugh with happy memories of those times with that other guy who actually said that who's name I forget. Kenneth something. Mark McFadden Accept no substitutes. From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of David.Clements [David.Clements@astro.cf.ac.uk] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 3:52 AM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Cc: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Dark Matter, Fractal & Chaotic Gates On Tue, 28 Mar 2000, Andy Robertson wrote: > ----- Original Message ----- > From: David.Clements > > > > On Mon, 27 Mar 2000, Andy Robertson wrote: > > > > > To make such a network more plausible: > > > > > > 1) Fractal scaling - Cosmic phaenomena can not be pre-adapted to > > > human needs, Therefore gates must come all sizes. If there is no > favoured > > > size there must be a self-similar scaling between them. > > > > The laws of physics may actually give you a favoured > > scale. One of the current ideas is that this is the planck scale, about > > 10^-35 m (IIRC), where Heisenberg uncertainty gets large enough to break > > down the structure of space. At this level the vacuum is thought ot be a > > seething mass of wormholes forming and reforming continuously. > > > Good points - and I actually had the quantum vacuum in mind when I drew this > hypothesis. However is there any way the very small Plank length can give > us a scaling for macroscopic objects? If Gates can let through human > beings - - - I mean, does the size of an atom give a "scaling" for the > sizes of ice crystals? .. Maybe it does .... Among the other wacky ideas that float around theoretical physics are cosmic strongs (*not* the same as superstrings!), which can be on any scale (though the smaller they are the shorter their lifespan). These might be something macroscopic you could relate to gates. The other thing you could do would be to take a microscopic gate and wedge it open. This can (theoretically) be doen with exotic matter - stuff with negative mass. Within DG, some of the grey's artifacts look awfully like negative mass, or at leasy severe messing with gravity, so this might be feasible... Dave From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of David.Clements [David.Clements@astro.cf.ac.uk] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 3:58 AM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Re: Mythos and the future of the universe On Tue, 28 Mar 2000, Andy Robertson wrote: > Cosmologists speculate that the universe now is like the Earth was before > Photosynthesis: and that the universe in the _future_ may be like the Earth > after Photosynthesis. That is to say, that life will, everywhere, take > control of the physical substratum of the universe and reshape it. > They also speculate that this is _inevitable_ - that any universe that has > physical laws that allow life to exist will eventually, inevitably, come > totally under the control of that life. This may sound stupid, but, once > life starts to spread between the stars exponential growth makes a nothing > of interstellar size: and given enough time, everything that is possible > _must_ come into being. > > A link related to this is Feeman Dyson's paper at > http://www.aleph.se/Trans/Global/Omega/dyson.txt (This is Dyson as in > Orion Project Dyson, Dyson Spheres, father of web maven Esther Dyson. Not > Dyson as in cyclonic vacuum cleaners) I think it would be fait to say that *some* cosmologists speculate this way. Others (see eg. The 5 ages of the Universe) speculate in entirely other directions, and most don't speculate at all. > The EndTimes - as the colonisation of one more puddle. > > If it's any comfort - some of the Earth's original pre-oxygen inhabitants > survive: as sub-structures within our cells, mostly, but some do eke out an > existence in the depths of the Earth or the sea. If this has *already happened* it might explain a lot about the present GOO... Dave You might want to read Dan Simmons Hyperion series which addresses these issues, as well as Tipler's The Physics of Imortality which is one of the more extreme speculations in this area. From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Davide Mana [doctor.dee@libero.it] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 6:50 AM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: Doors of Perception and the Future of the Universe Greetings. Talk about sincronicity, again. This one is somewhat connected to both Mark Mcfadden's ability to see for miles and miles AND the Glove Cleaner's observations on the origins of life, the universe and everything. It's lifted from the Paleonet mailing list >The UK Radio 4's Start the Week today featured Andrew Parker describing his >theory that the evolution of eyes triggered the Cambrian Explosion. (The >eyes in turn evolved in response to the appearance of sunlight following >atmospheric changes round that time, hence the 'light-switch'). All a bit >vague but he only had a minute or two to expound the idea. For the uninitiated, the Cambrian explosion is the event that was referred to in Andy's post, about life all of a sudden bootstrapping itself into big time after some 3800 million years of passive survival. Mythos students probably remember that time as 'when the Elder Things washed their shoggoth tanks'. Curious individuals interested in Mr Parker's theories, that link vision to life's explosion, are referred to >Parker, A.R. (1998) Colour in Burgess shale >animals and the effect of light on evolution in the Cambrian. Proceedings >of the Royal Society of London: Biological Sciences 265, 967-972. > >Parker, A.R. (1999) The Cambrian light switch. Biologist 46(1), 26-30. And this is it. Keep your eyes open (and prick up your ears) Davide Mana Torino, Italy doctor.dee@libero.it The Ice Cave - http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/leiber/50/ice_cave.htm From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of John Stanley [nytmair@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 7:03 AM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: a question for the informed... The military apptitude test is called the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Apptitude Battery). There may be an equivelant online somewhere to look at. Hope this helped. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Jeff Ewing [ambjpe@gis.net] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 7:34 AM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Tests, recruiters, identity (insufferably long) LizardRoi@aol.com wrote: > Go to your favorite search engine and enter > "Mark McFadden", just skim until you spot TSgt. Mark McFadden, US Army > recruiter. He seems to be a Staff Sargent now, and has lost the Haloween theme. I can't be making a mistake as to his identity, judging from your description of the photo. Altavista ranks him as #1, so I didn't have to skim very far. Incidentally, AV ranks "Karotechia Chess" #9, and of course there are an annoyingly large number of Star Trek sites. A post that is, as usual, extremely intersting, Mark, and not insufferable at all. Packed with peanuts, in fact. Jeff, who urges you *not* to look at this rather sad doppleganger: http://users.penn.com/~firstlut/jeffewing.HTM From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of William Timmins [wtimmins@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 7:47 AM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: EndTimes fiction >From: "David Farnell" >Here's something I came across--not sure about the rest of the magazine >(haven't had time to read it yet), but this story by a Dutch e-pal of mine >makes for a pretty good Endtimes bit. It feels rather near-future-ish to >me. > >http://www.sinisterelement.com/current/noframes/story7.htm > Wow! This works perfectly as Endtimes material. Fits the mood... also would work as a first hand tape interview of some NPC for a DG game, I think. -=Will ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Jean-Loup Sabatier [sabatier@saint-etienne.tt.slb.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 8:09 AM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: About ANGEL... Because of my recent arrival on this discussion list, I missed the ANGEL episods 1 and 2. Where can I find them, please (or else, could you please send it to my private e-mail so I get a chance to read them ?) Thanks for your reading and for your help... :) Because my lack of time those days, I'm pretty late in the reading of this interesting list and I cannot participate very much. I hope better times for e-mails soon, though... :) C U Jean-Loup From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Crossingham, Adam [Adam.Crossingham@Octavian1009.E-MAIL.COM] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 9:18 AM To: 'dgrpg@delta-green.com' Subject: DG: Al-Andalus [was Bleedover to Fading Suns, etc.] > William Timmins says: > <<< I've been kicking around the idea of Cthulhu: Iberia for a while. > Essentially, 11th or 13th Century Moslem-dominated Spain. > > Given the arabic influences in the Mythos, the advanced culture of the > Moors, and so forth, it might be interesting... > > I had some ideas of Moorish knights riding forth to slay dragons (baby > cthonians). Heh. >>> > I've been toying with a similar culture game, but rather than restrict it to Al-Andalus, I'd allow the scope of the game to reign free over all of the Islam of the 8th or the 12th centuries. The initial idea came out of a desire to run a Islamic flavoured game, but then I realised that it was Cthuloid as well, it always been on the back burner, just waiting for the chance to go for it properly. The 8th century AD is the time of Al-Azif, Arabic absorption of classical knowledge, of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, the consolidation of the initial conquests of Islam, with the further expansion into Spain, Western Africa and the East. The 12 century AD is the time of the Crusades, the Assassins, the Templars, Arabic culture threatened by outside forces, a resurgence of Arab identity and the rise of conservatism. Why the 8th or the 12th centuries? Turmoil. Dark secrets always rise to the surface in times of strife. I didn't want to go near the 7th century and the initial spread of Islam as it's probably way too sensitive to Muslims. The 8th century has political assassination, civil war, religious strife and heresy, Sinbad the Sailor stories and the other 1,000 odd tales, and is probably the period most Westerners find fit their mind's eye view of the Arab world, if the Crusades or Ottomans don't quite fit. The 3rd Crusade of the 12th Century is an easy start for western players where the Keeper does want to do lengthy intros to the period (as might be required to the 8th century). Everyone knows about the Crusades right? -- Adam Crossingham War in English = Wanting more cows in Sanskrit Home e-mail: tigger@the-wolery.demon.co.uk Any opinions expressed in this email are those of the individual From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of