From: [s--n--s] at [netcom.com] (Sue and Sean)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.announce
Subject: [FAQ] GURPSnet FAQ
Date: Sat, 02 Nov 96 05:38:58 GMT
This is the Frequently Asked Questions List for the mailing lists
GURPSnet-L and GURPSnet-Digest. It will be posted periodically to
io.games.sjg.gurps, r.g.f.announce and the mailing lists, and a copy
will always be available from the FTP site (see below). Please
distribute it further as you see fit. Suggestions are welcome -- email
them to [Owner GURPSnet L] at [io.com.]
Lines added or changed since last posting begin with a `+'.
--- INTRODUCTION ---
Q: What are you talking about?
A: GURPSnet-L and GURPSnet-Digest are mailing lists used to discuss
all aspects of Steve Jackson's Generic Universal Role-Playing System.
GURPSnet-Files is an FTP site full of GURPS Good Stuff.
Q: Who are you?
A: An entity who likes GURPS, has a stable Internet account, and is
willing to maintain a mailing list and FTP site. We have no
connection with SJ, SJ Games, IOCOM, or any other
Illuminatus. (Isn't that right, boss? Heh. Heh. Heh.)
--- HOW TO SUB, POST, AND UNSUB ---
Q: How do I subscribe to GURPSnet-L?
A: To subscribe, send email to [M--r--o] at [io.com.] (Note that this is
not the posting address.) In the body, have the single line
"subscribe GURPSnet-L [g--i--r] at [angels.web]" (if your address is
"[g--i--r] at [angels.web];" if not, use whatever your address really is).
Q: That's not *The One True Right* way to subscribe. Everyone knows
that *The One True Right* way to subscribe is....
A: GURPSnet-L runs under Majordomo. Majordomo is not Listserv. Trust
us. We're the list administrator, and we're here to help you.
Q: How do I post to GURPSnet-L?
A: To post, send your message to [GURPSnet L] at [io.com.] (Note that this
is not the subscribe/unsubscribe address.) Your message will be
sent to every subscriber, including yourself.
Q: How do I unsubscribe to GURPSnet-L?
A: To unsubscribe, send email to [M--r--o] at [io.com.] (Note that this is
not the posting address.) In the body, have the single line
"unsubscribe GURPSnet-L [b--b--e] at [analytical.engine]" (if the address
you want to unsubscribe is "[b--b--e] at [analytical.engine];" if not, use
whatever address you want to unsubscribe.)
+ Q: My computer wasn't working for about six months, and I haven't
+ received any GURPSnet mail for a year since then -- is the list
down?
+
+ A: No. Guess again.
+ Q: I think I might have been unsubscribed. Am I allowed to
resubscribe?
+
+ A: <sigh> If you say "pretty please" I'll consider it. You can (and
+ should) resubscribe yourself. It never ever hurts to resub-
+ scribe. If something is wrong with the list, nothing will happen
+ until the problem is fixed. If you are already subscribed, you'll
+ get a very short message back from Majordomo saying so. If you have
+ been dropped, you will be resubscribed.
+ Q: Why did I get unsubscribed? I didn't do anything wrong!
+
+ A: Because the Benevolent Tyrant for Life received 783 error
+ messages from your site in a single night, all saying "mail
+ cannot be delivered for 4 hours -- will continue trying for 5
+ days" and the thought of seeing thousands of those prootwaddlian
+ messages every four hours for the next week caused the Tyrant
+ part to overwhelm the Benevolent part. Hasta la vista ... baby.
Q: The info message seems to be cut off at the bottom. How do I
increase my clearance?
A: You're obviously not cleared to increase your clearance, so it
wasn't cut off, it was censored.
Q: Can I get the messages in digest form?
A: Sure. Use the procedure above to subscribe, only substitute
GURPSnet-Digest for GURPSnet-L.
Q: What's a digest?
A: The digest version of the list saves up the messages until they
reach a specified volume or time period, then sends them out as a
single long message, instead of one at a time. There is no savings
on space or noise, but it is useful for people who can only pick up
their messages once a day, or who are charged per message rather
than by message size.
Q: Why does the first line of my message always disappear?
A: Your mail program thinks it's a header line and doesn't display
it. This fate can be avoided by never indenting the first line of
your message, and never using a colon in the first line. An first
line with a colon looks like a header line, and an indented first
line looks like a continuation of the last header. (No, adding blank
lines doesn't work -- they are ignored.)
Also, note that you can always see the missing line by viewing all
headers -- provided your MUA works and lets you view all headers.
--- WHAT ARE THE RULES ABOUT POSTING? ---
Q: So what can I post?
A: Power corrupts, but absolute power is kinda neat. As far as these
mailing lists and FTP site are concerned, We're Benevolent Tyrant
for Life, and we handle nearly everything on a whim-by-whim basis.
we'll warn you if we don't like something. The only things that
will cause you to suffer instant-death-no-saving-throw are things
like posting the "$250" cookie recipe or Make.Money.Fast. (We'll
also send a nasty-gram to your site for that latter one.)
Q: How about commercial postings?
A: If it's GURPS-related, keep it short and infrequent. If not, no.
