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Message no. 1
From: Tony Rabiola <rabiola@**.NETCOM.COM>
Subject: NERPS Question
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 15:57:04 -0600
So what's the status of NERPS these days? What projects are in the
works? Any plans for any new projects in the near future? How about
some regular updates on this list?

Tony Rabiola
rabiola@**.netcom.com
Fourth and Sixth World Adept
(still working on the Fifth)
Proud owner BABY #972
Message no. 2
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 10:59:48 +0100
According to Tony Rabiola, at 15:57 on 21 Dec 98, the word on
the street was...

> So what's the status of NERPS these days? What projects are in the
> works? Any plans for any new projects in the near future? How about
> some regular updates on this list?

Updates would be nice if there was something to update about :(

The status of NERPS is probably best described as "missing, presumed dead"
-- the list seems unable to even begin a project, let alone finish one. A
few months ago it was decided to shelve the NAGTTW due to lack of
interest; a new project was then decided on, which looked like it was
going to be well-supported, but again hardly anything is happening.

I'm seriously starting to think about ending the whole NERPS list
altogether...

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
The names have not been changed to protect the guilty.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
->The Plastic Warriors Page: http://shadowrun.html.com/plasticwarriors/<-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
PE Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 3
From: Bob Tockley <zzdeden@*******.COM.AU>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 08:49:27 +1000
>I'm seriously starting to think about ending the whole NERPS list
>altogether...

There's a NERPS list? No-one's interested? Why the hell didn't I hear
about it and why isn't anyone interested?

[>]ARKHAM
"I used to think the human mind was the most fascinating part of the
body... until I realized what was telling me that..."
Message no. 4
From: David Buehrer <dbuehrer@******.CARL.ORG>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 07:34:41 -0700
For the mere cost of a Thaum, Bob Tockley wrote:
/
/ >I'm seriously starting to think about ending the whole NERPS list
/ >altogether...
/
/ There's a NERPS list? No-one's interested? Why the hell didn't I hear
/ about it and why isn't anyone interested?

Well, speaking from personal experience, it's one thing to think about
writing something up for NERPS, and quite another to actually sit down and
write it.

I had (IMHO) a glorious idea for NAGTTW, until I started to do research
on it. The research didn't pan out, so I figured I'd wing it. Things
went down hill from there.

I'd guess that many other members of NERPS suffered a similar fate.
"Hey, I've got a great idea. ...um, okay, I've got one paragraph. No
prob, I'll just stretch it out. (days later) ...okay, I've got two
paragraphs..."

Writing is not easy.

-David B.
--
"Earn what you have been given."
--
email: dbuehrer@******.carl.org
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1068/homepage.htm
Message no. 5
From: Tony Rabiola <rabiola@**.NETCOM.COM>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 04:51:20 -0600
Updates would be nice if there was something to update about :(

The status of NERPS is probably best described as "missing, presumed
dead"
-- the list seems unable to even begin a project, let alone finish
one. A
few months ago it was decided to shelve the NAGTTW due to lack of
interest; a new project was then decided on, which looked like it was
going to be well-supported, but again hardly anything is happening.

I'm seriously starting to think about ending the whole NERPS list
altogether...

That would suck badly. I've been going through the different ones
here as late and having them printed and bound, and there is some
great stuff in there. It seems odd that we have so many people on the
list and so few contributors these days, whereas everyone wanted to
get there contributions in there in years past. I'm just as guilty, I
suppose, for not agreeing to write something, but I hate to commit
when I know I am not going to have the time to do it right. What's
everyone else's thoughts?

Tony Rabiola
rabiola@**.netcom.com
Fourth and Sixth World Adept
(still working on the Fifth)
Proud owner BABY #972
Message no. 6
From: Tony Rabiola <rabiola@**.NETCOM.COM>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 09:54:33 -0600
>Well, speaking from personal experience, it's one thing to think
about
>writing something up for NERPS, and quite another to actually sit
down and
>write it.
>
>I had (IMHO) a glorious idea for NAGTTW, until I started to do
research
>on it. The research didn't pan out, so I figured I'd wing it.
Things
>went down hill from there.
>
>I'd guess that many other members of NERPS suffered a similar fate.
>"Hey, I've got a great idea. ...um, okay, I've got one paragraph.
No
>prob, I'll just stretch it out. (days later) ...okay, I've got two
>paragraphs..."
>
>Writing is not easy.


