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RPG Lexica:PQR

2005-09-20T01:23:44Z

ParitySoul: /* P */ Party

==P==

;Paladin: In the real world, a soldier assigned to palace duty, especially a trusted lieutenant or other officer ('''Paladin''' is derived from the word '''Palatinus,''' Latin for "Palace"). In role-playing games (especially [[Dungeons & Dragons]]), a sacred knight with the skills of a fighter and some of the spellcasting ability of a cleric.

;Party: A collection of [[character]]s, also known as [[PC]]s, who travel and adventure together. Parties may be made up of old friends, professionals, and various collections of [[PC]] material types. The usual dynamics of such a group may include: The [[Leader]], The [[Face]], [[Healer]], [[Nuker]], and any other combination of useful skill sets. Most parties are made of varied enough [[character]]s that they don’t overlap, but this is not a rule. Almost any RPG group forms a Party before heading out.

;Pixelbitching: A style of [[GM]]ing--specifically, a form of '''railroading'''--in which the [[player]]s need to find one specific clue in order to advance on the one plotline determined by the [[GM]], cannot proceed without it, and do not get any help from the GM in finding it. If said clue is particularly hard to find (or if the GM requires a very specific action to locate it), the GM may be said to be "pixelbitching".
:Origin: Computer games, specifically point-and-click games in which you need to click a specific place--sometimes only a few pixels on the screen (hence the name)--in order to get some magic clue you need to advance in the programmed-in plotline. Coined by '''SteveD''' on RPG.net.

;Pixie: In addition to the standard meaning: a verb, meaning to attempt to defeat an enemy by frustrating them, typically by launching large numbers of low-damage attacks in quick succession and avoiding any retaliation. Also, as a noun, a character suited to this type of strategy.

;Planning Problem: The difficulty arising in game situations where [[player]]s first develop a detailed plan for their [[character]]s' actions and then enact it. The difficulty is that in an [[RPG]], where actions are taken by describing them, the experience of enacting the plan will be identical to that of making the plan unless something goes wrong. However, if the GM responds by ensuring that something always does go wrong, the [[player]]s will have no incentive to make plans at all.

;Played by a..:A comment made jokily about a character in film, TV, or other media suggesting the type of person who would control the character in an RPG of the film. A classic usage is describing a female character as "obviously played by a guy"; characters to whom this term has been applied include Willow Rosenburg from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (an attractive red-headed lesbian witch), Miho from Sin City (a ninja hooker) and Pris from Blade Runner (a gothic ninja sex droid). Often a confusing term for non-gamers since they assume that "played by" refers to the actor or actress, not to a notional RPG player controlling the character.

;Powergaming: A [[player]] behaviour where the player in question makes unreasonable efforts to maximise their [[character]]'s ability to mechanically affect the game. This usually refers to optimising combat ability since that has traditionally been the focus of most [[RPG]] mechanics. Recently though, as more and more [[RPG]]s have more rules and powers applicable to out-of-combat action, variants like social powergamers (who build their characters so that they can persuade/seduce/dominate any [[NPC]] they meet) have appeared.
:Symptoms include characters that overshadow the other [[PC]]s, unusual combinations of abilities and equipment that make little sense in-game, constant requests for "GM approval only" character options, and/or one-dimensional characters where every option adds to a specific ability.
:See also: '''[[RPG_Lexica:MNO|Min-Max]]''' and '''[[RPG_Lexica:MNO|Munchkin]]'''

==Q==

;Queen Bee: A woman who joins [[RPG]] groups in the belief that the alleged scarcity of women in the hobby, together with the percieved nerdiness of male RPG [[player]]s, will enable her to easily manipulate the group by using her sexuality. A Queen Bee will typically seek out groups in which she can be the only female, continuously flirt with other players, make regular references to her own promiscuity (thus hinting that she may be available to the other players), and similar.

