I get the feeling that this question has been asked a lot (and I have vague memories of seeing it on the old boards), but does anyone know the origin of the name of the Hooper-Nelson rule? (pg. 248, BBB). Have any of the designers, in their darkest, drunkest moments, spilled this one?

This might be in reference of Fred Hopper and Jim Nelson ?

Correct.

These fellers here
**swigs his wild turkey**
must of had the dangest of luck
**slaps sisters ass**
must been going through characters like a pig in heat.
YYYYYEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWW

I don't have my books handy right now (at work). What is the hopper-nelson rule?

Something along the lines of burning karma pool to lower TNs. Can only be used for TNs above 8, can never reduce them below 8...

Something like that. It's an optional rule.

1 karma pool = -1TN, TN must be above 12, can't be lowered below 8, karma pool goes bye-bye afterwards perm.

Don't ask me who the people are though, I assumed playtesters or players who came up with a cool house rule they decided to put in.

The Abstruse One

With all the topics on people trying to learn force 10 spells, that's one way to do it. Burn your Karma Pool down . . . permanently.

Fred Hooper and Jim Nelson were (and sometimes still are) artists for the Shadowrun books. They've also done stints as the art directors. As I hear it, the folks at the FASA office got together at least semi-regularly for games -- it's likely that the artists were also involved.