Abandonware: n. out-of-print video and computer games, as collected and played by "classic" games enthusiasts, on refurbished systems or on emulators.
Adventure: n. in general usage, an undertaking involving travel, danger and unknown risks; often an exciting or remarkable experience; Middle English aventure, from Latin adventus, past part. of advenire "to arrive."
Adventure gaming: n. sometime synonym for role-playing gaming.
AD&D: acronym stands for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
Aggravated damage, agg damage: n. in many RPGs, physical damage to a character's body that can not be healed by normal means, such as bed rest.
Alien eyes: n. the act of rolling a total of 3 on 3d6; as opposed to snake eyes.
Alignment: n., D&Dism a description of a character's general moral, ethical, and social tendencies, usu. quantified as a stat; designed to enforce consistent behavior in player characters.
Alignment tongue: n., D&Dism In D&D and derivative fantasy RPGs, a language shared by creatures of a particular alignment. Ex: Sure I can interrogate the orc -- my character speaks Neutral Evil.
"All I wanted was a Pepsi": phrase used by a gamer to describe their latest confrontation with a parent or other person who believes that role-playing games are the Spawn of Satan.
Allowed/denied: v. used by a GM to indicate approval or disapproval of a(n) action/merit/flaw/character concept.
"...And with your free hand?": phrase comment, usually from the GM, indicating that the player is trying to have his character accomplish too many things at once.
Anthropomorphic, anthropomorphics: adj., n. (adj.) in general usage, described as or having a human form or human attributes; having been ascribed human characteristics (in reference to non-human things); from Greek anthropo (man) + morphos (form) in geekspeak, describing humanoid animal characters in fiction and games (noun) all things related to furries.
AOE, A.O.E.: n., acronym stands for Area of Effect.
Arbalest: n. synonym for crossbow, esp. a medieval crossbow; from Old English arblast, from Old French arbaleste, from Late Latin arcuballista, from Latin arcus "bow" + ballista "ballista"; predates 12th c.
Area-of-effect: AOE, A.O.E., n. the volume or space, usually a circle (on a map) or a sphere (in 3D), within which the effects of a spell, explosion, fire, or other attack or effect are felt.
Area Effect Danger Sense: n. in any game where miniatures or counters are used, this phrase describes the metagame knowledge that the GM is drawing out the scene on the battlemap and placing characters on it in preparation of an ambush or combat.
Armor class: A.C., n., D&Dism in D&D and derivative RPGs, a stat describing a character's ability to deflect, avoid, or absorb physical punishment without taking damage or injury.
Attack matrix: n., D&D-ism in D&D, AD&D, and derivative games, tables used to determine to-hit rolls, by comparing opponent armor class versus the level of the attacker.
Babel Fish: p.n., Adams-ism in the Hitchhiker's novels of Douglas Adams, a tiny fish that, when placed in one's ear, gives one the ability to understand any spoken language.
Bad pull: n., EverQuest-ism On EverQuest, the act of pulling the wrong mob or pulling more mobs than your party/group can expect to handle without casualties.
Bag of Holding: p.n., D&D-ism from the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide, a magical leather pouch or bag that is much larger on the inside than on the outside, and therefore useful for carrying things.
bar gamer: n. one who games for fun and does not take gaming too seriously.
battlemat: battle-mat, n. syn. of hex mat.
Battletech: BattleTech, BattleMech, p.n. see Mechwarrior.
B.D.E., BDE, acronym abbrev. "Best Dramatic Effect': in RPGs, refers to the GM determining outcomes based on what will look good, be funny, or be dramatic, rather than on strict reality or on strict interpretation of the game rules.
Beholder, beholder: n., D&D-ism a monster from the original D&D; a large, globular floating body covered in thick plates, with a toothy slit-like mouth, and a single large eye; on top of the beholder's body is a ring of 10 smaller eyes on stalks; it has various magical powers such as Eye Blasts.
berserker: n., D&D-ism in general usage, an ancient Scandinavian warrior, frenzied in battle, and believed to take on bear- or wolf-like characteristics; from berserk, Old Norse berserkr (björn "bear" + sarkr "shirt"); 12th c. 2. in Dungeons and Dragons, a character class, a subclass of fighter, with the ability to frenzy in combat.
bestiary: n. in general use, a medieval book or document detailing the appearance and habits of real or imaginary animals, usu. with a moral or allegorical message; Medieval Latin bestiarium, from bestia "beasts"; c. 1840. or any dictionary-like or encyclopedia-like book describing mythological beasts or monsters.
BFI, B.F.I.: acronym, Hackerism "Brute Force and Ignorance" 1. technique used by computer programmers, which revolves around using incredible amounts of code to solve any problem; done without finesse or skill. 2. (gamerese) technique of employing firepower, brute strength, or high explosives when a simpler or more skill-oriented solution is available.
