Logs for ShadowRN and Associated Mailing Lists

From:	"Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	[FAQ] ShadowTalk: Interactive Shadowrun Fiction
Date:	Thu, 27 May 1993 09:44:11 -0500

Message no. 1 NOTICE: Crossposted to several lists, some only vaguely related :)

Welcome to SHADOWTK,

This document is sent automanually to all new subscribers and serves
to outline the guidelines for the list. It is also posted monthly to
SHADOWTK to serve as a reminder. All subscribers are expected
to read and attempt to adhere to these guidelines in an attempt to
maintain conformity. Special attention should be given towards
posting format (Part 5) in an effort to maintain the sanity of the
editor.

Thanks for your interest,

Virtually,
The ShadowTalk Listowner

Robert Hayden: <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu> "Fearless Leader"

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 2.3 (05-25-93)

Compiled by your fearless leader: Robert Hayden
aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu

-------------------------------------------------------------------

1. What is SHADOWTK?
2. How do I subscribe to SHADOWTK?
2a. How do I post?
3. How come I keep getting deleted from the list?
4. What can be posted (and what can't)?
5. What is the posting format?
6. Are there any rules regarding characterizaion?
7. How can I use SHADOWTK in my own games?
8. Where can I get past logs of discussions?
9. What are some other interesting/important LISTSERV commands?
10. Are the digested logs available via FTP?

-------------------------------------------------------------------

1. What is SHADOWTK

SHADOWTK, bitnet convention for ShadowTalk, is a Listserv devoted
to the role-playing game Shadowrun, which is published by FASA.
Shadowrun takes place in the year 2054 and centers in the city of
Seattle. ShadowTalk is an attempt to emulate the public
communications networks presented in the game.

There is also a companion list to SHADOWTK called SHADOWRN. The
purpose of this other list is to discuss the rules, mechanics, and
implementation of the game Shadowrun. At times there may be some
cross-over between SHADOWRN and SHADOWTK, and that is fine.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

2. How do I subscribe to SHADOWTK?

To subscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following
parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet
SUB: <leave blank>

1st line: subscribe shadowtk your-real-name

In a little while you should get email confirming your subscription
and then you will start getting regular postings.

If you have difficulty with bitnet addresses, you can also use the
internet address, which is LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl

------

2a. How do I post?

To post a message, replace LISTSERV in the above addresses with SHADOWTK
and your message will go out to all of the subscribers.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

3. How come I keep getting deleted from the list?

99% of the time, the reason you are deleted from the list (by the
listowner) is because for some reason mail is bouncing off of your
account.

Usually this is caused by one of two reasons. Either A) your account
is filled and can't hold any more or B) for some reason your account
is not available (either the machine or your account is down). When
this happens, it causes an error message to be sent back to the list.
The list software attempts to detect error messages and route them to
the listowners. Sometimes, though, the error is not detected by
the listserv software and the error gets reported to the list. This
causes the error message to get sent our to all subscribers, including
the person who is bouncing mail. This leads to a big loop that really
messes things up.

Thus, standard procedure when an error message is reported it to delete
the subscription of the person causing the error. You should, in theory,
get this deletion reported to you.

Once the problem has been fixed (you are back on the net or have room),
you are, of course, free to join the list again.

--------------------------------------------------------------

4. What can be posted (and what can't)?

In general, any aspect of the Shadowrun society can be discussed.
Rumors, reports, opinions, etc. about the Shadowrun universe are
the subject.

As a general guideline, though, discussions of the rules and
mechanics of the shadowrun game itself belong on SHADOWRN.

Essentially, take a look at the 'BBS' entries spread throughout
the FASA rulebooks. The subjects presented in there are more than
appropriate for this list.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

5. What is the posting format?

The best guideline for posting format can be found in the FASA
rulebooks, but in summary, a post should be made as follows:

***** Encrypt: key-designation (optional)
>>>>>[Text to be discussed]<<<<<
-- ID < Time / Date >

Where:
Encrypt= Some postings to the ShadowTalk storyline need 'encrypting'.
Encrypted posts are usually of a nature that person's outside
of the ShadowTalk list would be unable to see it without the
correct counter-key. This has no real-world significance but
can serve to enhance the mystery and storyline.
>>>>>[ = All postings should start with five (5) greater-than symbols
followed by an opening bracket.
]<<<<< = All postings should end with a closing bracket followed by
five (5) less than symbols.
ID = Your fictional LTG identification. This ID should be
preceeded by one TAB, two dashes (--), and two spaces.
Time = The time of the post in 24hr format (ie, 23:45:16)
I've found it personally convienient to simply use the
current real-world time.
Date = The Shadowrun Date. In order to keep things in order,
use the current month and day, and for the year, take
the current year and add 61 to it (Shadowrun takes
place in 2054 during 1993)

OTHER EDITING INSTRUCTIONS:

All postings should be made flush-left. Do not TAB in new paragraphs. Do
not use TABs for formatting purposes (use spaces).

At the end of a paragraph, press return twice and start the next paragraph
flush-left.

NOTE: There are some industrious "deckers" that alter the
time-date stamp into saying something else. While this can be fun,
it can hamper attempts to port the messages to a log file in the
correct order.

Signature Files:
As a general rule, it is unnescessary to include a signature file
for SHADOWTK postings, as your entries will have your "ID" to
identify you. Most mailers are able to resolve return addresses.

Quoting Previous Postings:
This is also frowned upon, mostly because of the difficulty in
creating a log file. Discussion should occur rapidly enough that
quoting of will be unecessary. If you feel that you need to
address specific points, please try to simply address them without
wasting bandwidth with unecessary quoting. Use the subject of the
posting to refresh everyone's memory if you can.

Flaming:
Isn't very nice, period.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

6. Are there any rules regarding characterizaion?

The characters that develop in our stories are wonderful.
Unfortunately, some complaints are leading to the establishment of a
few guidelines with regards to how characters can be used.

A) You cannot use someone else's character without
permission. This means that I do not write something up and
sign it as being from Dark Elf. Of course, interacting with
another's character is encouraged.

B) If you do use someone else's character (with
permission), keep the posting style consistant, especially
with regards to the ID and time/date stamp.

C) NEVER kill off someone else's character.

D) Give your characters some depth if you can. Make them
more than just a screenful of ASCII, give them a personality
in their posting style and way of speaking and thinking.

E) Above all, have fun.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

7. How can I use SHADOWTK in my own games?

There are a number of ways you can use this list in you games. By
watching the rumors and discussions here, you might be given a
number of campaign ideas. In addition, you can have your players
read and participate in the list and use their actions and
discussions in your games.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

8. Where can I get past logs of discussions?

Logs of activity on SHADOWTK will be kept online and be available
via the listserv at HEARN. In order to get a directory
listing of the SHADOWTK related files, send the command INDEX
SHADOWTK to LISTSERV@*****. You should get a response in a little
while that lists all of the files available.

The log files will be named 'SHADOWTK LOGyymm{A-E}', where 'yy' is the
year of the file, 'mm' is the month and the final letter indicates the
week, with the first week being 'A', and the start of the 5th week
being 'E'.

To get one of them, send the command GET filename, where filename is
the name of the file you wish to receive (example: GET SHADOWTK
LOG9303D). After a bit, you should receive that file in the mail.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

9. What are some other interesting/important LISTSERV commands?

There are many commands you can give to the listserv in order to
change how your subscription works.

SET listname REPRO:
This command will have the listserv include you in the
distribution of any posting you make (ie, you get your own things
back, too).

SET listname ACK:
This will cause the listserv to send you a message every
time you post telling you how many people your posting was sent
out to. If you find this annoying, you can change this back with a
NOACK command.

SET listname NOMAIL:
If you are going on vacation or something, sending a NOMAIL
command will halt your receiving any postings. This is helpful if
you know that your quota will be exceeded during Christmas break,
for example. When you return, you can use the MAIL command to
start receiving again.
WARNING: If you forget to do this and your quota is
exceeded, this will cause all of the postings to be bounced back
to the list, possibly leading to a loop. The only way to quickly
allievitate this problem is to delete your subscription, so PLEASE
use the NOMAIL command if you are going to be gone for a while.

REVIEW listname:
This command will return to you a listing of all
subscribed persons to the list and then a total tally.

UNSUB listname:
Will remove you from a list.

HELP:
Sending this command will give you a listing and brief
descriptions of all available commands.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

10. Are the digested/edited logs available via FTP?

Yes, these logs are now available.

SITE: catalina.opt-sci.arizona.edu
IP # [128.196.206.60]
DIR: pub/shadowtalk

The edited version of the logs will have all of the headers and
signatures removed so that you can simply read a series of
postings. For this reason, you can see why it would be helpful to
following the posting format outlined in section #5. The editing of
these files will have to be done manually (unless I can get some
kind of auto-editor written up) and using the correct format will
speed up this process.

A special thanks to Hubert Bartels <hgb@********.opt-sci.arizona.edu> for
donating the site alongside the alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo archives.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

11. There is no part eleven.

The End

From:	"Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	[FAQ]: ShadowTalk -- Interactive Shadowrun Fiction
Date:	Thu, 1 Jul 1993 00:25:35 -0500

Message no. 2 WARNING!!!!!

If you post to ShadowTalk without following the format guidelines in Part
5, you will be deleted from the list!!!!!!

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to SHADOWTK,

Apologies for the rather gruff warning at the beginning, but persons often
fail to read the FAQ, or lightly skim over it, and improper formatting has
become a big problem.

This document is sent automanually to all new subscribers and serves
to outline the guidelines for the list. It is also posted monthly to
SHADOWTK to serve as a reminder.

There are two parts to the FAQ. Part I contains the general questions
pertaining to the list. Part II contains a long listing of the major
characters along with a brief background for each. Because of the length of
Part II, it is not distributed in the regular monthly cross-posting and you
won't find it if that is where you are reading this document.

All subscribers are expected to read and attempt to adhere to these
guidelines in an attempt to maintain conformity. Special attention should
be given towards posting format (Part I:5) in an effort to maintain the
sanity of the editor.

Thanks for your interest,

Virtually,
The ShadowTalk Listowner

Robert Hayden: <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu> "Fearless Leader"

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 2.7 (06-25-93)

Compiled by your fearless leader: Robert Hayden
aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I. GENERAL QUESTIONS
1. What is SHADOWTK?
2. How do I subscribe to SHADOWTK?
2a. How do I post?
3. How come I keep getting deleted from the list?
4. What can be posted (and what can't)?
5. What is the posting format?
6. Are there any rules regarding characterizaion?
7. How can I use SHADOWTK in my own games?
8. Where can I get past logs of discussions?
9. What are some other interesting/important LISTSERV commands?
10. Are the digested logs available via FTP?
11. What about getting the logs via e-mail?
12. How do I register my character for the Cast of Characters?
13. How does one go about getting the cast listing?
14. Can you summarize all of the supplemental distributions?
15. What is PLOT-D?
16. How do I join PLOT-D?
II. CAST OF CHARACTERS

-------------------------------------------------------------------

PART I
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

1. What is SHADOWTK

SHADOWTK, bitnet convention for ShadowTalk, is a Listserv devoted
to the role-playing game Shadowrun, which is published by FASA.
Shadowrun takes place in the year 2054 and centers in the city of
Seattle. ShadowTalk is an attempt to emulate the public
communications networks presented in the game.

There is also a companion list to SHADOWTK called SHADOWRN. The
purpose of this other list is to discuss the rules, mechanics, and
implementation of the game Shadowrun. At times there may be some
cross-over between SHADOWRN and SHADOWTK, and that is fine.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

2. How do I subscribe to SHADOWTK?

To subscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following
parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet
SUB: <leave blank>

1st line: subscribe shadowtk your-real-name

In a little while you should get email confirming your subscription
and then you will start getting regular postings.

If you have difficulty with bitnet addresses, you can also use the
internet address, which is LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl

------

2a. How do I post?

To post a message, replace LISTSERV in the above addresses with SHADOWTK
and your message will go out to all of the subscribers.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

3. How come I keep getting deleted from the list?

99% of the time, the reason you are deleted from the list (by the
listowner) is because for some reason mail is bouncing off of your
account.

Usually this is caused by one of two reasons. Either A) your account
is filled and can't hold any more or B) for some reason your account
is not available (either the machine or your account is down). When
this happens, it causes an error message to be sent back to the list.
The list software attempts to detect error messages and route them to
the listowners. Sometimes, though, the error is not detected by
the listserv software and the error gets reported to the list. This
causes the error message to get sent our to all subscribers, including
the person who is bouncing mail. This leads to a big loop that really
messes things up.

Thus, standard procedure when an error message is reported it to delete
the subscription of the person causing the error. You should, in theory,
get this deletion reported to you.

Once the problem has been fixed (you are back on the net or have room),
you are, of course, free to join the list again.

Also, you will also be deleted if you post messages with an improper
format after your first warning. See part 5 for more information.

--------------------------------------------------------------

4. What can be posted (and what can't)?

In general, any aspect of the Shadowrun society can be discussed.
Rumors, reports, opinions, etc. about the Shadowrun universe are
the subject.

As a general guideline, though, discussions of the rules and
mechanics of the shadowrun game itself belong on SHADOWRN.

Essentially, take a look at the 'BBS' entries spread throughout
the FASA rulebooks. The subjects presented in there are more than
appropriate for this list.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

5. What is the posting format?

The best guideline for posting format can be found in the FASA
rulebooks, but in summary, a post should be made as follows:

***** Encrypt: key-designation (optional)
>>>>>[Text to be discussed]<<<<<
-- ID < Time / Date >

Where:
Encrypt= Some postings to the ShadowTalk storyline need 'encrypting'.
Encrypted posts are usually of a nature that person's outside
of the ShadowTalk list would be unable to see it without the
correct counter-key. This has no real-world significance but
can serve to enhance the mystery and storyline.
>>>>>[ = All postings should start with five (5) greater-than symbols
followed by an opening bracket.
]<<<<< = All postings should end with a closing bracket followed by
five (5) less than symbols.
ID = Your fictional LTG identification. This ID should be
preceeded by one TAB, two dashes (--), and two spaces.
Time = The time of the post in 24hr format (ie, 23:45:16)
I've found it personally convienient to simply use the
current real-world time. There has been some discussion
regarding using a universal time (example, everyone posts
using GMT or Seattle time). It has been decided that it is too
much of a pain to try to recalculate posting time. If you do
with is use a universal time, use GMT.
Date = The Shadowrun Date. In order to keep things in order,
use the current month and day, and for the year, take
the current year and add 61 to it (Shadowrun takes
place in 2054 during 1993)

OTHER EDITING INSTRUCTIONS:

All postings should be made flush-left. Do not TAB in new paragraphs. Do
not use TABs for formatting purposes (use spaces).

At the end of a paragraph, press return twice and start the next paragraph
flush-left.

NOTE: There are some industrious "deckers" that alter the
time-date stamp into saying something else. While this can be fun,
it can hamper attempts to port the messages to a log file in the
correct order.

Signature Files:
As a general rule, it is unnescessary to include a signature file
for SHADOWTK postings, as your entries will have your "ID" to
identify you. Most mailers are able to resolve return addresses.

Quoting Previous Postings:
This is also frowned upon, mostly because of the difficulty in
creating a log file. Discussion should occur rapidly enough that
quoting of will be unecessary. If you feel that you need to
address specific points, please try to simply address them without
wasting bandwidth with unecessary quoting. Use the subject of the
posting to refresh everyone's memory if you can.

Flaming:
Isn't very nice, period.

***** WARNING:
Due to frequent violations of the posting guidelines and the
immense troubles of editing invalidly posted items, persons
posting incorrectly formatted items will receive one warning and
on their second violation will be deleted from the list.

You are welcome to resubscribe, but it is hoped that being
forced to go through the hassles of resubscription will make
persons realize the importance of posting format.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

6. Are there any rules regarding characterizaion?

The characters that develop in our stories are wonderful.
Unfortunately, some complaints are leading to the establishment of a
few guidelines with regards to how characters can be used.

A) You cannot use someone else's character without
permission. This means that I do not write something up and
sign it as being from Dark Elf. Of course, interacting with
another's character is encouraged.

B) If you do use someone else's character (with
permission), keep the posting style consistant, especially
with regards to the ID and time/date stamp.

C) NEVER kill off someone else's character.

D) Give your characters some depth if you can. Make them
more than just a screenful of ASCII, give them a personality
in their posting style and way of speaking and thinking.

E) Above all, have fun.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

7. How can I use SHADOWTK in my own games?

There are a number of ways you can use this list in you games. By
watching the rumors and discussions here, you might be given a
number of campaign ideas. In addition, you can have your players
read and participate in the list and use their actions and
discussions in your games.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

8. Where can I get past logs of discussions?

Logs of activity on SHADOWTK will be kept online and be available
via the listserv at HEARN. In order to get a directory
listing of the SHADOWTK related files, send the command INDEX
SHADOWTK to LISTSERV@*****. You should get a response in a little
while that lists all of the files available.

The log files will be named 'SHADOWTK LOGyymm{A-E}', where 'yy' is the
year of the file, 'mm' is the month and the final letter indicates the
week, with the first week being 'A', and the start of the 5th week
being 'E'.

To get one of them, send the command GET filename, where filename is
the name of the file you wish to receive (example: GET SHADOWTK
LOG9303D). After a bit, you should receive that file in the mail.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

9. What are some other interesting/important LISTSERV commands?

There are many commands you can give to the listserv in order to
change how your subscription works.

SET listname REPRO:
This command will have the listserv include you in the
distribution of any posting you make (ie, you get your own things
back, too).

SET listname ACK:
This is simply an confirmation of the posting you just made. It
is returned to you in email.