Advertising the moped / Amoeba 6000 / INWO cards (in other words,
any non-GURPS-related items) you have for sale is definitely
Not Allowed.
Q: How about virus alerts?
A: Please don't. There are three or four plethorae of other ways to
notify people about viruses.
Q: But people need to be warned about this "Good Times" virus; it's
spread through *e-mail*!!!
A: Yeah, and you're spreading it. Please stop. The "Good Times" virus
is a hoax -- the warning *is* the virus. Please please PLEASE
quit passing it around; we're sick of hearing about it.
Q: How about Fluff (game-based fiction)?
A: Fluff is Not Allowed.
Q: Can I ask if there are any gamers in my area?
A: Posts of the sort "any gamers in Ultima Thule?" are Not Allowed.
Once upon a time, there was a database of gaming groups and of
people looking for gaming groups, but both the maintainer and his
backup have Left the Building. If you want to take over that
chore, email [Owner GURPSnet] at [io.com], and let's talk.
Q: I have this file of GURPS stuff, but it's reeely long. Can I post it?
A: That's what the GURPSnet-Files FTP site is for. *Don't* post it;
mail it to [GURPSnet Files] at [io.com] (or just FTP "put" it) and post a
pointer to the mailing list. ("I sent this reeely long file of
GURPS stuff to the FTP site. It'll be available as soon as the
administrator gets his act together and moves it out of
`incoming.'")
--- PLAYTESTING (AKA GURPS FOR NOTHIN' AND YOUR CHICKS FOR FREE) ---
Q: How can I become a playtester and be the first on my block to get
free copies of books long before anyone else has ever even heard of
them and impress my friends and pick up girls?
A: Get an account on io.com.
Q: Accounts on io.com cost ten whole dollars a month! I just said I
want to get them free! Is an IO account the *only* way to get
GURPS books early?
A: Here is a complete list of all the ways to get playtest copies of new
stuff from Steve Jackson Games.
(1) IO.
Here is SJ's explanation of the situation:
We do almost no playtesting EXCEPT through IO now. Even our
veteran cadre, for the most part, is happy to get the material
online. And it's much easier for us. Since it IS easier, and
since the quality and quantity of feedback we get through the
online posting is more than satisfactory, we no longer send
out hardcopy except in very special situations, and an appeal
that "Hey, I'd really like to be a playtester," does not
qualify.
Sorry about that. Remember: The reason we do playtesting is to
make the books better, NOT because we want or need to give
certain lucky people an advance look. No, it's not "fair" to
those who don't feel like getting online - so what? :-) If we
wanted to be REALLY fair, we'd post the final version on the
Net rather than selling it. Huh? You say nobody would buy it
then? Gee . . .
Q: But I don't want to *paaay* for anything...! Would someone just
send me the playtest files?
A: NOW HEAR THIS: We will nuke you just for asking. There will be no
warning. This policy is not subject to discussion. Here are SJ's
rules of playtest file distribution.
Our playtest files are available only to IO users, NOT to
anybody who gets e-mail. And the warnings on IO are direct and
widely posted - anybody who can legally read the files has
been notified, and if they didn't pay attention they are too
stupid to live.
And [the last guy who asked for pirate copies of the playtest
files] (who didn't actually transmit the files) got off light
compared to [the one before him] (who did, and lost his
Internet access for it). No, we are not one bit lenient with
copyright violators. We take a big chance when we put files
online, and we protect ourselves by coming down hard when
somebody breaks the rules. And we WANT people to know that we
can be mean.
I think it's important that people realize that we're serious
about protecting our rights, and just because we are liberal
about what we allow, that doesn't make us any less determined
to prevent theft. Big difference between TSR saying, for
instance, "you mustn't mention our character classes in your
own writing," and our saying "Don't copy this copyrighted
material."
--- COPYRIGHT ---
Q: I don't want to pay for GURPS Faplap. Would someone type it in for
me?
A: Violation of copyright is one way to get summarily nuked from the
list. Violations of SJG's copyrights will also be forwarded to
[L--g--l] at [io.com], and you may well get a visit from beings in suits with
serious briefcases and very thin watches.
Q: I want to write something, but the previous questions and T$R's hit-
lawyers have me scared of copyright/trademark/patent/trade secret/
military security/Illuminati infringements. What am I allowed to do?
A: The short answer is "just about anything except copy someone else's
work, or use any trademarks without explaining who owns them." For a
longer answer, read the FAQ files in the directory Copyright.
--- FTP SITE ---
Q: Is the FTP site only for GURPS stuff, or can I put generic stuff
there too?
A: Huh? GURPS's first name is "generic." The only things that are Not
Allowed is stuff specific to *other games* (conversions are
Allowed, of course) and stuff that the Benevolent Tyrant thinks
inappropriate. If you have a file listing the prices of tea in
China throughout the W'hang dynasty, put it up! Someone will be
interested.
Q: Can I get files by email?
A: Yes! Send a message to [f t pmail] at [decwrl.dec.com] with the single line
"help" and follow the instructions.
Q: Can I put files by email?
