Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!4.24.21.218.MISMATCH!newsfeed2.dallas1.level3.net!news.level3.com!postnews.google.com!news4.google.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!local01.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.rcn.net!news.rcn.net.POSTED!not-for-mail
NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2006 08:46:45 -0600
From:
[email protected] (Aardy R. DeVarque)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd,rec.answers,news.answers
Approved:
[email protected]
Subject: rec.games.frp.dnd FAQ: 6/9 -- Resources 1: Internet
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.dnd
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2006 08:46:54 -0600
Summary: FAQ for the Dungeons & Dragons newsgroup rec.games.frp.dnd
Organization: Aardy's Aardvark Emporium
Message-ID: <
[email protected]>
X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.7/32.534
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Lines: 864
NNTP-Posting-Host: 68.255.17.10
X-Trace: sv3-97UB8WdPgtgFy1J3PTlGhkq8TKX8Xy7DLq3fFQCs+3gFtYhGoL0QTsMwJNeOJkMEnGZClyIBYqFar2x!u9KTFIQVdhS26+Jdl2szxvPVQZiw1YreW84hFTR4Juh9U2tsvkl/WX20ltELX5m/++5q7K0okcwV!d8K/4Zg=
X-Complaints-To:
[email protected]
X-DMCA-Complaints-To:
[email protected]
X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers
X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly
X-Postfilter: 1.3.32
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.games.frp.dnd:1113103 rec.answers:99238 news.answers:305828
Archive-name: games/roleplay/dnd/part6
Posting-frequency: monthly
Last-modified: August 2004
URL:
http://users.rcn.com/aardy/faq/rgfdfaq.html
REC.GAMES.FRP.DND FAQ
Part 6
Resources 1: Internet
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Internet
H1: What other newsgroups are out there for role-playing junkies like
me?
H2: Are there any FTP sites for *D&D?
H3: What does .zip mean? And why can't I read this file I just
downloaded?
H4: Are there any WWW pages for *D&D?
H5: Where can I download electronic versions of the 3rd ed. Player's
Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual for free?
H6: Where can I upload this neat program I just wrote?
H7: Is a complete index to Dragon Magazine available anywhere?
H8: Is there a complete list of every *D&D product TSR has ever
published?
H9: Where can I find a complete list of every monster TSR has published
for *D&D?
H10: Is there really an "AD&D Guide to Sex?"
H11: Where can I find the Net.*.Book?
H12: Are there any *D&D-related mailing lists?
H13: Are there any other *D&D-related resources on the Internet?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Internet
H1: What other newsgroups are out there for role-playing junkies like me?
A: There are several groups dedicated to role-playing games. The vast
majority are, naturally, found in the rec.games.frp.* hierarchy, but
several others are in the alt groups.
alt.dragons-inn Role-playing via Usenet
alt.fan.dragonlance Fans of Dragonlance, unite!
alt.games.adnd Like rgfd, only different
alt.games.adnd.forgotten-realms Discussion about the Realms
alt.games.frp.2000ad Discussion of the 2000 AD game
alt.games.frp.dnd-util Posting & discussion of util's, etc.
alt.games.frp.live-action Discussion of live-action fantasy rpg's
alt.games.frp.tekumel Discussion of the Tekumel game
comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure Discussion of IBM adventure games
comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg Discussion of IBM computer RPGs
comp.sys.mac.games.adventure Discussion of Mac computer RPGs
rec.games.frp.advocacy Which games or rules are the best/worst?
*rec.games.frp.announce Con announcements, gamers/games wanted
*rec.games.frp.archives Fiction, programs, house rules, etc.
rec.games.frp.cyber Discussion of rpg's involving cyberware
rec.games.frp.dnd Discussion of *D&D
rec.games.frp.gurps Discussion of GURPS
rec.games.frp.industry Industry issues, concerns, discussion
rec.games.frp.live-action Discussion of live-action fantasy rpg's
rec.games.frp.marketplace Buy/sell (usually used) gaming supplies
rec.games.frp.misc Discussion of all other RPG topics
*rec.games.frp.moderated Discussion of all other RPG topics
rec.games.frp.storyteller Discussion of White Wolf's games
rec.games.frp.super-heroes Discussion of super-hero games
* Moderated newsgroups; all posts are automatically mailed to the
moderator, who then decides which ones are of posting calibre and
posts them.
If you have something to say which doesn't really fit in rgfd, but
seems to fit more in one of the others, please post it there. This
is especially true for auctions, sales, and items wanted posts, which
belong in rec.games.frp.marketplace, and entire combat or magic
systems, which belong in r.g.f.archives.
