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                           Frequently Asked Questions
                         (last revised August 3, 1994)


     Hello and welcome to Superguy -- one of the most... interesting
Interactive Fiction mailing lists out there!  We hope you enjoy your stay, but
we realize you might have a few questions about what the Heck is going on here.
     So, we have ourselves one of those Frequently Asked Questions lists that
will help you figure out just what is going on!  Enjoy!

SEPARATE PARTS TO THIS FAQ
     I.   Introduction
     II.  Subtopics/Posting Guidelines
     III. Ground Rules
     IV.  Regular Series
     V.   In-Jokes
     VI.  The Multiverse
     VII. Authors
     VIII.Archives

                             PART ONE:  INTRODUCTION

CONTENTS OF THIS PART:

     1).  What is the Superguy Mailing List?
     2).  What is Interactive Fiction?
     3).  How do I Subscribe to Superguy?
     4).  How do I Unsubscribe to Superguy?
     5).  Who owns Superguy, Anyway?
     6).  Just how did this Superguy Thing get Started, Anyhow?

1)   What is the Superguy Mailing List?

     The Superguy Mailing List is a mailing list devoted to interactive
fiction.  It is not meant for commentary on that or other fiction, but instead
purely for the dissemination of Electronic Literature for the enjoyment of its
readers.
     Superguy is primarily (but not exclusively) devoted to fiction in the
Superheroic Genre -- usually light fiction, being either humorous takes on or
outright parodies of the genre.  In recent years, more serious fiction in the
Genre has also appeared on the list, and has become fully acceptable.

2)   What is Interactive Fiction?

     There are many different answers to this question, and indeed, there is an
entire newsgroup devoted to the subject over on the Usenet.  And as Superguy
isn't a theoretical discussion group, we'll instead answer what Interactive
Fiction is on Superguy itself.
     In general, Interactive Fiction (on Superguy) refers to dynamic fiction,
where the writings of each author on the list helps shape the writings of the
other authors to varying degrees.  Rather than present fiction in a vacuum,
Superguy encourages authors to post in established continuities and shared
universes, which in turn encourages authors to work within certain assumptions
and therefore think about aspects of writing that might not otherwise have
occurred to them.
     There are three different types of Interactive Fiction used on this list.
The first (used in the Superguy and Metaworld Subtopics) is `Shared World
Interactive Fiction'.  In Shared World Interactive Fiction, the authors of
different stories work in a single universe.  While their stories might or
might not ever directly interact with one another, dramatic events are usually
referred to or have an impact on storylines all across the subtopic.
Furthermore, Shared Universes have common reference points which different
writers can use freely, which in turn gives a feeling of continuity to the
Subtopic.  Occasionally (and with increasing frequency) crossovers and
collaborations between authors have strengthened the Shared World concept even
further.
     The second type of Interactive Fiction (used in the Sfstory and Author's
Altiverse subtopics) is Gestalt Interactive Fiction.  In Gestalt Interactive
Fiction, a single story is being told, with separate storylines really being
subplots of the whole.  There is little rhyme or reason to it, but it is
implicit in this type of fiction that each subsequent Author won't contradict
previous Authors.  In its purest form, Gestalt Interactive Fiction is first
come, first served -- but as a practical matter, it is politer to call "next,"
if you can, or to concentrate on subplots unrelated to other people's subplots.
     The third type of Interactive Fiction (used in the Round Robin subtopic)
is Consecutive Interactive Fiction.  In this style of fiction, a set group of
authors agree to write a single story in a specific, preset order.  When each
author's turn comes up, they must build on what has come before (not
contradicting the past), but have absolute power in determining what happens
next.  The similarities between Consecutive and Gestalt Interactive Fiction are
obvious, but the hard and fast order of Consecutive Interactive Fiction allows
the author to take his time and develop the story, without fear that someone
will usurp the plot out from under him.

3)   How do I subscribe to Superguy?

     There are currently three different method to subscribe to the Superguy
Mailing List, with a fourth on the way.  Each method breaks down to what
service you have available.
     Bitnet Users:  If you are on a Bitnet Machine, you can subscribe
interactively.  Simply use the Bitnet Send or Tell command (depending on your
system) to send the following to LISTSERV@UCF1VM:

                         SUBSCRIBE SUPERGUY <your name>

     With <your name> being replaced by whatever you'd like the system to call
you.