That is the understatement of the year. I think we also feel the need
to get too detailed about some things as well, though. We are not
going to have a 20 page write-up, for instance, for every country in
the NAGTTW; wouldn't a couple pages of ideas and a basic overview be
better than nothing at all?

Tony Rabiola
rabiola@**.netcom.com
Fourth and Sixth World Adept
(still working on the Fifth)
Proud owner BABY #972
Message no. 7
From: Kama <kama@*******.NET>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 11:14:30 -0500
On Tue, 22 Dec 1998, Tony Rabiola wrote:

> > Updates would be nice if there was something to update about :(
> >
> > The status of NERPS is probably best described as "missing, presumed
> > dead" -- the list seems unable to even begin a project, let alone
> > finish one. A few months ago it was decided to shelve the NAGTTW due
> > to lack of interest; a new project was then decided on, which looked
> > like it was going to be well-supported, but again hardly anything is
> > happening.
> >
> > I'm seriously starting to think about ending the whole NERPS list
> > altogether...
>
> That would suck badly. I've been going through the different ones
> here as late and having them printed and bound, and there is some
> great stuff in there. It seems odd that we have so many people on the
> list and so few contributors these days, whereas everyone wanted to
> get there contributions in there in years past. I'm just as guilty, I
> suppose, for not agreeing to write something, but I hate to commit
> when I know I am not going to have the time to do it right. What's
> everyone else's thoughts?
>

Well, my first thought is WHAT IN THE HECK ARE Y'ALL TALKING ABOUT!!! I
thought that I was relatively up to speed since I have read every message
that has come across the list since mid August and a few messages from
before then, bu tI have no clue. Hmmm . . . (sound of Kama trying to buy a
clue) O.k. the message mentions NAGTTW Neo - Anarchist's Guide to (TTW)
The Third World? Would that be a net supplenment with information about
various parts of the world hopefully written by the people who live there
and then edit by the group so that noone goes to overboard on making their
country/locale "the best" at everything??? That would be way cool!

Which would bring me to my next question. If you have something that
people promised they would submit stuff for and they fell through, why
don't you post and ask for new volunteers? Heaven knows I've been bored
out of my mind for the last six months (My job is VERY seasonal) and I
would have loved a project of two to keep me busy. (Martin, poor guy, has
ample proof of the spare time with all the stories I keep sending him.)

NERPS Net Enhancements for Role Playing Shadowrun? (how am I doing at
translating the acronyms?) O.k. let me guess that this is a list to which
people submit Shadowrun ideas - cool characters, new speels, adventure
material, write ups on companies and countires that can be used for
background? (Let me know how I'm doing folks) If so, that sounds cool as
well. I'm not sure that I would have as much to contribute to such an
effort (I hate number crunching) but I am sure that I could some up with
some stuff (we have had a few astral contact groups that have been cool -
some cool NPCs - and a few cool shadowy organizations - then there is the
possibility of writing up location material)

Anyways, what it comes down to is PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW YOU ARE LOOKING
FOR MATERIAL MUCH LESS WHAT KIND OF MATERIAL YOU WANT CAN'T PROVIDE IT.

- Kama
Message no. 8
From: Bob Tockley <zzdeden@*******.COM.AU>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 14:54:51 +1000
>Well, speaking from personal experience, it's one thing to think about
>writing something up for NERPS, and quite another to actually sit down and
>write it.
>
>I had (IMHO) a glorious idea for NAGTTW, until I started to do research
>on it. The research didn't pan out, so I figured I'd wing it. Things
>went down hill from there.
>
>I'd guess that many other members of NERPS suffered a similar fate.
>"Hey, I've got a great idea. ...um, okay, I've got one paragraph. No
>prob, I'll just stretch it out. (days later) ...okay, I've got two
>paragraphs..."
>
>Writing is not easy.