SET listname NOMAIL:
If you are going on vacation or something, sending a NOMAIL
command will halt your receiving any postings. This is helpful if
you know that your quota will be exceeded during Christmas break,
for example. When you return, you can use the MAIL command to
start receiving again.
WARNING: If you forget to do this and your quota is
exceeded, this will cause all of the postings to be bounced back
to the list, possibly leading to a loop. The only way to quickly
allievitate this problem is to delete your subscription, so PLEASE
use the NOMAIL command if you are going to be gone for a while.

REVIEW listname:
This command will return to you a listing of all
subscribed persons to the list and then a total tally.

UNSUB listname:
Will remove you from a list.

HELP:
Sending this command will give you a listing and brief
descriptions of all available commands.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

10. Are the digested logs available via FTP?

Yes, these logs are now available on one of two sites.

SITE: catalina.opt-sci.arizona.edu
IP # [128.196.206.60]
DIR: pub/shadowtalk

SITE: teetot.acusd.edu
IP # [192.55.87.19]
DIR: pub/Beelzebub/Role-Playing/Shadowrun/Shadowtalk
**NOTE: The files are stored on this site in ZIP format only.

The edited version of the logs will have all of the headers and
signatures removed so that you can simply read a series of
postings. For this reason, you can see why it would be helpful to
following the posting format outlined in section #5. The editing of
these files will have to be done manually (unless I can get some
kind of auto-editor written up) and using the correct format will
speed up this process.

A special thanks to Hubert Bartels <hgb@********.opt-sci.arizona.edu> for
donating the site alongside the alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo archives.

A special thanks to Jerry Stratton <jerry@******.ACUSD.EDU> for donating
space alongside the NAGEE and other Shadowrun related files.

------------------------------------------------------------------

11. What about getting the edited logs via e-mail?

There are two distributions that are mailed out in regards to this edited
digest:

THE LOG: This is the actual digest. Each digest consists of 7 days
worth of postings (with a smaller 5th mailing comprising the few
remaining days of a month). The digests are released haphazardly
as the editor completes them.

ANNOUNCE: This mailing is simply an announcement that the digest has been
compiled and sent to one of the two ShadowTalk FTP site. Usually
the file will appear on the FTP site within a day or two.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO A DISTRIBUTION
--- -- --------- -- - ------------

Notify Robert Hayden <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu>. Make sure to mention
which of the above distributions you wish to subscribe to. You should
start getting it with the next mailing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

12. How do I register my character for the Cast of Characters?

Registering a character is a very simple procedure. You simply in your
character name, real name, e-mail address and a brief description of your
characters background. Send your character to the listowner, Robert
Hayden <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu>.

Because of limitations in the editing software, please limit your
submissions to one character per mailing. If you have several characters to
register, send each of them in a seperate mail message.

Also, for characters that are not used often or appear only briefly, it is
probably best, in the interest of the size of the cast list, to not send in
backgrounds for all character.

Finally, there is a format you MUST follow to register your characters.
The format looks like this:

Character Name -- Your Real Name <your@*****.address)
-- <--two dashes
Up to an eight line description of the character. Say what you need to
say and no more. Include mannerisms and whatever. Be fun. We don't need
a complete physical description, though. For characters with real name,
use the last-name first method.

FOR EXAMPLE:
Yoshida, Joseph -- Robert Hayden <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu>
--
President of the large corporation Yoshida Technologies. Father to Norman
Yoshida. Largely responsible for the development of several early
cybernetic components. Often considered in the 'runner community to be a
'nice' corp.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

13. How does one go about getting the cast listing?

There are three ways in which you can get a copy of the cast listing.

1) When you sign on to ShadowTalk, you automanually get a copy.
2) Send an email to Robert asking for a copy.
3) Join the CAST distribution list. All persons on this list will get a
copy of the current cast listing on or around the first of every month.

To join this list, drop a email to Robert asking to be put on the CAST
distribution. You should start getting a cast listing with the start of
the next month.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

14. Can you summarize all of the supplemental distributions?

There are four mail distributions that ShadowTalk readers can 'subscribe'
to. These are not mailing list, but just a single mailing that is CC'ed to
several people. To join any of these four lists, contact Robert Hayden
<aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu> and he will add you. This is a manual thing so
please allow normal human response times.

To summarize the four lists:

LOG: Joining this list will cause you to receive a copy of the weekly
edited log. The edited log is identical to the regular postings to
ShadowTalk, but the administrative postings, mistakes and mailing
headers have been removed.

ANNOUNCE:
This list is a companion to the LOG list, but instead of sending you
copy of the postings, it simply is an informative mailing telling
you that the files have been placed on to the FTP sites. The logs
on the FTP sites should appear within couple of days.

CAST: Subscribers to this distribution will get a copy of the current cast
listing mailed to them sometime around the beginning of every month.

FAQ: This is a mostly administrative distribution, but is included here
in case someone wishes to join it for some reason. This
distribution will send out a copy of the ShadowTalk FAQ every month.
The version of the FAQ sent out DOES NOT include a copy of the cast
listing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

15. What is PLOT-D?

PLOT-D is a supplemental discussion list for ShadowTalk. The purpose of
PLOT-D is to discuss (as the name obviously implies) plotlines. It also
handles discussion of administrative issues in order to not clog SHADOWTK
or SHADOWRN with only remotely related issues.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

16. How do i join PLOT-D?

PLOT-D's software operates very similiar to SHADOWTK's, and the method of
subscription is nearly identical.

To subscribe, you send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet <or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl>
SUB: <leave blank>

1st line: subscribe plot-d your-real-name

Unlike ShadowTalk, though, PLOT-D is not an open list. Subscriptions to
the list a granted only if two conditions are met:
1) Subscribed to SHADOWTK
2) Have at least one character registered in the cast of characters

If you meet these two conditions, the listowner will issue you a command
telling the LISTSERV to add you. If you fail one of these two tests, no
action will be taken.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

[> Robert Hayden ____ <] This signature is actually
[> \ /__ <] Odo in disguise.
[> hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu \/ / <]<----------------------------->
[> aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu \/ <] #include <std_disclaimer.h>
--
(GEEK CODE 0.3): GSS d- p--/-p+ c++ l++ m+/* s-/++ g+ w++ t++ r++ x+
[finger my Krypton account for a copy of the Geek Code]

From:	"Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	[FAQ] ShadowTalk: Interactive Shadowrun Fiction
Date:	Sun, 15 Aug 1993 11:23:08 -0500

Message no. 3 WARNING!!!!!

If you post to ShadowTalk without following the format guidelines (Part II:A),
you will be deleted from the list!!!!!!

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to SHADOWTK,

Apologies for the rather gruff warning at the beginning, but persons often
fail to read the FAQ, or lightly skim over it, and improper formatting has
become a big problem.

This document is sent automanually to all new subscribers and serves
to outline the guidelines for the list. It is also posted monthly to
SHADOWTK to serve as a reminder.

There are six parts to the FAQ. Parts I-V contain the general questions
pertaining to the list. Part VI contains a long listing of the major
characters along with a brief background for each. Because of the length of
Part VI, it is not distributed in the regular monthly cross-posting and you
won't find it if that is where you are reading this document.

All subscribers are expected to read and attempt to adhere to these
guidelines in an attempt to maintain conformity. Special attention should
be given towards posting format (Part II:A) in an effort to maintain the
sanity of the editor.

Thanks for your interest,

Virtually,
The ShadowTalk Listowner

Robert Hayden: <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu> "Fearless Leader"

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 3.0 (08-08-93)

Compiled by your fearless leader: Robert Hayden
aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. INTRODUCTION
A. What is ShadowTalk?
B. How do I subscribe to ShadowTalk?
C. How do I post to ShadowTalk?
D. How do I unsubscribe to ShadowTalk?
E. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
F. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?

II. GUIDELINES FOR POSTING
A. What is the posting format?
B. What are the restrictions on the type of postings?
C. What are the restrictions on characterization?
D. Registering a Character

III. GETTING CURRENT AND PAST LOGS
A. Using the LISTSERV 'GET' command
B. Getting edited logs via FTP

IV. SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIONS

V. PLOT-D
A. What is PLOT-D
B. Subscribing to PLOT-D

VI. CAST OF CHARACTERS (may not be present)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART I: INTRODUCTION
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is ShadowTalk?

Shadowtalk is an interactive fiction mailing list based on the paper &
pencil role-playing game Shadowrun, published by FASA. Members of the
list post as characters in the game, and by responding to each other's
posts "in character", stories are developed. These stories may then be
used by players and GMs alike as a basis for contacts, NPCs, and
adventure plots in their own campaigns.

Shadowrun takes place in Seattle 61 years in the future. Cybernetics,
Virtual Reality, and biotechnology are available to the public.
Furthermore, Magic exists and is controlled by mages and shamans, and
mythical beings once again roam the land. Megacorporations, with the
power of small nations, rule the politics and hold the ultimate
stranglehold on the underclass. Surviving in the world of Shadowrun
takes as much courage as it does skill.

And perhaps just a little luck.

**********
B. How do I subscribe to ShadowTalk?

To subscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe shadowtk your-real-name

In a little while you should get email instructing you how to
confim your subscription request. Simply follow the instructions
and you will soon start getting regular postings.

If you have difficulty with bitnet addresses, you can also use the
internet address, which is LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl

**********
C. How do I post to ShadowTalk?

To post to ShadowTalk, you send your posting via email to
SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET (or SHADOWTK@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl for
internet). Please be sure to follow the formatting guidelines
(see Part II:A).

**********
D. How do I unsubscribe to ShadowTalk?

To unsubscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following
parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet (or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl)
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: signoff shadowtk

In a little while you should get email confiming your unsubscription
request.

**********
E. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.

There are many commands you can give to the listserv in order to change
how your subscription works.

SET listname REPRO:
This command will have the listserv include you in the
distribution of any posting you make (ie, you get your own
things back, too).

SET listname ACK:
This is simply an confirmation of the posting you just made.
It is returned to you in email.

SET listname NOMAIL:
If you are going on vacation or something, sending a NOMAIL
command will halt your receiving any postings. This is
helpful if you know that your quota will be exceeded during
Christmas break, for example. When you return, you can use
the SET listname MAIL command to start receiving again.

WARNING: If you forget to do this and your quota is exceeded,
this will cause all of the postings to be bounced back to the
list, possibly leading to a loop. The only way to quicly
allievitate this problem is to delete your subscription, so
PLEASE use the NOMAIL command if you are going to be gone
for a while.

HELP:
Sending this command will give you a listing and brief
descriptions of all available commands.

**********
F. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?

99% of the time, the reason you are deleted from the list (by the
listowner) is because for some reason mail is bouncing off of your
account.

Usually this is caused by one of two reasons. Either A) your
account is filled and can't hold any more or B) for some reason your
account is not available (either the machine or your account is down).
When this happens, it causes an error message to be sent back to the
list. The list software attempts to detect error messages and route
them to the listowner. Sometimes, though, the error is not detected by
the listserv software and the error gets reported to the list. This
causes the error message to get sent our to all subscribers, including
the person who is bouncing mail. This leads to a big loop that really
messes things up.

Thus, standard procedure when an error message is reported it to delete
the subscription of the person causing the error.

Once the problem has been fixed (you are back on the net or have room),
you are, of course, free to join the list again.

Also, you will also be deleted if you post messages with an improper
format after your first warning. See part II:A for more information.

******************************************************************************

PART II: GUIDELINES FOR POSTING
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is the posting format?

The best guideline for posting format can be found in the FASA
rulebooks, but in summary, a post should be made as follows:

***** Encrypt: key-designation (optional)
>>>>>[Text to be discussed]<<<<<
-- ID < Time / Date >

Where:
Encrypt= Some postings to the ShadowTalk storyline need 'encrypting'.
Encrypted posts are usually of a nature that person's outside
of the ShadowTalk list would be unable to see it without the
correct counter-key. This has no real-world significance but
can serve to enhance the mystery and storyline.
>>>>>[ = All postings should start with five (5) greater-than symbols
followed by an opening bracket.
]<<<<< = All postings should end with a closing bracket followed by
five (5) less than symbols.
ID = Your fictional LTG identification. This ID should be
preceeded by one TAB, two dashes (--), and two spaces.
Time = The time of the post in 24hr format (ie, 23:45:16)
I've found it personally convienient to simply use the
current real-world time. There has been some discussion
regarding using a universal time (example, everyone posts
using GMT or Seattle time). It has been decided that it is too
much of a pain to try to recalculate posting time. If you do
with is use a universal time, use GMT.
Date = The Shadowrun Date. In order to keep things in order,
use the current month and day, and for the year, take
the current year and add 61 to it (Shadowrun takes
place in 2054 during 1993)

OTHER EDITING INSTRUCTIONS:

All postings should be made flush-left. Do not TAB in new paragraphs.
Do not use TABs for formatting purposes (use spaces).

At the end of a paragraph, press return twice and start the next
paragraph flush-left.

NOTE: There are some industrious "deckers" that alter the
time-date stamp into saying something else. While this can be fun,
it can hamper attempts to port the messages to a log file in the
correct order.

Signature Files:
As a general rule, it is unnescessary to include a signature file
for SHADOWTK postings, as your entries will have your "ID" to
identify you. Most mailers are able to resolve return addresses.

Quoting Previous Postings:
This is also frowned upon, mostly because of the difficulty in
creating a log file. Discussion should occur rapidly enough that
quoting of will be unecessary. If you feel that you need to
address specific points, please try to simply address them without
wasting bandwidth with unecessary quoting. Use the subject of the
posting to refresh everyone's memory if you can.

Flaming:
Isn't very nice, period. If it gets too bad, you will be deleted from
the list.

**********
B. What are the restrictions on the type of postings?

In general, any aspect of the Shadowrun society can be discussed.
Rumors, reports, opinions, etc. about the Shadowrun universe are the
subject.

**********
C. What are the restrictions on characterization?

Over a hundred people subscribe to this list, and everyone wants to
feel as individual and special as the next. To this end, please keep
the following parameters in mind when creating stories and characters.

Stick to the official rules and world background. This is not meant to
constrain your imagination, but to provide a common "world" in which to
interact. Some people play highly variant versions of Shadowrun, with
Artificial Intelligences, Voodoo magic, and Orbital Masters. In
general, if it doesn't exist in the rules or supplements, don't use it.

Maintain a sense of humility and reason. All characters are
vulnerable, and no character should have an excessive amount of power
without reason. If you do play a powerful character, do not go about
bragging of your connections and abilities. . . this will only annoy
the others and result in a flame war. With great power comes great
responsibility; it is your responsibility to keep your activities
within reason.

When you create a character, try to give him or her some depth. Come up
with mannerisms, common sayings, and other unique aspects that define
your character as more than a stream of ASCII. A sign of a well-
developed character is one who can be recognized without a Time/Date
stamp. Mentioning "off-board" friends, enemies, and contacts can also
help.

There are 4 rules to character usage that must be followed:

1: You cannot use someone else's character without
permission. This means that you shouldn't write something
up and sign as "Nightstalker", "Dark Elf" or
"Wolf 359"
without the creators' consent.

2: If you do use someone else's character with permission,
keep their posting style consistent. This includes their
language, virtual mannerisms, and Time/Date stamp.

3: NEVER kill off someone else's character.

4: Above All, HAVE FUN!

If you want to get involved with an existing story, or wish to invite
someone else to yours, your best bet is to discuss it on PLOT-D
(See part V). If you do not subscribe to that list, you can still
contact people privately with the REPLY command. We recommend that you
contact someone privately before jumping into their story; most will
appreciate the help, but it is impolite to say something happened
without warning them first.

When generating stories that push the envelope of Shadowrun (i.e,
involve AIs, new magic, or weapons), you should discuss it on PLOT-D.
There, you can get an idea as to how people will react, and get
suggestions on how to make it work better. Also, the veteran members
of this list can tell you if your repeating a story that has already
been done (an example is the use of Artificial Intelligence; 2 have
appeared within 3 months of each other).

**********
D. Registering a Character

There are literally hundreds of major and minor characters who rear
their heads into the ShadowTalk storyline. In an effort to make
keeping tabs on the individual characters a little easier, all
participants are encouraged to register their character.

Registering a character is a very simple procedure. You simply send
your character name, real name, e-mail address and a brief description
of your character's background. Send your character to the listowner,
Robert Hayden <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu>.

Because of limitations in the editing software, please limit your
submissions to one character per mailing. If you have several
characters to register, send each of them in a seperate mail message.

Also, for characters that are not used often or appear only briefly,
it is probably best, in the interest of the size of the cast list, to
not send in backgrounds for all character.

Finally, there is a format you MUST follow to register your characters.
The format looks like this:

Character Name -- Your Real Name <your@*****.address>
-- <--two dashes
Up to an eight line description of the character. Say what you need to say
and no more. Include mannerisms and whatever. Be fun. We don't need a
complete physical description, though. For characters with real name, use
the last-name first method.

EXAMPLE:
Yoshida, Joseph - Robert Hayden <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu>
--
President of the large corporation Yoshida Technologies. Father to
Norman Yoshida. Largely responsible for the development of several early
cybernetic components. Often considered in the 'runner community to be a
'nice' corp. Joseph is an Eagle adept and politically powerful in the Eagle
community.

*****************************************************************************

PART III: GETTING CURRENT AND PAST LOGS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. Using the LISTSERV 'GET' command.

Logs of activity on SHADOWTK will be kept online and be available via
the listserv at HEARN. In order to get a directory listing of the
SHADOWTK related files, send the command INDEX SHADOWTK to
LISTSERV@*****.BITNET. You should get a response in a little while
that lists all of the files available.

The log files will be named 'SHADOWTK LOGyymm{A-E}', where 'yy' is the
year of the file, 'mm' is the month and the final letter indicates the
week, with the first week being 'A', and the start of the 5th week
being 'E'.

To get one of them, send the command GET filename, where filename is
the name of the file you wish to receive (example: GET SHADOWTK
LOG9303D). After a bit, you should receive that file in the mail.

