1-9  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

Many of the below listed terms come from Wikipedia articles found out the Role-playing Game Terminology page.

1-9

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A

  • advantage – A positive trait or modifier.
  • adventure – A single or linked set of games with a single goal or end-point.
  • alignment – In D&D, a statement of a character or creature’s attitude towards good and evil, law and chaos.
  • area of effect (AoE) – The area in which something (such as explosions, light, etc.) is effective. e.g. in AD&D a fireball is typically a 20′ radius.
  • armor class (AC) – In games such as Dungeons & Dragons, the number representing what is needed to hit a character. In some other games the style of armor being used, which may reduce damage from successful hits.
  • attributes – normal characteristics shared by all characters, examples are strength, intelligence,agility, etc.

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.
  • bothch – see fumble.

C

  • campaign – A series of adventures, generally with the same characters being used throughout. Adventures are usually inter-connected with an overall theme.
  • campaign setting – A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign.
  • character – A person/creatue in a role-playing game, whether controlled by the game master (see non-player character (NPC)) or a player (see player character (PC)).
  • character creation – The process of creating a character, especially a player character, using the the game rules and limitations as outlined by the game master.
  • character point – In some game system, character points are used to build the character. In these systems it is typical for experience to be awarded as character points.
  • character race – In tabletop role-playing games, the character race represents the people to which a player character (PC) or a non-player character (NPC) belongs. “People” is to be taken in the broader sense, and may encompass ethnic groups, species, nationality or social groups.
  • character sheet – A written record of a character, noting the character’s stats, abilities, possessions, etc.
  • computer assisted gaming – Refers to games which are at least partially computerized, but where on important part of the action is not virtual but performed in real life or on a miniature terrain. Regulation of the game can be done completely by a computer or partly deferred to a human referee. Computer-assisted gaming attempts to combine the advantages of PC games with those of face-to-face games. In computer-assisted gaming, computers are used for recordkeeping and sometimes for the resolution of combat, but a Human referee makes any decisions requiring judgement.
  • critical – A result with a strong outcome, either exceptional success or disastrous failure (see fumble).
  • crunch – The rules and mechanics of a game system. Also used to refer to a game with many and detailed rules.

D

  • derived attribute – A secondary characteristic based on a character’s attributes (or primary characteristics), including temporary effects like hit points and magic points.
  • derived statistic – see derived attribute.
  • dialog tree – A gameplay mechanic that is used throughout many adventure games (including action-adventure games) and role-playing video games. When interacting with a non-player character, the player is given a choice of what to say and makes subsequent choices until the conversation ends. These are forced choice conversations with limited possible outcomes.
  • dice notation – A system to represent different combinations of dice in role-playing games using simple algebra-like notation such as 2d6+12. The number to the left of the “d” indicates how many dice are rolled, the number to the right of the “d” indicates the type of die to roll, and the number after the “+” (or “-“) indicates any modifier applied to the roll.
  • dice pool – In some role-playing game systems, the dice pool is the number of dice that a player is allowed to roll when attempting to perform a certain action.
  • diceless role-playing game – A diceless role-playing game is a role-playing game which is not based on chance: it does not use randomizers to determine the outcome of events in its role-playing game system. The style of game is known as “diceless” because most games use dice as their randomizer; some games use other randomizers such as playing cards as substitutes for dice, and are not considered “diceless”.
  • difficulty class (DC) – A target number needed to succeed at a given activity. This could be for a skill check, a saving throw, or a hit in combat.
  • dungeon crawl – A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment (a “dungeon”), battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find. Because of its simplicity, a dungeon crawl can be easier for a game master to run than more complex adventures, and the “hack-and-slash” style of play is appreciated by players who focus on action and combat. The term can be used in a pejorative sense, since dungeon crawls often lack meaningful plot or logical consistency. The parody game Munchkin is about “the essence of the dungeon experience… Kill the monsters, steal the treasure, stab your buddy.”
  • dungeon master (DM) – see game master.

E

  • experience point – An experience point (often abbreviated to exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character’s progression through the game. Experience points are generally awarded for the completion of quests, overcoming obstacles and opponents, and for successful role-playing.