Nothing is easy. Some things are just less difficult or more difficult
than others. ( =}

Anyway... how do you enlist? I've got a whole heap of spare time and
more concentration and stamina than a whole lot of people, so I might as
well put it to good use... .erm... it is good use isn't it? =)

[>]ARKHAM
"I used to think the human mind was the most fascinating part of the
body... until I realized what was telling me that..."
Message no. 9
From: Patrick Goodman <remo@***.NET>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 11:03:52 -0600
From: Bob Tockley
Sent: Sunday, December 20, 1998 4:49 PM

>There's a NERPS list?

Yep.

>No-one's interested?

More or less.

>Why the hell didn't I hear about it...

Not sure. Timing? It's on the same server as ShadowRN; you could
subscribe quickly and easily, and the mail flow is sure small at the
moment.

>...and why isn't anyone interested?

It's not so much that I haven't been interested, but lately I've been
more interested in finding a job. Those spare moments when I get to do
something for me on the computer are spent catching up on email (this
list) and working on things for my SR game. That's on hiatus until
after the new year, and I'm fixing to just go down to a hardware store
or something and haul wood around again since I can't seem to find a
real job, so I'm going to sit down and try to catch up on the NERPS list
(and how hard can that be?).

--
(>) Texas 2-Step
El Paso: Never surrender. Never forget. Never forgive.
Message no. 10
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 18:36:51 +0100
According to David Buehrer, at 7:34 on 22 Dec 98, the word on
the street was...

> Well, speaking from personal experience, it's one thing to think about
> writing something up for NERPS, and quite another to actually sit down and
> write it.

I guess that goes for a lot of people, but not all of them. I myself find
writing something not so difficult at all, but it's finishing something I
start that's the problem (and this goes for almost everything, not just
writing).

IMHO there are three basic reasons why articles don't get finished:

* Writer's block
* Loss of interest
* Lack of time

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
The names have not been changed to protect the guilty.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
->The Plastic Warriors Page: http://shadowrun.html.com/plasticwarriors/<-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
PE Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 11
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 18:36:52 +0100
According to Kama, at 11:14 on 22 Dec 98, the word on
the street was...

> Well, my first thought is WHAT IN THE HECK ARE Y'ALL TALKING ABOUT!!!

Why, about NERPS, of course. They're good for what ails ya! :)

> I thought that I was relatively up to speed since I have read every
> message that has come across the list since mid August and a few
> messages from before then, bu tI have no clue. Hmmm . . . (sound of Kama
> trying to buy a clue) O.k. the message mentions NAGTTW Neo - Anarchist's
> Guide to (TTW) The Third World?

Without the "Third," yes. The Neo-Anarchists' Guide to the World was
exactly what you described:

> Would that be a net supplenment with information about various parts of
> the world hopefully written by the people who live there and then edit
> by the group so that noone goes to overboard on making their
> country/locale "the best" at everything??? That would be way cool!

Write-ups of countries and areas that FASA didn't cover (so far), based as
far as possible on stuff we _do_ know about them. However, the few
submissions that were made were not enough to complete the book,
especially not when the main article that grouped them all together was
withdrawn due to the author's dissatisfaction with the standards of some
of the articles written by others.

> Which would bring me to my next question. If you have something that
> people promised they would submit stuff for and they fell through, why
> don't you post and ask for new volunteers?

Because the response is always the same: people say they'll write about
[whatever], and six months later, still nothing gets posted.

> NERPS Net Enhancements for Role Playing Shadowrun? (how am I doing at
> translating the acronyms?)

Pretty good so far. This one is spot on.