**********

B. Getting edited logs via FTP.

Edited versions of the ShadowTalk logs are available on one of two sites.

SITE: catalina.opt-sci.arizona.edu
IP # [128.196.206.60]
DIR: pub/shadowtalk

SITE: teetot.acusd.edu
IP # [192.55.87.19]
DIR: pub/Beelzebub/Role-Playing/Shadowrun/Shadowtalk
NOTE: The files are stored on this site in ZIP format only.

The edited version of the logs will have all of the headers and
signatures removed so that you can simply read a series of postings.
For this reason, you can see why it would be helpful to following the
posting format outlined in part II:A. The editing of these files will
have to be done manually and using the correct format will speed up
this process.

A special thanks to Hubert Bartels <hgb@********.opt-sci.arizona.edu>
for donating the site alongside the alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo archives.

A special thanks to Jerry Stratton <jerry@******.ACUSD.EDU> for
donating space alongside the NAGEE and other Shadowrun related files.

*****************************************************************************

PART IV: SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIONS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

There are four mail distributions that ShadowTalk readers can
'subscribe' to. These are not mailing lists, but just a single mailing
that is CC'ed to several people. To join any of these four lists,
contact Robert Hayden <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu> and he will add you.
This is a manual thing so please allow normal human response times.

To summarize the four lists:

LOG: Joining this list will cause you to receive a copy of the weekly
edited log. The edited log is identical to the regular postings to
ShadowTalk, but the administrative postings, mistakes and mailing
headers have been removed. This distribution preceeds the edited
logs being available on FTP but a few days.

ANNOUNCE:
This list is a companion to the LOG list, but instead of sending you
copy of the postings, it simply is an informative mailing telling
you that the files have been placed on to the FTP sites. The logs
on the FTP sites should appear within couple of days.

CAST: Subscribers to this distribution will get a copy of the current cast
listing mailed to them sometime around the beginning of every
month. Note that this is the ONLY way to automatically get a copy of
the cast listing as, due to its size, it is not posted to the list.
It is recommended that you 'subscribe' to this distribution.

FAQ: This is a mostly administrative distribution, but is included here
in case someone wishes to join it for some reason. This
distribution will send out a copy of the ShadowTalk FAQ every month.
The version of the FAQ sent out DOES NOT include a copy of the cast
listing.

****************************************************************************

PART V: PLOT-D
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is PLOT-D

PLOT-D is a supplemental discussion list for ShadowTalk. The purpose
of PLOT-D is to discuss (as the name obviously implies) plotlines. It
also handles discussion of administrative issues in order to not clog
SHADOWTK or SHADOWRN with only remotely related issues.

**********

B. Subscribing to PLOT-D

PLOT-D's software operates very similiar to SHADOWTK's, and the
method of subscription is nearly identical.

To subscribe, you send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet <or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl>
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe plot-d your-real-name

Unlike ShadowTalk, though, PLOT-D is not an open list. Subscriptions
to the list a granted only if two conditions are met:
1) Subscribed to SHADOWTK
2) Have at least one character registered in the cast of
characters

If you meet these two conditions, the listowner will issue you a
command telling the LISTSERV to add you. If you fail one of these two
tests, no action will be taken.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

{[> Robert A. Hayden ____ #include <std_disclaimer.h> <]}
{[> \ /__ ------------------------------- <]}
{[> aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu \/ / Bigotry is what is incompatible <]}
{[> hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu \/ with military service. <]}
-=-=-
GEEK CODE v1.0.1: GSS d- -p+(---) c++(++++) l++ u++ e+/* m++(*)@ s-/++
n-(---) h+(*) f+ g+ w++ t++ r++ y+(*)

From:	"Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	[FAQ] ShadowTalk: Interactive Shadowrun Fiction
Date:	Wed, 20 Oct 1993 23:28:32 -0500

Message no. 4 WARNING!!!!!

If you post to ShadowTalk without following the format guidelines (Part II:A),
you will be deleted from the list!!!!!!

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to SHADOWTK,

Apologies for the rather gruff warning at the beginning, but persons often
fail to read the FAQ, or lightly skim over it, and improper formatting has
become a big problem.

This document is sent automanually to all new subscribers and serves
to outline the guidelines for the list. It is also posted monthly to
SHADOWTK to serve as a reminder.

There are six parts to the FAQ. Parts I-V contain the general questions
pertaining to the list. Part VI contains a long listing of the major
characters along with a brief background for each. Because of the length of
Part VI, it is not distributed in the regular monthly cross-posting and you
won't find it if that is where you are reading this document.

All subscribers are expected to read and attempt to adhere to these
guidelines in an attempt to maintain conformity. Special attention should
be given towards posting format (Part II:A) in an effort to maintain the
sanity of the editor.

Thanks for your interest,

Virtually,
The ShadowTalk Listowner

Robert Hayden: <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu> "Fearless Leader"

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 3.0 (08-08-93)

Compiled by your fearless leader: Robert Hayden
aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. INTRODUCTION
A. What is ShadowTalk?
B. How do I subscribe to ShadowTalk?
C. How do I post to ShadowTalk?
D. How do I unsubscribe to ShadowTalk?
E. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
F. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?

II. GUIDELINES FOR POSTING
A. What is the posting format?
B. What are the restrictions on the type of postings?
C. What are the restrictions on characterization?
D. Registering a Character

III. GETTING CURRENT AND PAST LOGS
A. Using the LISTSERV 'GET' command
B. Getting edited logs via FTP

IV. SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIONS

V. PLOT-D
A. What is PLOT-D
B. Subscribing to PLOT-D

VI. CAST OF CHARACTERS (may not be present)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART I: INTRODUCTION
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is ShadowTalk?

Shadowtalk is an interactive fiction mailing list based on the paper &
pencil role-playing game Shadowrun, published by FASA. Members of the
list post as characters in the game, and by responding to each other's
posts "in character", stories are developed. These stories may then be
used by players and GMs alike as a basis for contacts, NPCs, and
adventure plots in their own campaigns.

Shadowrun takes place in Seattle 61 years in the future. Cybernetics,
Virtual Reality, and biotechnology are available to the public.
Furthermore, Magic exists and is controlled by mages and shamans, and
mythical beings once again roam the land. Megacorporations, with the
power of small nations, rule the politics and hold the ultimate
stranglehold on the underclass. Surviving in the world of Shadowrun
takes as much courage as it does skill.

And perhaps just a little luck.

**********
B. How do I subscribe to ShadowTalk?

To subscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe shadowtk your-real-name

In a little while you should get email instructing you how to
confim your subscription request. Simply follow the instructions
and you will soon start getting regular postings.

If you have difficulty with bitnet addresses, you can also use the
internet address, which is LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl

**********
C. How do I post to ShadowTalk?

To post to ShadowTalk, you send your posting via email to
SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET (or SHADOWTK@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl for
internet). Please be sure to follow the formatting guidelines
(see Part II:A).

**********
D. How do I unsubscribe to ShadowTalk?

To unsubscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following
parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet (or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl)
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: signoff shadowtk

In a little while you should get email confiming your unsubscription
request.

**********
E. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.

There are many commands you can give to the listserv in order to change
how your subscription works.

SET listname REPRO:
This command will have the listserv include you in the
distribution of any posting you make (ie, you get your own
things back, too).

SET listname ACK:
This is simply an confirmation of the posting you just made.
It is returned to you in email.

SET listname NOMAIL:
If you are going on vacation or something, sending a NOMAIL
command will halt your receiving any postings. This is
helpful if you know that your quota will be exceeded during
Christmas break, for example. When you return, you can use
the SET listname MAIL command to start receiving again.

WARNING: If you forget to do this and your quota is exceeded,
this will cause all of the postings to be bounced back to the
list, possibly leading to a loop. The only way to quicly
allievitate this problem is to delete your subscription, so
PLEASE use the NOMAIL command if you are going to be gone
for a while.

SET listname DIGEST:
When this option is set, instead of all of the postings
being delivered seperately, they will be delivered in
one mailing at the close of the day (in HEARN's timezone).
This is helpful if the number of mailings become a burden.

HELP:
Sending this command will give you a listing and brief
descriptions of all available commands.

**********
F. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?

99% of the time, the reason you are deleted from the list (by the
listowner) is because for some reason mail is bouncing off of your
account.

Usually this is caused by one of two reasons. Either A) your
account is filled and can't hold any more or B) for some reason your
account is not available (either the machine or your account is down).
When this happens, it causes an error message to be sent back to the
list. The list software attempts to detect error messages and route
them to the listowner. Sometimes, though, the error is not detected by
the listserv software and the error gets reported to the list. This
causes the error message to get sent our to all subscribers, including
the person who is bouncing mail. This leads to a big loop that really
messes things up.

Thus, standard procedure when an error message is reported it to delete
the subscription of the person causing the error.

Once the problem has been fixed (you are back on the net or have room),
you are, of course, free to join the list again.

Also, you will also be deleted if you post messages with an improper
format after your first warning. See part II:A for more information.

******************************************************************************

PART II: GUIDELINES FOR POSTING
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is the posting format?

The best guideline for posting format can be found in the FASA
rulebooks, but in summary, a post should be made as follows:

***** Encrypt: key-designation (optional)
>>>>>[Text to be discussed]<<<<<
-- ID < Time / Date >

Where:
Encrypt= Some postings to the ShadowTalk storyline need 'encrypting'.
Encrypted posts are usually of a nature that person's outside
of the ShadowTalk list would be unable to see it without the
correct counter-key. This has no real-world significance but
can serve to enhance the mystery and storyline.
>>>>>[ = All postings should start with five (5) greater-than symbols
followed by an opening bracket.
]<<<<< = All postings should end with a closing bracket followed by
five (5) less than symbols.
ID = Your fictional LTG identification. This ID should be
preceeded by one TAB, two dashes (--), and two spaces.
Time = The time of the post in 24hr format (ie, 23:45:16)
I've found it personally convienient to simply use the
current real-world time. There has been some discussion
regarding using a universal time (example, everyone posts
using GMT or Seattle time). It has been decided that it is too
much of a pain to try to recalculate posting time. If you do
with is use a universal time, use GMT.
Date = The Shadowrun Date. In order to keep things in order,
use the current month and day, and for the year, take
the current year and add 61 to it (Shadowrun takes
place in 2054 during 1993)

OTHER EDITING INSTRUCTIONS:

All postings should be made flush-left. Do not TAB in new paragraphs.
Do not use TABs for formatting purposes (use spaces).

At the end of a paragraph, press return twice and start the next
paragraph flush-left.

NOTE: There are some industrious "deckers" that alter the
time-date stamp into saying something else. While this can be fun,
it can hamper attempts to port the messages to a log file in the
correct order.

Signature Files:
As a general rule, it is unnescessary to include a signature file
for SHADOWTK postings, as your entries will have your "ID" to
identify you. Most mailers are able to resolve return addresses.

Quoting Previous Postings:
This is also frowned upon, mostly because of the difficulty in
creating a log file. Discussion should occur rapidly enough that
quoting of will be unecessary. If you feel that you need to
address specific points, please try to simply address them without
wasting bandwidth with unecessary quoting. Use the subject of the
posting to refresh everyone's memory if you can.

Flaming:
Isn't very nice, period. If it gets too bad, you will be deleted from
the list.

**********
B. What are the restrictions on the type of postings?

In general, any aspect of the Shadowrun society can be discussed.
Rumors, reports, opinions, etc. about the Shadowrun universe are the
subject.

**********
C. What are the restrictions on characterization?

Over a hundred people subscribe to this list, and everyone wants to
feel as individual and special as the next. To this end, please keep
the following parameters in mind when creating stories and characters.

Stick to the official rules and world background. This is not meant to
constrain your imagination, but to provide a common "world" in which to
interact. Some people play highly variant versions of Shadowrun, with
Artificial Intelligences, Voodoo magic, and Orbital Masters. In
general, if it doesn't exist in the rules or supplements, don't use it.

Maintain a sense of humility and reason. All characters are
vulnerable, and no character should have an excessive amount of power
without reason. If you do play a powerful character, do not go about
bragging of your connections and abilities. . . this will only annoy
the others and result in a flame war. With great power comes great
responsibility; it is your responsibility to keep your activities
within reason.

When you create a character, try to give him or her some depth. Come up
with mannerisms, common sayings, and other unique aspects that define
your character as more than a stream of ASCII. A sign of a well-
developed character is one who can be recognized without a Time/Date
stamp. Mentioning "off-board" friends, enemies, and contacts can also
help.

There are 4 rules to character usage that must be followed:

1: You cannot use someone else's character without
permission. This means that you shouldn't write something
up and sign as "Nightstalker", "Dark Elf" or
"Wolf 359"
without the creators' consent.

2: If you do use someone else's character with permission,
keep their posting style consistent. This includes their
language, virtual mannerisms, and Time/Date stamp.

3: NEVER kill off someone else's character.

4: Above All, HAVE FUN!

If you want to get involved with an existing story, or wish to invite
someone else to yours, your best bet is to discuss it on PLOT-D
(See part V). If you do not subscribe to that list, you can still
contact people privately with the REPLY command. We recommend that you
contact someone privately before jumping into their story; most will
appreciate the help, but it is impolite to say something happened
without warning them first.

When generating stories that push the envelope of Shadowrun (i.e,
involve AIs, new magic, or weapons), you should discuss it on PLOT-D.
There, you can get an idea as to how people will react, and get
suggestions on how to make it work better. Also, the veteran members
of this list can tell you if your repeating a story that has already
been done (an example is the use of Artificial Intelligence; 2 have
appeared within 3 months of each other).

**********
D. Registering a Character

There are literally hundreds of major and minor characters who rear
their heads into the ShadowTalk storyline. In an effort to make
keeping tabs on the individual characters a little easier, all
participants are encouraged to register their character.

Registering a character is a very simple procedure. You simply send
your character name, real name, e-mail address and a brief description
of your character's background. Send your character to the listowner,
Robert Hayden <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu>.

Because of limitations in the editing software, please limit your
submissions to one character per mailing. If you have several
characters to register, send each of them in a seperate mail message.

Also, for characters that are not used often or appear only briefly,
it is probably best, in the interest of the size of the cast list, to
not send in backgrounds for all character.

Finally, there is a format you MUST follow to register your characters.
The format looks like this:

Character Name -- Your Real Name <your@*****.address>
-- <--two dashes
Up to an eight line description of the character. Say what you need to say
and no more. Include mannerisms and whatever. Be fun. We don't need a
complete physical description, though. For characters with real name, use
the last-name first method.

EXAMPLE:
Yoshida, Joseph - Robert Hayden <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu>
--
President of the large corporation Yoshida Technologies. Father to
Norman Yoshida. Largely responsible for the development of several early
cybernetic components. Often considered in the 'runner community to be a
'nice' corp. Joseph is an Eagle adept and politically powerful in the Eagle
community.

*****************************************************************************

PART III: GETTING CURRENT AND PAST LOGS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. Using the LISTSERV 'GET' command.

Logs of activity on SHADOWTK will be kept online and be available via
the listserv at HEARN. In order to get a directory listing of the
SHADOWTK related files, send the command INDEX SHADOWTK to
LISTSERV@*****.BITNET. You should get a response in a little while
that lists all of the files available.

The log files will be named 'SHADOWTK LOGyymm{A-E}', where 'yy' is the
year of the file, 'mm' is the month and the final letter indicates the
week, with the first week being 'A', and the start of the 5th week
being 'E'.

To get one of them, send the command GET filename, where filename is
the name of the file you wish to receive (example: GET SHADOWTK
LOG9303D). After a bit, you should receive that file in the mail.

**********

B. Getting edited logs via FTP.

Edited versions of the ShadowTalk logs are available on one of two sites.

SITE: catalina.opt-sci.arizona.edu
IP # [128.196.206.60]
DIR: pub/shadowtalk

SITE: teetot.acusd.edu
IP # [192.55.87.19]
DIR: pub/Beelzebub/Role-Playing/Shadowrun/Shadowtalk
NOTE: The files are stored on this site in ZIP format only.

The edited version of the logs will have all of the headers and
signatures removed so that you can simply read a series of postings.
For this reason, you can see why it would be helpful to following the
posting format outlined in part II:A. The editing of these files will
have to be done manually and using the correct format will speed up
this process.

A special thanks to Hubert Bartels <hgb@********.opt-sci.arizona.edu>
for donating the site alongside the alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo archives.

A special thanks to Jerry Stratton <jerry@******.ACUSD.EDU> for
donating space alongside the NAGEE and other Shadowrun related files.

*****************************************************************************

PART IV: SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIONS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

There are four mail distributions that ShadowTalk readers can
'subscribe' to. These are not mailing lists, but just a single mailing
that is CC'ed to several people. To join any of these four lists,
contact Robert Hayden <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu> and he will add you.
This is a manual thing so please allow normal human response times.

To summarize the four lists:

LOG: Joining this list will cause you to receive a copy of the weekly
edited log. The edited log is identical to the regular postings to
ShadowTalk, but the administrative postings, mistakes and mailing
headers have been removed. This distribution preceeds the edited
logs being available on FTP but a few days.

ANNOUNCE:
This list is a companion to the LOG list, but instead of sending you
copy of the postings, it simply is an informative mailing telling
you that the files have been placed on to the FTP sites. The logs
on the FTP sites should appear within couple of days.

CAST: Subscribers to this distribution will get a copy of the current cast
listing mailed to them sometime around the beginning of every
month. Note that this is the ONLY way to automatically get a copy of
the cast listing as, due to its size, it is not posted to the list.
It is recommended that you 'subscribe' to this distribution.

FAQ: This is a mostly administrative distribution, but is included here
in case someone wishes to join it for some reason. This
distribution will send out a copy of the ShadowTalk FAQ every month.
The version of the FAQ sent out DOES NOT include a copy of the cast
listing.

