From:	"John \"Ian\" Bassett" <PROSPERO@****.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	Re: Question about "the Sandman"? (Repost)
Date:	Sun, 20 Mar 1994 05:03:49 -0600

Hi Y'all,

I've been following this "Sandman" issue for a couple of days now, and after
glancing at each of the postings I've dumped the relevant mail directly into
the compost heap. At first I agreed with all the negative publicity that the
Sandman was getting, but now it seems I've had a change of heart. Ol' Sandy
has become the flavor of the month for the local lampoon squad and have this
soft spot for underdogs.

The complaints about Sandman have centered around his apparent violations of
the well known & often spouted rules of SR2. His lack of "assensability"
seems
to be a bone of major contention as this power has no explanation in the rules
we are used to. As a possible explanation I offer a lok at the Faerie creatures
of the "Paranormal Animals of Europe"; in speciffic, the Faerie power of
Fading. Faerie creatures with this power can "fade" from our world without any
hinderance of Astral or Physical barriers (natural or manufactured). Perhaps
the Sandman is a Faerie creature with a form of this power, something that
forces his prssence to exist _only_ on one plane at a time. Sandman would then
be un-assensable from any plane that he wasn't actually occupying.

I know that that sounds weak, it certainly sounds weak to me. But maybe the
Sandman needs no explanation for his odd power. Maybe we the GM's are too used
to having all the guts of a NPC or Monster laid out for us to examine. Player
Characters are deffinately too used to the manner in which SR2 lends itself to
explanation and extrapolation. It may be a shock to some of the players out
there to learn that GM's cheat all the time. Perpetually even. We fudge dice
rolls and give NPC's knowledge that should be unfathomable. But if it is done
to foster a better gaming atmosphere, there is nothing wrong with it.

The Sandman is a perfect example of this phenomenon. If used without providing
any explanation Sandman becomes a mystery to the characters who encounter it.
They may be frustrated at their failed attempts to assense & understand this stange
spirit, but if they're still able to "best" it in one of the "normal"
manners then their frustration will all be worth while. If the Sandman (or a
creation like it) is used to bully and beat up the players without any fear of
retribution, then it is an abuse that will ultimately lead to dissatisfaction
amoung the players (& eventually the GM alike).

Deffinitely the Sandman should be rewritten and any powers that are not listed
in SR2 should be noted, but they need not be explained explained or even dropped. Let GM's
who use such a character explain any new powers if they wish. Other-
wise sit back and let the mystery envelope you as well. What better way to spend
an evening than to watch your gamers unravel a puzzle that even you don't know
the answer to. Let _them_ explain it, right or wrong. Their decissions may
come back to haunt them some day.

- Prospero. (ps Sorry about the typos...I was butt tired when I wrote this.)