> O.k. let me guess that this is a list to which people submit Shadowrun
> ideas - cool characters, new speels, adventure material, write ups on
> companies and countires that can be used for background? (Let me know
> how I'm doing folks)

Right again, although NERPS projects tend to focus on a specific area --
for example, NERPS: Underworld has criminal-related stuff, NERPS: NAGTTW
would have been about countries, and so on.

> If so, that sounds cool as well. I'm not sure that I would have as much
> to contribute to such an effort (I hate number crunching) but I am sure
> that I could some up with some stuff (we have had a few astral contact
> groups that have been cool - some cool NPCs - and a few cool shadowy
> organizations - then there is the possibility of writing up location
> material)

I don't care if you don't care about number-crunching; I can do it for you
if you don't want to. Good articles are what's needed, and if you want to
write a good article that doesn't involve any number-crunching, be my
guest. Especially for a project like the NAGTTW (which I _still_ would
like to finish, even though it doesn't look likely it ever will be), you
don't even need number-crunching.

So, with that said, I'll post the URL once again:
http://shadowrun.html.com/nerps will take you to the main NERPS page where
the FAQs are located. To get an idea of what the NERPS list is about, read
part B of that. Part A has subscription info.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
The names have not been changed to protect the guilty.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
->The Plastic Warriors Page: http://shadowrun.html.com/plasticwarriors/<-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
PE Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 12
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 18:36:51 +0100
According to Bob Tockley, at 8:49 on 21 Dec 98, the word on
the street was...

> There's a NERPS list?

Yes. Go to http://shadowrun.html.com/nerps to read all about it.

> No-one's interested?

That's what it seems like... :/

> Why the hell didn't I hear about it and why isn't anyone interested?

You tell me...


--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
The names have not been changed to protect the guilty.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
->The Plastic Warriors Page: http://shadowrun.html.com/plasticwarriors/<-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
PE Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 13
From: Tony Rabiola <rabiola@**.NETCOM.COM>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 12:48:02 -0600
> No-one's interested?

That's what it seems like... :/

> Why the hell didn't I hear about it and why isn't anyone interested?

You tell me...



I guess part of the reason was that unless we were working on a
project, it was requested that we not subscribe to the list. Maybe if
there were monthly updates to the ShadowRN list, we would get the
newcomers and potential writers involved. Not a criticism, just a
thought as I would hate to see such a good resource slip away.

Tony Rabiola
rabiola@**.netcom.com
Fourth and Sixth World Adept
(still working on the Fifth)
Proud owner BABY #972
Message no. 14
From: K in the Shadows <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 14:22:05 EST
In a message dated 12/22/1998 9:34:12 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
dbuehrer@******.CARL.ORG writes:

> I'd guess that many other members of NERPS suffered a similar fate.
> "Hey, I've got a great idea. ...um, okay, I've got one paragraph. No
> prob, I'll just stretch it out. (days later) ...okay, I've got two
> paragraphs..."
>
> Writing is not easy.
>


<K looking at that last statement, head tilted.../>

I would want to correct this. Writing is not easy, for everyone. Interest
keeps the spirit going and the words flowing, as one of my old instructors
used to say.

-K
Message no. 15
From: David Buehrer <dbuehrer@******.CARL.ORG>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 12:40:23 -0700
For the mere cost of a Thaum, K in the Shadows wrote:
/
/ In a message dated 12/22/1998 9:34:12 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
/ dbuehrer@******.CARL.ORG writes:
/
/ > I'd guess that many other members of NERPS suffered a similar fate.
/ > "Hey, I've got a great idea. ...um, okay, I've got one paragraph. No
/ > prob, I'll just stretch it out. (days later) ...okay, I've got two
/ > paragraphs..."
/ >
/ > Writing is not easy.
/
/ <K looking at that last statement, head tilted.../>
/
/ I would want to correct this. Writing is not easy, for everyone. Interest
/ keeps the spirit going and the words flowing, as one of my old instructors
/ used to say.

Well, maybe it was cuz I lost interest when I couldn't find anything I
tried to research <grump>. That, and my life got busy all of a sudden.