****************************************************************************

PART V: PLOT-D
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is PLOT-D

PLOT-D is a supplemental discussion list for ShadowTalk. The purpose
of PLOT-D is to discuss (as the name obviously implies) plotlines. It
also handles discussion of administrative issues in order to not clog
SHADOWTK or SHADOWRN with only remotely related issues.

**********

B. Subscribing to PLOT-D

PLOT-D's software operates very similiar to SHADOWTK's, and the
method of subscription is nearly identical.

To subscribe, you send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet <or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl>
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe plot-d your-real-name

Unlike ShadowTalk, though, PLOT-D is not an open list. Subscriptions
to the list a granted only if two conditions are met:
1) Subscribed to SHADOWTK
2) Have at least one character registered in the cast of
characters

If you meet these two conditions, the listowner will issue you a
command telling the LISTSERV to add you. If you fail one of these two
tests, no action will be taken.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

From:	"Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	[FAQ] ShadowTalk: Interactive Shadowrun Fiction
Date:	Mon, 1 Nov 1993 00:10:08 -0600

Message no. 5 WARNING!!!!!

If you post to ShadowTalk without following the format guidelines (Part II:A),
you will be deleted from the list!!!!!!

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to SHADOWTK,

Apologies for the rather gruff warning at the beginning, but persons often
fail to read the FAQ, or lightly skim over it, and improper formatting has
become a big problem.

This document is sent automanually to all new subscribers and serves
to outline the guidelines for the list. It is also posted monthly to
SHADOWTK to serve as a reminder.

There are six parts to the FAQ. Parts I-V contain the general questions
pertaining to the list. Part VI contains a long listing of the major
characters along with a brief background for each. Because of the length of
Part VI, it is not distributed in the regular monthly cross-posting and you
won't find it if that is where you are reading this document.

All subscribers are expected to read and attempt to adhere to these
guidelines in an attempt to maintain conformity. Special attention should
be given towards posting format (Part II:A) in an effort to maintain the
sanity of the editor.

Thanks for your interest,

Virtually,
The ShadowTalk Listowner

Robert Hayden: <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu> "Fearless Leader"

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 3.11 (10-31-93)

Compiled by your fearless leader: Robert Hayden
aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. INTRODUCTION
A. What is ShadowTalk?
B. How do I subscribe to ShadowTalk?
C. How do I post to ShadowTalk?
D. How do I unsubscribe to ShadowTalk?
E. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
F. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?

II. GUIDELINES FOR POSTING
A. What is the posting format?
B. What are the restrictions on the type of postings?
C. What are the restrictions on characterization?
D. Registering a Character

III. GETTING CURRENT AND PAST LOGS
A. Using the LISTSERV 'GET' command
B. Getting edited logs via FTP

IV. SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIONS

V. PLOT-D
A. What is PLOT-D
B. Subscribing to PLOT-D

VI. CAST OF CHARACTERS (may not be present)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART I: INTRODUCTION
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is ShadowTalk?

Shadowtalk is an interactive fiction mailing list based on the paper &
pencil role-playing game Shadowrun, published by FASA. Members of the
list post as characters in genre, and by responding to each other's
posts "in character", stories are developed. These stories may then be
used by players and GMs alike as a basis for contacts, NPCs, and
adventure plots in their own campaigns.

Shadowrun takes place in Seattle 61 years in the future. Cybernetics,
Virtual Reality, and biotechnology are available to the public.
Furthermore, Magic exists and is controlled by mages and shamans, and
mythical beings once again roam the land. Megacorporations, with the
power of small nations, rule the politics and hold the ultimate
stranglehold on the underclass. Surviving in the world of Shadowrun
takes as much courage as it does skill.

And perhaps just a little luck.

**********
B. How do I subscribe to ShadowTalk?

To subscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe shadowtk your-real-name

In a little while you should get email instructing you how to
confim your subscription request. Simply follow the instructions
and you will soon start getting regular postings.

If you have difficulty with bitnet addresses, you can also use the
internet address, which is LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl

**********
C. How do I post to ShadowTalk?

To post to ShadowTalk, you send your posting via email to
SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET (or SHADOWTK@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl for
internet). Please be sure to follow the formatting guidelines
(see Part II:A).

**********
D. How do I unsubscribe to ShadowTalk?

To unsubscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following
parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet (or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl)
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: signoff shadowtk

In a little while you should get email confiming your unsubscription
request.

**********
E. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.

There are many commands you can give to the listserv in order to change
how your subscription works.

SET listname REPRO:
This command will have the listserv include you in the
distribution of any posting you make (ie, you get your own
things back, too).

SET listname ACK:
This is simply an confirmation of the posting you just made.
It is returned to you in email.

SET listname NOMAIL:
If you are going on vacation or something, sending a NOMAIL
command will halt your receiving any postings. This is
helpful if you know that your quota will be exceeded during
Christmas break, for example.

WARNING: If you forget to do this and your quota is exceeded,
this will cause all of the postings to be bounced back to the
list, possibly leading to a loop. The only way to quicly
allievitate this problem is to delete your subscription, so
PLEASE use the NOMAIL command if you are going to be gone
for a while.

SET listname DIGEST:
When this option is set, instead of all of the postings
being delivered seperately, they will be delivered in
one mailing at the close of the day (in HEARN's timezone).
This is helpful if the number of mailings become a burden.

SET listname MAIL:
This option is invoked to restore active status after sending
a NOMAIL request, and is also used to change from DIGEST
back to getting all postings seperately.

HELP:
Sending this command will give you a listing and brief
descriptions of all available commands.

**********
F. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?

99% of the time, the reason you are deleted from the list (by the
listowner) is because for some reason mail is bouncing off of your
account.

Usually this is caused by one of two reasons. Either A) your
account is filled and can't hold any more or B) for some reason your
account is not available (either the machine or your account is down).
When this happens, it causes an error message to be sent back to the
list. The list software attempts to detect error messages and route
them to the listowner. Sometimes, though, the error is not detected by
the listserv software and the error gets reported to the list. This
causes the error message to get sent our to all subscribers, including
the person who is bouncing mail. This leads to a big loop that really
messes things up.

Thus, standard procedure when an error message is reported it to delete
the subscription of the person causing the error.

Once the problem has been fixed (you are back on the net or have room),
you are, of course, free to join the list again.

Also, you will also be deleted if you post messages with an improper
format after your first warning. See part II:A for more information.

******************************************************************************

PART II: GUIDELINES FOR POSTING
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is the posting format?

The best guideline for posting format can be found in the FASA
rulebooks, but in summary, a post should be made as follows:

***** Encrypt: key-designation (optional)
>>>>>[Text to be discussed]<<<<<
-- ID < Time / Date >

Where:
Encrypt= Some postings to the ShadowTalk storyline need 'encrypting'.
Encrypted posts are usually of a nature that person's outside
of the ShadowTalk list would be unable to see it without the
correct counter-key. This has no real-world significance but
can serve to enhance the mystery and storyline.
>>>>>[ = All postings should start with five (5) greater-than symbols
followed by an opening bracket.
]<<<<< = All postings should end with a closing bracket followed by
five (5) less than symbols.
ID = Your fictional LTG identification. This ID should be
preceeded by eight spaces, two dashes (--), and two spaces.
Time = The time of the post in 24hr format (ie, 23:45:16)
I've found it personally convienient to simply use the
current real-world time. There has been some discussion
regarding using a universal time (example, everyone posts
using GMT or Seattle time). It has been decided that it is too
much of a pain to try to recalculate posting time. If you do
with is use a universal time, use GMT.
Date = The Shadowrun Date. In order to keep things in order,
use the current month and day, and for the year, take
the current year and add 61 to it (Shadowrun takes
place in 2054 during 1993)

OTHER EDITING INSTRUCTIONS:

All postings should be made flush-left. Do not TAB in new paragraphs.
Do not use TABs for formatting purposes (use spaces).

At the end of a paragraph, press return twice and start the next
paragraph flush-left.

NOTE: There are some industrious "deckers" that alter the
time-date stamp into saying something else. While this can be fun,
it can hamper attempts to port the messages to a log file in the
correct order.

Signature Files:
As a general rule, it is unnescessary to include a signature file
for SHADOWTK postings, as your entries will have your "ID" to
identify you. Most mailers are able to resolve return addresses.

Quoting Previous Postings:
This is also frowned upon, mostly because of the difficulty in
creating a log file. Discussion should occur rapidly enough that
quoting of will be unecessary. If you feel that you need to
address specific points, please try to simply address them without
wasting bandwidth with unecessary quoting. Use the subject of the
posting to refresh everyone's memory if you can.

Flaming:
Isn't very nice, period. If it gets too bad, you will be deleted from
the list.

**********
B. What are the restrictions on the type of postings?

In general, any aspect of the Shadowrun society can be discussed.
Rumors, reports, opinions, etc. about the Shadowrun universe are the
subject.

**********
C. What are the restrictions on characterization?

Over a hundred people subscribe to this list, and everyone wants to
feel as individual and special as the next. To this end, please keep
the following parameters in mind when creating stories and characters.

Stick to the official rules and world background. This is not meant to
constrain your imagination, but to provide a common "world" in which to
interact. Some people play highly variant versions of Shadowrun, with
Artificial Intelligences, Voodoo magic, and Orbital Masters. In
general, if it doesn't exist in the rules or supplements, don't use it.

Maintain a sense of humility and reason. All characters are
vulnerable, and no character should have an excessive amount of power
without reason. If you do play a powerful character, do not go about
bragging of your connections and abilities. . . this will only annoy
the others and result in a flame war. With great power comes great
responsibility; it is your responsibility to keep your activities
within reason.

When you create a character, try to give him or her some depth. Come up
with mannerisms, common sayings, and other unique aspects that define
your character as more than a stream of ASCII. A sign of a well-
developed character is one who can be recognized without a Time/Date
stamp. Mentioning "off-board" friends, enemies, and contacts can also
help.

There are 4 rules to character usage that must be followed:

1: You cannot use someone else's character without
permission. This means that you shouldn't write something
up and sign as "Nightstalker", "Dark Elf" or
"Wolf 359"
without the creators' consent.

2: If you do use someone else's character with permission,
keep their posting style consistent. This includes their
language, virtual mannerisms, and Time/Date stamp.

3: NEVER kill off someone else's character.

4: Above All, HAVE FUN!

If you want to get involved with an existing story, or wish to invite
someone else to yours, your best bet is to discuss it on PLOT-D
(See part V). If you do not subscribe to that list, you can still
contact people privately with the REPLY command. We recommend that you
contact someone privately before jumping into their story; most will
appreciate the help, but it is impolite to say something happened
without warning them first.

When generating stories that push the envelope of Shadowrun (i.e,
involve AIs, new magic, or weapons), you should discuss it on PLOT-D.
There, you can get an idea as to how people will react, and get
suggestions on how to make it work better. Also, the veteran members
of this list can tell you if your repeating a story that has already
been done (an example is the use of Artificial Intelligence; 2 have
appeared within 3 months of each other).

**********
D. Registering a Character

There are literally hundreds of major and minor characters who rear
their heads into the ShadowTalk storyline. In an effort to make
keeping tabs on the individual characters a little easier, all
participants are encouraged to register their character.

Registering a character is a very simple procedure. You simply send
your character name, real name, e-mail address and a brief description
of your character's background. Send your character to the listowner,
Robert Hayden <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu>.

Because of limitations in the editing software, please limit your
submissions to one character per mailing. If you have several
characters to register, send each of them in a seperate mail message.

Also, for characters that are not used often or appear only briefly,
it is probably best, in the interest of the size of the cast list, to
not send in backgrounds for all character.

Finally, there is a format you MUST follow to register your characters.
The format looks like this:

Character Name -- Your Real Name <your@*****.address>
-- <--two dashes
Up to an eight line description of the character. Say what you need to say
and no more. Include mannerisms and whatever. Be fun. We don't need a
complete physical description, though. For characters with real name, use
the last-name first method.

EXAMPLE:
Yoshida, Joseph - Robert Hayden <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu>
--
President of the large corporation Yoshida Technologies. Father to
Norman Yoshida. Largely responsible for the development of several early
cybernetic components. Often considered in the 'runner community to be a
'nice' corp. Joseph is an Eagle adept and politically powerful in the Eagle
community.

*****************************************************************************

PART III: GETTING CURRENT AND PAST LOGS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. Using the LISTSERV 'GET' command.

Logs of activity on SHADOWTK will be kept online and be available via
the listserv at HEARN. In order to get a directory listing of the
SHADOWTK related files, send the command INDEX SHADOWTK to
LISTSERV@*****.BITNET. You should get a response in a little while
that lists all of the files available.

The log files will be named 'SHADOWTK LOGyymm{A-E}', where 'yy' is the
year of the file, 'mm' is the month and the final letter indicates the
week, with the first week being 'A', and the start of the 5th week
being 'E'.

To get one of them, send the command GET filename, where filename is
the name of the file you wish to receive (example: GET SHADOWTK
LOG9303D). After a bit, you should receive that file in the mail.

**********

B. Getting edited logs via FTP.

Edited versions of the ShadowTalk logs are available on one of two sites.

SITE: catalina.opt-sci.arizona.edu
IP # [128.196.206.60]
DIR: pub/shadowtalk

SITE: teetot.acusd.edu
IP # [192.55.87.19]
DIR: pub/Beelzebub/Role-Playing/Shadowrun/Shadowtalk
NOTE: The files are stored on this site in ZIP format only.

The edited version of the logs will have all of the headers and
signatures removed so that you can simply read a series of postings.
For this reason, you can see why it would be helpful to following the
posting format outlined in part II:A. The editing of these files will
have to be done manually and using the correct format will speed up
this process.

A special thanks to Hubert Bartels <hgb@********.opt-sci.arizona.edu>
for donating the site alongside the alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo archives.

A special thanks to Jerry Stratton <jerry@******.ACUSD.EDU> for
donating space alongside the NAGEE and other Shadowrun related files.

*****************************************************************************

PART IV: SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIONS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

There are four mail distributions that ShadowTalk readers can
'subscribe' to. These are not mailing lists, but just a single mailing
that is CC'ed to several people. To join any of these four lists,
contact Robert Hayden <aq650@****.INS.CWRU.Edu> and he will add you.
This is a manual thing so please allow normal human response times.

To summarize the four lists:

LOG: Joining this list will cause you to receive a copy of the weekly
edited log. The edited log is identical to the regular postings to
ShadowTalk, but the administrative postings, mistakes and mailing
headers have been removed. This distribution preceeds the edited
logs being available on FTP but a few days.

ANNOUNCE:
This list is a companion to the LOG list, but instead of sending you
copy of the postings, it simply is an informative mailing telling
you that the files have been placed on to the FTP sites. The logs
on the FTP sites should appear within couple of days.

CAST: Subscribers to this distribution will get a copy of the current cast
listing mailed to them sometime around the beginning of every
month. Note that this is the ONLY way to automatically get a copy of
the cast listing as, due to its size, it is not posted to the list.
It is recommended that you 'subscribe' to this distribution.

FAQ: This is a mostly administrative distribution, but is included here
in case someone wishes to join it for some reason. This
distribution will send out a copy of the ShadowTalk FAQ every month.
The version of the FAQ sent out DOES NOT include a copy of the cast
listing.

****************************************************************************

PART V: PLOT-D
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is PLOT-D

PLOT-D is a supplemental discussion list for ShadowTalk. The purpose
of PLOT-D is to discuss (as the name obviously implies) plotlines. It
also handles discussion of administrative issues in order to not clog
SHADOWTK or SHADOWRN with only remotely related issues.

**********

B. Subscribing to PLOT-D

PLOT-D's software operates very similiar to SHADOWTK's, and the
method of subscription is nearly identical.

To subscribe, you send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet <or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl>
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe plot-d your-real-name

Unlike ShadowTalk, though, PLOT-D is not an open list. Subscriptions
to the list a granted only if two conditions are met:
1) Subscribed to SHADOWTK
2) Have at least one character registered in the cast of
characters

If you meet these two conditions, the listowner will issue you a
command telling the LISTSERV to add you. If you fail one of these two
tests, no action will be taken.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

From:	"Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	[FAQ] ShadowTalk: Interactive Shadowrun Fiction
Date:	Wed, 10 Nov 1993 09:36:20 -0600

Message no. 6 WARNING!!!!!

If you post to ShadowTalk without following the format guidelines (Part II:A),
you will be deleted from the list!!!!!!

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to SHADOWTK,

Apologies for the rather gruff warning at the beginning, but persons often
fail to read the FAQ, or lightly skim over it, and improper formatting has
become a big problem.

This document is sent automanually to all new subscribers and serves
to outline the guidelines for the list. It is also posted monthly to
SHADOWTK to serve as a reminder.

All subscribers are expected to read and attempt to adhere to these
guidelines in an attempt to maintain conformity. Special attention should
be given towards posting format (Part II:A) in an effort to maintain the
sanity of the editor.

Thanks for your interest,

Virtually,
The ShadowTalk Listowner

Robert Hayden: <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu> "Fearless
Leader"

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 3.13 (11-09-93)

Compiled by your fearless leader: Robert Hayden
hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. INTRODUCTION
A. What is ShadowTalk?
B. How do I subscribe to ShadowTalk?
C. How do I post to ShadowTalk?
D. How do I unsubscribe to ShadowTalk?
E. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
F. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?

II. GUIDELINES FOR POSTING
A. What is the posting format?
B. What are the restrictions on the type of postings?
C. What are the restrictions on characterization?
D. Registering a Character

III. GETTING CURRENT AND PAST LOGS
A. Using the LISTSERV 'GET' command
B. Getting past logs via FTP.
C. Getting edited logs via FTP

IV. SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIONS

V. PLOT-D
A. What is PLOT-D
B. Subscribing to PLOT-D

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART I: INTRODUCTION
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is ShadowTalk?