Bilbo Thumper: n. a Tolkien enthusiast who takes the spiritual/mythological aspect of the Middle Earth mythos much too seriously, to the point of pretending to worship Eru and/or the Ainur.
bioware: n., adj. describes a wide range of bionetic enhancements that could be used to augment or improve bodily functions; could be drugs, gene therapy, adrenal pumps, or other such items; commonly employed in cyberpunk and sci-fi campaigns.
blue book: n., v. the practice of recording character interaction that takes place outside of the play session; usually done in loose-leaf notebooks, and takes its name from the writing assignments often done in writing classes.
boat scenario: n. any chapter of an adventure which takes place on a boat, thus trapping the player characters in a confined space for a requisite amount of time, with no immediate way for them to escape.
borged-out: 'borged-out, adj., v. describes a character or NPC with excessive cybernetic enhancements.
Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons: B.A.D.D: p.n. organization founded in 1982 by Mrs. Pat Pulling, whose son allegedly committed suicide after being "cursed" by a fellow D&D player.
breath weapon: n., D&D-ism a form of special attack, most often used by monsters and superheroes, that involves projection of matter or energy from the mouth; the most common example is a dragon's fire breath.
brick: n.: adj. in superhero games, a character with incredible strength and invulnerability; a primarily physical fighter.
bug out: to, v. to flee or retreat, often in cowardice.
caltrop: n. a device with four metal points so arranged that when any three are on the ground the fourth projects upward as a hazard to the hooves of horses or to pneumatic tires.
Campaign: n., v. (gamerese) in role-playing games, a connected series of game adventures or modules, involving the same set of characters, that form an overall story or plotline. 3. a long-running RPG, involving many sessions of game play, usu. conducted on a regular basis
CCG, C.C.G.: acronym collectible card game.
Celt, Celtic, p.n.: adj. ("kelt," "kel tik") :1. a member of a division of the early Indo-European peoples distributed from the British Isles and Spain to Asia Minor; from Latin Celtae, Greek Keltoi "barbarian"; c. 1550 or a modern Gael, Highland Scot, Irishman, Welshman, Cornishman, or Breton.
CHA, CHA.: Cha., abbrev., D&D-ism short for Charisma, a stat in Dungeons and Dragons that determines a character's ability to influence others.
changeling: n. in European faerie lore, a fairy creature left in the place of a stolen human child, often a hideous caricature of an infant.
Changeling: The Dreaming, p.n. occult "gothic-punk" tabletop role-playing game published by White Wolf Games.
chaos, Chaos: n., p.n. ("kay-ahss") unpredictability inherent in a natural system; from Greek chaos "abyss." in fantasy milieux, esp. the Elric novels of Michael Moorcock, divine or magical forces devoted to evil, destruction, and mayhem.
Chaosium, Inc.: p.n. Oakland, CA game company founded in 1975; best known for role-playing games based on the Elric novels of Michael Moorcock and the stories of H.P. Lovecraft (most notably Call of Cthulhu)
character: n. in general usage, one of the persons of a drama or novel; also used as syn. of characterization, the artistic representation (as in fiction, drama, or gaming) of human or human-like personality and motives.
character sheet: n. in RPGs, a written record of a character's stats, attributes, history, background, etc.; often consulted or ammended during game play. A personally-designed or professionally published game system-specific paper forms used as character sheets.
Chartmaster: p.n. pejorative nickname for the Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) role-playing game Rolemaster, so named for the unusual number of charts that one must consult repeatedly in combat.
chess deck : n. a Magic: The Gathering deck created from white or black cards and based around chess pieces, e.g. for a black deck: King = Baron Sengir, Queen = Sorcerous Queen, Knights = Black Knights, etc.
chimera: n. ("kai meer uh") in general usage, an imaginary monster compounded of incongruous parts, such as a unicorn or a griffin.
chronicle: n. in general usage, an historical account of events arranged in order of time, without analysis or interpretation; from Middle English cronicle: Old French chronique, Greek chronika. In LARPs, a detailed story or report about the events during a game session, written by a player and submitted to the storytellers.
Civilization, Advanced Civilization: p.n. multi-player board game published by Avalon Hill; Advanced Civilization is an expansion set. And a series of computer strategy games, designed by Sid Meier and published by Microprose, based upon the Avalon Hill board game; a networked version, CivNET, is also produced.
class, character class: n., D&D-ism in Dungeons and Dragons, the profession of a character; examples include fighter, magic user, thief, cleric, ranger, and paladin.
cleric: n., D&Dism 1. in general usage, a member of the clergy, a group ordained to perform pastoral or sacerdotal functions in a Christian church; from Late Latin clericus; c. 1621. 2. in D&D, a character class, possessing magical powers dependent on alignment considerations. 3. in fantasy gaming milieux, any character who recieves magical powers from a god or gods, as differentiated from a magic-user.
closet gamer: n., adj. a gamer who enjoys gaming, but hides their hobby to the best of their ability from non-gamer friends and significant others.