William Timmins [wtimmins@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 8:58 AM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Al-Andalus [was Bleedover to Fading Suns, etc.] >From: "Crossingham, Adam" >I've been toying with a similar culture game, but rather than restrict it >to >Al-Andalus, I'd allow the scope of the game to reign free over all of the >Islam of the 8th or the 12th centuries. The initial idea came out of a >desire to run a Islamic flavoured game, but then I realised that it was >Cthuloid as well, it always been on the back burner, just waiting for the >chance to go for it properly. Really? That's funny. ;) Personally, I think such a game should have a geographical as well as temporal focus, at least as a project. This allows you to have perspective on other events, relating them, in time and place, to the point of view of the center. And, at the same time, such a focus does not prevent you from running a game in other regions. Anyway, if I ever finish Endtimes (heh), maybe CoC Islam! Hmm. Need a catchy title, though. 1990 > Cthulhu Now, 1890 > Cthulhu by Gaslight, 1100s... erm. Cthulhu by rushlight? -=Will ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of jpetheri@cyberbeach.net Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 9:26 AM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: Re: Dopplegangers on the WWW On Wednesday, March 29, 2000 at 06:34:28 AM, Jeff Ewing wrote: > > Jeff, who urges you *not* to look at this rather sad doppleganger: > http://users.penn.com/~firstlut/jeffewing.HTM > > Well, the first hit for my name happens to be the archives for this Mailing List. And current and former employers websites, of course. Besides that, But it does appear that I share the name of a moderately famous ivory trader and African explorer, who happened to be the primary inspiration for a line of miniatures from Wargames Foundry http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/azande.html . Now I just have to figure which one of those "Darkest Africa" figures represents my distant relative. ======================================== John Petherick, CIH e-mail: jpetheri@cyberbeach.net ----------------------------------------------- Did you know ? Cyber Beach has extended its monthly plan to UNLIMITED surfing per month !! Happy Surfing ! http://www.cyberbeach.net ----------------------------------------------- Brought to you by Cyber Beach's BottleMail ! http://www.cyberbeach.net From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Chris Pencis [cpencis@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 12:10 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Steam-powered Conspiracy --- Davide Mana wrote: > Greetings. > > Tolga ventured.... > > >I believe I can be of help if you are interesting to add a different > >flavor in already interesting Victorian setting. > > > >I have my own conspiracy theories about the fall of Ottoman Empire > which > >started in the 1800s ended at 1924. > > Ah! The Sick Man of Europe nonetheless - there was talk (and little > else) > about an Ottoman supplement for Castle Falkenstein, but that went > nowhere - > I wonder what R. talsorian is doing these days! > The Empire was indeed one of the most fascinating elements of the 19th > century. > > >Also the empire was building a disciplined and regular army after > >disbanding the Janisseries -Yeniceri- . > > Disbanding is too good a word - many were killed right away, IIRC. > According to a book sitting here somewhere, the Janissaries were said to > have turned into vampires after death, so they had to open all the > graves > and stake and decapitate the lot, just to be on the safe side. > I was indeed planning to use that detail in my game. This reference to the Janissaries threw me into remembering a Tim Powers book I recently finished... "The Drawing of the Dark" set in Vienna at the last stand of the Western forces against Sulieman (sp?) the Magnificent. Interesting details - might be useful for someone setting stuff in or about the late 1500s. Chris __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Davide Mana [doctor.dee@libero.it] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 1:38 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: What are we, men? Greetings, gentlemen 8and ladies) Please go check this one http://www.freevote.com/votingbooth?best_rpg Apparently neither Call of Cthulhu nor Delta Green are making a big splash on this poll. OK landing after Traveller, but getting behind of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles....?! Should you chance to pass that way while surfing, vote right and vote often.... Cheers! Davide Mana Torino, Italy doctor.dee@libero.it The Ice Cave - http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/leiber/50/ice_cave.htm From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of jnielsen@forbin.com Sent: Friday, July 10, 2893 5:44 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: Shotgun minishells and minislugs http://www.aguilaammo.com/minishells.htm Those agents who prefer using shotguns for disposing of nasty things (the ones that can be hurt by firearms at least) should check out this link, I know that I *like* the idea of getting 6 more shots out of my Mossburg 500. Jeff Nielsen, (Who likes to shoot first, ask questions, and then shoot some more) From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of LizardRoi@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 2:03 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: Sombunall In a message dated 00-03-29 05:03:32 EST, you write: << I think it would be fait to say that *some* cosmologists speculate this way. Others (see eg. The 5 ages of the Universe) speculate in entirely other directions, and most don't speculate at all. >> That's why I like RAW's term sombunall (some but not all). I don't say it aloud and seldom use it in writing, but it's always at hand when thinking. Sombunall cosmologists, sombunall physicists, sombunall Americans\Canadians\Brits\French\Catholics\atheists\Southerners\Texans\RPGers, sombunall movies. It's just a little reminder to check your statements for accuracy, if only in your own mind. I honestly suspect a lot of people, sombunall, make is\are statements while consciously aware of exceptions\speculations\theories that do not bear out their statement. But they ignore them as irrelevant and propaganda from the enemy or deluded dupes who don't know any better, unlike the guys *they* read. In my experience anything following a sombunall tends to be more accurate than the identical statement without it. Mark McFadden From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Andy Robertson [andywrobertson@clara.co.uk] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 2:10 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Re: Tynes' stuff ----- Original Message ----- From: > I don't know, is it just me, or does this seem a little insensitive in a > message posted publicly to a list that is also read by the person that wrote > the work being critiqued? yr right, will concur From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of LizardRoi@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 2:11 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Doors of Perception and the Future of the Universe In a message dated 00-03-29 07:55:28 EST, you write: << Keep your eyes open (and prick up your ears) >> Don't even try to slip that one by me, I'm a Gary Oldman fan. And stay in front of me where I can keep an eye on you. Mark McFadden "Thanks for coming - or whatever your reaction was." Martin Mull, Fernwood Tonite From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Andrew John Farrow [andrew.j.farrow@btinternet.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 2:10 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Steam-powered Conspiracy ----- Original Message ----- From: Chris Pencis To: Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 7:10 PM Subject: Re: DG: Steam-powered Conspiracy > This reference to the Janissaries threw me into remembering a Tim Powers > book I recently finished... "The Drawing of the Dark" set in Vienna at the > last stand of the Western forces against Sulieman (sp?) the Magnificent. > Interesting details - might be useful for someone setting stuff in or > about the late 1500s. now we are back at 15th cent DG ? wow! i`ve got the urge to jump right to the lowest point and suggest - prehistoric DG , ignorance of time scales precludes an exact date of period - but it would be . the transition from dinousur domination to the rise of man - when the serpent men etal could be active on earth . as a name - " cthulhu by meteorite " sounds cool :-) yours - andy - gettting a laugh in before the flames get me . From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of LizardRoi@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 2:18 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: Online doppelgangers In a message dated 00-03-29 08:35:12 EST, you write: << Jeff, who urges you *not* to look at this rather sad doppleganger: http://users.penn.com/~firstlut/jeffewing.HTM >> But it would be too cool if he was the assistant to the Reverend Mark McFadden in (IIRC) Illinois. I'll have to look up *Staff* Sergeant McFadden, see how he's handling his climb up the ladder. Dropping the Halloween theme is a good sign. The real Mark McFadden From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Andy Robertson [andywrobertson@clara.co.uk] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 2:44 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: DG: Re: Doors of Perception and the Future of the Universe ----- Original Message ----- From: Davide Mana > > >The UK Radio 4's Start the Week today featured Andrew Parker describing his > >theory that the evolution of eyes triggered the Cambrian Explosion. (The > >eyes in turn evolved in response to the appearance of sunlight following > >atmospheric changes round that time, hence the 'light-switch'). All a bit > >vague but he only had a minute or two to expound the idea. > Thank you! That sounds interesting and I will keep my antennae extended for it. The Gloev Cleaner From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Josh Shaw [joshaw@slip.net] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 3:19 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Alternity / Dark Matter / Wizards of the Coast News Richard Pace wrote: > This is pretty far afield of anything on topic, I'd be happy to continue this > off-list if you're interested. Oh hell, keep it on the list. As someone who doesn't work in the industry, but has a strong concern for its health, I'm finding this chance to eavesdrop on what is essentially insider conversation fascinating. Of course, I may be the only one. Or not? -----Josh -- Most people don't *want* to be free, they just want their masters to look like them. Benjamin Shamfroff From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Davide Mana [doctor.dee@libero.it] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 