There are many other newsgroups that may be of interest to someone
looking for ways to spice up a fantasy role-playing game; far too
many to list here. However, some groups deserving of notable mention
are:
rec.games.pbm Discussion of PBMs and PBEMs
*rec.games.mud.announce Advertisements for MUDs
rec.games.mud.diku Discussion of DikuMUDs
rec.games.mud.misc Discussion of MUDs in general
rec.games.mud.tiny Discussion of TinyMUDs, MUSHes, etc.
rec.heraldry Discussion of coats of arms
rec.org.sca The Society for Creative Anachronism
soc.genealogy.medieval Genealogy of people living AD500-1600
soc.history.medieval Discussion of medieval history
H2: Are there any FTP sites for *D&D?
A: Back in 1994, FTP sites were one of the most widely-used ways of
distributing files over the Internet, the primary mode of file
transfer now takes place via web sites.
Most FTP sites with *D&D-related content were shut down after being
threatened with legal action by TSR. The one official site, MPGN,
was bought by an online game company who apparently removed the
RPG directories sometine in 2001. Because of TSR's threats, only some
of the files that used to be at MPGN were mirrored elsewhere; some of
them may now be gone for good. There are still a few FTP sites left
out there, most notably Funet (the Finnish University and Research
Network), which can be accessed at:
<
ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/doc/games/roleplay/systems/>.
H3: What does ".zip" mean? And why can't I read these files I just
downloaded?
A: The .zip file extension means that the file has been compressed with
some form of PKZip in order to save space in the archive and to keep
up- and download times relatively short. You will need to unpack the
file in order to read it properly. There are many compression systems
besides PKZip, and this leads to the often bewildering maze of file
extensions one must wade through on most ftp sites.
Most ftp sites (including MPGN) have a directory dedicated to
providing copies of the various packer/unpacker programs. Many will
also automatically unpack certain formats of downloaded files as you
download them if you simply leave off the file extension when you
request the file. If your site does not already carry the program you
need, either check for such a directory at the ftp site, or ask your
local sysadmin for assistance.
Some common file extensions:
Extension File type Transfer as Then... (By using...)
.arc Archive binary un-archive (ARC)
.asc Text ascii read normally
.au Unix Sound file binary player needed
.bmp Graphic (bitmap) binary viewer needed
.doc Word/WordPerfect file binary viewer needed
.exe Executable file binary execute
.gif Graphic binary viewer needed
.gz GNUzip compressed file binary un-compress (gzip)
.hqx Macintosh encoded file binary un-encode (BinHex)
.jpg Graphic binary viewer needed
.lzh LHarc archive binary un-archive (lharc)
.mpg Video graphic file binary player needed
.pdf Adobe/Acrobat file binary viewer needed
.ps Adobe PostScript file binary viewer needed
.sit Macintosh compressed binary un-compress (Stuffit)
.tar Unix tape archive binary un-archive (tar)
.tar.z \ Compressed Unix
.taz > tape archive binary un-compress (gzip)
.tgz / then un-archive (tar)
.tif Graphic binary viewer needed
.txt Text ascii read normally
.uue Unix encoded file ascii un-encode (uudecode)
.voc Soundblaster sound file binary player needed
.wav Sound file binary player needed
.z, .Z Unix compressed file binary un-compress
(gzip/decompress)
.zip Compressed file binary un-compress
(pkzip/unzip)
If you try to transfer a binary file as ASCII, all you end up with
is garbage.
If you try to transfer an ASCII file as binary, you can lose the
line breaks, which means the entire file will transfer as one long
line.
Note that gzip, though it has the default file extension of .gz,
additionally uses the extension .z; gzip will also handle any .Z
files condensed with compress.
To help clear up some of the confusion about using ftp, here is a
section quoted from an FAQ posted on rgfd by (but, to my knowledge,
not written by) Boudewijn Wayers.
How to get files by ftp.
-----------------------
FAQ lists cross-posted to news.answers and rec.answers can be gotten
from rtfm.mit.edu (18.70.0.209), under /pub/usenet/news.answers or
under /pub/usenet/more.specific.group.name.
"Anonymous ftp" is just a way for files to be stored where anyone can
retrieve them over the Net. For example, to retrieve the latest
version of the Moria FAQ, do the following:
ftp rtfm.mit.edu ==> connect to the site; a message follows
anonymous ==> type this when it asks for your name
<your email address> ==> type your address as the password
cd /pub/usenet ==> go to the directory you want to be
cd rec.games.moria ==> one level down (no slash)
dir ==> look at what's there
get r.g.m_F_A_Q ==> get the file; case-sensitive
quit ==> stop this mysterious thing
If your ftp program complains that it doesn't know where the site you
want to use is, type the numerical address instead of the sitename:
ftp 18.70.0.209 ==> connect with numerical address
If you don't have ftp access, send e-mail to
[email protected]
with the single word "help" in the body of the message.
