Path: relief.cts.com!newshub.cts.com!usc!newshub.csu.net!www.nntp.primenet.com!globalcenter0!news.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!news-peer.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news-peer-east.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!uunet!in5.uu.net!news.anet-chi.com!usenet From: [a--r--y] at [anet-chi.NOJUNK.com] (Aardy R. DeVarque) Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd Subject: FAQ: RGFD 1/9 -- Introduction Date: Sun, 02 Nov 1997 00:59:43 GMT Organization: Aardy's Aardvark Emporium Lines: 290 Message-ID: <[3468 d 051 383152625] at [news.anet-chi.com]> Reply-To: [a--r--y] at [anet-chi.com] NNTP-Posting-Host: chi-pru.max1-96.anet-chi.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.5/32.451 Xref: relief.cts.com rec.games.frp.dnd:243588 X-Cache: nntpcache 1.0.6.5 (see ftp://suburbia.net/pub/nntpcache) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REC.GAMES.FRP.DND Version 4.63 Compiled by Joel Hahn Last revised 10/30/97 Introduction Welcome to the Rec.Games.Frp.Dnd Frequently Asked Questions list! Disclaimer TSR, Dungeons & Dragons, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, AD&D, Dungeon Master, Dragon, Dungeon, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, DragonLance, Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, Mystara, Spelljammer, Birthright, and Player's Option are registered trademarks of TSR, Inc. Several other trademarked names appear throughout this work; the author hereby states that he is using the names, including the above-mentioned ones, in editorial fashion only and to the benefit of the trademark owners, with no intention of infringing in any way upon the trademarks. The author is not affiliated with nor endorsed by TSR, Inc. Throughout this FAQ, I use the male pronouns. This is not meant to belittle the contributions of female gamers, but rather to serve as a simple generic pronoun. Copyright notice, legal mumbo jumbo This FAQ is copyright (C) 1997 by Joel A. Hahn. All rights reserved. It may be redistributed freely, but only in its entirety; no part of it may be changed, added, or deleted. This means you, bub! Note for new users Before I get into the nitty-gritty, there's one thing which must be said. If you are new to Usenet, or if you aren't new but never heard about the guidelines & helpful pointers for Usenet, there are six posts you should go read as soon as possible in the newsgroup news.announce.newusers. These have the subjects: Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette Rules for posting to Usenet A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Community Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Usenet Hints on writing style for Usenet What is Usenet? If your server does not carry news.announce.newusers, your sysadmin is doing you a disservice--demand that it be added! These files are also available via FTP from rtfm.mit.edu, in the /pub/Usenet/news.announce.newusers/ directory. If you are new to Usenet, you should also think quite seriously about regularly reading the newsgroup news.newusers.questions. Some of the topics discussed there are repeated here, but the helpers there have and/or know about much more complete answers than are possible here. Now that we have that out of the way, on with the show! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Table of Contents * designates topics which have been updated. + designates topics which have been added. Part 1-----Introduction to rgfd Introduction Disclaimer Copyright notice, legal mumbo jumbo Note for new users Table of Contents A1: What is D&D? A2: What is rec.games.frp.dnd? A3: Where can I find the FAQ? Part 2-----Netiquette B1: What is this "netiquette" thing anyway? B2: So, what's the deal with this board? B3: Are there any gaming groups in my area? B4: What codes can I use for Distribution? B5: "...Me, too!" B6: Why should I play *D&D instead of Rolemaster, Torg, or some other RPG? B7: "D&D IS EVIL & SH*T, DON'T PLAY IT." What do I do when this gets posted? B8: Do those "MAKE MONEY FAST" ideas really work? B9: If X fought Y, who would win? B10: Where can I buy/sell old books, modules, & other stuff? * B11: How do I get past a certain point in this AD&D computer game? B12: Some people's posts go off the right edge of the screen; is my newsreader broken or something? * B13: How creative should I get with my .signature file? B14: Do I have to be an elementalist mage to post a "flame" or start a "flamewar"? B15: Where can I post this? B16: Why hasn't anyone responded to my posts? B17: Why isn't anyone talking about Al-Qadim? B18: Would anyone like to start a campaign here on the newsgroup? B19: I missed a message; could someone please repost it? Part 3-----TSR TSR C1: What is the history of the game now called AD&D? C2: What does "TSR" stand for? C3: What does "T$R" stand for? * C4: What is TSR's e-mail address? C5: What is TSR's snail-mail address? * C6: What is TSR really working on in the way of TV shows and movies? * C7: What's the deal with TSR's copyright policy? C8: Did TSR really try to trademark the word "Nazi"? C9: Didn't TSR just "borrow" everything from J.R.R. Tolkien's works? C10: How can I submit my latest work of literary genius to TSR? C11: Where's Gary Gygax these days? Part 4-----FAQ: 1) Meta 2) FAQ 3) Religion Meta * D1: I've found a mistake in the latest TSR module; where can I report it? D2: Where can I find a list of official TSR errata? D3: What is a PBEM and how do I get into one or start one? D4: What are the best *D&D products (books/modules/etc.) to get? D5: What to those letter/number combinations on older modules and handbooks stand for? D6: What font does TSR use for Planescape and where can I get it? D7: What is the chance of rolling up a character with all natural 18's? FAQ E1: Wasn't there a Saturday morning cartoon about *D&D? * E2: What *D&D-specific comic books have been published? E3: Whatever happened to SnarfQuest, What's New?, Wormy, and Yamara? E4: Wasn't there a TSR module that was banned? E5: Aren't these new core books actually the third edition of AD&D? E6: What was removed from Deities & Demigods? E7: Was Legends & Lore really originally a 1st ed. book? * E8: What happened to my favorite TSR campaign world? E9: Where did all the devils, demons, daemons, and the rest go? E10: Who is this Cthulhu guy, anyway? Religion F1: Is *D&D really the tool of the Devil? F2: Yeah, but is *D&D really the tool of the Devil? F3: Isn't Al-Qadim actually one of the holy names of Allah? Part 5-----Glossary * G1: What do those weird abbreviations mean? G2: How do you pronounce...? G3: How do you spell...? G4: What is a "newbie"? G5: What is a "Spoiler"? G6: What is bandwidth? How does one waste it? G7: What is "fluff?" G8: Who's this "Monty Haul" character I keep hearing about? G9: What is "munchkinism"? What does the Wizard of Oz have to do with *D&D? G10: What is "Spam"? G11: When is a troll not green, rubbery, or regenerative? G12: Are there any other terms I should be aware of? Part 6-----Resources 1: Internet Internet H1: What other newsgroups are out there for role-playing junkies like me? H2: Are there any FTP sites for *D&D? H3: What does .zip mean? And why can't I read this file I just downloaded? H4: Are there any WWW pages for *D&D? H5: Where can I upload this neat program I just wrote? H6: Is a complete index of Dragon Magazine available anywhere? H7: Is there a complete list of every *D&D product TSR has ever published? H8: Where can I find a complete list of every monster TSR has published for *D&D? H9: Is there really an "AD&D Guide to Sex?" H10: Where can I find the Net.*.Book? H11: Are there any *D&D-related mailing lists? * H12: Are there any other *D&D-related resources on the Internet? Part 7-----Resources 2: Non-Internet Non-Internet I1: What non-electronic resources are there for *D&D ? I2: What are some good books to read to get good ideas? I3: Where should I start looking in a library for more information? I4: What are some good movies to watch to get good ideas? Part 8-----Gamespeak 1: For Player's Eyes For Player's Eyes J1: What books do I need in order to play? J2: Does the weapon proficiency "Ambidexterity" give me extra attacks? J3: Is the use of poison automatically an evil act? J4: What about slitting throats? Anything else? J5: Are all orcs inherently evil? What about orc babies? J6: Can mages wear armor? J7: I don't like the spell memorization system for clerics & wizards... J8: What does "Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic Good/Neutral/Evil" really indicate? J9: Is alignment really necessary? J10: What is a morning star? J11: But medieval combat wasn't anything like the way it is in *D&D! Part 9-----Gamespeak 2: For DM's Eyes For DM's Eyes K1: What books do I need in order to be a DM? K2: Which TSR campaign world should I use? K3: Stoneskin seems too unbalancing. What can I do? K4: What can I do about Bladesinging elves? K5: What can I do to prevent psionics from really unbalancing a game? K6: How do you deal with critical hits? A) Determination of criticals B) Resolution of criticals K7: What can I do to make crossbows as useful as normal bows? K8: How much do coins weigh? K9: What can I do to make the hit point system more true to life? K10: The energy drain power of greater undead sucks. What can I do? K11: Where else can I look for info about being a Dungeon Master? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A1: What is D&D? A: D&D is an abbreviation for Dungeons & Dragons, a fantasy role-playing game published by TSR, Inc. (Hereafter referred to as "TSR"). It made its first public appearance in 1973, hit the general market in 1974, and has been wildly popular ever since. It is generally referred to as "The grandfather of all role-playing games." It was later revised to become part of AD&D, or Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. AD&D is the most widely recognized and played role-playing game. For the purpose of preventing confusion, I use "*D&D" as a generic term referring to all of the forms this game has taken over the years. A2: What is rec.games.frp.dnd? A: Rec.games.frp.dnd is a Usenet newsgroup dedicated to discussions pertaining to AD&D, D&D, and anything else that happens to come up. It was voted into existence by a result of 357 to 84 in May 1992, as part of "The Great rec.games.frp Reorganization". Here is the charter for the group: NAME: rec.games.frp.dnd CHARTER: This unmoderated discussion newsgroup is for discussion of the official rules and settings of the D&D family of role-playing games, produced by TSR, Inc., including Collector's Edition Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), Basic D&D, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D), and AD&D Second Edition. This proposed newsgroup would include discussion of TSR's rules and products and compatible products, such as: character classes; character races; monsters; magic spells; weapons; Greyhawk; the Forgotten Realms; the Known World; Dark Sun; Spelljammer; RavenLoft; Hollow World; City State of the Invincible Overlord; and so on. Crossposting between this group and other groups in the rec.games.frp hierarchy is discouraged, however issues of general interest that happen to involve a D&D rulebook or setting are more than welcome. A3: Where can I find the FAQ? A: The rec.games.frp.dnd FAQ (which you are currently reading) is posted to rec.games.frp.dnd monthly, on the first of each month. This is the best and easiest way to find it. It is also currently the only way to get the latest version, outside of web archives of Usenet. As of this writing, the FAQ is not archived at any FTP sites. However, a slightly revised hypertext version is available through the World Wide Web at http://sac.uky.edu/~mlmorr0/faq/rgfdfaq.html; an older version is at http://web.cs.ualberta.ca/~wade/HyperDnd/. If you are desperate for a copy of the FAQ, and can neither use the WWW, nor wait the less than thirty days until the next public posting, then you can write the keeper at <[a--r--y] at [anet-chi.com]>. I will consider every request, but will usually just tell you to wait the short while until the next posting, unless circumstances allow me more Internet time than I normally have. ***End Part 1*** Aardy R. DeVarque Feudalism: Serf & Turf rgfd FAQ: http://sac.uky.edu/~mlmorr0/faq/rgfdfaq.html Judges Guild Ratings: http://www.anet-chi.com/~aardy/rpg/