F

  • fluff – Non-essential or non-important parts of a setting.
  • free form role-playing game – A rules-light style of game that mostly uses social dynamics for its game system.
  • fumble – A critical failure or disaster. More likely to occur with difficult, dangerous, or untrained checks. Sometimes called a botch.

G

  • game master (GM) – The person who runs a role-playing game and arbitrates how actions are resolved and narrated. In many games, specialized terms are used, as such Dungeon Master for someone running Dungeons & Dragons.
  • game master’s screen – Any item used to shield information from player’s eyes. Often will contain frequently used charts, tables, and information for adjudicating the game.
  • gamist – A term from GNS theory describing games in which enjoyment is derived from facing and overcoming challenges.
  • generic – A game system that can support a wide variety of settings and/or genres.
  • genre – Any of a wide variety of settings, such as science fiction, fantasy, horror, suprhero, etc,
  • GNS game theory – see GNS theory

H

  • hack-and-slash – Refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat.
  • health – Health or vitality is an attribute assigned to entities, such as the player character, enemies and objects within a role-playing, that indicates its state in combat.

I

  • indie role-playing game – An indie role-playing game is a role-playing game published outside traditional, “mainstream” means. Varying definitions require that commercial, design, or conceptual elements of the game stay under the control of the creator, or that the game should just be produced outside a corporate environment.
  • initiative – The order in which characters act. Typically used in combat and other situation where the order of actions is important.

J

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K

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L

  • leads – see minature (figure)
  • live-action – A type of role-playing game that is acted out by the players, often involving real-world props and costumes. Also called LARPs.

M

  • magic system – A set of rules that magical effects follow in a fictional setting. Magic systems are most elaborate in role-playing games, due to the need to balance the game. A common feature to many magic systems is a way to limit the number of spells a magic-user can cast.
  • metagaming – Using out-of-character knowledge to make in-character decisions or explain character actions. It is often frowned upon and considered poor role-playing (at best) or cheating (at worst).
  • metaplot – The overarching storyline that binds together events in the official continuity of a published role-playing game campaign setting. Major official story events that change the world, or simply move important non-player characters from one place to another, are part of the metaplot for a game.
  • min-maxer – see powergamer
  • miniature (figure) – A miniature figure (also known as a miniature, mini, figure, mini-fig, fig, or lead) is a small-scale representation of a historical or mythological entity used in miniature wargames, role-playing games, and dioramas. Miniature figures are commonly made of metal, plastic, or paper. They are used to augment the visual aspects of a game and track position, facing, and line of sight of characters. Miniatures are typically painted and can be artfully sculpted, making them collectible in their own right.
  • modifier – A number added or subtracted from a die roll, reflecting various ad hoc situations, skills, talents, or anything else that may affect what a character is attempting.
  • Monty haul – Also call Monty Hall, after the host of the old game show, Let’s Make a Deal, in which the host gave away huge prizes. In RPGs it refers to a game where the game master gives away rewards that exceed what would be typical for the given situation. An over-generous reward.
  • munchkin – An immature player, especially one who is selfishly focused on dominating play, often by seeking to circumvent the normal limitations placed on characters.

N

  • narrativist – A style of RPG in which the story is emphasized over simulation and/or game mechanics.
  • natural (roll) – The actual value shown on a die when it is rolled, without any modifiers applied to it.
  • non-player character (NPC) – Any character that is not controlled by a player. In traditional tabletop role-playing games the term applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster or referee, rather than another player.

O

  • online – Any game played via the internet.
  • open gaming – A type of role-playing games done via the internet.
  • optimization – A term intended to describe a play style or set of play styles alternately referred to by the terms munchkin gaming, powergaming, min-maxing, “roll-playing”, or twinking, but without the pejorative connotation of those terms. The core idea of optimization as a play style is that of deriving enjoyment from choosing and benefiting from the game mechanical options that best optimize one’s character’s performance for some specific purpose—most commonly, speed of power or wealth accumulation. Players who primarily enjoy this play style are called optimizers. This reflects, at least in large part, an effort by game developers and operators to recognize and validate this style of play, and to be able to discuss it and the players who enjoy it without resorting to the traditional, pejorative terms.