==R==

;Railroading: A style of [[GM]]ing in which the GM has only one specific plot line in mind, and forces the [[player]]s to follow that plot regardless of whether they want to do so. From an analogy to a railroad, which constrains the train to one specific route.

;Redshirt, Red Shirt: A "disposable extra" in an RPG; an [[NPC]] that only has a small role, and is expected to die quickly. For instance, if the GM wants to demonstrate the deadliness of a trap without sacrificing one of the player-characters, it's best to have a convenient Redshirt wander into it.
:Origin: From the original Star Trek, where the (often unnamed) ensign wearing a red shirt was almost guaranteed not to make it back to the ship. The Star Trek uniforms (and Star Trek itself) have changed, but the term remains eternal...

;Result Pool System: A variation on the [[RPG_Lexica:DEF|dice pool system]]. The key difference is that in a result pool system, all of the [[dice]] in the pool are rolled at the time the pool is created, in advance of any game decisions made by the player. When a dice result is required, the [[player]] - rather than choosing a number of dice to roll - chooses rolled results from the pool to allocate as his or her result on the particular task. Result pool systems are a relatively new development and are currently only used in the more experimental independant games, such as ''[[Dogs in the Vineyard]]''.

;Reverse Armor Theorem: The convention, in certain genres of games and other media, where characters wearing less armor are ''less'' likely to be injured in combat. In other words, putting on armor actually ''increases'' the chance that a character will be wounded. In many cases it is suggested that this applies only to female characters. This originates from classic fantasy art, where female characters are routinely depicted as wearing little or no armor, even though they are supposed to be experienced and strong warriors: the only plausible explanation is that they have somehow learned that wearing this type of armor is a good idea for them. It is also borne out in cinematic convention, where (for example) the hero of a film will wear less armor in order to show off the actor's physique, while the ''mook''s he is fighting are played by extras or stuntmen wearing full plate.

;Roads to Rome: A variant form of ''railroading'' in which, rather than constraining the PCs to following a single specific route, the GM permits the PCs to act freely but manipulates the game situation so that a particular event or situation arises no matter what actions the PC's take. Often considered worse than actual ''railroading'' because the players gain no benefit from their freedom of action (since the eventual result is always the same), but at the same time do not get even the dubious benefits of railroading (that the GM can ensure the ongoing story is engaging). Other play groups accept the "roads to Rome" phenomenon as a tradeoff for ensuring the game plot remains coherent. From the common saying that "All roads lead to Rome".

;"Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies!"
:A comment from the [[GM]] that basically means "Your actions have annoyed/disturbed me enough that I'm ending this game RIGHT NOW, and I don't particularly care what happens to your [[character]]s anymore!" Usually followed by either the players making nice with the GM or the group going their separate ways.
:Origin: A [http://somethingpositive.net/sp05032002.shtml particular episode] of the webcomic [http://somethingpositive.net ''Something Positive''].

;Role-Playing Game: An amazingly hard-to-describe activity, and the reason we're all here.
:In a typical [[role-playing game]], there is one [[Game Master]] (hereafter GM) and some [[player]]s. The players are playing the roles of characters in an imaginary [[setting|game-world]] which the GM describes and controls. The game goes through cycles where:
# The GM describes the situation the characters are in;
# The players describe how their characters react to the situation; and
# The GM and players decide what happened as a result of those actions.
:Step 3 often is determined by rolling [[dice]], especially in complex or stressful situations such as combat.

;Roll-Playing: Often derogatory term used for games where the mechanics take front seat, as opposed to story and gameplay, or for games run by [[referee]]s who do likewise. Often results in games where [[player]]s are there mainly to make some decisions and roll the dice without a feel for story. There is a subset of players who believes that the term "Roll-Playing" is too frequently used to deride players who take more enjoyment from the game aspect of RPGs than from the role-playing aspect--see also [[RPG_Lexica:ABC|Bad Wrong Fun]].