Getting binary files (executables, or any compressed files) is only
slightly more difficult. You need to set binary mode inside ftp
before you transfer the file.
binary ==> set binary transfer mode
ascii ==> set back to text transfer mode
FAQs and spoiler lists are generally ASCII files; everything else is
generally binary files.
Generic help can be found in the FAQs of comp.binaries.<your_system>
for how to transfer, extract, and virus-check binary files (at
rtfm.mit.edu).
If you can't FTP from your site, use one of the following ftp-by-mail
servers:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
For complete instructions, send a message reading "help" to the
server.
If you don't know exactly what you're looking for, or exactly where it
is, there are programs and servers that can help you. For more info,
send e-mail to
[email protected] with the body of the
message reading
send usenet/news.answers/finding-sources
H4: Are there any WWW pages for *D&D?
A: TSR has an official web page that is chiefly made up of AD&D material;
they are working on expanding it further in many interesting ways.
There are also a plethora of other, fan-maintained WWW sites related
to *D&D or some specific facet thereof, as well as to role-playing
games in general.
Since listing every single *D&D-related web page would easily
double the size of this entire FAQ, what follows is a sampling of
the many, many web pages out there which deal in some way with *D&D
or may be of significant interest to a *D&D player.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/main.asp?x=dnd/welcome,3
WotC/TSR's Official Web Page
http://www.wizards.com/D20/article.asp?x=srd
The d20 System Reference Document--the basic rules of the PH,
DMG, MM, and the psionics handbook, all free and online.
http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/
The Open Gaming Foundation site, including the latest version of
the Open Gaming License, the d20 System Reference Document, and
the d20 trademark license.
http://www.rpga.com/
The RPGA's official web page
http://www.d20reviews.com/
d20 and D&D news & reviews
http://www.d20reviews.com/Eric/whatis.htm
EN World: The Black Pages, D&D info, explanations, errata, etc.
http://www.kargatane.com/
Secrets of the Kargatane, the official Ravenloft webpage
http://www.planewalker.com/
Planewalker, the official Planescape webpage
http://www.mimir.net/
The Mimir, a semi-official Planescape fan webpage
http://www.athas.org/
The Burnt World of Athas, the official Dark Sun webpage
http://www.darkwoodforest.com/rpg/compendium/
Compendium, the official Spelljammer webpage
http://www.dnd.starflung.com/
The official Mystara webpage
http://www.birthright.net/
The official Birthright webpage
http://www.rpggateway.com/
Effie's Concordance of the D&D books and magazines, Game Finder,
Great Wyrm listing of D&D-related web pages, and more
http://www.webrpg.com/
WebRPG, with "gamers wanted" ads, artwork, chatrooms,
fun surveys, game store, etc.
http://sefton.tradepage.co.za/Realms/
Webpage of the Forgotten Realms mailing list
http://crpp0001.uqtr.uquebec.ca/www_wanderer/rpg.html
Everything you wanted to know about *D&D and more
http://www.irony.com
On-line dice roller programs, a virtual village, and many
random town/cave/etc. generators
http://acm.org/~papay/dnd/tsr_prices_intro.html
List of TSR products which have been auctioned in
rec.games.frp.marketplace, with average prices compiled from
data dating back up to three years
http://www.acaeum.com/
List of (almost) everything TSR published, along with
descriptions and suggested prices
http://www.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au/~knight
Mystara web page, and more
http://www.istari.org:44/
The Great Net.Book Archive
http://www.math.auth.gr/~bchr/
Nostradamus' Vault of net.books
http://attila.stevens-tech.edu/gamers/links.html
Netbooks galore
http://www.atfantasy.com/
More netbooks
http://www.yahoo.com/Recreation/Games/Role_Playing_Games/
Yahoo's list of RPG-related web pages
http://www.pbem.com/pbem-page.html
PBEMs, PBEMs, and more PBEMs
http://www.iuk.bwl.uni-muenchen.de/~peceny/home/spiele/rollenspiele.html
Michi's gaming page
http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/alex/home.html.en
Selected postings from rgfd, guides, house rules, helpful
computer programs, and more
http://www.stack.nl/~nushae/
Nushae S. Fahey's AD&D page at Stack
http://www.omnigroup.com/People/surge/rpg.html
Mbs upon Mbs of AD&D and RPG files
http://www.upl.cs.wisc.edu/~woodelf/RPG/RPG.html
Extensive list of RPG web pages, etc.