CMAP, C.M.A.P.: acronym "Cover My Ass, partner"; used in online games.
collectible card game, C.C.G., CCG: n a genre of hobbyist game featuring sets of usu. colorful and richly illustrated cards; cards are purchased in packs, and gamers collect and trade cards with different properties; for play, players build decks from cards in their collection; examples include Wizards of the Coast's Magic: The Gathering, Legend of the Five Rings, pokémon, Steve Jackson Games' Illuminati: New World Order, and Decipher's Star Trek Customizable Card Game.
combat round: n. a unit of game time usu. lasting 1 to 10 seconds, during which time a an volley of blows, weapons, or fire is exchanged.
critical hit: n. in certain RPG combat systems, a successful hit that does additional, aggravated, or fatal damage; usu. statistically improbable, or requiring expenditure of character resources.
crossover: n. when two or more genres, milieux, worlds, etc. are mixed together for one story or game.
Cthulhu: p.n. a monster first depicted by H.P. Lovecraft in his short story "Call of Cthulhu".
Cthulhu Mythos: p.n. stories and tales inspired by H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu stories
cyberpunk, Cyberpunk: n., adj., p.n. a sub-genre of science fiction literature, characterized by near-future scenarios in which advanced technology radically affects the lives of average citizens, the criminal element, or the very poor; often focuses on computer technology, cybernetics, genetics, and nanotechnology.
cyborg: adj. in general usage, a human having normal biological capability or performance enhanced by or as if by electronic or electromechanical devices; from cybernetic organism; term does not predate 1960.
damage; damage: to; take damage, to, n., v., D&D-ism (n.) loss or harm resulting from injury to person, property, or reputation; Middle English, from Middle French dam "damage," from Latin damnum.
dead lead: n. those unpainted lead figures that many players have purchased for role-playing games or other miniatures games but have never painted.
Deathshot: p.n. in an RPG, an annoying, dangerous, or otherwise harmful NPC who travels with the character party, whom the party can not kill nor get rid of, because the gamemaster considers the NPC to be "his" or "her" character.
demigod: demi-god, n. in general usage, a mythological being with more power than a mortal but less than a god; c. 1530
DM, D.M.: n., D&Dism, acronym for dungeon master.
drow: Drow Elf, Drow Elves; Drow, The, p.n., D&D-ism in Scottish folklore, a small maleovelent creature (possibly a gnome or a fairy) which lives in the water; there is a land dwelling equivalent called a trow.
Druid: druid; druidism, druidic, pn., n., adj; D&D-ism in general usage, one of an ancient Celtic pre-Christian Indo-European priesthood; druids appear in Irish and Welsh sagas as magicians and wizards; often capitalized; from Gaulish druides; akin to Old Irish druí, and perhaps to Old English treow "tree."
dugged, to get...: v. what happens when a character had a 99% chance to succeed at something and the players rolls 100
dungeon: n., D&D-ism a dark usu. underground prison or vault; from Middle English donjon, from Middle French, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin domnion-, domnio "keep, mastery," from Latin dominus "lord." in fantasy RPGs, the subterranean catacombs located beneath a castle. See dungeon crawl.
dungeon master: Dungeon Master, D.M., DM, n., p.n., D&Dism the referee of a Dungeons & Dragons game.
Dungeons & Dragons; Advanced Dungeons & Dragons; D&D, AD&D : pn. a set of adult fantasy role-playing game rules and resources published by TSR Hobbies, Inc (now a subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast).
dwarf: Dwarf, n., dwarfs, Dwarves, dwarrows, pl. n., dwarven, dwarvish, dwarfish, adj. in common usage, an individual whose adult height does not exceed 4'10" due to a genetic or medical condition, most often achondroplasia. in Norse mythology, a race of diminutive, misshapen and evil cthonic beings skilled in metalcraft.
eBay farmer: n., EverQuest-ism on EverQuest, a player who camps at a spawn point, collects experience and other goodies by killing the mobs that spawn there, and then sells the goodies for real cash money on eBay.
elf, Elf, Elves: n., Elven, Elvish, elfish, elfen, elven, adj. in common usage, a small often mischievous fairy; from Old English ælf; akin to Old Norse
E.P., EP: acronym, D&D-ism ("eee pee") in Dungeons & Dragons, short for Experience Points. In gamer lingo, any points, advancement, or reward offered for success in an RPG.
experience points: n., D&D-ism in Dungeons & Dragons, points given to reward characters for success in combat, task-completion, and story advancement; accumulation of points allows characters to advance levels, which in turn give access to greater abilities and increased stats.