Shadowtalk is an interactive fiction mailing list based on the paper &
pencil role-playing game Shadowrun, published by FASA. Members of the
list post as characters in genre, and by responding to each other's
posts "in character", stories are developed. These stories may then be
used by players and GMs alike as a basis for contacts, NPCs, and
adventure plots in their own campaigns.

Shadowrun takes place in Seattle 61 years in the future. Cybernetics,
Virtual Reality, and biotechnology are available to the public.
Furthermore, Magic exists and is controlled by mages and shamans, and
mythical beings once again roam the land. Megacorporations, with the
power of small nations, rule the politics and hold the ultimate
stranglehold on the underclass. Surviving in the world of Shadowrun
takes as much courage as it does skill.

And perhaps just a little luck.

**********
B. How do I subscribe to ShadowTalk?

To subscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe shadowtk your-real-name

In a little while you should get email instructing you how to
confim your subscription request. Simply follow the instructions
and you will soon start getting regular postings.

If you have difficulty with bitnet addresses, you can also use the
internet address, which is LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl

**********
C. How do I post to ShadowTalk?

To post to ShadowTalk, you send your posting via email to
SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET (or SHADOWTK@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl for
internet). Please be sure to follow the formatting guidelines
(see Part II:A).

**********
D. How do I unsubscribe to ShadowTalk?

To unsubscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following
parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet (or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl)
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: signoff shadowtk

In a little while you should get email confiming your unsubscription
request.

**********
E. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.

There are many commands you can give to the listserv in order to change
how your subscription works.

SET listname REPRO:
This command will have the listserv include you in the
distribution of any posting you make (ie, you get your own
things back, too).

SET listname ACK:
This is simply an confirmation of the posting you just made.
It is returned to you in email.

SET listname NOMAIL:
If you are going on vacation or something, sending a NOMAIL
command will halt your receiving any postings. This is
helpful if you know that your quota will be exceeded during
Christmas break, for example.

WARNING: If you forget to do this and your quota is exceeded,
this will cause all of the postings to be bounced back to the
list, possibly leading to a loop. The only way to quicly
allievitate this problem is to delete your subscription, so
PLEASE use the NOMAIL command if you are going to be gone
for a while.

SET listname DIGEST:
When this option is set, instead of all of the postings
being delivered seperately, they will be delivered in
one mailing at the close of the day (in HEARN's timezone).
This is helpful if the number of mailings become a burden.

SET listname MAIL:
This option is invoked to restore active status after sending
a NOMAIL request, and is also used to change from DIGEST
back to getting all postings seperately.

HELP:
Sending this command will give you a listing and brief
descriptions of all available commands.

**********
F. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?

99% of the time, the reason you are deleted from the list (by the
listowner) is because for some reason mail is bouncing off of your
account.

Usually this is caused by one of two reasons. Either A) your
account is filled and can't hold any more or B) for some reason your
account is not available (either the machine or your account is down).
When this happens, it causes an error message to be sent back to the
list. The list software attempts to detect error messages and route
them to the listowner. Sometimes, though, the error is not detected by
the listserv software and the error gets reported to the list. This
causes the error message to get sent our to all subscribers, including
the person who is bouncing mail. This leads to a big loop that really
messes things up.

Thus, standard procedure when an error message is reported it to delete
the subscription of the person causing the error.

Once the problem has been fixed (you are back on the net or have room),
you are, of course, free to join the list again.

Also, you will also be deleted if you post messages with an improper
format after your first warning. See part II:A for more information.

******************************************************************************

PART II: GUIDELINES FOR POSTING
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is the posting format?

The best guideline for posting format can be found in the FASA
rulebooks, but in summary, a post should be made as follows:

***** Encrypt: key-designation (optional)
>>>>>[Text to be discussed]<<<<<
-- ID < Time / Date >

Where:
Encrypt= Some postings to the ShadowTalk storyline need 'encrypting'.
Encrypted posts are usually of a nature that person's outside
of the ShadowTalk list would be unable to see it without the
correct counter-key. This has no real-world significance but
can serve to enhance the mystery and storyline. NOTE: You
do not put a message at the end of your posting saying that
encyption is over, it is assumed.
>>>>>[ = All postings should start with five (5) greater-than symbols
followed by an opening bracket.
]<<<<< = All postings should end with a closing bracket followed by
five (5) less than symbols.
ID = Your fictional LTG identification. This ID should be
preceeded by eight spaces, two dashes (--), and two spaces.
Time = The time of the post in 24hr format (ie, 23:45:16)
I've found it personally convienient to simply use the
current real-world time. There has been some discussion
regarding using a universal time (example, everyone posts
using GMT or Seattle time). It has been decided that it is too
much of a pain to try to recalculate posting time. If you do
with is use a universal time, use GMT.
Date = The Shadowrun Date. In order to keep things in order,
use the current month and day, and for the year, take
the current year and add 61 to it (Shadowrun takes
place in 2054 during 1993)

OTHER EDITING INSTRUCTIONS:

All postings should be made flush-left. Do not TAB in new paragraphs.
Do not use TABs for formatting purposes (use spaces).

At the end of a paragraph, press return twice and start the next
paragraph flush-left.

NOTE: There are some industrious "deckers" that alter the
time-date stamp into saying something else. While this can be fun,
it can hamper attempts to port the messages to a log file in the
correct order.

Signature Files:
As a general rule, it is unnescessary to include a signature file
for SHADOWTK postings, as your entries will have your "ID" to
identify you. Most mailers are able to resolve return addresses.

Quoting Previous Postings:
This is also frowned upon, mostly because of the difficulty in
creating a log file. Discussion should occur rapidly enough that
quoting of will be unecessary. If you feel that you need to
address specific points, please try to simply address them without
wasting bandwidth with unecessary quoting. Use the subject of the
posting to refresh everyone's memory if you can.

Flaming:
Isn't very nice, period. If it gets too bad, you will be deleted from
the list.

**********
B. What are the restrictions on the type of postings?

In general, any aspect of the Shadowrun society can be discussed.
Rumors, reports, opinions, etc. about the Shadowrun universe are the
subject.

**********
C. What are the restrictions on characterization?

Over a hundred people subscribe to this list, and everyone wants to
feel as individual and special as the next. To this end, please keep
the following parameters in mind when creating stories and characters.

Stick to the official rules and world background. This is not meant to
constrain your imagination, but to provide a common "world" in which to
interact. Some people play highly variant versions of Shadowrun, with
Artificial Intelligences, Voodoo magic, and Orbital Masters. In
general, if it doesn't exist in the rules or supplements, don't use it.

Maintain a sense of humility and reason. All characters are
vulnerable, and no character should have an excessive amount of power
without reason. If you do play a powerful character, do not go about
bragging of your connections and abilities. . . this will only annoy
the others and result in a flame war. With great power comes great
responsibility; it is your responsibility to keep your activities
within reason.

When you create a character, try to give him or her some depth. Come up
with mannerisms, common sayings, and other unique aspects that define
your character as more than a stream of ASCII. A sign of a well-
developed character is one who can be recognized without a Time/Date
stamp. Mentioning "off-board" friends, enemies, and contacts can also
help.

There are 4 rules to character usage that must be followed:

1: You cannot use someone else's character without
permission. This means that you shouldn't write something
up and sign as "Nightstalker", "Dark Elf" or
"Wolf 359"
without the creators' consent.

2: If you do use someone else's character with permission,
keep their posting style consistent. This includes their
language, virtual mannerisms, and Time/Date stamp.

3: NEVER kill off someone else's character.

4: Above All, HAVE FUN!

If you want to get involved with an existing story, or wish to invite
someone else to yours, your best bet is to discuss it on PLOT-D
(See part V). If you do not subscribe to that list, you can still
contact people privately with the REPLY command. We recommend that you
contact someone privately before jumping into their story; most will
appreciate the help, but it is impolite to say something happened
without warning them first.

When generating stories that push the envelope of Shadowrun (i.e,
involve AIs, new magic, or weapons), you should discuss it on PLOT-D.
There, you can get an idea as to how people will react, and get
suggestions on how to make it work better. Also, the veteran members
of this list can tell you if your repeating a story that has already
been done (an example is the use of Artificial Intelligence; 2 have
appeared within 3 months of each other).

**********
D. Registering a Character

There are literally hundreds of major and minor characters who rear
their heads into the ShadowTalk storyline. In an effort to make
keeping tabs on the individual characters a little easier, all
participants are encouraged to register their character.

Registering a character is a very simple procedure. You simply send
your character name, real name, e-mail address and a brief description
of your character's background. Send your character to the listowner,
Robert Hayden <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu>.

Because of limitations in the editing software, please limit your
submissions to one character per mailing. If you have several
characters to register, send each of them in a seperate mail message.

Also, for characters that are not used often or appear only briefly,
it is probably best, in the interest of the size of the cast list, to
not send in backgrounds for all character.

Finally, there is a format you MUST follow to register your characters.
The format looks like this:

Character Name -- Your Real Name <your@*****.address>
-- <--two dashes
Up to an eight line description of the character. Say what you need to say
and no more. Include mannerisms and whatever. Be fun. We don't need a
complete physical description, though. For characters with real name, use
the last-name first method.

EXAMPLE:
Yoshida, Joseph - Robert Hayden <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu>
--
President of the large corporation Yoshida Technologies. Father to
Norman Yoshida. Largely responsible for the development of several early
cybernetic components. Often considered in the 'runner community to be a
'nice' corp. Joseph is an Eagle adept and politically powerful in the Eagle
community.

*****************************************************************************

PART III: GETTING CURRENT AND PAST LOGS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. Using the LISTSERV 'GET' command.

Logs of activity on SHADOWTK will be kept online and be available via
the listserv at HEARN. In order to get a directory listing of the
SHADOWTK related files, send the command INDEX SHADOWTK to
LISTSERV@*****.BITNET. You should get a response in a little while
that lists all of the files available.

The log files will be named 'SHADOWTK LOGyymm{A-E}', where 'yy' is the
year of the file, 'mm' is the month and the final letter indicates the
week, with the first week being 'A', and the start of the 5th week
being 'E'.

To get one of them, send the command GET filename, where filename is
the name of the file you wish to receive (example: GET SHADOWTK
LOG9303D). After a bit, you should receive that file in the mail.

**********

B. Getting past logs via FTP.

SHADOWTK logs are also available via FTP at:
site: hearn.nic.surfnet.nl
directory: /archive

The archives for the ShadowRN list are named
'SHADOWTK.LOGyymm{A-E}' using the same naming format
used when ordering the files via mail as desribed in
part A.

**********
C. Getting edited logs via FTP.

Edited versions of the ShadowTalk logs are available on one of two sites.

SITE: catalina.opt-sci.arizona.edu
IP # [128.196.206.60]
DIR: pub/shadowtalk

SITE: teetot.acusd.edu
IP # [192.55.87.19]
DIR: pub/Beelzebub/Role-Playing/Shadowrun/Shadowtalk
NOTE: The files are stored on this site in ZIP format only.

The edited version of the logs will have all of the headers and
signatures removed so that you can simply read a series of postings.
For this reason, you can see why it would be helpful to following the
posting format outlined in part II:A. The editing of these files will
have to be done manually and using the correct format will speed up
this process.

A special thanks to Hubert Bartels <hgb@********.opt-sci.arizona.edu>
for donating the site alongside the alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo archives.

A special thanks to Jerry Stratton <jerry@******.ACUSD.EDU> for
donating space alongside the NAGEE and other Shadowrun related files.

*****************************************************************************

PART IV: SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIONS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

There are four mail distributions that ShadowTalk readers can
'subscribe' to. These are not mailing lists, but just a single
mailing that is CC'ed to several people. To join any of these
four lists, contact Robert Hayden <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu>
and he will add you. This is a manual action so please allow normal
human response times.

To summarize the four lists:

LOG: Joining this list will cause you to receive a copy of the weekly
edited log. The edited log is identical to the regular postings to
ShadowTalk, but the administrative postings, mistakes and mailing
headers have been removed. This distribution preceeds the edited
logs being available on FTP but a few days.

ANNOUNCE:
This list is a companion to the LOG list, but instead of sending you
copy of the postings, it simply is an informative mailing telling
you that the files have been placed on to the FTP sites. The logs
on the FTP sites should appear within couple of days.

CAST: Subscribers to this distribution will get a copy of the current cast
listing mailed to them sometime around the beginning of every
month. Note that this is the ONLY way to automatically get a copy of
the cast listing as, due to its size, it is not posted to the list.
It is recommended that you 'subscribe' to this distribution.

FAQ: This is a mostly administrative distribution, but is included here
in case someone wishes to join it for some reason. This
distribution will send out a copy of the ShadowTalk FAQ every month.
The version of the FAQ sent out DOES NOT include a copy of the cast
listing.

****************************************************************************

PART V: PLOT-D
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is PLOT-D

PLOT-D is a supplemental discussion list for ShadowTalk. The purpose
of PLOT-D is to discuss (as the name obviously implies) plotlines. It
also handles discussion of administrative issues in order to not clog
SHADOWTK or SHADOWRN with only remotely related issues.

**********

B. Subscribing to PLOT-D

PLOT-D's software operates very similiar to SHADOWTK's, and the
method of subscription is nearly identical.

To subscribe, you send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet <or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl>
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe plot-d your-real-name

Unlike ShadowTalk, though, PLOT-D is not an open list. Subscriptions
to the list a granted only if two conditions are met:
1) Subscribed to SHADOWTK
2) Have at least one character registered in the cast of
characters

If you meet these two conditions, the listowner will issue you a
command telling the LISTSERV to add you. If you fail one of these two
tests, no action will be taken.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

From:	"Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	[FAQ] ShadowTalk: Interactive Shadowrun Fiction
Date:	Fri, 10 Dec 1993 10:09:11 -0600

Message no. 7 WARNING!!!!!

If you post to ShadowTalk without following the format guidelines (Part II:A),
you will be deleted from the list!!!!!!

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to SHADOWTK,

Apologies for the rather gruff warning at the beginning, but persons often
fail to read the FAQ, or lightly skim over it, and improper formatting has
become a big problem.

This document is sent automanually to all new subscribers and serves
to outline the guidelines for the list. It is also posted monthly to
SHADOWTK to serve as a reminder.

All subscribers are expected to read and attempt to adhere to these
guidelines in an attempt to maintain conformity. Special attention should
be given towards posting format (Part II:A) in an effort to maintain the
sanity of the editor.

Thanks for your interest,

Virtually,
The ShadowTalk Listowner

Robert Hayden: <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu> "Fearless
Leader"

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 3.21 (12-10-93)

Compiled by your fearless leader: Robert Hayden
hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. INTRODUCTION
A. What is ShadowTalk?
B. How do I subscribe to ShadowTalk?
C. How do I post to ShadowTalk?
D. How do I unsubscribe to ShadowTalk?
E. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
F. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?

II. GUIDELINES FOR POSTING
A. Formatting Guidelines and Justifications
B. What is the posting format?
C. What are the restrictions on the type of postings?
D. What are the restrictions on characterization?
E. Registering a Character

III. GETTING CURRENT AND PAST LOGS
A. Using the LISTSERV 'GET' command
B. Getting past logs via FTP.
C. Getting edited logs via FTP

IV. SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIONS

V. PLOT-D
A. What is PLOT-D
B. Subscribing to PLOT-D

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART I: INTRODUCTION
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is ShadowTalk?

Shadowtalk is an interactive fiction mailing list based on the paper &
pencil role-playing game Shadowrun, published by FASA. Members of the
list post as characters in genre, and by responding to each other's
posts "in character", stories are developed. These stories may then be
used by players and GMs alike as a basis for contacts, NPCs, and
adventure plots in their own campaigns.

Shadowrun takes place in Seattle 61 years in the future. Cybernetics,
Virtual Reality, and biotechnology are available to the public.
Furthermore, Magic exists and is controlled by mages and shamans, and
mythical beings once again roam the land. Megacorporations, with the
power of small nations, rule the politics and hold the ultimate
stranglehold on the underclass. Surviving in the world of Shadowrun
takes as much courage as it does skill.

And perhaps just a little luck.

**********
B. How do I subscribe to ShadowTalk?

To subscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe shadowtk your-real-name

In a little while you should get email instructing you how to
confirm your subscription request. Simply follow the instructions
and you will soon start getting regular postings.

If you have difficulty with bitnet addresses, you can also use the
internet address, which is LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl

**********
C. How do I post to ShadowTalk?

To post to ShadowTalk, you send your posting via email to
SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET (or SHADOWTK@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl for
internet). Please be sure to follow the formatting guidelines
(see Part II:A).

**********
D. How do I unsubscribe to ShadowTalk?

To unsubscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following
parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet (or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl)
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: signoff shadowtk

In a little while you should get email confirming your unsubscription
request.

**********
E. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.

There are many commands you can give to the listserv in order to change
how your subscription works.

SET listname REPRO:
This command will have the listserv include you in the
distribution of any posting you make (ie, you get your own
things back, too).

SET listname ACK:
This is simply an confirmation of the posting you just made.
It is returned to you in email.

SET listname NOMAIL:
If you are going on vacation or something, sending a NOMAIL
command will halt your receiving any postings. This is
helpful if you know that your quota will be exceeded during
Christmas break, for example.

WARNING: If you forget to do this and your quota is exceeded,
this will cause all of the postings to be bounced back to the
list, possibly leading to a loop. The only way to quickly
allievitate this problem is to delete your subscription, so
PLEASE use the NOMAIL command if you are going to be gone
for a while.

SET listname DIGEST:
When this option is set, instead of all of the postings
being delivered separately, they will be delivered in
one mailing at the close of the day (in HEARN's timezone).
This is helpful if the number of mailings become a burden.