http://www.cs.technion.ac.il/users/massi/ffp
The Fellowship of the Flying Paladin
http://www.execpc.com/~ozyr/fbs.html
The Fellowship of the Black Spot
http://www.lysator.liu.se/~johol/rpg/rpg.html
RPG-related files, etc.
http://members.xoom.com/ioreth/u_adnd.html
Greyhawk information, and lots of links
http://www.miniworld.com/adnd
Several random character/item/etc. generators, the
Dragon/Polyhedron index, and some Mystara information
http://www.schlumpf.de/~schmidt/rpg/roleplaying.html
Spells, kits, and other miscellaneous info
http://www.mimgames.com/~legolas/
Legolas' page of AD&D links
http://www.usc.net/~bean/main.html
Bean's page of modules for AD&D
http://www.mag7.com/
Mag Force 7; featuring homepages of Margaret Weis (of
Dragonlance fame), Don Perrin, Jeff Grubb, and others
http://www.rpg.net/
RPGnet--reviews, campaign ads, links, files, art, etc.
http://roleplaygames.miningco.com/msub43.htm?pid=2759&cob=home
The Mining Company's page of AD&D links
http://www.judgesguild.com/
Judges Guild's official web page
http://www.gygax.com/
Gary Gygax's homepage
Other URLs which contain *D&D information:
http://www.dem.csiro.au/~matthewt/personal.html
http://www-zeus.desy.de/~hungbhy/rpg.html
http://www.acc.umu.se/~stradh/
http://www.ed.ac.uk/~geas/
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/1966/
http://www.co.jyu.fi/~np/rpg/
http://www.pathguy.com/lipo.htm
http://www.netrpg.com/
http://spitfire.ausys.se/johan/cave/default.stm
http://members.aol.com/jimvassila/
http://www.io.com/~tenzil/rpgs/adnd.html
http://www.wirehub.nl/~quinon/add.htm
http://www.bath.ac.uk/~su3blarp/
http://www.inforamp.net/~gthoms/
http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/jerrod/home.html
http://users.interconnect.net/indy/
http://www.perkworks.com/erda/
http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=tcadndwr;list
http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=adnd;list
http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=planes;list
http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=ircadnd;list
http://kunst.uib.no/Dragonlands/
http://www.pazsaz.com/dundrag.html
http://home.att.net/~hwid/Wod/Wod.html
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/2937/
http://lune.webjump.com/
http://roleplaygames.miningco.com/mbody.htm?COB=home&PID=2759
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/7633/RPG/
http://www.webcom.com/~apcrypha/
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/pbm.html
Other URLs of possible interest for shoppers:
http://www.dragontrove.com/
The Dragon's Trove on-line gaming store, which has a large selection
of new and used RPG material for sale.
http://www.titan-games.com/
Titan Games, selling new and used RPG material.
http://www.sagesguild.com/
Sage's Guild, selling new and used RPG material.
http://www.egameguild.com/
The Game Guild store in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, selling new
and used RPG material.
http://www.hitpointe.com/
The Hit Pointe, selling used and out-of-print D&D and AD&D material.
http://amazon.com/
Amazon.com, one of--if not the--largest on-line bookstore.
http://futfan.com/
An on-line bookstore, specializing in SF, Fantasy, Mystery, &
Horror. You can browse their catalog and place orders through their
page.
http://www.ebay.com/
An on-line auction house, where it is common to find many D&D
products.
H5: Where can I download electronic versions of the 3rd ed. Player's
Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual for free?
A: Wizards of the Coast has made a slightly stripped-down version of the
3rd ed. D&D rulebooks freely available to the public as part of the
Open Gaming project, at <
http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html>.
It doesn't contain every single word of the printed books, but it's
close enough for most uses.
H6: Where can I upload this neat program I just wrote?
A: If the program adheres to TSR's online policy (see Section 3), then it
can be uploaded to your favorite ftp site, whatever that may be. Once
you upload the file, please post a note to rec.games.frp.dnd explaining
what the program does, and at what site people may find it.
An alternative to ftp is making the program available via a WWW
page. To do this, you must either have a personal page, or convince
one of the existing *D&D WWW page keepers to include your program in
their page. This latter course of action is not as difficult as it
sounds, as people tend to be looking for new things to add. Once it
gets added to a page, post a note to rec.games.frp.dnd listing what
the program does and the URL of the page on which it may be found.