fairy: faery, faerie, Faerie, n., p.n. (noun) in common usage, a mythical being of folklore and romance usually having diminutive human form and magic powers; from Middle English fairie "fairyland" "fairy people" (does not predate 14th century); from Old French faerie, from feie, fee "fairy"; from Latin Fata, Goddess of Fate, from fatum "fate."
fanboy: n., adj. a mildly derogatory reference to an avid fan of any particular type of science fiction or fantasy lierature, comic, movie, or game; often preceded by "drooling" as an intensifier.
fan fiction: fanfic, n., adj. fiction created by an amateur writer, based on characters or situations in a favorite science fiction or fantasy novel, film, comic book, anime or game.
filk, filking: filker, filk music, n., v. a subset of folk music that is practiced in, by, and for the Science Fiction and Fantasy fan community; people who write or sing filk are 'filkers;' the word is supposed to have originated from a typographical misspelling of "folk."
free action: n. a small or unimportant action (such as dropping something or saying a few words) that can be performed during combat in addition to a normal, combat action (such as punching or drawing a weapon); it is considered that the free action consumes little or no time.
free-form role-playing: n., adj. a style of role-playing that eschews the use of a published or pre-arranged set of rules, in favor of conflict resolution through group consensus and/or the absolute judgment of a referee or referees; also diceless role-playing.
fun sponge, funsponge: n. a gamer whose personality flaws detract from the enjoyability of a game. In general, someone who manages to ruin any social gathering by their inclusion.
furry: n., adj. an anthropomorphized animal character, or humanoid character with animal-like features; also zoomorph, morph, anthropomorph(ic), cartoon animal, funny animal.
Game Master, gamemaster: G.M., GM, n. in a role-playing game, the player who controls events, determines outcomes, and referees the players, rather than controlling a player character.
"Game over, man -- game over!": phrase (movie quote) exclamation in response to a calamitous event.
gamer, gaming: n. Also gaming (v.), to game (v.). one who plays games, specifically, one who plays games of specific "hobbyist" genres, namely role-playing games, wargames, strategic simulations, and strategy & collectable card games; also computer-based variants of these games.
Gamer Crack: n. pejorative name for Magic: The Gathering, in reference to its expense and addictive qualities. Also a drink made from Gatorade and 1/2 to a full package of Pixie Stixs; used on nights when caffeine just isn't good enough
Games Workshop: p.n. a U.K.-based game company with offices in Maryland, specializing in wargaming and miniatures , but also producing related board games, role-playing games, and fiction; creators of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000, along with countless other games, most famously Blood Bowl and Space Hulk.
game world: gameworld, n. used to describe the characteristics of a play-setting for a role-playing game, which can include any of the following: physical location and climate; indigenous vegitation, animal, and sentient life; technological advancement and available equipment; social, economic, and governmental structures, including laws and mores; presence of psionics, super-powers, magic, or other paranormal powers (such as lycanthropy and va Weazel,mpirism).
Garden: n. a high-level AD&D Ranger or ranger-type character.
geek: n. in general usage, a circus or carnival performer who uses unusual physical abilities, such as contortion, self-mutilation, and biting off the heads of live animals, to entertain. Also a socially ostracized person, usu. of an intellectual bent whose inordinately deep interest in some arcane topic, often computers, academia, mathematics, science, science-fiction, etc., detracts from their ability to relate socially with the general population; gamers are a subset of geek.
gelatinous cube: n., D&D-ism a dungeon-dwelling slime or ooze monster, in the shape of a 10' x 10' cube; so designed to fill and navigate the corridors of the typical D&D dungeon.
generate: to, v. to create; used by gamers in specific reference to characters.
gloom cookie: n. a goth or vampire LARP player, usu. teenaged and female; also vamp tramp, witchie-poo, babypunk.
gray ooze: n., D&Dism in AD&D, a monster similar to a Black Pudding.
gremlin: n. in general usage, in WWII, a mischievous imp imagined to cause malfunctions in aircraft; c. 1941. or any small, green monster, as inspired by Joe Dante's 1984 film Gremlins.
Great Demon Affefffeffefffe: The, p.n. refers to any boring and overly self-important demon or demonic nasty, usually used to denote annoyance at the plot involving said infernal entity.
grimoire: n. in general use, a book or volume containing occult knowledge.
grog: n. an alcoholic liquor; esp. rum, cut with water and now often served hot with lemon juice and sugar; from Old Grog, nickname of Edward Vernon (d. 1757), English admiral responsible for diluting the sailors' rum; c. 1770.
Gumby, gumby: p.n., adj. any overly powerful character, device, or campaign; often (but not always) used as a pejorative term to indicate a "Monty Haul" game, or a character so powerful as to be against the rules.
gun bunny: n. a combat character in any modern/futuristic RPG.