But you're right, writing can be very easy when you're interested.
Writing my report for the SRIII playtest was a piece of cake :)

...I guess the real reason is that while I was mildly interested in
writing something for NAGTTW, I wasn't seriously interested. But that
was just me. I can't speak for the others.

-David B.
--
"Earn what you have been given."
--
email: dbuehrer@******.carl.org
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1068/homepage.htm
Message no. 16
From: David Buehrer <dbuehrer@******.CARL.ORG>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 12:45:42 -0700
For the mere cost of a Thaum, Tony Rabiola wrote:
/
/ > > Why the hell didn't I hear about it and why isn't anyone interested?
/
/ > You tell me...
/
/ I guess part of the reason was that unless we were working on a
/ project, it was requested that we not subscribe to the list. Maybe if
/ there were monthly updates to the ShadowRN list, we would get the
/ newcomers and potential writers involved. Not a criticism, just a
/ thought as I would hate to see such a good resource slip away.

I was going to suggest the same thing. A monthly, or semi-monthly,
update/plug would be nice. And it might prompt ShadowRNers to write
something for NERPS.

Also, another idea: Have you thought about doing more than one NERPS
book at a time? For example, you could be accepting articles for
NAGTTW, NPCs for ongoing Threats books, toys for ongoing equipment
books, cyberware for ongoing ware books, etc. Then, as you get enough
articles, publish away.

When NAGTTW started I was fairly inspired. But my plans didn't work
out. So I figured I'd wait until a NERPS book was being worked on that
I wanted to contribute too. If there was more than one project going
on at a time, you'd probably get more contributions overall as people
write what they're interested in, and them maybe try their hand at
articles for another NERPS book.

-David B.
--
"Earn what you have been given."
--
email: dbuehrer@******.carl.org
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1068/homepage.htm
Message no. 17
From: Patrick Goodman <remo@***.NET>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 16:25:02 -0600
From: David Buehrer
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 1:46 PM

>Also, another idea: Have you thought about doing more than one
>NERPS book at a time?

Current projects include NERPS: Stuff and NERPS: Organizations, both
hopefully to receive new names if they ever get any submissions.

--
(>) Texas 2-Step
El Paso: Never surrender. Never forget. Never forgive.
Message no. 18
From: Bruce <gyro@********.CO.ZA>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 09:06:33 +0200
-----Original Message-----
From: David Buehrer <dbuehrer@******.CARL.ORG>
To: SHADOWRN@********.ITRIBE.NET <SHADOWRN@********.ITRIBE.NET>
Date: 22 December 1998 09:39
Subject: Re: NERPS Question


<snip idea for monthly plug/update>

>Also, another idea: Have you thought about doing more than one NERPS
>book at a time? For example, you could be accepting articles for
>NAGTTW, NPCs for ongoing Threats books, toys for ongoing equipment
>books, cyberware for ongoing ware books, etc. Then, as you get
enough
>articles, publish away.
>
>When NAGTTW started I was fairly inspired. But my plans didn't work
>out. So I figured I'd wait until a NERPS book was being worked on
that
>I wanted to contribute too. If there was more than one project going
>on at a time, you'd probably get more contributions overall as people
>write what they're interested in, and them maybe try their hand at
>articles for another NERPS book.


I'm gonna throw my weight behind the idea of having more than just two
projects going concurrently on the NERPS list. We should be careful
that not too many projects are going at once though. With the move of
the lists away from Itribe that we have heard about it should be no
problem to have multitudes of folks subscribed to the list and everone
can say their say.

Thanks

-- BRUCE <gyro@********.co.za>
*Executive Engineer* *FrontLine Games*
Eva's Gyro
Message no. 19
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 11:03:50 +0100
According to Tony Rabiola, at 12:48 on 22 Dec 98, the word on
the street was...

> I guess part of the reason was that unless we were working on a
> project, it was requested that we not subscribe to the list.

Unless you were _interested_ in working on Stuff or Organizations, you
were asked not to subscribe after the list reset. This was mainly done
because the NERPS list membership seemed to consist for 99% of lurkers and
for 1% of posters.