If this doesn't seem like your cup of tea, you can try posting it to
Usenet. If you decide to take this course of action, the correct
group to post it to is alt.games.frp.dnd-util. Posting such programs
to rec.games.frp.dnd is strongly discouraged. If you do not get
alt.games.frp.dnd-util, ask your Usenet sysop to add it. If you do
not get this newsgroup, and your sysop refuses to add it, then and
only then should you try posting it to rec.games.frp.archives, which
is a moderated newsgroup, so all postings are mailed to the moderator,
who then decides if each message is worthy to be posted, so there is a
chance that he will decide not to post your program. Once it gets
posted, then post a note in rec.games.frp.dnd explaining what the
program is supposed to do and in which newsgroup people may find it.
The final course of action you can take is not to upload it at all,
but rather to post a note to rec.games.frp.dnd that anyone interested
in trying your program can send you e-mail and you can e-mail the
program to the interested parties.
No matter which of the above methods you use, there are certain
protocols which should be followed. When done, your methods should be
explained in a companion text file (if uploading to an ftp site or
placing on a web page) and in any advertisements you post to Usenet.
1) Compress the program, both to save room on the ftp site/Web page/
Newsgroup/etc., and to cut down on download times. This is
especially necessary if you post a program to Usenet.
2) If you post programs to Usenet, don't forget to convert the file
to ASCII before you post it (uuencode [preferred by most], BinHex,
MIME, etc.); otherwise, it will be unusable by most, if not all
systems.
3) State the compression system used (pkzip, compress, lharc, tar,
gzip, StuffIt, etc.) and the ASCII conversion program, if used;
don't rely on people's ability to decipher file extension(s).
4) State the computer & system requirements (i.e. DOS, Windows,
Macintosh System 7, ANSI-C source, etc.).
H7: Is a complete index to Dragon Magazine available anywhere?
A: An index of Dragon Magazine from #2-#236 and Polyhedron #45 through
the end of its original run, compiled by Vince Gray
<
[email protected]>, is available in an xref ASCII (KWIC) file via MPGN.
It is updated annually, around the first of the year. An online lookup
form--not yet updated with the most recent KWIC files--created by
Scooby (Joseph DuBois) <
[email protected]>, is located on the World
Wide Web at <
http://www.miniworld.com/adnd/magIndex.html>.
TSR has also released the entirety of Dragon #1-250 on CD-ROM, in
PDF format. The search feature of that product, while it isn't exactly
a true "index," is probably close enough to it for most users.
H8: Is there a complete list of every *D&D product TSR has ever published?
A: Yes, there is. Originally compiled by Anthony Brooks (ne Goth)
<
[email protected]> it is now being kept up and updated by Gavin
Bartell <
[email protected]>. The current version is available
at <
http://www.rpggateway.com/tsrlist/docfiles.html>. The original
version is available at <
ftp://ftp.mpgn.com/Gaming/ADND/TSRGuides/>.
It includes listings for every known release of every TSR *D&D product,
from rulebooks to modules to box sets to mage stones, and everything--
and I mean everything--in between, along with short descriptions of
each. If, in looking through it, you discover that a certain item is
not listed, feel free to drop a line to Gavin about it.
Other, independent, attempts at listings and/or reviews of every *D&D
product can also be found at <
http://www.acaeum.com/>, and
<
http://members.tripod.com/~phammer/dndlist0.html>.
H9: Where can I find a complete list of every monster TSR has published
for *D&D?
A: A list, which was up to date as of the beginning of 1996 and
included only 2nd ed. creatures, was maintained by Anthony Brooks (ne
Goth) <
[email protected]>, when he found time to update it
(5165 entries and rising at the last count). One version of this
list was at MPGN, at <
ftp://ftp.mpgn.com/Gaming/ADND/Monsters/
Monster.List.zip>. It is not known whether any copies of this file
are still publicly available.
H10: Is there really an "AD&D Guide to Sex?" What other Guides are there?
A: Yes there was, though it was not a TSR product (as one would infer
from that name). Chiefly compiled by Reid Bluebaugh from
submissions by many people on the Internet (collectively known as
"The Guide Creator"), it has been revised to remove trademarks &
copyrighted material belonging to TSR, as well as make it more
applicable to more games than just AD&D; its proper name is now "The
Complete RPG Guide to Unlawful Carnal Knowledge." At this time, no
FTP site is publically known to contain any of the Complete Guides.
Revised versions of these files, in which all of TSR's trademarks
and any quotes from TSR's books have been removed, are slowly
making their way onto the net, via rec.games.frp.archives and a web
page, as the compiler finishes them. As none of them are really
AD&D-specific now, they are all called "The Complete RPG Guide
to..." or "The Fantasy Guide to..." Direct any questions about, as
well as any requests for copies of the Guides to Reid Bluebaugh
<
[email protected]>.