Gun-Fu: Gun Fu, p.n. imagined martial art practiced by gun bunnies and IGORs, especially those who draw inspiration from Chow Yun Fat and associates; from kung fu; also Woo Fu (after film director John Woo.)
GURPS: G.U.R.P.S., acronym the Generic Universal Role-Playing System, a flagship product of Steve Jackson Games
Gygaxian Dungeon: n., D&Dism 1. any dungeon scenario written by E. Gary Gygax. A dungeon designed with the specific intention of killing off the party, not (always) immediately.
Hack 'n' Slash: adj., phrase a campaign based largely on combat; or refers to a game in which story, character, and plot take a back seat to physical confrontation.
Hero System: p.n. one of the original point system-based games, published by Hero Games and billed as being capable of creating any character in any genre; in practice it is only used in the Champions RPG.
hex: n. a single hexagonally-shaped space or area on a hex mat; used to represent the space occupied by a single unit or character, and to measure distance, line-of-sight, direction of travel, etc.
hex mat: n. a plastic sheet ruled with lines forming an hexagonal grid, and designed to be written on with erasable ink pen; commonly used in RPGs and wargames for drawing maps; also battlemat..
hex paper: n. paper ruled with lines forming an hexagonal grid; commonly used in RPGs and wargames for drawing maps..
hit dice: hit die, n., D&D-ism in D&D, the number of dice used to determine hit points. Also hit die. 2
hit points: h.p., H.P., HP, n., D&D-ism in D&D, a stat that determines how much damage a character can take in combat before they die.
hit point vending machine: n. the member of a character party, usu. a cleric/healer/medic, who doesn't seem to be capable of doing anything useful except healing, especially in combat.
hit: to, v., n., phrase, D&D-ism in D&D, the value that a player must meet or exceed when rolling hit dice to be successful in combat. Also to-hit.
hobbit: n., Hobbit, The, p.n. in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, a demi-human race of midget-like, faintly magical beings who dwell in The Shire, a rural agrarian community reminiscent of England's North Country; the word "hobbit" is Tolkien's invention, and is not found in the source literature.
hundred-sided die: n. a polyhedral die with 100 sides.
IGOR: I.G.O.R., acronym ("eye-gore") Incredibly Gun-Orientated Roleplayer. A player who is obsessed with guns and their stats; not necessarily a power gamer.
"I got a rock.": phrase used to indicate disappointment; for instance, with treasure.
"I'm going to get medieval on your ass.": phrase (movie quote) used as a threat of violence or torture.
initiative: adj., n. in RPGs and other turn-based games, a stat or system to determine which character acts first, or the order in which players take turns; the player with the highest iniative is said to act first, while often the player with the lowest initiative must declare their action first.
"It could grip it by the husk!": phrase (movie quote) used to respond to an unworkable plan or suggestion.
"It's as easy as pi!": phrase refers to a phrase, used by The Master in the classic British 1963-1989 science-fiction television series "Dr. Who," in the episode titled "The Five Doctors," to describe the way to traverse a room with a chessboard floor; it involved being able to compute the number pi out to a great many digits and jump on the correspondingly numbered square.
Jedi mind trick: n., phrase, Kevin-Smith-ism refers to any use of mental powers, such as telekinesis, telepathic mind control, or precognition.
killer die: killer dice, n. that special twenty-sider the DM has which rolls far too many criticals against PCs.
"Knights of the Dinner Table: The", p.n. comic strip depicting the ongoing adventures of a group of gamers in Muncie, Indiana; originally appearing in various gaming magazines, now published monthly in comic format by Kenzer & Co.
Kobayashi Maru: n. Trek-ism. In the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the name of a freighter ship in a no-win simulation scenario. In gamerese used in any context to refer to death (especially violent or gruesome death) or to a situation with few acceptable outcomes.
KoS, K.o.S.: abbrev., phrase, n., adj., EverQuest-ism abbrev. for "Kill on Sight."
L.A.R.P., LARP, LARPer: n. ("larp") abbrev. for "Live-Action Role-Playing."
Lawful Stupid:adj., D&D-ism the default alignment for paladins; describes a character who does what is 'right' even when it is dumb and/or suicidal. Parody of D&D alignments.
leadhead: n. a miniatures or wargaming afficianado.
level: n. in games, esp. RPGs, a stat measuring a character's general standing in regards to power, strength, and experience, usu. designed to recognize growth through achievement over time; also, a measure of the power of a monster, creature, or inanimate object or barrier; also, a measurement of the power of a spell, magical effect, or technological item.
line-of-sight: LOS, L.O.S., n. in general usage, a line from an observer's eye to a distant point. In wargames, a line measured from one miniature's hex to another; the unit may only track or fire upon another other unit if the line-of-sight is unobstructed.
lycanthropy: lycanthrope, n. in general usage, the delusion that one has become a wolf.
mage: n. in general usage, synonymous with magus, a member of a hereditary priestly class among the ancient Medes and Persians; Latin, from Greek magos, "sorcerer," of Iranian origin; term dates from 1621.