A: Yes! Send them (ASCII-encoded if they are binaries) to
[GURPSnet Files] at [io.com], and send a note to the mailing list
describing them.
Q: Why can I get "foo1.txt" from the FTP site but not "foo2.txt"
sitting right next to it?
A: At this present moment in time, you are not cleared for the infor-
mation in that file. Notify the administrator immediately. You will
probably be cleared for it very soon thereafter. (It is certainly
*not* the case that the administrator screwed up the file permis-
sions. The administrator doesn't screw up. Failure to understand
this point will result in personality readjustment. Cooperate with
the Men in Black; they're there to help you.)
--- SUGGESTIONS ---
Q: The Benevolent Tyrant for Life should archive my favorite
discussion and SJ should publish it as a book!
A: We don't think so. However, *everything* posted to the list is
archived in ftp://ftp.io.com/pub/mailing-lists/gurpsnet-digest.
It's unindexed, but it's all there.
+ Q: GURPS needs its own world. You and him write one.
+ A: A net.world project is underway. Subscribe to GURPSworld-L in the
+ same way you would subscribe to GURPSnet.
Q: I've got a reeely nifty idea for a GURPS book!
A: If it's GURPS Barsoom, forget it. ERB's estate wants too much
money.
If it's GURPS Star Trek, forget it. Paramount wants too much money.
If it's GURPS Babylon 5, forget it. It's been done by someone else.
But if you want to write an unauthorized version, we'll put it on the
FTP site! (Except Trek -- we've already got a good one.)
Q: Well, it's not any of those, so there!
A: Great!
Step One: download Steve Jackson Games' writers' guide from
<http://www.io.com/sjgames/general/guidelines/writers/home.html>.
Step Two: *read* the writers' guide.
Step Three: *study* the writers' guide.
Step Four: you're not cleared to perform this step.
Step Five and following: do what the writers' guide tells you to do.
Hint: the editors at SJG will be *lots* more interested in your
work if you write some *Pyramid* articles first.
Q: Could the "Reply-To" field be set to GURPSnet rather than the sender?
A: Sure. However, in several, ah, *feature-challenged* mail programs
(Microsquish Mail and ccMail, to name two), the Sender is "owner-
gurpsnet-l," and From is "gurpsnet-l." The Reply-To address is the
only trace of the originator. If it is set to anything else, those
users can't send a private reply. Sorry. It's easier for you to
remember to type "[GURPSnet L] at [io.com]" than it is for them to try to
guess the sender's address.
For other thoughts on this matter, see
http://www.unicom.com/FAQ/reply-to-harmful.html
--- WHINES ---
Q: I *REEELY* want "Reply-To" set to GURPSnet!!!1!1! I vote we [sic] do
it!
A: Bummer.
Q: Stop talking about all that stuff, and talk about what *I* want
you to talk about!
A: No.
Q: There's too many messages! Someone should start another list!
A: Life is tough, isn't it? Go ahead. If you want to run it from
io.com, write to [Owner Majordomo] at [io.com] for help.
--- USEFUL TRIVIA ---
Q: How do I join IOCOM?
A: If you already have Internet access from another system, telnet to
io.com. Otherwise, have your modem dial 512-448-8988 (Austin) or
713-850-9435 (Houston). Austin and Houston (Texas, USA) residents
can omit the respective area codes, of course. You'll see the
opening screen. It will ask for a login name. Don't give it your
real name, or your name on our old system. Just type "new" (all
lower case, with no quotes) and press Return. That will start the
sign-up process.
For more details, finger [i--o] at [io.com], email [i--o] at [io.com], or browse
http://www.io.com
Q: Who do I write to at SJG about something else?
A: Important point: SJ Games is not Illuminati Online! Different
buildings now, different ownership, different staff. SJ just
happens to be involved with both.
Add "@io.com" to each of the following.
General help with IO: admin
The GURPS mailing list: owner-gurpsnet-l
Setting up a list: owner-majordomo
General email problems: postmaster
Account accounting: accting
Convention activities: cons
Pyramid magazine: pyramid
To place an order: sjg-order
Any legal matters: legal
PGP keys: pgp-public-keys
WWW stuff: webmaster
Info about SJ Games: sjgames
Add "@sjgames.com" to each of the following.
errata submissions: errata
A more complete list of email addresses is at
http://www.io.com/sjgames/general/feedback.html
Q: What's the GURPS IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel?
A: #GURPS
--- WE THINK YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG FAQ ---
Q: How much damage does a swarm of badgers with wooden cyberjaws do to
a 8th generation vampiric garou if the lead badger is a Terminally
Ill Second-Stage Lensman with four levels of Clerical Investment?
A: Try the Frequently-Asked Questions file for the *game* of GURPS (as
opposed to the mailing list). It is distributed regularly to the
newsgroups rec.games.frp.gurps, rec.games.frp.archives and
io.games.sjg.gurps. An HTML version can be found at
http://io.com/sjgames/gurps/faq.html and a text copy at the
GURPSnet FTP site.
--
Susan and Sean (order optional) SPOILER: "Rosebud" is the sled.
S & S Enterprises
[s--n--s] at [netcom.com]
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