On a side note, if you happen to find a copy of a '92 version of
the Guide to Sex--or a copy of any of the guides which is dated
before 1996--pass it by. There are much better, much more complete
(some 200+ pages longer in a couple instances), and much more recent
versions available.
A partial list of Complete Guides is as follows; more are created
as "the Guide Creator" thinks them up:
Complete RPG Guide to Alcohol
" " " " Hygiene
" " " " Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (previously "Sex")
" Fantasy " " Star Trek
" " " " Technology
" " " " Sanity
" Highlander Guide
Appendix 1: Complete RPG Guide to Drugs
" 2: " " " " Dice Games
" 3: " " " " Blue Ball Bowling
" 4: " " " " Comedy
" 5: " " " " Gruel
H11: Where can I find the Net.*.Book?
A: This type of file is not usually posted to rec.games.frp.dnd, and only
occasionally sees light on rec.games.frp.archives. Rather, these files
tend to be found on various ftp sites and WWW pages. There are many,
many more netbooks out there than can ever possibly be listed here,
so what follows is merely a sampler of the kinds of files you may find.
Some examples of Net.Books are:
Great Net.Book of Net.Books for use with AD&D
Compiled by Joel Hahn <aardy @ rcn.com>
Available via www to:
http://users.rcn.com/aardy/rpg/nb-index.html
Net.Plot.Book (Contains generic fantasy plot hooks)
Originally compiled by Aaron Sher
Afterwords compiled by <
[email protected]>
Currently compiled by Alex Forst <
[email protected]>
Available via ftp to:
ftp.cs.pdx.edu\pub\frp\general\
net.plot.book.4.gz (gzipped; future releases will be here)
Releases 1-3 are archived here as well.
And via www to:
http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/alex/Handbooks/
Most recent releases found here first
Great.Net.Spellbook (Every homemade wizard spell the compiler found)
Great.Net.Prayerbook (Ditto for priest spells)
Orig. compiled by Boudewijn Wayers <
[email protected]>
Currently compiled by Ezra Van Everbroeck
<
[email protected]>
For ftp info write to: Ezra Van Everbroeck
<
[email protected]>
Both available via www to:
http://www.istari.org:44
Ultimate Spell Database (2800+ TSR spells' names & bare essentials)
Compiled by Mark Middleton <
[email protected]>
Available via ftp to:
ftp.funet.fi\pub\doc\games\roleplay\systems\adnd\spells\
*.tab (tab-delimited text-only version)
*.fm (FilemakerPro version)
*.sea.hqx (Macintosh version)
*.zip (Windows version)
Net.Psionics.Handbook
Net.Psionics.Handbook II
Compiled by Charon <
[email protected]> [and possibly
also <
[email protected]>]
Version 1 available via www to:
http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/alex/Handbooks/
Version 2 available via www to:
http://www.istari.org/~olik/NetBooks_Guides.html
(Net.Psi II is available in Adobe .pdf format and Word 6.0 format)
Tome of Vast Knowledge (database & generator of just about anything)
Compiled by Douglas Webb <
[email protected]>
Available via ftp to:
ftp.mpgn.com/Gaming/AD&D/Programs/Tome_of_Vast_Knowledge/
vast112.zip (later releases may be available)
Database Builder for the ToVK
Compiled by Douglas Webb <
[email protected]>
Available via ftp to:
ftp.mpgn.com/Gaming/AD&D/Programs/Tome_of_Vast_Knowledge/
vbilt106.zip (later releases may be available)
Net.Riddles.Book
Compiled by Mark Manning
Available via www to:
http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/byzantium/55/dmbooks.htm
Net.Traps.Book(s) (three different collections)
Compiled by (book #1) David A. Lamb <
[email protected]>
Available via ftp to:
ftp://ftp.trawna.com/pub/rpg/net.books/traps/
Compiled by (book #2) Michael Sloves <
[email protected]>
Available via www to:
http://web.mit.edu/elau/www/adnd/tomes/Net%20Traps%20Book.html
Compiled by (book #3) James C. Phillips <
[email protected]>
Available ??