     Internet Users:  You can subscribe to the mailing list through the
Internet by sending mail to listserv@ucf1vm.cc.ucf.edu.  The subject line of
the mail can be omitted.  The body of the letter should contain the following:

SUBSCRIBE SUPERGUY <your name>

     Where <your name> is replaced by whatever you'd like the system to call
you.

     Usenet users:  If you have access to the Usenet (also called NetNews and
about three million other things) *AND* specifically have access to the bit.*
hierarchy, you can receive the Superguy Mailing List by subscribing to the
newsgroup bit.listserv.superguy.  When you read news, you will find all
submissions made to the mailing list will appear as posts on the Newsgroup.
This is especially useful if you don't have the disk space to receive Superguy
as mail.  If you do not receive the bit.* hierarchy, you will have to subscribe
to the Mailing List via one of the two methods given above.

     America Online Subscribers:  We are in the process of uploading the
Superguy Archives to the Electronic Magazine section of America Online.  After
we have fully updated the archives, new posts will be regularly added to the
Superguy directory in Digest Format.  To read the most current Superguy posts,
one will merely have to read the issue of Superguy with the highest number.

4)   How do I unsubscribe to Superguy?

     Don't.
     Seriously, though -- if you think you've had enough of Superguy, don't
have the time, or whatever, then you can unsubscribe to the list the same way
you subscribed.  If you are a Bitnet or Internet subscriber, follow the
instructions given in 3) above for subscribing, but replace the string
`SUBSCRIBE SUPERGUY <your name>' with `UNSUBSCRIBE SUPERGUY.'  You will stop
receiving posts.  If you are reading bit.listserv.superguy on the Usenet,
unsubscribe from the Newsgroup the same way you do any other newsgroup,
according to the protocol of your software.

5)   Who owns Superguy, anyway?

     The list owner of Superguy is Tad Simmons (SIMMONS@UCF1VM.bitnet or
simmons@ucf1vm.cc.ucf.edu).  He is not a moderator or editor of Superguy (we
have no such things), but he has agreed to the task of handling the technical
end of Superguy's administration.  Problems should be reported to him.
     We also thank Tad for his tireless patience with the pack of us.

6)   Just how did this Superguy thing get started, anyhow?

     Superguy started life as a sequel, actually.  In 1987, a mailing list was
created on the late, lamented UMNEWS server at Bitnet Node MAINE called Sfstory
(also known as Sf_Story).  This was a humorous Gestalt Interactive Fiction list
that was moderately popular for a while.  One of the readers of this list,
Chris Wilcox (called "The Creeper") thought it would be fun to spin off a
similar list called Superguy, which would be a Super Hero parody.  As UMNEWS
allowed new mailing lists to be created very simply, he up and did it in 1988.
     There was a flurry of initial activity on the list, but then it very
nearly died.  The Creeper himself had stopped posting to it some time before.
However, an enterprising young man without a life named William R. Dickson
("Pickle"), then the writer of the "Dangerousman" series, recruited new writers
and campaigned hard for its continued life.  In many ways, he kept Superguy
alive until Gary Olson ("the Swede") and Bill Paul ("The Man with Two First
Names") had begun writing.  These two authors -- easily the most prolific of
all time on the list -- kept the list going in lean times and inspired other
writers to keep the list healthy.
     During this period, the University of Maine decided to close down the
UMNEWS server.  However, the software and all the discussion lists were moved
wholesale to the NICBBS server at node BITNIC.  This was the home of Superguy
for a very long time, until NICBBS was shut down without warning, after some
wise soul decided to use the NICBBS server to pose six megabytes of pornography
in one continuous stream, which had the effect of bringing the entire Bitnet
and several sites of the Internet down in a cascade of erotica of varying
quality.
     This was almost the end of Superguy -- to the point where Bill Dickson
sent what he assumed would be his last series, "Ramrod:  Media Darling," to the
subscribers of Superguy on an individual basis.  Various plans were discussed,
until finally Bill Paul and Tad Simmons managed to get the Superguy Mailing
List created at UCF1VM in October of 1992.  We have been there ever since (with
the exception of a brief flirtation with the Listproc software which ended up
an abysmal failure).  At the time of the Mailing List's creation, it was also
decided to merge the (almost dead) Sfstory Digest with Superguy, and create a
new, serious fiction topic (Metaworld).  Thus, the Subtopic system of Superguy
was created.
     In 1994, the bit.listserv.superguy newsgroup and America Online Superguy
directories were created, taking a step to bringing Superguy to a whole new
world of readers.  All indications at this point seem to lead towards Superguy
continuing a firm growth into the future.