SET listname MAIL:
This option is invoked to restore active status after sending
a NOMAIL request, and is also used to change from DIGEST
back to getting all postings separately.

HELP:
Sending this command will give you a listing and brief
descriptions of all available commands.

**********
F. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?

99% of the time, the reason you are deleted from the list (by the
listowner) is because for some reason mail is bouncing off of your
account.

Usually this is caused by one of two reasons. Either A) your
account is filled and can't hold any more or B) for some reason your
account is not available (either the machine or your account is down).
When this happens, it causes an error message to be sent back to the
list. The list software attempts to detect error messages and route
them to the listowner. Sometimes, though, the error is not detected by
the listserv software and the error gets reported to the list. This
causes the error message to get sent our to all subscribers, including
the person who is bouncing mail. This leads to a big loop that really
messes things up.

Thus, standard procedure when an error message is reported it to delete
the subscription of the person causing the error.

Once the problem has been fixed (you are back on the net or have room),
you are, of course, free to join the list again.

Also, you will also be deleted if you post messages with an improper
format after your first warning. See part II:A for more information.

******************************************************************************

PART II: GUIDELINES FOR POSTING
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. Formatting Guidelines and Justifications

1. Why Format Correctly?
Proper formatting of messages to Shadowtk is important for
several reasons. First of all it helps sustain the illusion
of a Shadowrun BBS. Secondly, it allow for ease of reading
for your fellow list members. Lastly, it makes it easier for
the listowner and all other people who are keeping logs to
format them in a consistant manner.

2. How do you use encrypts properly?
Encrypted messages are used to allow only certain
characters in Shadowtk to read a specific message. While
this would be most realistically done by sending the message
to the players of the desired characters, it is done though
the use of an encryption header to allow everyone to follow
the development of storylines.

An encrypted message starts with a line that denotes that
the message is encrypted and an encryption key to tell which
characters can read the message. Starting on the next line,
write the message as if it had not been an encrypted message.
As said above, there is no need to end an encrypt. Once the
message has ended, the encrypt has ended.

A secondary use of encrypts is to allow the author to
neglect to specify an otherwise meaningless detail. Encrypts
of this nature are placed inside a message and appear in a
format similar to "Meet me at >>Encrypted<< in two
hours."

3. ID and Time/Date Stamp
All message must have an ID and a time/date Stamp at the
end of the message. This includes messages that are disrupted
during sending since ID and Time/Date are determined before
the posting character starts his message. Leaving the ID and
Time/Date Stamp off of a post is very confusing and should not
be done.

**********
B. What is the posting format?

The best guideline for posting format can be found in the FASA
rulebooks, but in summary, a post should be made as follows:

***** Encrypt: key-designation (optional)
>>>>>[Text to be discussed]<<<<<
-- ID < Time / Date >

Where:
Encrypt= Some postings to the ShadowTalk storyline need 'encrypting'.
Encrypted posts are usually of a nature that person's outside
of the ShadowTalk list would be unable to see it without the
correct counter-key. This has no real-world significance but
can serve to enhance the mystery and storyline. NOTE: You
do not put a message at the end of your posting saying that
encyption is over, it is assumed.
>>>>>[ = All postings should start with five (5) greater-than symbols
followed by an opening bracket.
]<<<<< = All postings should end with a closing bracket followed by
five (5) less than symbols.
ID = Your fictional LTG identification. This ID should be
preceeded by eight spaces, two dashes (--), and two spaces.
Time = The time of the post in 24hr format (ie, 23:45:16)
I've found it personally convienient to simply use the
current real-world time. There has been some discussion
regarding using a universal time (example, everyone posts
using GMT or Seattle time). It has been decided that it is too
much of a pain to try to recalculate posting time. If you do
with is use a universal time, use GMT.
Date = The Shadowrun Date. In order to keep things in order,
use the current month and day, and for the year, take
the current year and add 61 to it (Shadowrun takes
place in 2054 during 1993)

OTHER EDITING INSTRUCTIONS:

All postings should be made flush-left. Do not TAB in new paragraphs.
Do not use TABs for formatting purposes (use spaces).

At the end of a paragraph, press return twice and start the next
paragraph flush-left.

NOTE: There are some industrious "deckers" that alter the
time-date stamp into saying something else. While this can be fun,
it can hamper attempts to port the messages to a log file in the
correct order.

Signature Files:
As a general rule, it is unnescessary to include a signature file
for SHADOWTK postings, as your entries will have your "ID" to
identify you. Most mailers are able to resolve return addresses.

Quoting Previous Postings:
This is also frowned upon, mostly because of the difficulty in
creating a log file. Discussion should occur rapidly enough that
quoting of will be unecessary. If you feel that you need to
address specific points, please try to simply address them without
wasting bandwidth with unecessary quoting. Use the subject of the
posting to refresh everyone's memory if you can.

Flaming:
Isn't very nice, period. If it gets too bad, you will be deleted from
the list.

**********
C. What are the restrictions on the type of postings?

In general, any aspect of the Shadowrun society can be discussed.
Rumors, reports, opinions, etc. about the Shadowrun universe are the
subject.

**********
D. What are the restrictions on characterization?

Over a hundred people subscribe to this list, and everyone wants to
feel as individual and special as the next. To this end, please keep
the following parameters in mind when creating stories and characters.

Stick to the official rules and world background. This is not meant to
constrain your imagination, but to provide a common "world" in which to
interact. Some people play highly variant versions of Shadowrun, with
Artificial Intelligences, Voodoo magic, and Orbital Masters. In
general, if it doesn't exist in the rules or supplements, don't use it.

Maintain a sense of humility and reason. All characters are
vulnerable, and no character should have an excessive amount of power
without reason. If you do play a powerful character, do not go about
bragging of your connections and abilities. . . this will only annoy
the others and result in a flame war. With great power comes great
responsibility; it is your responsibility to keep your activities
within reason.

When you create a character, try to give him or her some depth. Come up
with mannerisms, common sayings, and other unique aspects that define
your character as more than a stream of ASCII. A sign of a well-
developed character is one who can be recognized without a Time/Date
stamp. Mentioning "off-board" friends, enemies, and contacts can also
help.

There are 4 rules to character usage that must be followed:

1: You cannot use someone else's character without
permission. This means that you shouldn't write something
up and sign as "Nightstalker", "Dark Elf" or
"Wolf 359"
without the creators' consent.

2: If you do use someone else's character with permission,
keep their posting style consistent. This includes their
language, virtual mannerisms, and Time/Date stamp.

3: NEVER kill off someone else's character.

4: Above All, HAVE FUN!

If you want to get involved with an existing story, or wish to invite
someone else to yours, your best bet is to discuss it on PLOT-D
(See part V). If you do not subscribe to that list, you can still
contact people privately with the REPLY command. We recommend that you
contact someone privately before jumping into their story; most will
appreciate the help, but it is impolite to say something happened
without warning them first.

When generating stories that push the envelope of Shadowrun (i.e,
involve AIs, new magic, or weapons), you should discuss it on PLOT-D.
There, you can get an idea as to how people will react, and get
suggestions on how to make it work better. Also, the veteran members
of this list can tell you if your repeating a story that has already
been done (an example is the use of Artificial Intelligence; 2 have
appeared within 3 months of each other).

**********
E. Registering a Character

There are literally hundreds of major and minor characters who rear
their heads into the ShadowTalk storyline. In an effort to make
keeping tabs on the individual characters a little easier, all
participants are encouraged to register their character.

Registering a character is a very simple procedure. You simply send
your character name, real name, e-mail address and a brief description
of your character's background. Send your character to the listowner,
Robert Hayden <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu>.

Because of limitations in the editing software, please limit your
submissions to one character per mailing. If you have several
characters to register, send each of them in a seperate mail message.

Also, for characters that are not used often or appear only briefly,
it is probably best, in the interest of the size of the cast list, to
not send in backgrounds for all character.

Finally, there is a format you MUST follow to register your characters.
The format looks like this:

Character Name -- Your Real Name <your@*****.address>
-- <--two dashes
Up to an eight line description of the character. Say what you need to say
and no more. Include mannerisms and whatever. Be fun. We don't need a
complete physical description, though. For characters with real name, use
the last-name first method.

EXAMPLE:
Yoshida, Joseph - Robert Hayden <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu>
--
President of the large corporation Yoshida Technologies. Father to
Norman Yoshida. Largely responsible for the development of several early
cybernetic components. Often considered in the 'runner community to be a
'nice' corp. Joseph is an Eagle adept and politically powerful in the Eagle
community.

*****************************************************************************

PART III: GETTING CURRENT AND PAST LOGS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. Using the LISTSERV 'GET' command.

Logs of activity on SHADOWTK will be kept online and be available via
the listserv at HEARN. In order to get a directory listing of the
SHADOWTK related files, send the command INDEX SHADOWTK to
LISTSERV@*****.BITNET. You should get a response in a little while
that lists all of the files available.

The log files will be named 'SHADOWTK LOGyymm{A-E}', where 'yy' is the
year of the file, 'mm' is the month and the final letter indicates the
week, with the first week being 'A', and the start of the 5th week
being 'E'.

To get one of them, send the command GET filename, where filename is
the name of the file you wish to receive (example: GET SHADOWTK
LOG9303D). After a bit, you should receive that file in the mail.

**********

B. Getting past logs via FTP.

SHADOWTK logs are also available via FTP at:
site: hearn.nic.surfnet.nl
directory: /archive

The archives for the ShadowRN list are named
'SHADOWTK.LOGyymm{A-E}' using the same naming format
used when ordering the files via mail as desribed in
part A.

**********
C. Getting edited logs via FTP.

Edited versions of the ShadowTalk logs are available on one of two sites.

SITE: catalina.opt-sci.arizona.edu
IP # [128.196.206.60]
DIR: pub/shadowtalk

SITE: teetot.acusd.edu
IP # [192.55.87.19]
DIR: pub/Beelzebub/Role-Playing/Shadowrun/Shadowtalk
NOTE: The files are stored on this site in ZIP format only.

The edited version of the logs will have all of the headers and
signatures removed so that you can simply read a series of postings.
For this reason, you can see why it would be helpful to following the
posting format outlined in part II:A. The editing of these files will
have to be done manually and using the correct format will speed up
this process.

A special thanks to Hubert Bartels <hgb@********.opt-sci.arizona.edu>
for donating the site alongside the alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo archives.

A special thanks to Jerry Stratton <jerry@******.ACUSD.EDU> for
donating space alongside the NAGEE and other Shadowrun related files.

*****************************************************************************

PART IV: SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIONS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

There are four mail distributions that ShadowTalk readers can
'subscribe' to. These are not mailing lists, but just a single
mailing that is CC'ed to several people. To join any of these
four lists, contact Robert Hayden <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu>
and he will add you. This is a manual action so please allow normal
human response times.

To summarize the four lists:

LOG: Joining this list will cause you to receive a copy of the weekly
edited log. The edited log is identical to the regular postings to
ShadowTalk, but the administrative postings, mistakes and mailing
headers have been removed. This distribution preceeds the edited
logs being available on FTP but a few days.

ANNOUNCE:
This list is a companion to the LOG list, but instead of sending you
copy of the postings, it simply is an informative mailing telling
you that the files have been placed on to the FTP sites. The logs
on the FTP sites should appear within couple of days.

CAST: Subscribers to this distribution will get a copy of the current cast
listing mailed to them sometime around the beginning of every
month. Note that this is the ONLY way to automatically get a copy of
the cast listing as, due to its size, it is not posted to the list.
It is recommended that you 'subscribe' to this distribution.

FAQ: This is a mostly administrative distribution, but is included here
in case someone wishes to join it for some reason. This
distribution will send out a copy of the ShadowTalk FAQ every month.
The version of the FAQ sent out DOES NOT include a copy of the cast
listing.

****************************************************************************

PART V: PLOT-D
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is PLOT-D

PLOT-D is a supplemental discussion list for ShadowTalk. The purpose
of PLOT-D is to discuss (as the name obviously implies) plotlines. It
also handles discussion of administrative issues in order to not clog
SHADOWTK or SHADOWRN with only remotely related issues.

**********

B. Subscribing to PLOT-D

PLOT-D's software operates very similiar to SHADOWTK's, and the
method of subscription is nearly identical.

To subscribe, you send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet <or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl>
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe plot-d your-real-name

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

From:	"Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	[FAQ] ShadowTalk: Interactive Shadowrun Fiction
Date:	Mon, 10 Jan 1994 08:50:06 -0600

Message no. 8 WARNING!!!!!

If you post to ShadowTalk without following the format guidelines (Part II:A),
you will be deleted from the list!!!!!!

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to SHADOWTK,

Apologies for the rather gruff warning at the beginning, but persons often
fail to read the FAQ, or lightly skim over it, and improper formatting has
become a big problem.

This document is sent automanually to all new subscribers and serves
to outline the guidelines for the list. It is also posted monthly to
SHADOWTK to serve as a reminder.

All subscribers are expected to read and attempt to adhere to these
guidelines in an attempt to maintain conformity. Special attention should
be given towards posting format (Part II:A) in an effort to maintain the
sanity of the editor.

Thanks for your interest,

Virtually,
The ShadowTalk Listowner

Robert Hayden: <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu> "Fearless
Leader"

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 3.22 (01-03-94)

Compiled by your fearless leader: Robert Hayden
hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. INTRODUCTION
A. What is ShadowTalk?
B. How do I subscribe to ShadowTalk?
C. How do I post to ShadowTalk?
D. How do I unsubscribe to ShadowTalk?
E. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
F. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?

II. GUIDELINES FOR POSTING
A. Formatting Guidelines and Justifications
B. What is the posting format?
C. What are the restrictions on the type of postings?
D. What are the restrictions on characterization?
E. Registering a Character

III. GETTING CURRENT AND PAST LOGS
A. Using the LISTSERV 'GET' command
B. Getting past logs via FTP.
C. Getting edited logs via FTP

IV. SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIONS

V. PLOT-D
A. What is PLOT-D
B. Subscribing to PLOT-D

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART I: INTRODUCTION
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is ShadowTalk?

Shadowtalk is an interactive fiction mailing list based on the paper &
pencil role-playing game Shadowrun, published by FASA. Members of the
list post as characters in genre, and by responding to each other's
posts "in character", stories are developed. These stories may then be
used by players and GMs alike as a basis for contacts, NPCs, and
adventure plots in their own campaigns.

Shadowrun takes place in Seattle 61 years in the future. Cybernetics,
Virtual Reality, and biotechnology are available to the public.
Furthermore, Magic exists and is controlled by mages and shamans, and
mythical beings once again roam the land. Megacorporations, with the
power of small nations, rule the politics and hold the ultimate
stranglehold on the underclass. Surviving in the world of Shadowrun
takes as much courage as it does skill.

And perhaps just a little luck.

**********
B. How do I subscribe to ShadowTalk?

To subscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe shadowtk your-real-name

In a little while you should get email instructing you how to
confirm your subscription request. Simply follow the instructions
and you will soon start getting regular postings.

If you have difficulty with bitnet addresses, you can also use the
internet address, which is LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl

**********
C. How do I post to ShadowTalk?

To post to ShadowTalk, you send your posting via email to
SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET (or SHADOWTK@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl for
internet). Please be sure to follow the formatting guidelines
(see Part II:A).

**********
D. How do I unsubscribe to ShadowTalk?

To unsubscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following
parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet (or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl)
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: signoff shadowtk

In a little while you should get email confirming your unsubscription
request.

**********
E. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.

There are many commands you can give to the listserv in order to change
how your subscription works.

SET listname REPRO:
This command will have the listserv include you in the
distribution of any posting you make (ie, you get your own
things back, too).

SET listname ACK:
This is simply an confirmation of the posting you just made.
It is returned to you in email.

SET listname NOMAIL:
If you are going on vacation or something, sending a NOMAIL
command will halt your receiving any postings. This is
helpful if you know that your quota will be exceeded during
Christmas break, for example.

WARNING: If you forget to do this and your quota is exceeded,
this will cause all of the postings to be bounced back to the
list, possibly leading to a loop. The only way to quickly
allievitate this problem is to delete your subscription, so
PLEASE use the NOMAIL command if you are going to be gone
for a while.

SET listname DIGEST:
When this option is set, instead of all of the postings
being delivered separately, they will be delivered in
one mailing at the close of the day (in HEARN's timezone).
This is helpful if the number of mailings become a burden.

SET listname MAIL:
This option is invoked to restore active status after sending
a NOMAIL request, and is also used to change from DIGEST
back to getting all postings separately.

HELP:
Sending this command will give you a listing and brief
descriptions of all available commands.

**********
F. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?

99% of the time, the reason you are deleted from the list (by the
listowner) is because for some reason mail is bouncing off of your
account.

Usually this is caused by one of two reasons. Either A) your
account is filled and can't hold any more or B) for some reason your
account is not available (either the machine or your account is down).
When this happens, it causes an error message to be sent back to the
list. The list software attempts to detect error messages and route
them to the listowner. Sometimes, though, the error is not detected by
the listserv software and the error gets reported to the list. This
causes the error message to get sent our to all subscribers, including
the person who is bouncing mail. This leads to a big loop that really
messes things up.

Thus, standard procedure when an error message is reported it to delete
the subscription of the person causing the error.

Once the problem has been fixed (you are back on the net or have room),
you are, of course, free to join the list again.

Also, you will also be deleted if you post messages with an improper
format after your first warning. See part II:A for more information.

******************************************************************************

PART II: GUIDELINES FOR POSTING
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. Formatting Guidelines and Justifications

1. Why Format Correctly?
Proper formatting of messages to Shadowtk is important for
several reasons. First of all it helps sustain the illusion
of a Shadowrun BBS. Secondly, it allow for ease of reading
for your fellow list members. Lastly, it makes it easier for
the listowner and all other people who are keeping logs to
format them in a consistant manner.

