Role-playing game terms

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Role-playing game terms are words used in a specific sense (terms) in the context of role-playing games. This includes both terms used within RPGs to describe in-game concepts and terms used to describe RPGs. Role-playing games also have specialized slang jargon associated with them.

Terms used to play role-playing games

A

• Adventure: A single or linked set of games.

C

• Campaign: A series of adventures.
• Character: A fictional character in a role-playing game; a player character or non-player character.
• Character sheet: A record of a player character in a role-playing game, including whatever details, notes, game statistics, and background information a player would need during a play session.
• Character creation: The method used to create a character, especially a player character.
• Critical: A type of result associated with a strong outcome, especially a critical hit or critical failure (fumble). Often related to unlikely die results, as a natural 1 or 20, doubles, and so forth.

F

• Fumble: An unforced error when attempting a difficult task.

G

• Game master: The person who runs a role-playing game and arbitrates how actions are resolved and narrated. Abbreviated GM. In many games, specialized terms are used, as such Dungeon Master for someone running Dungeons & Dragons.

I

• Initiative : The determination of who goes first and in what order declared actions are carried out.

M

• Metagaming: Using out-of-character knowledge to solve in-character problems, or to explain in-character behaviour.

N

• Natural (roll): The number actually on a die, such as a natural 1 or a natural 20, indicating the die's face shows a 1 or a 20.

S

• Saving throw: A game mechanic in which dice are used to avoid some kind of negative effct on a character.
• Session: A single meeting of a role-playing group.
• Story guide: Also, ‘’storyteller.’’ The game master of a game with a strong focus on narrative tropes. .
• System: The set of game mechanics which make up a game.

T

• Troupe system: A system in which the duties of the game master are distributed amongst the players.

Terms used to describe characters

A

• Advantage: a positive or useful statistic or trait.
• Attributes describe a natural, in-born characteristics shared by all characters, such as physical strength or wisdom

D

• Derived statistic: A secondary characteristic based on a character's attributes (or primary characteristics), including temporary effects like hit points and magic points.

P

• Powers describe extraordinary abilities which make a character special, such as flight or telepathy.

R

• Race: A character's species, ethnicity, type, or other description of their physical and cultural heredity. Role-playing games often include fantasy races, mutants, robots and other non-human types.

S

• Setting: The fictional world in which the game takes place.
• Skills describe learned capabilities, such as spoken languages, horse riding or computer hacking.
• Statistic refers to any attribute, advantage, disadvantage, power, skill, or other trait. In the plural, statistics refers to the information on a character sheet.

Terms used to describe types of games

F

• Free-form role-playing game: A rules-light style of game that mostly uses social dynamics for its game system. .

G

• Gamist: A term from GNS theory describing games in which enjoyment is derived from facing and overcoming challenges.
• Generic: Systems which can support a wide variety of settings.
• Genre: A game that adheres to certain fictional tropes, such as fantasy or science fiction.

L

• Live-action: A type of role-playing game physically enacted in a troupe acting style.

N

• Narrativist: A term from GNS theory describing games in which enjoyment is derived from Collaborative fiction|creating a good story]].

O

• Online : A type of computer game that uses role-playing game style game mechanics and tropes.

R

• Rules-heavy: A game system with heavily codified mechanics, usually encompassing a wide variety of possible actions in a game. The opposite of rules-lite.
• Rules-lite: A game system that uses very general mechanics, usually focused on a subset of possible actions in a game. The opposite of rules-heavy.

S

• Simulationist: A term from GNs theory for games in which enjoyment is derived from deep immersion in a new (simulated) world.

Terms used by gamers

B

• Blue booking: One or a few of the players describing activities of their characters in written form, outside of the role-playing session, creating a sort of ongoing character history and resolving actions that don’t involve the rest of the group.

M

• Monty haul: A pun on Monty Hall problem, when equipment, abilities, and other rewards get out of hand.
• Munchkin: An immature player, especially one who is selfishly focused on dominating play, often by seeking to circumvent the normal limitations placed on characters.

P

• powergamer : A player focused on system mastery; a min-maxer.

R

• Roll-playing: A derisive term for rules-heavy games, occasionally to the point of requiring players to focus on game mechanics at the expense of role-playing.
• Rules lawyer: A player who seeks to gain an advantage through manipulation of the game rules.

T

• Twink: A player who engages in system mastery with an explicit focus of exploiting powerful abilities. Similar to powergamer.

External links

• RPG Talk Category:Terms