P

  • party – A group of characters adventuring together in a role-playing game. In tabletop role-playing, a party is composed of a group of players, occasionally with the addition of non-player character allies (sometimes called henchmen) controlled by those players or by the gamemaster.
  • play-by-post role-playing game – An online text-based role-playing game in which players interact with each other and a predefined environment via text. It is a subset of the online role-playing community which caters to both gamers and creative writers.
  • player character (PC) – A fictional character in a role-playing game whose actions are directly controlled by a player of the game rather than the rules of the game.
  • playtest – The process by which a game designer tests a new game for bugs and design flaws before bringing it to market. Playtests can be run “open”, “closed”, “beta”, or otherwise, and are very common with computer games, board games and role-playing games, where they have become an established part of the quality control process.
  • plot point – Represent the heroic quality of player characters, which separates them from other people in the game world, and as such are spent to increase a character’s chance of success in combat or other actions. Examples include Fate points in FATE (also RPGs based on the FATE system), Edge in MechWarrior, Fortune dice in Feng Shui or Force points in the Star Wars role-playing games from West End Games (Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game) and Wizards of the Coast (the Star Wars Roleplaying Game).
  • powergamer – A player focused on system mastery; a min-maxer.
  • powers – Extraordinary abilities which make a character special, such as x-ray vision, spell-casting, or pyrokinesis.
  • psionics – A broad category of fantastic abilities originating from the mind, similar to the psychic abilities that some people claim in reality.

Q

  • quest – A task that a player-controlled character, “party“, or group of characters may complete in order to gain a reward.

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.
  • random encounter –
  • roll playing – Refers to either a game system or a player that focuses more on dice rolling than character development/role-playing. Usually considered a derogatory term.
  • rules-heavy – A game system with many, often detailed, rules and mechanics. Most simulationist games fall into this category.
  • rules lawyer – A participant in a rules-based environment who attempts to use the letter of the law without reference to the spirit, usually in order to gain an advantage within that environment.
  • rules-lite – A game system with few rules and mechanics. Most narrativist games fall into this category.

S

  • saving throw – A die roll made to avoid some kind of negative effect. This is a game mechanic to reflect a character’s skill, luck, natural ability, and/or experience when dealing with a particular situation.
  • session – A particular meeting of a group for the purpose of playing and RPG.
  • setting – The fictional environment in which a scene in an RPG takes place. Similar to a set within a play.
  • shared universe – A fictional world/setting which multiple game masters share.
  • simulationist -A game style which focuses on deep immersion in a new/simulated world. May also simulate the real world.
  • skills – Learned abilities. This includes things such as lock picking, first aid, or diplomacy.
  • spell-caster – A character with the ability to wield magic of some variety, whether of arcane, divine, or some other nature.
  • splatbook –  Sourcebooks devoted to a particular facet, character class, or fictional faction in a role-playing game, providing additional background details and rules options.
  • statistic – Any attribute, advantage, disadvantage, power, skill, or other trait. In the plural, statistics refers to the information on a character sheet.
  • story guide – Also, ‘’storyteller.’’ The game master of a game with a strong focus on narrative tropes.
  • storytelling game – A game system that focuses on story-telling.
  • system – Any of the various game rule structures. Some systems are the d20 system, the d6 system, the Role-Master system, and the Hero System, among many others.

T

  • tank – A character that can take a lot of physical punishment/damage without being incapacitated. Often used to distract an enemy while less hardy characters do other things, such as casting spells or healing another character.
  • threefold model – The Threefold Model or GDS theory of role-playing games is an attempt to distinguish three different goals in roleplaying. In its original formation, these are: Drama, Simulation, and Game. It was the inspiration for subsequent theories, such as the GNS Theory, which retained a 3-way division but altered other aspects of the model.
  • total party kill (TPK) – The entire party of player characters die, usually refers to a single incident within a game session.
  • troupe system – A system in which the duties of the game master are distributed among the players.
  • twink – A player who engages in system mastery with an explicit focus of exploiting powerful abilities. Similar to powergamer.

U

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V

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W

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X

  • XP – see experience point

Y

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Z

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