FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REC.GAMES.FRP.DND Version 1.0 Compiled by Joel Hahn Last revised 03/31/95 Introduction Welcome to the new & improved Rec.Games.Frp.Dnd Frequently Asked Questions list! It has been several years since this group has seen anything resembling a group-specific FAQ, and, since I saw a number of questions popping up on a fairly regular basis, I decided to take matters into my own hands. The result is what you are reading now. Disclaimer Dungeons & Dragons, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, and AD&D are registered trademarks of TSR, Inc. Several other trademarked names appear throughout this work; the author hereby states that he is using the names in editorial fashion only and to the benefit of the trademark owners, with no intention of infringing in any way upon the trademarks. The author is not affiliated with TSR, Inc. Copyright notice, legal mumbo jumbo This FAQ is copyright (C) 1995 by Joel A. Hahn. All rights reserved. It may be redistributed freely, but only in its entirety; no part of it may be changed, added, or deleted. This means you, bub! Now that we have that out of the way, on with the show! Table of Contents *Part 1* Introduction Disclaimer Copyright notice, legal mumbo jumbo Table of Contents General1 1: What is D&D? 2: What is rec.games.frp.dnd? 3: What does "TSR" stand for? 4: What does "T$R" stand for? 5: What is TSR's e-mail address? 6: What's the deal with TSR's copyright policy? 7: Didn't TSR just "borrow" everything from J.R.R. Tolkein's works? 8: Where's Gary Gygax these days? 9: What non-electronic resources are there for *D&D ? *Part 2* General2/RGFD 10: What do those weird abbreviations mean? 11: Where can I buy/sell old books, modules, & other stuff? 12: Are there any gaming groups in my area? 13: "...Me, too!" 14: "D&D IS EVIL & SH*T, DON'T PLAY IT." What do I do when this gets posted? 15: While we're on the subject, is *D&D really the tool of the Devil? 16: What other newsgroups are out there for roleplaying junkies like me? 17: Are there any FTP sites for *D&D? 18: How about WWW sites? 19: Are there any other *D&D-related resources on the Internet? 20: Is there really an "AD&D Guide to Sex?" 21: Where can I find the Net.*.Book? *Part 3* General3 22: What are some good books to read or movies to watch to get good ideas? 23: Wasn't there a Saturday morning cartoon about *D&D? 24: How do you pronounce...? 25: How do you spell...? *Part 4* 26: What is "fluff?" 27: Who's this "Monty Haul" character I keep hearing about? 28: What is "munchkinism?" What does the Wizard of Oz have to do with *D&D? 29: What are the best *D&D products (books/modules/etc.) to get? 30: What to those letter/number combinations on older modules and handbooks stand for? 31: What was removed from Deities & Demigods? 32: Who is this Cthulhu guy, anyways? *Part 5* For Player's Eyes 33: What books do I need in order to play? 34: Is the use of poison automatically an evil act? 35: What about slitting throats? Anything else? 36: Are all orcs inherently evil? What about orc babies? 37: Can mages wear armor? 38: I don't like the spell memorization system for clerics & wizards... 39: What does "Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic Good/Neutral/Evil" really indicate? 40: Is alignment really necessary? 41: But medieval combat wasn't anything like the way it is in D&D! *Part 6* For DM's Eyes 42: What books do I need in order to be a DM? 43: Stoneskin seems too unbalancing. What can I do? 44: What can I do about Bladesinging elves? 45: How do you deal with critical hits? A) Determination of criticals B) Resolution of criticals 46: What can I do to make crossbows as useful as normal bows? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= General1 1: What is D&D? A: D&D is an abbreviation for Dungeons & Dragons, a fantasy role-playing game published by TSR, Inc. (Heretoafter referred to as "TSR"). It made its first public appearance in 1973, hit the general market in 1974, and has been wildly popular ever since. It is generally referred to as "The grandfather of all role-playing games." It was later revised to become part of AD&D, or Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. AD&D is the most widely recognized and played role-playing game. For the purpose of preventing confusion, I use "*D&D" as a generic term referring to all of the forms this game has taken over the years. 2: What is rec.games.frp.dnd? A: Rec.games.frp.dnd is a Usenet newsgroup dedicated to discussions pertaining to AD&D, D&D, TSR, and anything else that happens to come up. Here is the charter for the group: NAME: rec.games.frp.dnd CHARTER: This unmoderated discussion newsgroup is for discussion of the official rules and settings of the D&D family of roleplaying games, produced by TSR, Inc., including Collector's Edition Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), Basic D&D, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D), and AD&D Second Edition. This proposed newsgroup would include discussion of TSR's rules and products and compatible products, such as: character classes; character races; monsters; magic spells; weapons; Greyhawk; the Forgotten Realms; the Known World; Dark Sun; Spelljammer; RavenLoft; Hollow World; City State of the Invincible Overlord; and so on. Crossposting between this group and other groups in the rec.games.frp hierarchy is discouraged, however issues of general interest that happen to involve a D&D rulebook or setting are more than welcome. 