| From: | Robert Hayden <rahayden@*****.WEEG.UIOWA.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | FAQ version 0.1 (beta) |
| Date: | Tue, 3 Nov 92 03:55:52 CET |
posting this about once a week for a couple weeks and then once a month.
The frequency of this posting will change *IF* I can figure out how to get
the listserv program to automatically mail you it when you subscribe.
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Frequently Asked Questions for SHADOWTK@*****.BITNET
Version 0.1 (11-01-92)
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1. What is SHADOWTK
2. What can be posted (and what can't)?
3. What is the posting format?
4. How can I use SHADOWTK in my own games?
5. Where can I get past logs of discussions?
6. Are these logs available via FTP?
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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 2053 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 Shadowrun. At times there may be some
cross-over between SHADOWRN and SHADOWTK, and that is fine.
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2. 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.
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3. 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:
>>>>>[Text to be discussed]<<<<<
-- ID < Time / Date >
Where:
ID = Your LTG identification. Please use only one and not
a herd of them in order to avoid confusion.
Time = The time of the post in 24hr format (ie, 23:45:16)
I've found it personally convienient to simply use the
current 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 51 to it (Shadowrun takes
place in 2053 during 1992)
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. (see questions #5 and #6)
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.
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4. 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.
There is a myrid of possibilities.
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5. 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.
To get one of them, send the command GET filename, where filename is
the name of the file you wish to receive. After a bit, you should
receive that file in the mail.
To get a list of the other commands available via the listserv,
send the command HELP.
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6. Are these logs available via FTP?
Not at present. In the future, it is my hope that an edited
version of the logs will be available via anonymous FTP. This is
contingent on locating a site to place them.
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 #3. 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.
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7. There is no number seven.
The End