2. How do you use encrypts properly?
Encrypted messages are used to allow only certain
characters in Shadowtk to read a specific message. While
this would be most realistically done by sending the message
to the players of the desired characters, it is done though
the use of an encryption header to allow everyone to follow
the development of storylines.

An encrypted message starts with a line that denotes that
the message is encrypted and an encryption key to tell which
characters can read the message. Starting on the next line,
write the message as if it had not been an encrypted message.
As said above, there is no need to end an encrypt. Once the
message has ended, the encrypt has ended.

A secondary use of encrypts is to allow the author to
neglect to specify an otherwise meaningless detail. Encrypts
of this nature are placed inside a message and appear in a
format similar to "Meet me at >>Encrypted<< in two
hours."

3. ID and Time/Date Stamp
All message must have an ID and a time/date Stamp at the
end of the message. This includes messages that are disrupted
during sending since ID and Time/Date are determined before
the posting character starts his message. Leaving the ID and
Time/Date Stamp off of a post is very confusing and should not
be done.

**********
B. What is the posting format?

The best guideline for posting format can be found in the FASA
rulebooks, but in summary, a post should be made as follows:

***** Encrypt: key-designation (optional)
>>>>>[Text to be discussed]<<<<<
-- ID < Time / Date >

Where:
Encrypt= Some postings to the ShadowTalk storyline need 'encrypting'.
Encrypted posts are usually of a nature that person's outside
of the ShadowTalk list would be unable to see it without the
correct counter-key. This has no real-world significance but
can serve to enhance the mystery and storyline. NOTE: You
do not put a message at the end of your posting saying that
encyption is over, it is assumed.
>>>>>[ = All postings should start with five (5) greater-than symbols
followed by an opening bracket.
]<<<<< = All postings should end with a closing bracket followed by
five (5) less than symbols.
ID = Your fictional LTG identification. This ID should be
preceeded by eight spaces, two dashes (--), and two spaces.
Time = The time of the post in 24hr format (ie, 23:45:16)
I've found it personally convienient to simply use the
current real-world time. There has been some discussion
regarding using a universal time (example, everyone posts
using GMT or Seattle time). It has been decided that it is too
much of a pain to try to recalculate posting time. If you do
with is use a universal time, use GMT.
Date = The Shadowrun Date. In order to keep things in order,
use the current month and day, and for the year, take
the current year and add 61 to it (Shadowrun takes
place in 2055 during 1994)

OTHER EDITING INSTRUCTIONS:

All postings should be made flush-left. Do not TAB in new paragraphs.
Do not use TABs for formatting purposes (use spaces).

At the end of a paragraph, press return twice and start the next
paragraph flush-left.

NOTE: There are some industrious "deckers" that alter the
time-date stamp into saying something else. While this can be fun,
it can hamper attempts to port the messages to a log file in the
correct order.

Signature Files:
As a general rule, it is unnescessary to include a signature file
for SHADOWTK postings, as your entries will have your "ID" to
identify you. Most mailers are able to resolve return addresses.

Quoting Previous Postings:
This is also frowned upon, mostly because of the difficulty in
creating a log file. Discussion should occur rapidly enough that
quoting of will be unecessary. If you feel that you need to
address specific points, please try to simply address them without
wasting bandwidth with unecessary quoting. Use the subject of the
posting to refresh everyone's memory if you can.

Flaming:
Isn't very nice, period. If it gets too bad, you will be deleted from
the list.

**********
C. What are the restrictions on the type of postings?

In general, any aspect of the Shadowrun society can be discussed.
Rumors, reports, opinions, etc. about the Shadowrun universe are the
subject.

**********
D. What are the restrictions on characterization?

Over a hundred people subscribe to this list, and everyone wants to
feel as individual and special as the next. To this end, please keep
the following parameters in mind when creating stories and characters.

Stick to the official rules and world background. This is not meant to
constrain your imagination, but to provide a common "world" in which to
interact. Some people play highly variant versions of Shadowrun, with
Artificial Intelligences, Voodoo magic, and Orbital Masters. In
general, if it doesn't exist in the rules or supplements, don't use it.

Maintain a sense of humility and reason. All characters are
vulnerable, and no character should have an excessive amount of power
without reason. If you do play a powerful character, do not go about
bragging of your connections and abilities. . . this will only annoy
the others and result in a flame war. With great power comes great
responsibility; it is your responsibility to keep your activities
within reason.

When you create a character, try to give him or her some depth. Come up
with mannerisms, common sayings, and other unique aspects that define
your character as more than a stream of ASCII. A sign of a well-
developed character is one who can be recognized without a Time/Date
stamp. Mentioning "off-board" friends, enemies, and contacts can also
help.

There are 4 rules to character usage that must be followed:

1: You cannot use someone else's character without
permission. This means that you shouldn't write something
up and sign as "Nightstalker", "Dark Elf" or
"Wolf 359"
without the creators' consent.

2: If you do use someone else's character with permission,
keep their posting style consistent. This includes their
language, virtual mannerisms, and Time/Date stamp.

3: NEVER kill off someone else's character.

4: Above All, HAVE FUN!

If you want to get involved with an existing story, or wish to invite
someone else to yours, your best bet is to discuss it on PLOT-D
(See part V). If you do not subscribe to that list, you can still
contact people privately with the REPLY command. We recommend that you
contact someone privately before jumping into their story; most will
appreciate the help, but it is impolite to say something happened
without warning them first.

When generating stories that push the envelope of Shadowrun (i.e,
involve AIs, new magic, or weapons), you should discuss it on PLOT-D.
There, you can get an idea as to how people will react, and get
suggestions on how to make it work better. Also, the veteran members
of this list can tell you if your repeating a story that has already
been done (an example is the use of Artificial Intelligence; 2 have
appeared within 3 months of each other).

**********
E. Registering a Character

There are literally hundreds of major and minor characters who rear
their heads into the ShadowTalk storyline. In an effort to make
keeping tabs on the individual characters a little easier, all
participants are encouraged to register their character.

Registering a character is a very simple procedure. You simply send
your character name, real name, e-mail address and a brief description
of your character's background. Send your character to the listowner,
Robert Hayden <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu>.

Because of limitations in the editing software, please limit your
submissions to one character per mailing. If you have several
characters to register, send each of them in a seperate mail message.

Also, for characters that are not used often or appear only briefly,
it is probably best, in the interest of the size of the cast list, to
not send in backgrounds for all character.

Finally, there is a format you MUST follow to register your characters.
The format looks like this:

Character Name -- Your Real Name <your@*****.address>
-- <--two dashes
Up to an eight line description of the character. Say what you need to say
and no more. Include mannerisms and whatever. Be fun. We don't need a
complete physical description, though. For characters with real name, use
the last-name first method.

EXAMPLE:
Yoshida, Joseph - Robert Hayden <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu>
--
President of the large corporation Yoshida Technologies. Father to
Norman Yoshida. Largely responsible for the development of several early
cybernetic components. Often considered in the 'runner community to be a
'nice' corp. Joseph is an Eagle adept and politically powerful in the Eagle
community.

*****************************************************************************

PART III: GETTING CURRENT AND PAST LOGS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. Using the LISTSERV 'GET' command.

Logs of activity on SHADOWTK will be kept online and be available via
the listserv at HEARN. In order to get a directory listing of the
SHADOWTK related files, send the command INDEX SHADOWTK to
LISTSERV@*****.BITNET. You should get a response in a little while
that lists all of the files available.

The log files will be named 'SHADOWTK LOGyymm{A-E}', where 'yy' is the
year of the file, 'mm' is the month and the final letter indicates the
week, with the first week being 'A', and the start of the 5th week
being 'E'.

To get one of them, send the command GET filename, where filename is
the name of the file you wish to receive (example: GET SHADOWTK
LOG9303D). After a bit, you should receive that file in the mail.

**********

B. Getting past logs via FTP.

SHADOWTK logs are also available via FTP at:
site: hearn.nic.surfnet.nl
directory: /archive

The archives for the ShadowRN list are named
'SHADOWTK.LOGyymm{A-E}' using the same naming format
used when ordering the files via mail as desribed in
part A.

**********
C. Getting edited logs via FTP.

Edited versions of the ShadowTalk logs are available on one of two sites.

SITE: catalina.opt-sci.arizona.edu
IP # [128.196.206.60]
DIR: pub/shadowtalk

SITE: teetot.acusd.edu
IP # [192.55.87.19]
DIR: pub/Beelzebub/Role-Playing/Shadowrun/Shadowtalk
NOTE: The files are stored on this site in ZIP format only.

The edited version of the logs will have all of the headers and
signatures removed so that you can simply read a series of postings.
For this reason, you can see why it would be helpful to following the
posting format outlined in part II:A. The editing of these files will
have to be done manually and using the correct format will speed up
this process.

A special thanks to Hubert Bartels <hgb@********.opt-sci.arizona.edu>
for donating the site alongside the alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo archives.

A special thanks to Jerry Stratton <jerry@******.ACUSD.EDU> for
donating space alongside the NAGEE and other Shadowrun related files.

*****************************************************************************

PART IV: SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIONS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

There are four mail distributions that ShadowTalk readers can
'subscribe' to. These are not mailing lists, but just a single
mailing that is CC'ed to several people. To join any of these
four lists, contact Robert Hayden <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu>
and he will add you. This is a manual action so please allow normal
human response times.

To summarize the four lists:

LOG: Joining this list will cause you to receive a copy of the weekly
edited log. The edited log is identical to the regular postings to
ShadowTalk, but the administrative postings, mistakes and mailing
headers have been removed. This distribution preceeds the edited
logs being available on FTP but a few days.

ANNOUNCE:
This list is a companion to the LOG list, but instead of sending you
copy of the postings, it simply is an informative mailing telling
you that the files have been placed on to the FTP sites. The logs
on the FTP sites should appear within couple of days.

CAST: Subscribers to this distribution will get a copy of the current cast
listing mailed to them sometime around the beginning of every
month. Note that this is the ONLY way to automatically get a copy of
the cast listing as, due to its size, it is not posted to the list.
It is recommended that you 'subscribe' to this distribution.

FAQ: This is a mostly administrative distribution, but is included here
in case someone wishes to join it for some reason. This
distribution will send out a copy of the ShadowTalk FAQ every month.
The version of the FAQ sent out DOES NOT include a copy of the cast
listing.

****************************************************************************

PART V: PLOT-D
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is PLOT-D

PLOT-D is a supplemental discussion list for ShadowTalk. The purpose
of PLOT-D is to discuss (as the name obviously implies) plotlines. It
also handles discussion of administrative issues in order to not clog
SHADOWTK or SHADOWRN with only remotely related issues.

**********

B. Subscribing to PLOT-D

PLOT-D's software operates very similiar to SHADOWTK's, and the
method of subscription is nearly identical.

To subscribe, you send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet <or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl>
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe plot-d your-real-name

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

From:	"Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	[FAQ] ShadowTalk: Interactive Shadowrun Fiction
Date:	Tue, 10 May 1994 01:23:23 -0500

Message no. 9 Welcome to SHADOWTK,

This document is Part 1 of a two-part FAQ related to the mailing list
ShadowTalk (SHADOWTK). It contains a brief overview of the the purpose of
the mailing list as well as instructions on how to subscibe, unsubscribe
and navigate the mazes of LISTSERV.

Part II of the FAQ contains additional information about the list,
including guidelines and rules relating to characterization and
formatting. If you have recently subscribed to the list and are seeing
this as part of your "Welcome to ShadowTalk" package, it is important you
read and abide by the formatting guidelines or you will be deleted from
the list.

Thanks for your interest,

Virtually,
The SHADOWTK Listowners

Robert Hayden: <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu> "Fearless
Leader"
Doctor Doom: <jch8169@******.tamu.edu> "Assistant Fearless
Leader"

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 4.00 (05-02-94)

Compiled by your fearless leader: Robert Hayden
hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. INTRODUCTION
A. What is SHADOWTK?
B. How do I subscribe to SHADOWTK?
C. How do I post to SHADOWTK?
D. How do I unsubscribe to SHADOWTK?
E. How do I reconfirm my subscription
F. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
G. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?
H. Why does the list reject postings from my account?
I. HELP! Mail from the list has stopped coming, but I'm
still subscribed!
______________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART I: INTRODUCTION
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is ShadowTK?

Shadowtalk is an interactive fiction mailing list based on the
paper & pencil role-playing game Shadowrun, published by FASA.
Members of the list post as characters in genre, and by responding
to each other's posts "in character", stories are developed.
These stories may then be used by players and GMs alike as a basis
for contacts, NPCs, and adventure plots in their own campaigns.

Shadowrun takes place in Seattle 61 years in the future.
Cybernetics, Virtual Reality, and biotechnology are available to
the public. Furthermore, Magic exists and is controlled by mages
and shamans, and mythical beings once again roam the land.
Megacorporations, with the power of small nations, rule the
politics and hold the ultimate stranglehold on the underclass.
Surviving in the world of Shadowrun takes as much courage as it
does skill.

And perhaps just a little luck.

**********
B. How do I subscribe to SHADOWTK?
To subscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe shadowtk your-real-name

In a little while you should get email instructing you how to
confirm your subscription request. Simply follow the instructions
and you will soon start getting regular postings.

If you have difficulty with bitnet addresses, you can also use the
internet address, which is LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl

**********
C. How do I post to SHADOWTK?
To post to SHADOWTK, you send your posting via email to
SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET (or SHADOWTK@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl for
internet).

**********
D. How do I unsubscribe to SHADOWTK?
To unsubscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following
parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet (or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl)
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: signoff shadowtk

In a little while you should get email confirming your unsubscription
request.

**********
E. How do I reconfirm my subscription
From time to time while you are subscribed to the lists, you will
get a message from the LISTSERV that requests that you reconfirm
that you still want to be on the list.

If you wish to stay on the list, you need to follow the instructions
in your confirmation request.

If, for whatever reason, you no longer wish to be on the list, you
can simply wait for two weeks and your subscription will timeout
and you will be removed from the list.

**********
F. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
There are many commands you can give to the listserv in order to change
how your subscription works.

SET listname REPRO (default):
This command will have the listserv include you in the
distribution of any posting you make (ie, you get your own
things back, too).

SET listname ACK:
This is simply an confirmation of the posting you just made.
It is returned to you in email.

SET listname NOMAIL:
If you are going on vacation or something, sending a NOMAIL
command will halt your receiving any postings. This is
helpful if you know that your quota will be exceeded during
Christmas break, for example.

WARNING: If you forget to do this and your quota is exceeded,
this will cause all of the postings to be bounced back to the
list, possibly leading to a loop. The only way to quickly
alleviate this problem is to delete your subscription, so
PLEASE use the NOMAIL command if you are going to be gone
for a while.

SET listname DIGEST:
When this option is set, instead of all of the postings
being delivered separately, they will be delivered in
one mailing at the close of the day (in HEARN's timezone).
This is helpful if the number of mailings become a burden.

SET listname MAIL (default):
This option is invoked to restore active status after sending
a NOMAIL request, and is also used to change from DIGEST
back to getting all postings separately.

HELP:
Sending this command will give you a listing and brief
descriptions of all available commands.

**********
G. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?
99% of the time, the reason you are deleted from the list (by the
listowner) is because for some reason mail is bouncing off of your
account.

Usually this is caused by one of two reasons. Either A) your
account is filled and can't hold any more or B) for some reason your
account is not available (either the machine or your account is down).
When this happens, it causes an error message to be sent back to the
list. The list software attempts to detect error messages and route
them to the listowner. Sometimes, though, the error is not detected by
the listserv software and the error gets reported to the list. This
causes the error message to get sent our to all subscribers, including
the person who is bouncing mail. This leads to a loop that really
messes things up.

Thus, standard procedure when an error message is reported it to delete
the subscription of the person causing the error.

Once the problem has been fixed (you are back on the net or have room),
you are, of course, free to join the list again.

*********
H. Why does the list reject postings from my account?
As part of some security features recently installed, the list
will only accept mailings that come from the same address your
subscription is registered on. This is to prevent non-list
people from flooding the mailboxes of dozens of people.

Because of this, if you attempt to post from another account or
machine, your message will be rejected. Please read the error
message enclosed with your rejection and determine what you must
do to fix it in the future.

*********
I. HELP! Mail from the list has stopped coming, but I'm still subscribed!
Mail has an annoying characteristic in that, while most of the time
it is instantaneous, there are times when it can take up to two
weeks to go from one computer to another that is located ten feet
away (much like snail mail, eh?).

If mail suddenly suddenly stops coming, wait at least 48 hours before
you contact the listowner. Very likely a link is down between you and
the list, and as soon as that link comes back up, you will get
all of the old mailings.

Also note that the listowner won't be able to help at all in terms
of mail not arriving. All he can do is to verify that you are
indeed subscribed, anything beyond that is under the control of
someone else.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

From:	"Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	[FAQ] ShadowTalk: Interactive Shadowrun Fiction
Date:	Fri, 10 Jun 1994 20:31:20 -0500

Message no. 10 Welcome to SHADOWTK,

This document is Part 1 of a two-part FAQ related to the mailing list
ShadowTalk (SHADOWTK). It contains a brief overview of the the purpose of
the mailing list as well as instructions on how to subscibe, unsubscribe
and navigate the mazes of LISTSERV.

Part II of the FAQ contains additional information about the list,
including guidelines and rules relating to characterization and
formatting. If you have recently subscribed to the list and are seeing
this as part of your "Welcome to ShadowTalk" package, it is important you
read and abide by the formatting guidelines or you will be deleted from
the list.