3:09 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Doors of Perception and the Future of the Universe ROTFL! We could call this one "when paradigms collide". Mark McFadden was fast backing against a wall for personal safety purposes and wrote ><< Keep your eyes open (and prick up your ears) >> > > Don't even try to slip that one by me, I'm a Gary Oldman fan. > And stay in front of me where I can keep an eye on you. My God! Gary Oldman? The bad guy in ? LOL! I was not thinking about that. In fact, that was actually a Jethro Tull quote. >From the late '70s. Should be in 'No Lullaby', but it's very late at night and my memory is losing steam. Sorry if it caused undue alarm ;> Davide Mana Torino, Italy doctor.dee@libero.it The Ice Cave - http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/leiber/50/ice_cave.htm From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Davide Mana [doctor.dee@libero.it] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 3:18 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Steam-powered Conspiracy Cheers! Andy was especting flames when he wrote.... >now we are back at 15th cent DG ? wow! That's 16th century, actually, but it's all right. I did in fact run a short Elizabethan horror/conspiracy campaign while in the Air Farce, using a homespun system (featuring the trademark D69 System) It was a ripping good fun - and scary at times. "Firearms! We need firearms!" Wing 53rd Switchboard roleplayers - facing the horror with rapier and blunderbuss. [btw - yes, The Drawing of the Dark is a great novel] Davide Mana Torino, Italy doctor.dee@libero.it The Ice Cave - http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/leiber/50/ice_cave.htm From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of Michael Layne [theherald@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 5:08 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Steam-powered Conspiracy On 29 March 2000 AD, Davide Mana said: > >That's 16th century, actually, but it's all right. >I did in fact run a short Elizabethan horror/conspiracy campaign while in >the Air Farce, using a homespun system (featuring the trademark D69 System) >It was a ripping good fun - and scary at times. > >"Firearms! We need firearms!" > >Wing 53rd Switchboard roleplayers - facing the horror with rapier and >blunderbuss. > Sounds a little like "Dreamlands DG", in which we find that not only are DG Agents and Friendlies encountering dreaming MJ-12 folks in the Dreamlands, but also that some of the locals have developed their own Secret Society ("The Triangle Vert") to deal with local Mythos horrors and those which have leaked over from the Waking World... (The Dreamlanders are a few hundred years behind us, but, still (even without input from Dreamers), the time is probably right for them to have developed the matchlock or even wheellock musket... Even so, I think they would (as did many of the Tudor-era folks of our world) still consider bows more dependable and rapid-firing for long-range work (even the warship "Mary Rose", of Henry VIII's Navy, still carried a significant number of longbowmen), and -- with the difficulties in keeping a ready, loaded pistol on one's person, in the absence of percussion caps -- would probably find blades better for a lot of close-in fighting...) Michael Layne DGGF#688 theherald@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of LizardRoi@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 5:41 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Steam-powered Conspiracy In a message dated 00-03-29 18:12:58 EST, you write: << with the difficulties in keeping a ready, loaded pistol on one's person, in the absence of percussion caps -- would probably find blades better for a lot of close-in fighting...) >> Not to mention falling into the "girly-men too xxxx and flabby to study martial arts" trap. Which I won't mention. Mark McFadden "Oh yeah, well try that chop socky against a .357" "Do you have one on you? No? Oh my, this may sting. Turn your head, this is a new shirt." From: owner-dgrpg@delta-green.com on behalf of DocHopt@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 6:28 PM To: dgrpg@delta-green.com Subject: Re: DG: Delta X Sigh... still way behind in my e-mail. In that post about Stephen King's short story "The Mist", "Night Shirt" was supposed to be "Night Shift". Also in "Night Shift": "Gramma" --- seems King wrote a bunch of stuff that's basically tributes to HPL (who was incidentally his favorite author) including this one; eight-year-old kid is babysitting senile sick old bag-of-bones Grandma for a night while the mom is away. Gramma is on her last legs, asleep, flashback or two from the kid's POV to a couple of years ago when he first discovered he could listen in on phone conversations really well because his older brother showed him how to pick up a phone without the -click.- He learns that Gramma was unable to have kids way back when, but got into some 'books'... very, very bad books. She gets kicked out of her church, and starts having bad spells-- back to today, where the kid is stumbled out of his daydream as Gramma is having another fit, saying among other things, "(Strange word) Hastur (strange word or two) Yog-Sothoth...!" It clicks in the kid's head, that Gramma was really having bad /spells./ At which point Gramma makes a couple of gurgles and kicks the bucket. Boy walks in, Gramma's corpse tries to snatch him. "Don't be 'fraid, kiddo... Gramma wants a hug.." --Hopt