Back to the main page

Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

From: "Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject: [FAQ] ShadowTalk: Interactive Fiction for Shadowrun
Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1993 23:59:53 -0500
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 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+(*)

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.