> Maybe if there were monthly updates to the ShadowRN list, we would get
> the newcomers and potential writers involved. Not a criticism, just a
> thought as I would hate to see such a good resource slip away.

I'd love to post a regular update to ShadowRN, but the trouble is, like I
said in reply to your message that started this thread, there isn't really
anything to update about... I hoped that one or two articles being posted
would be enough to at least get the list moving again, but it wasn't :(
I'm pretty much at a loss about what I _am_ to do to make NERPS do
something. Suggestions are welcome...

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
The names have not been changed to protect the guilty.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
->The Plastic Warriors Page: http://shadowrun.html.com/plasticwarriors/<-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
PE Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 20
From: "Blair A. Monroe" <bmonroe@******.FSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 09:45:37 -0500
At 11:03 AM 12/23/98 +0100, Gurth wrote:
>According to Tony Rabiola, at 12:48 on 22 Dec 98, the word on
>the street was...
>
>> I guess part of the reason was that unless we were working on a
>> project, it was requested that we not subscribe to the list.
>
>Unless you were _interested_ in working on Stuff or Organizations, you
>were asked not to subscribe after the list reset. This was mainly done
>because the NERPS list membership seemed to consist for 99% of lurkers and
>for 1% of posters.
>

Understandable, if unfortunate.

>> Maybe if there were monthly updates to the ShadowRN list, we would get
>> the newcomers and potential writers involved. Not a criticism, just a
>> thought as I would hate to see such a good resource slip away.
>
>I'd love to post a regular update to ShadowRN, but the trouble is, like I
>said in reply to your message that started this thread, there isn't really
>anything to update about... I hoped that one or two articles being posted
>would be enough to at least get the list moving again, but it wasn't :(
>I'm pretty much at a loss about what I _am_ to do to make NERPS do
>something. Suggestions are welcome...
>

How about more of a review than an update. If it has been a while since
NERPS has seen any activity maybe people on both lists need a review of the
projects currently in the hopper: What the purpose of each project was, an
idea of what sort of articles had been received or proposed and so on. It
seems to me that it would be hard to get new people involved on the
existing projects without a little more information about what was trying
to be done.

-- Blair
------
Blair A. Monroe Phone: (850) 644-8114
Web Systems Administrator / Sr. Web Developer Fax: (850) 644-6253
School of Information Studies E-mail: bmonroe@******.fsu.edu
Florida State University
101 Louis Shores Bldg.
Tallahassee, FL. 32306 http://www.fsu.edu/~lis
Message no. 21
From: David Buehrer <dbuehrer@******.CARL.ORG>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 07:42:31 -0700
For the mere cost of a Thaum, Gurth wrote:
/
[NERPS]
/
/ > Maybe if there were monthly updates to the ShadowRN list, we would get
/ > the newcomers and potential writers involved. Not a criticism, just a
/ > thought as I would hate to see such a good resource slip away.
/
/ I'd love to post a regular update to ShadowRN, but the trouble is, like I
/ said in reply to your message that started this thread, there isn't really
/ anything to update about... I hoped that one or two articles being posted
/ would be enough to at least get the list moving again, but it wasn't :(
/ I'm pretty much at a loss about what I _am_ to do to make NERPS do
/ something. Suggestions are welcome...

Maybe you should post a monthly NERPS post, requesting submisions for
current projects and ideas for new projects, and the willingness to
accept submissions for anything whether there's a project or not (and
request that people post them to NERPS).

