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: 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 . 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] ******************************************************************* * Moderator: Coyt D. Watters [watters 10] at [osu.edu] * * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * * Number of Illegal Chain Emails killed to date: 30 * * rec.games.frp.announce posting guidelines: email me with the * * subject: line of GUIDELINES (upper case) and my robo will send * * them out to you (usually). * *******************************************************************