3: What does "TSR" stand for? A: No, it doesn't stand for "They Sue Regularly." Originally, it stood for "Tactical Studies Rules." When the company incorporated a few years back, it officially changed its name to "TSR, Inc.," which isn't short for anything. 4: What does "T$R" stand for? A: For some, the dollar sign is a pretty good ascii representation of TSR's new dragon logo. However, "T$R" is more commonly used by disgruntled gamers as a mark of disdain for what they see as half-baked policies, expensive, yet poorly-executed products, and other means of making money at any cost. In most cases, it is simply an outlet for people who are otherwise fed up with what they feel to be lack of respect for customers and the game itself and need a way to thumb their nose at "T$R, the unfeeling, uncaring megacorporation." 5: What is TSR's e-mail address? A: TSR has been active on the Internet for some time now, as evidenced by the various e-mail addresses they have accumulated. Their official net.representative is Rob Repp, but several other TSR staffers (most notably Wolfgang Baur of Dragon Magazine fame) lurk on the 'net. Here is a list of addresses with which one may reach TSR: tsrinc@aol.com TSR's main address; write here first TSR Inc for AOL and eWorld customers only tsrmags@aol.com Direct line to Dragon Magazine tsr.online@genie.geis.com TSR on GEnie TSR.Online for GEnie customers only 76217.761@compuserve.com TSR on Compuserve 76217,761 for Compuserve customers only mobius@mercury.mcs.com Direct line to Rob Repp; fastest response Questions about TSR products past, present, and future are answered fairly quickly. Questions about copyright on the Internet are generally ignored, most likely for legal reasons but also possibly due to the high flame quotient of such questions. 6: What's the deal with TSR's copyright policy? A: TSR has made some strong claims about what can and cannot be distributed through the Internet, and backed those claims with threat of legal force. This may be one of the first times a company has threatened its own customers, and as such it will be interesting to see what develops as time goes by. For more information on this touchy subject, see the World Wide Web site dedicated to the topic at . 7: Didn't TSR just "borrow" everything from J.R.R. Tolkein's works? A: No. See the section on books below for a long list of books which influenced the creators of the game. Medieval fantasy was a popular genre during the time when the creators of Basic D&D were growing up. However, Tolkein's books are simply the most widely known of the core resource books which directly influenced Gary Gygax and friends. The magic system was based on the fantasy works of Jack Vance, as were the green, rubbery, regenerating trolls. Halflings are based on Tolkein's Hobbits (and were called "Hobbits" until the Tolkein estate demanded that the practice stop), and while the elf varieties are similar to Tolkein's various elf races, the general description of elves is a jumble of several different influences. So no, *D&D is not a direct outgrowth of Tolkein's Middle Earth. 8: Where's Gary Gygax these days? A: Mr. Gygax and TSR parted ways in the mid-eighties. Gary went on to create other role-playing games, such as GDW's (now TSR's) Dangerous Journeys, and is now rumored to be living in the Oregon back country with the Sasquatch and Elvis. 9: What non-electronic resources are there for *D&D ? A: TSR publishes two (aptly named) in-house magazines, Dungeon and Dragon, both commonly available at most stores where role-playing games are sold. Dragon concentrates more the role-playing industry, with news, reviews, and newrules and additions to various games, but especially *D&D. Dungeon includes new adventures and modules, usually for use with *D&D, but adventures for other games are often included as well. RPGA's magazine Polyhedron is available solely on a subscription basis to members of RPGA. It is kinda like Dragon only different, with more of a "home-brew" feel than Dragon has. Here is a short list of subscription addresses for fantasy role-playing magazines (prices are subject to change): White Wolf Magazine 4153 Indian Manor Drive Stone Mountain, GA 30083 Bi-monthly, $25/yr US, $40/yr Canada, $52/yr Overseas 404/292-1819; FAX: 404/292-9426 Alarums and Excursions Attn: Lee Gold 2965 Alla Road Los Angeles, CA 90066 Monthly, Postage + $1.50 per issue 310/306-7456 Polyhedron Newszine RPGA Network Headquarters POB 515 Lake Geneva, WI 53147 Silver Griffin Attn: Devlin Janax POB 1751 Saint Paul, MN 55101 The Gamer 127 N. Madison St, Suite 202 Pasadena, CA 91101 818/795-8130 Bi-monthly, $15/yr; $25/yr Canada or Mexico; $40/yr elsewhere Dragon (US) POB 756 Lake Geneva, WI 53147 Monthly, $30/yr; $50/yr anywhere other than US, Canada, or Europe Ph: 414/248-3625; Fax: 414/248-0389 Dragon (Europe) 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom Monthly, 16 pounds/yr UK, 24 pounds/yr Non-UK Europe Ph: (0223) 212517 Vortext Vortext Publishing 5506 Beaudry St #C EmeryVille CA 94608 USA Quarterly, US$2.75 per issue, $10 subs. ( 4 issues ) Dungeon Dungeon Adventures TSR, Inc. POB 5695 Boston MA 02206 Bimonthly, US$3.75 per iss, $18/yr subs ***End Part 1***