Mage: The Ascension, p.n. occult "gothic-punk" tabletop role-playing game published by White Wolf Games; also Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade; part of the World of Darkness series.
magic: n. an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source; from Middle English magique, from Middle French, from Latin magice, from Greek magikE, feminine of magikos "magical," from magos "magus, sorcerer," of Iranian origin; akin to Old Persian magus "sorcerer."
magic abuser: n., D&D-ism pejorative term referring to AD&D magic users. Any mage or wizard who tends to screw-up at using magic in spectacular and often party-damaging ways.
magic item, n., D&D-ism in Dungeons and Dragons, any portable item that conveys to the user magical powers or the ability to cast spells, such as magic swords, wands, amulets, etc.
Magic: The Gathering, p.n. collectible card game, created by Richard Garfield for Wizards of the Coast, and now in its Sixth Edition; M:TG is available in nine languages and sold in 52 countries, and is played by six million people worldwide.
magic-user, magic user: n., D&D-ism in Dungeons and Dragons, the character class that has the ability to cast spells.
max out: to; max-out, to, n. to achieve or exceed the maximum allowable total or level for a stat or ability.
meat shield: n. normal fighter or fighters of unremarkable skill whose only purpose is to shield ranged combatants (magic users, siege engines, archers, etc.) so they can do their thing without being engaged in hand-to-hand combat; a slightly more disrespectful version of spear carrier.
mech, mecha: n. ("mekk," "mekkuh") in anime and manga, powered robotic battle-armor and/or vehicles, usu. piloted by or cybernetically linked to a human operator; examples range from Macross to Ghost in the Shell.
Mechwarrior: p.n. used to refer to all games, computer, miniatures, and role-playing, based on FASA's Battletech miniatures games and Mechwarrior role-playing games.
medieval, mediæval: adj., adv., ("mid-evil," "mid-ee-evil") of, relating to, or characteristic of the European Middle Ages, the time period from roughly 500 C.E. to 1500 C.E.; characterized primarily by a lack of strong nation-states, the rise of Christianity, persecution of Paganism and Judaism, multiple wars against Islamic states, feudal social structure, agrarian slavery, plague, and illiteracy; from the Latin medium aevum, "Middle Ages." This word does not predate 1800.
merc, n., ("murk") gamer verbal shorthand for "mercenary." any character, usu. in a cyberpunk milieu, who fights, spies, or steals for money.
Middle Earth Role-Playing: M.E.R.P., MERP, p.n., ("murp") tabletop fantasy role-playing rules and supplements based upon the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and authorized by his estate; published from 1981 to 1999 by Iron Crown Enterprises.
miniature: n. a small model or figurine, usu. made out of lead, used in wargaming and in role-playing games; miniatures are often painted and otherwise decorated for artistic effect.
minmax: Min Max, Minmax, Min/Max, v., adj. "Minimum/Maximum." to create and maintain a character using the minimum number of points to get the maximum amount of power.
Miskatonic University: p.n. in the works of H.P. Lovecraft, a fictional college in the fictional town of Arkham, Massachusetts; site of many heinous occult happenings; favorite location for occult games, esp. Cthulhu Mythos games.
modifier: modifiers, n., pl. n. plusses or minuses to a success roll due to some bonuses or penalties, respectively.
module: n., D&D-ism any one of a series of adventure packets, containing maps, statistics, and extensive notes, published by TSR, Inc. for use with their Dungeons and Dragons fantasy RPG. any published adventure or scenario materials for use with a role-playing game.
"Module doesn't say,": phrase standard response to indicate that a detail a player asks about is completely unimportant; usu. spoken by another player, rather than the DM. Ex: Player 1: "What's pictured on the tapestries?" DM: "Ummmm..." Player 2: "Module doesn't say."
monster: n., adj. in gamerese, descriptive of any combatant enemy creature or person in a fantasy milieu that is not a PC or demi-human (except orcs, which count as monsters).
moxie: n. (mock-see) in general usage, energy or pep; courage or deternimation; know-how or expertise; from Moxie, a trademark for a soft drink; c. 1930.
multi-class, multi-classed: adj., D&D-ism in Dungeons and Dragons, describing a character having more than one class; for example, fighter-thief, or magic-user-cleric; not to be confused with classes that combine aspects of other classes, like paladins or monks.
multi-sided dice multi-sided die: n., D&D-ism synonym for polyhedral dice.
mundane: n., adj. (gamerese, noun) a non-gamer; someone who does not play hobbyist games, esp. someone who does not or could not understand them.
newbie: n. pejorative term for a player who is new to gaming.
newtype: newtype, n., adj., p.n., anime in the longrunning anime series Mobile Suit Gundam, an "advanced human" with psychic powers and superhuman mecha-piloting skills.
