Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 8 Jan 2003 to 9 Jan 2003 (#2003-10) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 10/01/2003, 19:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 8 messages totalling 429 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Almanac 1018 fonts (2) 2. War Journal Characters Part II (3) 3. Who is Idris? (3) ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 02:28:14 -0800 From: Herve Musseau Subject: Re: Almanac 1018 fonts From: Thibault Sarlat > what about Garamond??? > i used it for my maps... I suppose that's one possibility. From: Thibault Sarlat > due to recent Hard drive problems and lost of precious work (Yes. > Preciousssssssss...........) i encourage you Herve to send me (and to some > other fast access members) the big files through ICQ for us to back-up > somewhere... The problem is, those files are big and I can't ftp or icq or whatever from work. I usually use geocities's http-upload, splicing files into 1mb chunks. > there is nothing more frustrating than losing one's hard work because of > technology... Fortunately, the important files are duplicated. Those files are not very important, as they are only used to generate the pdf files. From: Giampaolo Agosta > IMO, if you really won't go for Times New Roman--which is possibly the > best for readability, you could try something like Bookman Old Style or > Book Antiqua, which are slightly fancier, but still not too weird-looking. More possibilities, I guess. > BTW, as far as published works go, I've never seen a *D&D book with > non-standard fonts in the body text, especially in very long texts. Most don't use TNR, either. Besides, some lines are noticeable for their fancy fonts - notably PS. From: hammer_of_ulric > What about Palatino, which was used for the electronic Savage Coast > releases? Good point. > There's not a lot of difference between Times New Roman, Garamond or > Palatino though. Any of these would be fine. I too find that there is little difference between all those fonts. Well, there are differences, of course, but overall I find them not very fancy. From: Chris Furneaux > But having said that it is rarely (if ever) completly standard. There are > suttle differences that make it a little different. Perhaps we could have a > font made up for the MA if someone knows how. Otherwise I will see what I can > find to satisfy both sides, there are a ton of free font sites theres bound > to be something we can all agree on. Having a made-for-Mystara font would be great. I fear it would take a lot of work and time, though, but if someone wants to try it that'd be so great. Otherwise, we can of course search among the many free fonts that already exist. That's what I did last year. I was looking for a gothic font, though, and when I found one I didn't go back to finding another one for the body text, but used it for both. You have to be careful when looking for fonts, and make sure that they contain the whole set of characters. Many sets are made by Americans, who don't know that there are other languages than English around. Some contain only letters but no numbers or no punctuation, or no special characters. The almanac uses the whole range of characters, including all types of foreign characters (accented letters, german double-s, scandinavian double-a, etc), and several special characters (notably --). When you test them, be sure to pick an excerpt from Mystaran stuff that will cover the whole range, like a few lines from SC (to see if almarron appears correctly), a few from heldannic texts (stassenbuerger...) and NR (graabjerge). Also include some numbers, a -- and ", and some text in italics (the gothic font i used has no italics, though it is otherwise complete). > I don't mind, even if my mind is boggled :D > The only problem with a long almanac is that it takes a long time to read > which > isn't neccesarally bad abecause it means that there is plenty of info. I'm > not so much fussed about the amount of text, just the space it occupies in my > bookshelf :P But one doesn't go without the other :) If you don't want so many pages of printed paper, having a shorter almanac helps. To get plenty of info anyway, it depends on the work of the dedicated writers, and we always welcome new ones. > > Sure, Times New Roman is very practical and easy to read, but it is also > > so standard and modern. I would like to preserve a certain flavor, > > I can completly understand. We'll (I'll) just have to find something that > does both jobs then as actions speak louder then words. > I'll do up some demos and put them up on my web site for you. It needs to be > done for the "Newbie guide" anyway so it gives me a good excuse. > > The only problem is finding nice fonts with the right conditions of use. Yes. But if you can pull it out (well i'm sure you can but it'll take a lot of research), I'll be glad to improve the almanac with the fruit of your work. Besides, it may even become standard for other Mystaran books other than the almanac. From: Giampaolo Agosta > To get back to our topic, what I and Chris are trying to say is, more > formally, that we would like to see the body text in any Old Style (also > Transitional and Modern are probably quite good for the purpose) typeface, > while the titles could be set in a less legible face. > > Note that "Old Style" include subcategories which you could use to keep