-David B.
--
"Earn what you have been given."
--
email: dbuehrer@******.carl.org
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1068/homepage.htm
Message no. 22
From: David Buehrer <dbuehrer@******.CARL.ORG>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 07:44:29 -0700
For the mere cost of a Thaum, David Buehrer wrote:
/
/ For the mere cost of a Thaum, Gurth wrote:
/ /
/ [NERPS]
/ /
/ / > Maybe if there were monthly updates to the ShadowRN list, we would get
/ / > the newcomers and potential writers involved. Not a criticism, just a
/ / > thought as I would hate to see such a good resource slip away.
/ /
/ / I'd love to post a regular update to ShadowRN, but the trouble is, like I
/ / said in reply to your message that started this thread, there isn't really
/ / anything to update about... I hoped that one or two articles being posted
/ / would be enough to at least get the list moving again, but it wasn't :(
/ / I'm pretty much at a loss about what I _am_ to do to make NERPS do
/ / something. Suggestions are welcome...
/
/ Maybe you should post a monthly NERPS post, requesting submisions for

To ShadowRN that is :)

/ current projects and ideas for new projects, and the willingness to
/ accept submissions for anything whether there's a project or not (and
/ request that people post them to NERPS).

-David B.
--
"Earn what you have been given."
--
email: dbuehrer@******.carl.org
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1068/homepage.htm
Message no. 23
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 10:42:03 +0100
According to David Buehrer, at 7:42 on 23 Dec 98, the word on
the street was...

> / I'm pretty much at a loss about what I _am_ to do to make NERPS do
> / something. Suggestions are welcome...
>
> Maybe you should post a monthly NERPS post, requesting submisions for
> current projects and ideas for new projects, and the willingness to
> accept submissions for anything whether there's a project or not (and
> request that people post them to NERPS).

That is an idea that might work, yes... (And even if it doesn't, it's
worth a try.)

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
The names have not been changed to protect the guilty.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
->The Plastic Warriors Page: http://shadowrun.html.com/plasticwarriors/<-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
PE Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 24
From: Wordman <wordman@*******.COM>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 20:13:13 -0500
>IMHO there are three basic reasons why articles don't get finished:
>
>* Writer's block
>* Loss of interest
>* Lack of time

4. Another project comes along.

Wordman
Message no. 25
From: Wordman <wordman@*******.COM>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 20:34:01 -0500
>I'm pretty much at a loss about what I _am_ to do to make NERPS do
>something. Suggestions are welcome...


1) Post a monthly message about NERPS to ShadowRN and r.g.f.cyber, even if
the message is "no progress was made". This thread has generated at least
three "what the hell is NERPS" questions, and that indicates to me that part
of the problem is that potential writers are wasting away.

2) Set strong(er) deadlines. I'd have written a bunch more stuff than I have
if I had been given a "get everything in before Christmas" deadline or
something. That sounds harsh, but that would have been a deadline of more
than _six_months_ for some of the stuff I volunteered for. That seems more
than reasonable. Even if there is no official "fine" for missing a deadline,
I think this would help massively. It would help me a lot.

3) Set up a web site to host the current drafts of articles. I can never
find old posts when I need them. (I can host the pages if need be, possibly
with a password system or something so that only contributors can see the
drafts.)

4) Encourage "off-topic" posts. I love the themed books, but I could see
people wanting to write about whatever the hell they want and post it for
comments. Sure, it won't make it into the theme book, but it can help guide
a future book.

5) Have a "brainstorming" session when deciding on a theme. I can think of a
number of articles I'd like to see in the organizations book that I don't
want to write myself. If we had a big orgy at the beginning, it would be
easier to gauge interest in a project. It would be nice to have people
accept assignments and then agree to have them done by a certain time. This
means the editor needs to be a bit jack-booted at times, but I could
actually USE someone jack-booted to motivate my ass. The dynamic would be a
little strange at first, but I think it would work out. If people new what
was expected of them, and when, I think it would limit the "vanishing
submissions" problem.

As a rule, I'd say that in the "planning orgy" stage, a project should only
be started if you have writers for about twice the articles that would be
needed to complete the book, with the assumption that some of them will not
actually be finished.

6) Have an official process for passing off an article to another author.