Compiled by (book #4) Jason Seeley <
[email protected]>
Available via www to:
http://www2.aros.net/~jseeley
101 Spells Not Worth Memorizing (and we mean it!)
Available via www to:
http://users.rcn.com/aardy/rpg/101spells.html
101 Bard Songs (popular songs which typify certain classes/races)
Available via www to:
http://www.math.auth.gr/~bchr/humor/101_bards.txt
101 Things You Don't Want to Hear Your Apprentice Say (Ummm, Master?)
Available via www to:
http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/alex/rec.games.frp.dnd/101donts
101 Familiars You Would Have Been Better Off Without (Here, kitty...)
Available via www to:
http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/alex/rec.games.frp.dnd/101familiars
101 Uses for the DM's Screen
Available via www to:
http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/alex/rec.games.frp.dnd/
101-Uses-DM-Screen
Dark.Sun.Net.Handbook
Forgotten Realms Notebook
Great.Net.Book.of.Classes.and.Kits
Net.Wizards.Handbook
Net.Libram of Wild Magic
Net.Monstrous.Manual
Net.Book.of.Names
Available via ftp to:
ftp.mpgn.com/Gaming/AD&D/
Famous Last Words
Available via www to:
http://user.cs.tu-berlin.de/~rossi/flws.txt
Net.Munchkin.Handbook
Available via www to:
http://www.omnigroup.com/People/surge/gaming/
Net.Book.of.Poisons
Available via www to:
http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/alex/Handbooks/
Net.Bard.Songs.Book (Goofy lyrics for songs only bards would sing)
Compiled by: Jeff Gostin <
[email protected]>
Volumes 1 & 2 available via ftp to:
ftp://ftp.trawna.com/pub/rpg/net.books/bardsong/
Volume 1 available via www to:
http://www.istari.org/~olik/NetBooks_Guides.html
Net.Monstrous.Compendium
Compiled by: Robert Chrisitian <
[email protected]>
Available via ftp to:
ftp.mpgn.com/Gaming/AD&D/Archives/NetBooks/
Net_Monstrous_Compendium.Z (LaTeX only)
Net.Forgotten.Realms.Book (Tome of the Forgotten Realms)
Compiled by: Chris <
[email protected]>
Archived ??
Net.Abyssal.Layers.Book
Compiled by Tyrus Hellbane <
[email protected]>
Available via ftp to:
ftp.eskimo.com/u/b/berg/Netbooks/
abyss.zip
Tome of the Damned (A book of all things evil and/or undead)
Compiled by Brennan Brooks <
[email protected]>
Version 1.666 and version 2.0 available via www to:
http://www.internations.net/us/damned/damnbook.htm
Net.Fiction.Story (Latest version of the Net.Fiction Story)
Compiled by: <
[email protected]>
Available via www (or ftp) to:
http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/doc/games/roleplay/stories/net.fiction.story
There are many more Net.Books out there; MPGN has several, and
several Web pages have many more. Check out MPGN and the Web sites
listed in the answer to Question H4 before posting a request to
rgfd.
There is also a list which occasionally circulates around the ADND-L
mailing list, and is infrequently posted to rgfm & rgfd, of current
Net.Book projects, with short descriptions and contact addresses.
H12: Are there any *D&D-related mailing lists?
A: There are several *D&D-related mailing lists. A mailing list is
similar to Usenet, with the main difference being that all messages
are mailed directly to your account, instead of being stored on a
remote News server. Some of these mailing lists can get quite high in
volume at times, so you might want to think twice about subscribing to
something that will quickly swamp your mailbox.
One of the more popular *D&D-related mailing lists is ADND-L, which
is very similar to rec.games.frp.dnd in direction and topics of
discussion. A major difference between ADND-L and rgfd is that
contributors are limited by common practice to two posts per day on
ADND-L, both in order to cut down on the amount of mail received and
to keep enough space on the listserver archives to maintain a six
month backup. Anyone can look up and retrieve recent articles. To
this end, many of those people who have a proclivity towards longer
posts put a table of contents at the top of each message.
Mailing Lists
Listservs
[email protected] Al-Qadim
[email protected] *D&D discussion (digest possible)
[email protected] Alt. address for ADND-L (no digest)
[email protected] Birthright
[email protected] Core Rules CD-ROM
[email protected] Dark Sun
[email protected] More *D&D discussion (digest possible)
[email protected] Dragonlance
[email protected] Greyhawk
[email protected] More Greyhawk discussion
[email protected] Mystara
[email protected] Planescape
[email protected] Al-Qadim
[email protected] Ravenloft
[email protected] Forgotten Realms
[email protected] RPGA News (read only)
[email protected] Spelljammer
[email protected] The Art Of Game Mastering
[email protected] TSR Announcements (read only)
Majordomos
[email protected] Birthright
[email protected] Dark Sun
[email protected] Dragonlance
[email protected] Planescape
[email protected] Ravenloft
[email protected] Forgotten Realms
[email protected] Spelljammer
Other
[email protected] Roleplayers' discussion
(Send an empty e-mail to
[email protected] to subscribe.)