Obelevenebration: p.n., LARP-ism facetious reworking of the Obtenebration discipline in Vampire: The Masquerade.
one-sided die: n. a die with one side, generating numbers from one to one.
orc, ork, Orc, Ork, Yrch: n., Orcish, adj. a sea-monster fabled by Ariosto, Drayton, and Sylvester to devour men and women; according to Pliny, it was a huge creature 'armed with teeth.' in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, a race of malevolent creatures descended from Elves corrupted by Morgoth; a.k.a. Orch, Yrch, Glamhoth, Gorgûn, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Uruk. in fantasy literature and RPGs, a race of malevolent creatures inspired by Tolkien's orcs, usually dark and stunted troll-like creatures with pointy ears, tusks, and bad attitudes.
paladin: n., D&D-ism a trusted military leader (as for a medieval prince); a leading champion of a cause; French, from Italian paladino, from Medieval Latin palatinus "courtier," from Late Latin, "imperial official."
polymorph, to, v., D&D-ism in Dungeons and Dragons, the magical ability, usu. spell-based, to change the shape of oneself or others; from polymorphism (scientific jargon), Latin poly "multiple" + morph "form," c. 1840.
pool: die pool, dice pool, n. a number of dice reserved for use in a specific domain of tasks.
pre-fab character: n. syn. of pre-rolled character pre-rolled character, n. in RPGs, any PC not created by the player who is running it.
pseudo-dragon: n., D&D-ism ("soo-doh drag-un") from the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual, a miniature dragon.
psionics: n.Also psion, psionic, psychic, psi. 1. mental powers, such a telepathy, telekinesis, telepresence, etc.; usu. used in science fiction, superhero or fantasy games.
ranger: n., D&D-ism, one of the original character classes from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons; a variant on the standard "fighter" class, but with sylvan-based skills and magical abilities; based on the rangers of Tolkien.
red shirt: n., Trek-ism a character who exists for the sole purpose of getting killed.
Rolemaster: p.n. generic tabletop fantasy role-playing system published since 1980 by Iron Crown Enterprises.
role-playing game: R.P.G., RPG, n. a genre of game in which players assume the personae of characters in a story, the outcome of events in said story being determined by a player called the referee or gamemaster; RPGs are often played according to complex and voluminous sets of published rules, charts, and other sundry materials; examples include Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Champions, GURPS, and the World of Darkness games.
Rules Lawyer: n. a player who memorizes rules and demands that they be followed to the letter, generally in order to min/max.
"Run away! Run away!": phrase exclamation used when running in retreat from very bad circumstances (or to suggest such cowardly behavior).
Safe Place: pn. a hypothetical place where fantasy gamers camp when the DM is too busy to bother with small details or when their characters are heavily damaged and on the run.
saving throw: n., D&D-ism in D&D, a die roll to determine if a character can avoid the effects of a spell, poison, fire, or other adverse non-combat circumstance.
scenario: n. in an RPG, a single encounter or story event, or a group of related encounters or storyline; often synonymous with module or adventure.
screen: n. in RPGs, a (usu.) three-part folded cardboard piece stood up lengthwise, to prevent players from seeing the gamemaster's notes; usu. published by a game manufacturer, with illustrations on the player's side, and combat tables or other useful information on the gamemaster's side.
"Serenity now!": phrase admonition to calm down and relax, directed at self and/or others; should be yelled as loudly and as annoyingly as possible.
shapeshifter, shape-shifter, Shapeshifter; shapeshift, to: n., v. in general usage, one that seems able to change form at will; circa 1887.
"He's dead, Jim!", phrase, Trek-ism used to connote that someone has died, a plan has failed, or that hope is lost.
Short Round: p.n. a companion or sidekick, usually (but not always) a child, halfling or dwarf. A character (PC or NPC) which exists solely for comedic effect.
spawn: Spawn, v., n., p.n. 1. in general usage, to produce young especially in large numbers; also, the young produced; from Middle English, from Anglo-French espaundre, from Old French espandre "to spread out, expand," from Latin expandere.
spell: n. a spoken word or group of words held to have magic power; a state of enchantment.
spellcaster: n. in fantasy role-playing games, a synonym for mage.
Stick of Hitting: The, p.n. reference to a roleplaying game item by someone who does not play RPGs or never has. Ex: "My stick of hitting does 30 damage.
subclass: sub-class, n. a subset or specialization of a character class, usu. with specific attributes or abilities; examples include Paladin or Barbarian for the Fighter class, Rogue or Assassin for the Thief class, Monk for the Cleric class, etc.