Thanks for your interest,

Virtually,
The SHADOWTK Listowners

Robert Hayden: <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu> "Fearless
Leader"
Doctor Doom: <jch8169@******.tamu.edu> "Assistant Fearless
Leader"

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 4.00 (05-02-94)

Compiled by your fearless leader: Robert Hayden
hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. INTRODUCTION
A. What is SHADOWTK?
B. How do I subscribe to SHADOWTK?
C. How do I post to SHADOWTK?
D. How do I unsubscribe to SHADOWTK?
E. How do I reconfirm my subscription
F. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
G. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?
H. Why does the list reject postings from my account?
I. HELP! Mail from the list has stopped coming, but I'm
still subscribed!
______________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART I: INTRODUCTION
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is ShadowTK?

Shadowtalk is an interactive fiction mailing list based on the
paper & pencil role-playing game Shadowrun, published by FASA.
Members of the list post as characters in genre, and by responding
to each other's posts "in character", stories are developed.
These stories may then be used by players and GMs alike as a basis
for contacts, NPCs, and adventure plots in their own campaigns.

Shadowrun takes place in Seattle 61 years in the future.
Cybernetics, Virtual Reality, and biotechnology are available to
the public. Furthermore, Magic exists and is controlled by mages
and shamans, and mythical beings once again roam the land.
Megacorporations, with the power of small nations, rule the
politics and hold the ultimate stranglehold on the underclass.
Surviving in the world of Shadowrun takes as much courage as it
does skill.

And perhaps just a little luck.

**********
B. How do I subscribe to SHADOWTK?
To subscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe shadowtk your-real-name

In a little while you should get email instructing you how to
confirm your subscription request. Simply follow the instructions
and you will soon start getting regular postings.

If you have difficulty with bitnet addresses, you can also use the
internet address, which is LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl

**********
C. How do I post to SHADOWTK?
To post to SHADOWTK, you send your posting via email to
SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET (or SHADOWTK@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl for
internet).

**********
D. How do I unsubscribe to SHADOWTK?
To unsubscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following
parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet (or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl)
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: signoff shadowtk

In a little while you should get email confirming your unsubscription
request.

**********
E. How do I reconfirm my subscription
From time to time while you are subscribed to the lists, you will
get a message from the LISTSERV that requests that you reconfirm
that you still want to be on the list.

If you wish to stay on the list, you need to follow the instructions
in your confirmation request.

If, for whatever reason, you no longer wish to be on the list, you
can simply wait for two weeks and your subscription will timeout
and you will be removed from the list.

**********
F. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
There are many commands you can give to the listserv in order to change
how your subscription works.

SET listname REPRO (default):
This command will have the listserv include you in the
distribution of any posting you make (ie, you get your own
things back, too).

SET listname ACK:
This is simply an confirmation of the posting you just made.
It is returned to you in email.

SET listname NOMAIL:
If you are going on vacation or something, sending a NOMAIL
command will halt your receiving any postings. This is
helpful if you know that your quota will be exceeded during
Christmas break, for example.

WARNING: If you forget to do this and your quota is exceeded,
this will cause all of the postings to be bounced back to the
list, possibly leading to a loop. The only way to quickly
alleviate this problem is to delete your subscription, so
PLEASE use the NOMAIL command if you are going to be gone
for a while.

SET listname DIGEST:
When this option is set, instead of all of the postings
being delivered separately, they will be delivered in
one mailing at the close of the day (in HEARN's timezone).
This is helpful if the number of mailings become a burden.

SET listname MAIL (default):
This option is invoked to restore active status after sending
a NOMAIL request, and is also used to change from DIGEST
back to getting all postings separately.

HELP:
Sending this command will give you a listing and brief
descriptions of all available commands.

**********
G. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?
99% of the time, the reason you are deleted from the list (by the
listowner) is because for some reason mail is bouncing off of your
account.

Usually this is caused by one of two reasons. Either A) your
account is filled and can't hold any more or B) for some reason your
account is not available (either the machine or your account is down).
When this happens, it causes an error message to be sent back to the
list. The list software attempts to detect error messages and route
them to the listowner. Sometimes, though, the error is not detected by
the listserv software and the error gets reported to the list. This
causes the error message to get sent our to all subscribers, including
the person who is bouncing mail. This leads to a loop that really
messes things up.

Thus, standard procedure when an error message is reported it to delete
the subscription of the person causing the error.

Once the problem has been fixed (you are back on the net or have room),
you are, of course, free to join the list again.

*********
H. Why does the list reject postings from my account?
As part of some security features recently installed, the list
will only accept mailings that come from the same address your
subscription is registered on. This is to prevent non-list
people from flooding the mailboxes of dozens of people.

Because of this, if you attempt to post from another account or
machine, your message will be rejected. Please read the error
message enclosed with your rejection and determine what you must
do to fix it in the future.

*********
I. HELP! Mail from the list has stopped coming, but I'm still subscribed!
Mail has an annoying characteristic in that, while most of the time
it is instantaneous, there are times when it can take up to two
weeks to go from one computer to another that is located ten feet
away (much like snail mail, eh?).

If mail suddenly suddenly stops coming, wait at least 48 hours before
you contact the listowner. Very likely a link is down between you and
the list, and as soon as that link comes back up, you will get
all of the old mailings.

Also note that the listowner won't be able to help at all in terms
of mail not arriving. All he can do is to verify that you are
indeed subscribed, anything beyond that is under the control of
someone else.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

From:	"Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	[FAQ] ShadowTalk: Interactive Shadowrun Fiction
Date:	Sun, 10 Jul 1994 00:00:06 -0500

Message no. 11 Welcome to SHADOWTK,

This document is Part 1 of a two-part FAQ related to the mailing list
ShadowTalk (SHADOWTK). It contains a brief overview of the the purpose of
the mailing list as well as instructions on how to subscibe, unsubscribe
and navigate the mazes of LISTSERV.

Part II of the FAQ contains additional information about the list,
including guidelines and rules relating to characterization and
formatting. If you have recently subscribed to the list and are seeing
this as part of your "Welcome to ShadowTalk" package, it is important you
read and abide by the formatting guidelines or you will be deleted from
the list.

Thanks for your interest,

Virtually,
The SHADOWTK Listowners

Robert Hayden: <hayden@******.mankato.msus.edu> "Fearless
Leader"
Doctor Doom: <jch8169@*******.tamu.edu> "Assistant Fearless
Leader"
Jason Carter: <carter@***.edu> "Assistant Deputy Fearless
Leader"

____________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 4.10 (06-16-94)

Compiled by your fearless leader: Robert Hayden
hayden@******.mankato.msus.edu

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. INTRODUCTION
A. What is SHADOWTK?
B. How do I subscribe to SHADOWTK?
C. How do I post to SHADOWTK?
D. How do I unsubscribe to SHADOWTK?
E. How do I reconfirm my subscription
F. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
G. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?
H. Why does the list reject postings from my account?
I. HELP! Mail from the list has stopped coming, but I'm
still subscribed!
______________________________________________________________________________
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART I: INTRODUCTION
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A. What is ShadowTK?

Shadowtalk is an interactive fiction mailing list based on the
paper & pencil role-playing game Shadowrun, published by FASA.
Members of the list post as characters in genre, and by responding
to each other's posts "in character", stories are developed.
These stories may then be used by players and GMs alike as a basis
for contacts, NPCs, and adventure plots in their own campaigns.

Shadowrun takes place in Seattle 61 years in the future.
Cybernetics, Virtual Reality, and biotechnology are available to
the public. Furthermore, Magic exists and is controlled by mages
and shamans, and mythical beings once again roam the land.
Megacorporations, with the power of small nations, rule the
politics and hold the ultimate stranglehold on the underclass.
Surviving in the world of Shadowrun takes as much courage as it
does skill.

And perhaps just a little luck.

**********
B. How do I subscribe to SHADOWTK?
To subscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe shadowtk your-real-name

In a little while you should get email instructing you how to
confirm your subscription request. Simply follow the instructions
and you will soon start getting regular postings.

If you have difficulty with bitnet addresses, you can also use the
internet address, which is LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl

**********
C. How do I post to SHADOWTK?
To post to SHADOWTK, you send your posting via email to
SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET (or SHADOWTK@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl for
internet).

**********
D. How do I unsubscribe to SHADOWTK?
To unsubscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following
parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet (or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl)
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: signoff shadowtk

In a little while you should get email confirming your unsubscription
request.

**********
E. How do I reconfirm my subscription
From time to time while you are subscribed to the lists, you will
get a message from the LISTSERV that requests that you reconfirm
that you still want to be on the list.

If you wish to stay on the list, you need to follow the instructions
in your confirmation request.

If, for whatever reason, you no longer wish to be on the list, you
can simply wait for two weeks and your subscription will timeout
and you will be removed from the list.

**********
F. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
There are many commands you can give to the listserv in order to change
how your subscription works.

SET listname REPRO (default):
This command will have the listserv include you in the
distribution of any posting you make (ie, you get your own
things back, too).

SET listname ACK:
This is simply an confirmation of the posting you just made.
It is returned to you in email.

SET listname NOMAIL:
If you are going on vacation or something, sending a NOMAIL
command will halt your receiving any postings. This is
helpful if you know that your quota will be exceeded during
Christmas break, for example.

WARNING: If you forget to do this and your quota is exceeded,
this will cause all of the postings to be bounced back to the
list, possibly leading to a loop. The only way to quickly
alleviate this problem is to delete your subscription, so
PLEASE use the NOMAIL command if you are going to be gone
for a while.

SET listname DIGEST:
When this option is set, instead of all of the postings
being delivered separately, they will be delivered in
one mailing at the close of the day (in HEARN's timezone).
This is helpful if the number of mailings become a burden.

SET listname MAIL (default):
This option is invoked to restore active status after sending
a NOMAIL request, and is also used to change from DIGEST
back to getting all postings separately.

HELP:
Sending this command will give you a listing and brief
descriptions of all available commands.

**********
G. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?
99% of the time, the reason you are deleted from the list (by the
listowner) is because for some reason mail is bouncing off of your
account.

Usually this is caused by one of two reasons. Either A) your
account is filled and can't hold any more or B) for some reason your
account is not available (either the machine or your account is down).
When this happens, it causes an error message to be sent back to the
list. The list software attempts to detect error messages and route
them to the listowner. Sometimes, though, the error is not detected by
the listserv software and the error gets reported to the list. This
causes the error message to get sent our to all subscribers, including
the person who is bouncing mail. This leads to a loop that really
messes things up.

Thus, standard procedure when an error message is reported it to delete
the subscription of the person causing the error.

Once the problem has been fixed (you are back on the net or have room),
you are, of course, free to join the list again.

*********
H. Why does the list reject postings from my account?
As part of some security features recently installed, the list
will only accept mailings that come from the same address your
subscription is registered on. This is to prevent non-list
people from flooding the mailboxes of dozens of people.

Because of this, if you attempt to post from another account or
machine, your message will be rejected. Please read the error
message enclosed with your rejection and determine what you must
do to fix it in the future.

*********
I. HELP! Mail from the list has stopped coming, but I'm still subscribed!
Mail has an annoying characteristic in that, while most of the time
it is instantaneous, there are times when it can take up to two
weeks to go from one computer to another that is located ten feet
away (much like snail mail, eh?).

If mail suddenly suddenly stops coming, wait at least 48 hours before
you contact the listowner. Very likely a link is down between you and
the list, and as soon as that link comes back up, you will get
all of the old mailings.

Also note that the listowner won't be able to help at all in terms
of mail not arriving. All he can do is to verify that you are
indeed subscribed, anything beyond that is under the control of
someone else.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

From:	"Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject:	[FAQ] ShadowTalk: Interactive Shadowrun Fiction
Date:	Wed, 10 Aug 1994 00:00:03 -0500

Message no. 12 Welcome to SHADOWTK,

This document is Part 1 of a two-part FAQ related to the mailing list
ShadowTalk (SHADOWTK). It contains a brief overview of the the purpose of
the mailing list as well as instructions on how to subscibe, unsubscribe
and navigate the mazes of LISTSERV.

Part II of the FAQ contains additional information about the list,
including guidelines and rules relating to characterization and
formatting. If you have recently subscribed to the list and are seeing
this as part of your "Welcome to ShadowTalk" package, it is important you
read and abide by the formatting guidelines or you will be deleted from
the list.

Thanks for your interest,

Virtually,
The SHADOWTK Listowners

Robert Hayden: <hayden@******.mankato.msus.edu> "Fearless
Leader"
Doctor Doom: <jch8169@*******.tamu.edu> "Assistant Fearless
Leader"
Jason Carter: <Carter@*******.ups.edu> "Assistant Deputy Fearless
Leader"

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Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 4.10 (06-16-94)

Compiled by your fearless leader: Robert Hayden
hayden@******.mankato.msus.edu

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I. INTRODUCTION
A. What is SHADOWTK?
B. How do I subscribe to SHADOWTK?
C. How do I post to SHADOWTK?
D. How do I unsubscribe to SHADOWTK?
E. How do I reconfirm my subscription
F. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
G. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?
H. Why does the list reject postings from my account?
I. HELP! Mail from the list has stopped coming, but I'm
still subscribed!
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PART I: INTRODUCTION
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A. What is ShadowTK?

Shadowtalk is an interactive fiction mailing list based on the
paper & pencil role-playing game Shadowrun, published by FASA.
Members of the list post as characters in genre, and by responding
to each other's posts "in character", stories are developed.
These stories may then be used by players and GMs alike as a basis
for contacts, NPCs, and adventure plots in their own campaigns.

Shadowrun takes place in Seattle 61 years in the future.
Cybernetics, Virtual Reality, and biotechnology are available to
the public. Furthermore, Magic exists and is controlled by mages
and shamans, and mythical beings once again roam the land.
Megacorporations, with the power of small nations, rule the
politics and hold the ultimate stranglehold on the underclass.
Surviving in the world of Shadowrun takes as much courage as it
does skill.

And perhaps just a little luck.

**********
B. How do I subscribe to SHADOWTK?
To subscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: subscribe shadowtk your-real-name

In a little while you should get email instructing you how to
confirm your subscription request. Simply follow the instructions
and you will soon start getting regular postings.

If you have difficulty with bitnet addresses, you can also use the
internet address, which is LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl

**********
C. How do I post to SHADOWTK?
To post to SHADOWTK, you send your posting via email to
SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET (or SHADOWTK@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl for
internet).

**********
D. How do I unsubscribe to SHADOWTK?
To unsubscribe, you must send a control message to the listserv at
HEARN.bitnet. To do this, send email with the following
parameters:

TO: listserv@*****.bitnet (or LISTSERV@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl)
SUB: <leave blank>
1st line: signoff shadowtk

In a little while you should get email confirming your unsubscription
request.

**********
E. How do I reconfirm my subscription
From time to time while you are subscribed to the lists, you will
get a message from the LISTSERV that requests that you reconfirm
that you still want to be on the list.

If you wish to stay on the list, you need to follow the instructions
in your confirmation request.

If, for whatever reason, you no longer wish to be on the list, you
can simply wait for two weeks and your subscription will timeout
and you will be removed from the list.

**********
F. Other Important LISTSERV Commands.
There are many commands you can give to the listserv in order to change
how your subscription works.

SET listname REPRO (default):
This command will have the listserv include you in the
distribution of any posting you make (ie, you get your own
things back, too).

SET listname ACK:
This is simply an confirmation of the posting you just made.
It is returned to you in email.

SET listname NOMAIL:
If you are going on vacation or something, sending a NOMAIL
command will halt your receiving any postings. This is
helpful if you know that your quota will be exceeded during
Christmas break, for example.

WARNING: If you forget to do this and your quota is exceeded,
this will cause all of the postings to be bounced back to the
list, possibly leading to a loop. The only way to quickly
alleviate this problem is to delete your subscription, so
PLEASE use the NOMAIL command if you are going to be gone
for a while.

SET listname DIGEST:
When this option is set, instead of all of the postings
being delivered separately, they will be delivered in
one mailing at the close of the day (in HEARN's timezone).
This is helpful if the number of mailings become a burden.

SET listname MAIL (default):
This option is invoked to restore active status after sending
a NOMAIL request, and is also used to change from DIGEST
back to getting all postings separately.

HELP:
Sending this command will give you a listing and brief
descriptions of all available commands.

**********
G. Why am I getting deleted from the list for no reason?
99% of the time, the reason you are deleted from the list (by the
listowner) is because for some reason mail is bouncing off of your
account.

Usually this is caused by one of two reasons. Either A) your
account is filled and can't hold any more or B) for some reason your
account is not available (either the machine or your account is down).
When this happens, it causes an error message to be sent back to the
list. The list software attempts to detect error messages and route
them to the listowner. Sometimes, though, the error is not detected by
the listserv software and the error gets reported to the list. This
causes the error message to get sent our to all subscribers, including
the person who is bouncing mail. This leads to a loop that really
messes things up.

Thus, standard procedure when an error message is reported it to delete
the subscription of the person causing the error.

Once the problem has been fixed (you are back on the net or have room),
you are, of course, free to join the list again.

*********
H. Why does the list reject postings from my account?
As part of some security features recently installed, the list
will only accept mailings that come from the same address your
subscription is registered on. This is to prevent non-list
people from flooding the mailboxes of dozens of people.

Because of this, if you attempt to post from another account or
machine, your message will be rejected. Please read the error
message enclosed with your rejection and determine what you must
do to fix it in the future.

*********
I. HELP! Mail from the list has stopped coming, but I'm still subscribed!
Mail has an annoying characteristic in that, while most of the time
it is instantaneous, there are times when it can take up to two
weeks to go from one computer to another that is located ten feet
away (much like snail mail, eh?).

If mail suddenly suddenly stops coming, wait at least 48 hours before
you contact the listowner. Very likely a link is down between you and
the list, and as soon as that link comes back up, you will get
all of the old mailings.

Also note that the listowner won't be able to help at all in terms
of mail not arriving. All he can do is to verify that you are
indeed subscribed, anything beyond that is under the control of
someone else.

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