Subscribing to a Mailing List
Listservers: If you are interested in joining a listserv list, send a
message to LISTSERV@<listserv domain name> with "SUBSCRIBE <list name>
<name/pseudonym>" in the body (without the quotes). For example, to
subscribe to the ADND-L mailing list, you would send mail to
[email protected]
with the message
SUBSCRIBE adnd-l Aardy R. DeVarque
You will get a message in confirmation of your subscription, which
also details some of the ways to use the listserv. When the time
comes for you to send your first message out to the readers of the
list, send it to the address listed above for the listserv, which, in
the case of ADND-L, would be
[email protected]
To unsubscribe, send a message to LISTSERV@<address> with the message
UNSUBSCRIBE adnd-l
It does no good to send unsubscribe messages to the main list, you
will just get laughed at. You have to send them to the listserver
itself.
Majordomos: Subscribing to a majordomo list is similar to the method
for subscribing to listservs, except you sometimes include your e-mail
address instead of a personal name. For example, to subscribe to a
majordomo mailing list, you would normally send mail to
majordomo@<domain>
with the message
SUBSCRIBE <listname>
[email protected]
However, when subscribing to the mailing lists at MPGN, the
server automatically finds your address from the mail headers.
Therefore, you only need send mail to
[email protected]
with the message
SUBSCRIBE <listname>
Once again, you will receive a confirmation message with more details.
For majordomos, as with listservs, do not send unsubscribe messages
to the main list; send them to the majordomo, as you did to subscribe.
Digest means that the list's messages are collated into a large
message and then mailed to you, usually on a daily basis. This is
useful to prevent your mailbox from being swamped with 200 messages
per day, but does not save you anything in terms of disk space.
People who only check their mail once a day or so and people who have
to pay per message received usually prefer this method. Information
on how to get the digest form of a list, if one is available, is
usually included in the introductory material sent to you when you
subscribe to the list. Listservs usually require you to send a
special command message to the listserver, while majordomos
usually require you to subscribe to a slightly different list name to
begin with. The lists at MPGN all have digests available,
by subscribing to <group>
[email protected] instead of
<group>@lists.mpgn.com.
There are numerous other mailing lists which are dedicated to other
RPGs, or which are more general; a complete list is regularly (if
infrequently) posted by Alistair G. Lowe-Norris <
[email protected]> on
most, if not all of the rec.games.frp.* newsgroups and gaming mailing
lists.
H13: Are there any other *D&D-related resources on the Internet?
A: There are quite a few other resources on the 'net; including the
rec.games.frp.* FAQ, IRC channels and chat rooms, and Internet
provider-specific resources.
If you are looking for more generalized information, or just
information which is not *D&D-specific, a good place to check is the
rec.games.frp.* FAQ, archived at both MPGN (in the /Gaming/ADND/FAQ/
directory) and rtfm.mit.edu (under the /pub/usenet/ directory).
Those interested in web-based chat don't have far to search, as there
are *D&D chat pages all over the web; the foremost of these is on
TSR's web page. TSR's chat area generally requires that you download
and install special client software from
http://www.ichat.com in order
to properly access the chats. TSR has set up various chat areas,
including two set aside specifically for on-line role-playing.
Additionally, the TSR message boards are open to anyone with a
configurable newsreader. Simply change the news server to
"cipher.wizards.com" and look into the list of quasi-newsgroups that
are available on that server. Read and post just as you would to
Usenet newsgroups.
The only other resource commonly available on the Internet which has
not already been discussed is IRC, namely the chat areas #AD&D and
#RPGA. There, you can have real-time conversations with other gaming
enthusiasts about life, the universe, and role-playing. There are
also several campaigns being run on IRC which are advertised on #AD&D;
if you're interested, look there first. Simply /join #ad&d, then
/msg noppa games to see a list of IRC campaigns. There is also a chat
line called #rpg_inn, which is dedicated to running real-time
free-form gaming. The #AD&D channel's homepage can be found at
http://www.wwnet.net/~fyndalf/irc/intro.html; it has much of the
information one might need to get into IRC and find the #AD&D folk.
GEnie, Compuserve, and Delphi also have large discussion areas
dedicated to AD&D. Check around in the Games Special Interest Groups
and you'll find them. Unfortunately, if you do not have an account
with one of these companies, you're out of luck; there is no way to
get there from the rest of the 'net.
***End Part 6***
--
Aardy R. DeVarque
Feudalism: Serf & Turf
Rec.games.frp.dnd FAQ:
http://users.rcn.com/aardy/faq/rgfdfaq.html