the > text different from Times Roman (which is a more modern Old Style). > Two font faces that have already been suggested are Palatino (Venetian Old > Style, 15th century) and Garamond (French Old Style, 16th century). My problem with Old Style fonts is that they are not very fancy -- less than I'd want them to be, anyway. Now, maybe I'm heading the wrong way by wanting something too fancy, I don't know. I guess I'll wait and see what Chris can come up with. I hope he can find something a little fancier, yet readable enough, than Palatino and Garamond, though we could always fall back on one of those if we fail to find anything better. ===== ___________________________________________________________ Herve Musseau http://www.geocities.com/hmusseau/ __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 14:13:26 +0100 From: Jacob Skytte Subject: War Journal Characters Part II There might be a few surprises somewhere in the character descriptions; = Bue doesn't know everything about the people he meets after all... Jacob Skytte scythe@wanadoo.dk *** Asta Katlasdottir Lawful 3rd level Fighter (Str 12, Int 13, Wis 10, Dex 16, Con 11, Cha = 13, AC 3, hp 16) Personality Traits: Modest/Proud 12/8, Energetic/Lazy 16/4, = Courageous/Fearful 15/5, Reverent/Godless 15/5, Dogmatic/Open-Minded = 8/12 19 years old, Black hair, Purple eyes "It is painful to be constantly reminded of what I could have, if = only..." Asta is the daughter of Katla Gudrunsdottir and Jarl Herjolk Eirikson of = Ringmark. Her grandmother is Tristella, a magic-user from Helskir. = Though magical talent runs in Asta's family, she has chosen to become a = warrior, like her father and grandfather. This choice may well have been = one that was made for her, while her grandfather was still alive. While = the traditional Ostlanders abhor sorcery in almost any form, Asta and = her family typically see magic as a tool like any other. When Asta turned 18, King Hord requested her presence at the Royal = Household, to serve as one of his shield-maidens. Asta was honoured by = this position, and though her foreign looks and family background served = to hold her back, she did make friends, among them Ingibjorg = Siglindesdottir, another jarl's daughter. Asta had heard many good things of Bue Geirsteinson, so she chose to = join his army sent to punish his father. In the time they spent = together, Asta grew to admire and eventually fall in love with Bue. = Alas, during the final battle against his father, Asta was forced to = unleash the magic of the ring she carries, and she polymorphed Geirstein = to a fox. This display of magic alienated her from the Royal Household = and she was expelled from the ranks of the shield-maidens and lost her = best friend, Ingibjorg. When Bue proclaimed his love for Asta, she felt it necessary to deject = him, for fear of bringing him down due to her stained honour. Asta has = now devoted herself to restoring that honour, both for her own sake, but = also in the hopes of feeling able to return Bue's love. In combat Asta fights with a thin sword that is lighter than the average = sword (50 cns/5 lbs.), but still deals 1d8 damage. She wears a chain = mail during battle. Her most prized possession is the magic ring of = polymorph other given to her by her grandmother. The ring allows her, = once per day, to turn an opponent into a regular forest animal unless a = saving throw vs. spells is made. Asta needs to touch the ring to her = opponent and utter a command word to use it. Asta has two much younger sisters and is very close to her family. Ingibjorg Siglindesdottir Lawful 3rd level Fighter (Str 14, Int 9, Wis 8, Dex 12, Con 13, Cha 15, = AC 4, hp 20) Personality Traits: Modest/Proud 8/12, Courageous/Fearful 14/6, = Loyal/Unreliable 14/6 19 years old, Red hair, Green eyes "I would be the envy of the shield-maidens for landing a catch such as = you." Ingibjorg is the daughter of Siglinde the Rascal and Jarl Karlsefni = Garson of Fallersholm. Both of her parents are extremely outgoing and = jovial, and this has rubbed off on their daughter. Ingibjorg has from an = early age been trained in weapon use, and it was with great pride that = she became part of the Royal Household and one of the shield-maidens, = when she turned 18. During her time among the shield-maidens, Ingibjorg befriended Asta = Katlasdottir, in spite of the rumors that Asta was a witch, as were her = family. Ingibjorg judged Asta on her accomplishments, and was more than = a little taken by her wit. She too had heard of Bue Geirsteinson, and = when Asta joined his army, she felt compelled to do so as well. It did not take long for Ingibjorg to fall for Bue, and she tried = letting him know that he was free to pursue her. However, Bue either = didn't catch her hints or didn't act on them. Either way Ingibjorg found = herself wanting him all the more for not reacting at once. During the final battle against Bue's father, Ingibjorg witnessed not = only her friend Asta's unexpected use of sorcery, but also Bue's = infatuation with Asta. If there was one thing Ingibjorg had never = expected, it was to be outdone in love by Asta. Ingibjorg convinced = herself that Asta's use of sorcery marked her as a bad person and ended = their friendship, though the real reason for this was probably that Asta = won Bue, where she couldn't. She will not admit this to herself however. In battle Ingibjorg wields a normal sword and wears chain mail with a = shield. Ingibjorg has several siblings. Her older brother, Ogmund, is a traitor = to her family and plans its downfall. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 17:32:39 +0100 From: Giampaolo Agosta Subject: Re: Almanac 1018 fonts Herve Musseau wrote: > > Most don't use TNR, either. Besides, some lines are noticeable for their fancy > fonts - notably PS. Well, let's take the other lines for comparison: PS uses Exocet, which is very decorative, and has low legibility, but only for titles and quotes, and then only for quotes that appear outside the body text. Ravenloft uses Morpheus and Nosferatu for titles, and an handwriting imitation for quotations, but something non decorative for body text. So, as I said before, it's good to have a few "trademark" fonts for headlines and other bits of short text, but it's better to have a non decorative font for the body text. > My problem with Old Style fonts is that they are not very fancy -- less than > I'd want them to be, anyway. As you say, the problem is that a font face is rarely readable _and_ fancy at the same time--especially those in the public domain :( -- Giampaolo Agosta http://digilander.iol.it/agathokles ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 10:19:42 +1300 From: Chris Furneaux Subject: Re: War Journal Characters Part II Just nitpicking: > In combat Asta fights with a thin sword that is lighter than the average > sword (50 cns/5 lbs.), but still deals 1d8 damage. The encumbrance of an item I always took as its weight & a factor for how much of a pain it is to carry. While you can convert most items to pounds a 5 pound sword is hefty not light. I know, I have 3 swords. My swords weigh: Longsword - 3 lbs (Blade- 32 1/2"[82.5 cm]; Total- 40 1/2"[102.5cm]) Normal sword - 3.5 lbs (Blade- 29 1/2"[75 cm]; Total- 38"[96.5cm]) Two handed sword - 5.25 lbs (Blade- 35 1/2"[90 cm]; Total- 46 1/2"[118cm]) I can use my two-hander one handed but I wouldn't recomend it. It is a tad heavy for it's length but it is not as long as *some* two handers. Therefore asuming that the northern reaches are using primarally broadswords I doubt they would be havier then 4 lbs. 5 lbs would be a sword for a very very strong warrior, But he would be better off with something lighter. Notice my normal sword is heavier and shorter then the longsword because it is not as well made and the steel is not as good. Chris. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 22:44:18 +0100 From: Jacob Skytte Subject: Re: War Journal Characters Part II Chris Furneaux wrote: > Just nitpicking: > =20 > > In combat Asta fights with a thin sword that is lighter than the = average > > sword (50 cns/5 lbs.), but still deals 1d8 damage. > =20 > The encumbrance of an item I always took as its weight & a factor for = how much > of a pain it is to carry. While you can convert most items to pounds a = 5 pound > sword is hefty not light. I know, I have 3 swords. You make a good point and know what you're talking about, I'm sure. I'm = just going by my old Rules Cyclopedia, which states that 10 cns =3D 1lb. = Anyway, just make that 50 cns in OD&D and forget about the lbs. ;) Jacob Skytte scythe@wanadoo.dk ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 23:31:45 +0100 From: =?iso-8859-1?q?la=20Volpe?= Subject: Who is Idris? Ok, I need an answer for my campaign: WHO IS IDRIS? 1) In X11, who is Idris? Is she an identity of some other Immortal or is she presented as a completely new one? 2) In TSR's official PWAs, is she an identity of some other Immortal or is she presented as another entropic immortal? 3) In fan based Mystaran Almanacs, is she an identity of some other Immortal or is she presented as another entropic immortal? 4) In your own opinion, who should she be? 5) Are the Night Dragons servants of Idris? Are they servants of Thanatos? Or are they simply what dragons become if they are Entropic Renegades? (Please point out references in canon for the answers to the point 5 questions, or remind me it's your opinion if it's just your opinion). Thanks for the help in advance. ===== Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis "We poor few forged as brothers in this furnace will emerge as the steel of future generations" -- from "Legionary's Prayers", by Ionaos Nolan ______________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Cellulari: loghi, suonerie, picture message per il tuo telefonino http://it.yahoo.com/mail_it/foot/?http://it.mobile.yahoo.com/index2002.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 01:03:31 +0100 From: Francesco Defferrari Subject: Re: Who is Idris? ----- Original Message ----- From: "la Volpe" > Ok, I need an answer for my campaign: > WHO IS IDRIS? IMC she is Synn, aka Dolores. In canon, I don't think her real identity was ever revelead. In Vault of Pandius should be an article about her, anyway. bye Francesco ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 08:49:25 +0100 From: Thibault Sarlat Subject: Re: Who is Idris? i always thought it was Hel... Thibault Sarlat. Techniques de l'Ingénieur Port: 06 84 92 32 55 Fax: 05 56 96 85 24 www.techniques-ingenieur.fr ICQ 16622177. Personal homepage http://www.mystara.fr.st thibault.sarlat@wanadoo.fr ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 8 Jan 2003 to 9 Jan 2003 (#2003-10) *************************************************************