Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 8 Mar 2006 to 10 Mar 2006 (#2006-46) From: MYSTARA-L automatic digest system Date: 11/03/2006, 19:00 To: MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 20 messages totalling 887 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Mystara Database Project (3) 2. Pandius wiki (17) ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 21:50:18 +0900 From: Thorfinn Tait Subject: Mystara Database Project Hi there. I know I'm not around much on the list, and I'm sorry about = that. I'd like to participate more here, but unfortunately = circumstances dictate that message boards are easier to access than = e-mail, so I am mostly concentrated on the MMB for now. Anyway, I have an announcement to make. A few weeks ago, I posted a request for database help to the MMB. I got = some good replies, and found some interested people. My own need for a = database of Mystaran geography has since then merged with Andrew's NPC = database to become a (potentially) comprehensive Mystara database = project. Brian, a programmer from Denmark, has kindly volunteered to lead the = technical side of the new project. In fact, he has built a forum = specially for the project (!). Shughuy (who has been helping with my = home page a lot lately) has also joined, and Andrew is contributing too. The aim of the project (in simple terms) is to create a = searchable/query-able database of Mystaran facts and figures which can = provide accurate information on a range of subjects. At this point, we are looking for volunteers to help design the = database, and eventually to help with data entry too. The design work = has just started this week, with the proposal of various different = subjects (tables). So far the list includes tables for settlements, = terrain features, countries, NPCs, products, maps, spells, and = Immortals. We are also working on a concrete list of objectives - things = we want to get out of the database once it's up and running. If you have any suggestions for things you would like to see included, = whether it's a subject (eg Immortals) or an end result (eg a list of = NPCs appearing in Karameikos), I will be happy to add your ideas to the = list. Please go ahead and post them. If you are interested in taking part in the project in a larger role, = you are most welcome too. In that case, please e-mail me directly. It will probably be a while before you see the results of this project, = but it should be quite powerful, and rather useful, once it gets = underway.=20 Thorfinn ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 11:30:13 -0400 From: Steven Carter Subject: Re: Mystara Database Project Ooh, boy. Where to start with my wishlist? ;) Towns, settlements, forts, camps, dungeons, etc by nation, categorized by type, size, general alignment. Npcs by home location, level, bio, stats, alignment, class. Bodies of water, what nations it borders or is encompassed by, type of body (lake, river, sea). Provinces by nation. Mountain ranges, high peaks, other geographic features like plains, mesas, valleys by location/nation/province. A complete timeline database with a field that points the event to the parties or locations involved (I guess an xml field would be good). A table of adventures, modules etc with locations, npcs, items, monsters, etc that each featured. Anyway, that's what I had drawn up partly in OpenOffice Draw when I approached the task three years ago. However it, like many things, proved more ambitious than my time allows. Collaboration sounds good though. On 10/03/06, Thorfinn Tait wrote: > Hi there. I know I'm not around much on the list, and I'm sorry about th= at. I'd like to participate more here, but unfortunately circumstances dic= tate that message boards are easier to access than e-mail, so I am mostly c= oncentrated on the MMB for now. > > Anyway, I have an announcement to make. > > A few weeks ago, I posted a request for database help to the MMB. I got = some good replies, and found some interested people. My own need for a dat= abase of Mystaran geography has since then merged with Andrew's NPC databas= e to become a (potentially) comprehensive Mystara database project. > > Brian, a programmer from Denmark, has kindly volunteered to lead the tech= nical side of the new project. In fact, he has built a forum specially for = the project (!). Shughuy (who has been helping with my home page a lot late= ly) has also joined, and Andrew is contributing too. > > The aim of the project (in simple terms) is to create a searchable/query-= able database of Mystaran facts and figures which can provide accurate info= rmation on a range of subjects. > > At this point, we are looking for volunteers to help design the database,= and eventually to help with data entry too. The design work has just start= ed this week, with the proposal of various different subjects (tables). So = far the list includes tables for settlements, terrain features, countries, = NPCs, products, maps, spells, and Immortals. We are also working on a concr= ete list of objectives - things we want to get out of the database once it'= s up and running. > > If you have any suggestions for things you would like to see included, wh= ether it's a subject (eg Immortals) or an end result (eg a list of NPCs app= earing in Karameikos), I will be happy to add your ideas to the list. Pleas= e go ahead and post them. > > If you are interested in taking part in the project in a larger role, you= are most welcome too. In that case, please e-mail me directly. > > It will probably be a while before you see the results of this project, b= ut it should be quite powerful, and rather useful, once it gets underway. > > Thorfinn > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:25:26 -0500 From: Angelo Bertolli Subject: Pandius wiki I know there was at one time a Mystara wiki, or a Pandius wiki, and then it sort of disappeared. I was thinking about