Sword of Casual Dismemberment: The, p.n. generic term for a ridiculously powerful magic item, usu. a weapon.
sword sponge: n. the character with the best blend of hit points and armor in the party; this character is often used as cover by other, more fragile characters
table breakers: table-breakers, pl. n. extra large dice
table talk: n. discussion during a role-playing session that doesn`t pertain to the game itself.
tabletop role-playing game: n., retronym any RPG played in a sedentary social setting, as around a table with mats and miniatures; as opposed to a LARP.
TARP, T.A.R.P.: acronym, retronym Tabletop Roleplaying; term for tabletop RPGs, intended as the opposite of LARP.
thief: n., D&D-ism in D&D, a character class, emphasizing stealth, dodge and trap detection abilities over combat abilities. In fantasy milieu, the profession of an individual who, sometimes in concert with a "guild" of thieves, seeks fortune through theft, espionage, assassination, chicanery, and cleverness.
thrall: n. in prehistoric Norse society, the lowest of three social castes, comprised of hereditary bondsmen; Old Norse thræll; also carl "freeman" and jarl "chieftain." a servant slave; from Middle English thral, from Old English thræl.
tome: n. in general usage, a volume forming part of a larger work; or, a large and scholarly work; colloq., a large book; Middle French, from Latin tomus, from Greek tomos "section; roll of papyrus"; c.1520.
treadhead: n. an afficianado of tanks, armored vehicles and vehicular warfare, esp. in wargaming.
treehugger: n., adj. in gamerese, a pejorative term usu. used to describe ranger-type characters in fantasy games; sometimes used to describe elves, half-elves, or druids.
two-sided die: n. a coin, so-called for its flipping abilities.
undead: n., adj. describing a corpse that has been reanimated through supernatural means; describes vampires, zombies, ghouls, etc.
vampire: n. in Eastern European folk mythology, the reanimated body of a dead person believed to come from the grave at night and suck the blood of persons asleep; French, from German Vampir, from Serbo-Croatian vampir; 18th c. In modern fantasy and occult fiction, a variety of monster inspired by the literary character Dracula, an anti-semetic caricature created by Irish author Bram Stoker (1847-1912), and based upon Vlad III Dracul Tepes, a fifteenth century viovode or prince of Wallachia.
Vampire: The Masquerade, p.n.: WOD-ism occult "gothic-punk" tabletop role-playing game published by White Wolf Games; originally created by Mark Rein Hagen; also Vampire: The Dark Ages and the LARP Mind's Eye Theatre: Laws of the Night.
vorpal: vorpal sword: adj., D&D-ism (nonsense word) the type of sword carried by the hero of the poem "Jabberwocky," from Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll.
wand; magic wand: n. a slender rod used by conjurers, magicians, and mages, either as a prop or as an enchanted artifact containing or directing the mage's power.
wandering monster: n., D&D-ism in D&D and other RPGs, any randomly-determined NPC adversary encountered by the player characters.
wargame, wargamer, wargaming: n., a genre of simulation gaming that involves recreating battle situations, often involving miniatures of personnel and weapons in a modeled diarama; wargamers may recreate historical battles, or simulate science fiction or fantasy battles. Examples include (historical) Avalon Hill's Advanced Squad Leader, War Times' Journal's Battlefleet, and Game Designer's Workshop's Command Decision; (fantasy & sci-fi) Games Workshop's Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000, and West End Games' Star Wars Miniatures Battles .
werewolf, were-wolf: n. a human being transformed into a wolf, or capable of assuming a wolf's form or wolf-like characteristics; from Middle English, from Old English werwulf (wer "man" + wulf "wolf"); predates 12th c.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse, p.n. occult "gothic-punk" tabletop role-playing game published by White Wolf Games; also Werewolf: The Wild West and the LARP Mind's Eye Theatre: Laws of the Wild; part of the World of Darkness series.
wetware, Wetware: n. in hacker jargon, the human brain or human thought processes; corruption of hardware.
White Wolf Games: p.n. Atlanta-based company founded in 1991; publishes roleplaying games, original fiction, and reprints of classic science fiction, fantasy, and horror
WIS, WIS., Wis., abbrev: D&D-ism Wisdom, a stat in Dungeons and Dragons that determines ability as a clerical spellcaster; "Wis" is never used as an individual word, like con or dex.
wizard: n. in general use, one skilled in magic; from Middle English wysard, from wis, wys "wise."
Wizards of the Coast, WotC: p.n., abbrev. Seattle-based company founded in 1990 by Peter Adkinson; publishes hobbyist games and fantasy literature, and owns The Game Keeper chain of retail stores.
Wraith: The Oblivion, p.n., WOD-ism occult "gothic-punk" tabletop role-playing game published by White Wolf Games; also the LARP Mind's Eye Theatre: The Oblivion; fourth release in the World of Darkness series.
