Path: gmdzi!unido!mcsun!sunic!uupsi!rpi!uwm.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!
nucsrl!telecom-request
From: mos...@peyote.cactus.org (Bob Mosley III)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Illuminati BBS Bust - An Official Statement From SJ Games
Message-ID: <4848@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 6 Mar 90 17:34:26 GMT
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Organization: Capital Area Central Texas Unix Society, Austin, TX
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Approved: Tele...@eecs.nwu.edu
Posted: Tue Mar 6 18:34:26 1990
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 150, Message 1 of 7
...This was buffered from the Illuminati BBS this morning. Those of
you keeping up with the case against joinet/attctc/the Mentor should
find this interesting.
(Just a side note: The theme of the board may sound like it's set up
just for all sorts of evil work in mind. However, it's a board run by
a role-playing game manufacturer, which is probably just as evil, but
I won't get into that now.:-) :-) So don't be put off by the setting.
Many BBS's are established on rather wierd themes. My BBS's previous
incarnation was that of a strip joint, for example...)
OM
------- start of text from Illuminati BBS -------
NOTE! WE RECOMMEND YOU OPEN YOUR CAPTURE BUFFER AS YOU READ THE
FOLLOWING INFORMATION, OR AT LEAST BE READY TO USE ^S AND ^Q TO
STOP THE SCROLLING AS YOU READ.
PRESS RETURN:
GREETINGS, MORTAL! YOU HAVE ENTERED
THE SECRET COMPUTER SYSTEM OF
/\
/ \
/ () \
/ ____ \
/ / \ \
/__________\
THE ILLUMINATI
FRONTED BY STEVE JACKSON GAMES
INCORPORATED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. FNORD
NOTE! AT THE MOMENT ILLUMINATI IS AN READ-ONLY SYSTEM. READ THE
INFORMATION BELOW TO FIND OUT WHY. USING THE SPACE BAR WILL LOG YOU
OFF. YOU CAN STOP THE SCROLLING AT ANY TIME WITH A CONTROL-S.
CONTROL-Q WILL RESUME THE SCROLLING.
YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT OUR CORPORATE MASCOT, WHO USUALLY GREETS OUR
CALLERS WITH A CHEERFUL SMILE, IS FROWNING TODAY. I THINK YOU'LL AGREE
HE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO.
BEFORE THE START OF WORK ON MARCH 1, STEVE JACKSON GAMES WAS VISITED
BY AGENTS OF THE UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. THEY SEARCHED THE
BUILDING THOROUGHLY, TORE OPEN SEVERAL BOXES IN THE WAREHOUSE, BROKE A
FEW LOCKS AND DAMAGED A COUPLE OF FILING CABINETS (WHICH WE WOULD
GLADLY HAVE LET THEM EXAMINE, HAD THEY LET US INTO THE BUILDING),
ANSWERED THE PHONE DISCOURTEOUSLY AT BEST, PROBABLY ATE A FEW OF THE
ORANGE SLICES THAT WERE ON FEARLESS LEADER'S DESK (WHICH THEY WERE
WELCOME TO, BY THE WAY), AND CONFISCATED SOME COMPUTER EQUIPMENT,
INCLUDING THE COMPUTER THAT THE BBS WAS RUNNING ON AT THE TIME.
SO FAR WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED A CLEAR EXPLANATION OF WHAT THE SECRET
SERVICE WAS LOOKING FOR, WHAT THEY EXPECTED TO FIND, OR MUCH OF
ANYTHING ELSE. WE ARE FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT STEVE JACKSON GAMES IS NOT
THE TARGET OF WHATEVER INVESTIGATION IS BEING CONDUCTED; IN ANY
CASE, WE HAVE DONE NOTHING ILLEGAL AND HAVE NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO
HIDE. HOWEVER, THE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS SEIZED IS APPARENTLY CONSIDERED
TO BE EVIDENCE IN WHATEVER THEY'RE INVESTIGATING, SO WE AREN'T LIKELY
TO GET IT BACK ANY TIME SOON. IT COULD BE A MONTH, IT COULD BE NEVER.
IN THE MEANTIME, FEARLESS HAS LOANED STEVE JACKSON GAMES THE APPLE SYSTEM
THE BBS RAN ON BACK IN THE OLD DAYS BEFORE JOLNET. TO MINIMIZE THE POSSI-
BILITY THAT THIS SJSTEM WILL BE CONFISCATED AS WELL, WE HAVE SET IT UP TO
DISPLAY THIS BULLETIN, AND THAT'S ALL. THERE IS NO MESSAGE BASE AT PRESENT.
WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE, AND WE WISH WE DARED DO MORE THAN
THIS. HOWEVER, WE AGONIZED LONG AND HARD, AND DECIDED IT WAS A COURTESY TO
OUR CALLERS TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
AT THIS POINT WE DON'T KNOW WHEN THE BBS WILL BE BACK UP FOR REAL. IF
YOU HAVE IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR US, SUCH AS PLAYTEST NOTES, YOU CAN
MAIL THEM TO US (YEAH, I KNOW, ECCH) OR IF IT'S SOMETHING TRULY
IMPORTANT, YOU CAN REACH US AT OUR VOICE NUMBER (512-447-7866). IN THE
MEANTIME, FEARLESS WILL BE CHECKING IN ON A REGULAR BASIS ON SMOF
(512-UFO-SMOF) AND RED OCTOBER (512-834-2548).
IN PARTICULAR, IF YOU HAVE DOWNLOADED THE GURPS CYBERPUNK PLAYTEST
MATERIAL THAT WAS ON THE BOARD, PLEASE LET US KNOW RIGHT AWAY SO WE
CAN ARRANGE TO GET A COPY. SOME OF THAT MATERIAL WAS NOT EASILY
REPLACABLE, AND WE WOULD LIKE TO GET COPIES - IT WOULD MAKE GETTING
GURPS CYBERPUNK OUT MUCH, MUCH EASIER (AND IT WOULD COME OUT THAT MUCH
SOONER). PLEASE CALL US AND ASK TO TALK TO CREEDE OR LOYD FOR
ARRANGEMENTS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING, AND THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS GIVEN
US WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUPPORT. WE HOPE WE'LL BE BACK ON LINE,
FULL TIME, VERY SOON.
-- STEVE JACKSON GAMES AND
THE SYSOPS OF THE ILLUMINATI BBS
------- end of text from Illuminati BBS -------