turning HeroesOnly into a wiki, or adding one, but then I started thinking that it's kind of a waste since HeroesOnly really isn't that popular and it's better to have one resource instead of a million sites all over the Internet. So, I was wondering if you're interested in putting the Pandius documents in a wiki, or using a wiki. I have a server, so let me know what you're feelings are about that. Or let me know if you want to use some other kind of CMS, I'd be happy to do something. Angelo ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:41:22 -0500 From: Gilles Leblanc Subject: Re: Pandius wiki Personally I love the Vaults and consider it a treasure of the internet. While the idea of a Mystara wiki is incredibly interesting, I would rather protect the existing document from editing. If new documents were created for the wiki directly then editing is fair game. But if author A has said that Ghyr is placed at location X and then someone else changes it to location Y, well, you kind of corrupt the original idea of the first author. On 3/10/06, Angelo Bertolli wrote: > > I know there was at one time a Mystara > wiki, or a Pandius wiki, and then it sort of disappeared. I was > thinking about turning HeroesOnly into a wiki, or adding one, but then I > started thinking that it's kind of a waste since HeroesOnly really isn't > that popular and it's better to have one resource instead of a million > sites all over the Internet. So, I was wondering if you're interested > in putting the Pandius documents in a wiki, or using a wiki. > > I have a server, so let me know what you're feelings are about that. Or > let me know if you want to use some other kind of CMS, I'd be happy to > do something. > > Angelo > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 14:41:39 -0600 From: George Hrabovsky Subject: Re: Pandius wiki The Vaults of Pandius is very much alive. You can find it here: http://pandius.com/index.html George ----- Original Message ----- From: "Angelo Bertolli" To: Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 2:25 PM Subject: [MYSTARA] Pandius wiki > I know there was at one time a Mystara > wiki, or a Pandius wiki, and then it sort of disappeared. I was > thinking about turning HeroesOnly into a wiki, or adding one, but then I > started thinking that it's kind of a waste since HeroesOnly really isn't > that popular and it's better to have one resource instead of a million > sites all over the Internet. So, I was wondering if you're interested > in putting the Pandius documents in a wiki, or using a wiki. > > I have a server, so let me know what you're feelings are about that. Or > let me know if you want to use some other kind of CMS, I'd be happy to > do something. > > Angelo > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:56:18 -0500 From: Angelo Bertolli Subject: Re: Pandius wiki George Hrabovsky wrote: > The Vaults of Pandius is very much alive. You can find it here: > > http://pandius.com/index.html Yep, I'm not trying to steal any steam from Pandius. Maybe just make it easier for people not on the list to contribue? I was thinking Wikipedia really took off in content for a reason. But there's another issue for Pandius that I didn't think about: since it's the "official" site, we can't just let people do ANYTHING they want. I mean it still has to be Mystara, right? ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:58:11 -0500 From: Angelo Bertolli Subject: Re: Pandius wiki Gilles Leblanc wrote: > Personally I love the Vaults and consider it a treasure of the internet. > While the idea of a Mystara wiki is incredibly interesting, I would rather > protect the existing document from editing. > > If new documents were created for the wiki directly then editing is fair > game. But if author A has said that Ghyr is placed at location X and then > someone else changes it to location Y, well, you kind of corrupt the > original idea of the first author. > > Yeah, hmmmm. I don't know if wiki is even a good idea. It's something I kind of want to try though, if there's interest. Angelo ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 14:58:24 -0600 From: George Hrabovsky Subject: Re: Pandius wiki Wikipedia has no standards for accuracy and thus, as an encyclopaedia, it sucks. While some of the articles are accurate, there is no way to be sure unless you are an expert already. George ----- Original Message ----- From: "Angelo Bertolli" To: Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 2:56 PM Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Pandius wiki > George Hrabovsky wrote: > >> The Vaults of Pandius is very much alive. You can find it here: >> >> http://pandius.com/index.html > > Yep, I'm not trying to steal any steam from Pandius. Maybe just make it easier for people not on the list to contribue? I was thinking Wikipedia really took off in content for a reason. But there's another issue for Pandius that I didn't think about: since it's the "official" site, we can't just let people do ANYTHING they want. I mean it still has to be Mystara, right? > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 16:00:27 -0500 From: Angelo Bertolli Subject: Re: Pandius wiki George Hrabovsky wrote: > Wikipedia has no standards for accuracy and thus, as an encyclopaedia, it sucks. While some of the articles are accurate, there is no way to be sure unless you are an expert already. Hmmm, what about setting up a separate section for collaboration using a wiki? And once a document looks ready and acceptable, it gets put over on Pandius. So the wiki would only be for working on new stuff or drafts. ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 16:06:15 -0500 From: Gilles Leblanc Subject: Re: Pandius wiki A wiki could still be useful, it would allow poeple to post the material instantly to a web site. In some instances wiki lead to a proliferation of material. For exemple, a lot of poeple post on the mystara message boards but the problem with this is search/finding the information, or worse yet browsing for old information without having anything in mind. Most of the informatio= n is also surrounded by a lot a conversation. A mystara wiki would be a good idea if it's used by poeple, but if it justs collect dust or it is only posted by poeple from the mailing list or messag= e board whose posts end up on the Vaults anyway, then it does not serve that much of a purpose. On 3/10/06, Angelo Bertolli wrote: > > George Hrabovsky wrote: > > > Wikipedia has no standards for accuracy and thus, as an encyclopaedia, > > it sucks. While some of the articles are accurate, there is no way to > > be sure unless you are an expert already. > > Hmmm, what about setting up a separate section for collaboration using a > wiki? And once a document looks ready and acceptable, it gets put over > on Pandius. So the wiki would only be for working on new stuff or drafts= . > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:08:28 -0600 From: George Hrabovsky Subject: Re: Pandius wiki The problem is, I believe, that you cannot prevent people from "contributing" to an article, even if they know nothing. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Angelo Bertolli" To: Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 3:00 PM Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Pandius wiki > George Hrabovsky wrote: > >> Wikipedia has no standards for accuracy and thus, as an encyclopaedia, it sucks. While some of the articles are accurate, there is no way to be sure unless you are an expert already. > > Hmmm, what about setting up a separate section for collaboration using a wiki? And once a document looks ready and acceptable, it gets put over on Pandius. So the wiki would only be for working on new stuff or drafts. > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 16:10:22 -0500 From: Angelo Bertolli Subject: Re: Pandius wiki George Hrabovsky wrote: > The problem is, I believe, that you cannot prevent people from "contributing" to an article, even if they know nothing. That's true. It would definitely need some kind of editor(s) to go through documents before they get moved over to the Pandius site. ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:14:20 -0400 From: Steven Carter Subject: Re: Pandius wiki I want to write a lot of stuff about Ochalea. Some of my suggestions have been thrown out like trash, some accepted like gold. I value peer criticism. But once something is decided I don't want just anyone changing it and it's why I haven't just written my own stuff down ignoring the material that others have created. I think a wiki would be great for collaboration but I think would require cooperation of interested parties. It might be a great cooker for projects before the community accepted them as official. I for one though have easier access to e-mail and not much ability to browse wikis or message boards. I'd love to be on the MMB all the time but I don't have the luxury. On 10/03/06, Gilles Leblanc wrote: > A wiki could still be useful, it would allow poeple to post the material > instantly to a web site. In some instances wiki lead to a proliferation o= f > material. ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 16:14:26 -0500 From: Joe Mason Subject: Re: Pandius wiki George Hrabovsky wrote: > The problem is, I believe, that you cannot prevent people from > "contributing" to an article, even if they know nothing. Or worse, are actively hostile. (Pseudo-scientist kooks trying to make claims about their work, for instance.) But none of that is likely for a small, interested community like this. Technical wikis and similar don't tend to have any problems, since the group maintaining them are generally more invested than any vandals so they can easily keep ahead of them. Joe ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 16:18:11 -0500 From: John Hofmann Subject: Re: Pandius wiki FYI, Wikipedia is about as accurate as Encylopedia Britannica. The majority of the inaccuracies were found to be in political bios. http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=7304 ----- Original Message ----- From: "George Hrabovsky" To: Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 3:58 PM Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Pandius wiki > Wikipedia has no standards for accuracy and thus, as an encyclopaedia, it sucks. While some of the articles are accurate, there is no way to be sure unless you are an expert already. > > George > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Angelo Bertolli" > To: > Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 2:56 PM > Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Pandius wiki > > >> George Hrabovsky wrote: >> >>> The Vaults of Pandius is very much alive. You can find it here: >>> >>> http://pandius.com/index.html >> >> Yep, I'm not trying to steal any steam from Pandius. Maybe just make it easier for people not on the list to contribue? I was thinking Wikipedia really took off in content for a reason. But there's another issue for Pandius that I didn't think about: since it's the "official" site, we can't just let people do ANYTHING they want. I mean it still has to be Mystara, right? >> >> ******************************************************************** >> The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp >> The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com >> To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM >> with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. >> > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 16:31:28 -0500 From: Angelo Bertolli Subject: Re: Pandius wiki Gilles Leblanc wrote: > A wiki could still be useful, it would allow poeple to post the material > instantly to a web site. In some instances wiki lead to a proliferation of > material. > > For exemple, a lot of poeple post on the mystara message boards but the > problem with this is search/finding the information, or worse yet browsing > for old information without having anything in mind. Most of the information > is also surrounded by a lot a conversation. > > A mystara wiki would be a good idea if it's used by poeple, but if it justs > collect dust or it is only posted by poeple from the mailing list or message > board whose posts end up on the Vaults anyway, then it does not serve that > much of a purpose. > > Yeah, I'm not sure it's worth the effort either. If there isn't much interest, I'll probably put something up on heroesonly and see how it goes. ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 13:46:09 -0800 From: Joe Kelly Subject: Re: Pandius wiki What's a wiki? Joe Kelly Office Services Clerk DAVIS & COMPANY LLP Suite 2800, Park Place 666 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2Z7 Phone 604.643.6365 This e-mail and any attachment(s) are confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient please notify me immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and do not copy, use or disclose it. Please advise us if you do not want to receive unencrypted e-mails. ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 16:50:46 -0500 From: Gilles Leblanc Subject: Re: Pandius wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki On 3/10/06, Joe Kelly wrote: > > What's a wiki? > > Joe Kelly > Office Services Clerk > DAVIS & COMPANY LLP > Suite 2800, Park Place > 666 Burrard Street, > Vancouver, B.C. > V6C 2Z7 > Phone 604.643.6365 > > > This e-mail and any attachment(s) are confidential and may be privileged. > If you are not the intended recipient please notify me immediately by > return e-mail, delete this e-mail and do not copy, use or disclose it. > Please advise us if you do not want to receive unencrypted e-mails. > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 19:34:48 -0300 From: "Vinicius R. de Moraes - USP Solar" Subject: Re: Mystara Database Project At 09:50 10/3/2006, you wrote: > Hi there. I know I'm not around much on the list, and I'm sorry about that. I'd like to participate more here, but unfortunately circumstances dictate that message boards are easier to access than e-mail, so I am mostly concentrated on the MMB for now. What is the URL for it? > Anyway, I have an announcement to make. > > A few weeks ago, I posted a request for database help to the MMB. I got some good replies, and found some interested people. My own need for a database of Mystaran geography has since then merged with Andrew's NPC database to become a (potentially) comprehensive Mystara database project. Andrew Theisen? > Brian, a programmer from Denmark, has kindly volunteered to lead the technical side of the new project. In fact, he has built a forum specially for the project (!). Shughuy (who has been helping with my home page a lot lately) has also joined, and Andrew is contributing too. > > The aim of the project (in simple terms) is to create a searchable/query-able database of Mystaran facts and figures which can provide accurate information on a range of subjects. > > At this point, we are looking for volunteers to help design the database, and eventually to help with data entry too. The design work has just started this week, with the proposal of various different subjects (tables). So far the list includes tables for settlements, terrain features, countries, NPCs, products, maps, spells, and Immortals. We are also working on a concrete list of objectives - things we want to get out of the database once it's up and running. > > If you have any suggestions for things you would like to see included, whether it's a subject (eg Immortals) or an end result (eg a list of NPCs appearing in Karameikos), I will be happy to add your ideas to the list. Please go ahead and post them. > > If you are interested in taking part in the project in a larger role, you are most welcome too. In that case, please e-mail me directly. What I do when I want to know something about Mystara is go to Shawn's "Vaults of Pandius" and use the "search" feature. The info contained in the entire site is searched and a page with the liks to the desired pages is returned. We could have a number of fields (instead of a single text box) for the engine to provide a cross search. You guys could start with the info contained there. > It will probably be a while before you see the results of this project, but it should be quite powerful, and rather useful, once it gets underway. > > Thorfinn Congratulations! I admire your courage and motivation. You have a very cool name. Where are you from? Vini ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 19:44:39 -0300 From: "Vinicius R. de Moraes - USP Solar" Subject: Re: Pandius wiki How have the people of the Dark Sun community group managed to write a 3.5Ed book? We could use some of their experience. Vini At 18:14 10/3/2006, you wrote: > I want to write a lot of stuff about Ochalea. > > Some of my suggestions have been thrown out like trash, some accepted > like gold. I value peer criticism. But once something is decided I > don't want just anyone changing it and it's why I haven't just written > my own stuff down ignoring the material that others have created. > > I think a wiki would be great for collaboration but I think would > require cooperation of interested parties. It might be a great cooker > for projects before the community accepted them as official. > > I for one though have easier access to e-mail and not much ability to > browse wikis or message boards. I'd love to be on the MMB all the > time but I don't have the luxury. > > On 10/03/06, Gilles Leblanc wrote: > > A wiki could still be useful, it would allow poeple to post the material > > instantly to a web site. In some instances wiki lead to a proliferation of > > material. ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 8 Mar 2006 to 10 Mar 2006 (#2006-46) **************************************************************