7) Continue to insist on unified style (i.e. keep articles stylistically
similar to FASA products). I think this irritated some people in the past,
but it made clear what was expected and (would have) produced better books.
Message no. 26
From: Michael vanHulst <Schizi@***.COM>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 22:44:30 EST
In a message dated 12/29/98 5:38:25 PM Pacific Standard Time,
wordman@*******.COM writes:

> >IMHO there are three basic reasons why articles don't get finished:
> >
> >* Writer's block
> >* Loss of interest
> >* Lack of time
>
> 4. Another project comes along.
I was going to say this, but then thought that would fall under Loss of
interest or Time.
Message no. 27
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: NERPS Question
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 11:13:47 +0100
According to Wordman, at 20:34 on 29 Dec 98, the word on
the street was...

> 1) Post a monthly message about NERPS to ShadowRN and r.g.f.cyber, even if
> the message is "no progress was made". This thread has generated at least
> three "what the hell is NERPS" questions, and that indicates to me that
part
> of the problem is that potential writers are wasting away.

Yes, this is true, and it's one thing I almost certainly will do. I don't
know about rgfc though, since I don't have any news reader set up (because
I don't bother with Usenet). Still, if someone would forward the post to
that newsgroup, that'd work for me.

> 2) Set strong(er) deadlines. I'd have written a bunch more stuff than I have
> if I had been given a "get everything in before Christmas" deadline or
> something. That sounds harsh, but that would have been a deadline of more
> than _six_months_ for some of the stuff I volunteered for. That seems more
> than reasonable. Even if there is no official "fine" for missing a
deadline,
> I think this would help massively. It would help me a lot.

The trouble with deadlines is that I'm one of the people who never seem
able to meet them :) This is why I haven't really used deadlines before,
because I think that if I can't do it, why should I expect someone else
to? However, it might work, and is certainly worth a try.

> 3) Set up a web site to host the current drafts of articles. I can never
> find old posts when I need them. (I can host the pages if need be, possibly
> with a password system or something so that only contributors can see the
> drafts.)

Erm... I'd have to say no to this idea. I'd like to keep NERPS stuff _off_
the web until it's finished. (BTW, space would not be a problem. s.h.c has
plenty :)

> 4) Encourage "off-topic" posts. I love the themed books, but I could see
> people wanting to write about whatever the hell they want and post it for
> comments. Sure, it won't make it into the theme book, but it can help guide
> a future book.

As opposed to not discouraging OT posts, you mean? :) OT is fine by me, as
long as it's not questions that should be addressed to ShadowRN (like
rules questions that didn't come up because of a NERPS article, for
instance).

> 5) Have a "brainstorming" session when deciding on a theme.

I thought we did -- but if only five or six people reply, there isn't much
to choose from.

> I can think of a number of articles I'd like to see in the organizations
> book that I don't want to write myself. If we had a big orgy at the
> beginning, it would be easier to gauge interest in a project.

This also sounds like a good idea, and one we can still do now.

> It would be nice to have people accept assignments and then agree to
> have them done by a certain time. This means the editor needs to be a
> bit jack-booted at times, but I could actually USE someone jack-booted
> to motivate my ass. The dynamic would be a little strange at first, but
> I think it would work out. If people new what was expected of them, and
> when, I think it would limit the "vanishing submissions" problem.

I don't know... When the NAGTTW was still current, I posted a list every
week of who'd agreed to write what, and still got no articles posted to
the list.

> As a rule, I'd say that in the "planning orgy" stage, a project should only
> be started if you have writers for about twice the articles that would be
> needed to complete the book, with the assumption that some of them will not
> actually be finished.

I have that in the back of my head all the time...

> 6) Have an official process for passing off an article to another author.

Good point. I'll add that to the FAQ.

> 7) Continue to insist on unified style (i.e. keep articles stylistically
> similar to FASA products). I think this irritated some people in the past,
> but it made clear what was expected and (would have) produced better books.

That's what I have tried to do, but it seems to me that many NERPS members
don't bother to read the FAQ, or at least remember what's in it.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
The names have not been changed to protect the guilty.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
->The Plastic Warriors Page: http://shadowrun.html.com/plasticwarriors/<-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
PE Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998

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