;Roll-Under System: A rules system which determines the success of actions via having the [[player]] roll dice, such that the action will succeed if the rolled value is ''lower'' than a particular ''target number''. The effect is that higher target numbers generate a greater probability of success; typically in a roll-under system the target number will measure the competence of the character to perform the task. The use of a roll-under system can have a number of awkward consequences; most notably, ''negative'' modifiers to the dice roll are beneficial and positive ones are penal, which can be confusing and illogical for players.

;Roshambo: Elitist alternate name for "Rock-Scissors-Paper", most frequently used in ''[[Vampire]]'' [[LARP]]s, but also a common random arbitration method among gamers outside the context of [[role-playing games]] (e.g., "I don't want anchovies on that pizza; let's roshambo for it").
:Hint: Most people pick "rock" first, and most people go "up" after a tie, selecting the item that would have won the previous round. With this advice you may be a roshambo master. A suprising number of people believe this word was made up by the television show ''South Park'', where one character insists the rules are "players take turns kicking each other in the nuts. Whoever quits first loses." Not quite. According to the [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mrockpaper.html Straight Dope], the term has a more sophisticated origin:
::Mr. Walker ''(of the World Rock-Paper-Scissors Society--Kwd)'' goes on to suggest that the game migrated to Europe in or by the mid-1700s, where it for some reason came to be associated with one Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau. If this name brings back unsettling memories of high school history, it is because Jean Baptiste was none other than the French general who was sent to command an army in support of George Washington during the American Revolution. Why this game came to be associated with the "Count of Rochambeau" is a mystery, but it certainly calls into question the means by which Washington secured Cornwallis's surrender in Yorktown. In any case, it does explain the name often used for the game, namely "rochambeau," or, more commonly, "roshambo."

;RPG:1. Common abbreviation for '''Role-Playing Game'''.
:2. Not-as-common abbreviation for "Rocket-Propelled Grenade"
:3. Even less common abbreviation for "Report Program Generator". (If you see a job ad for "RPG programmer wanted", don't get your hopes up--it's probably not Bioware placing the ad.)

;Rule Zero:
:"Never give the GM ideas." Since most GMs can improvise on the fly and would ''love'' to mess with the [[player]]s, it's generally recognized that giving him or her ideas in that regard is a ''very bad idea.'' Usually referenced in the phrase '''Rule Zero Violation''', i.e., giving the GM ideas.
::GM: "There's a shadow on the road ahead--it looks like a large group is heading your way, but you can't tell who it is."
::Bob: "Just as long as it isn't Baron Rumbar, we'd be completely screwed if ...
::Jan: "BOB! Sh! Rule Zero Violation!"
::GM: (smiles enigmatically)
::Bob: "Aw, @#$&%!!..."
:''(Note: Removed the first definition--"The GM may ignore or change any game rule"--because it's covered by [[RPG_Lexica:GHI|the Golden Rule]])''

;Rush: In addition to the standard meaning: any strategy for defeating an enemy which is based on attacking so quickly that the enemy has no time to prepare a proper defense. As a verb, to use such a strategy. Rush tactics are often considired problematic in many tactical games, where all players start from the same position; in this situation, time is critical to any strategy and thus rush can become the only viable option if sufficient numbers of other players use it.

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[[Category:Terminology]]

RPG Lexica:JKL

2005-09-20T01:16:18Z

ParitySoul: /* J */ John Crichton Effect

==J==

;John Crichton Effect: The entry of a new [[PC]] during the middle of an adventure. Usually with upsetting or disastrous results with the rest of the adventuring [[party]]. This title refers to the popular [[Scifi]] show Farscape’s main protagonist who was accidentally teleported into a crew of fleeing space fugitives on a stolen ship. He was tongued out cold because he overreacted to what was going on. A common [[PC]] reaction to similar circumstances.

;Juicer Problem: Any time a game gives [[PC]]s an option for significant power with drawbacks that would be horrific to a real person, but, since the PC is not a real person, the drawback is nonentity.
:Usage: "He said he's going to kill my [[character]]'s wife if I don't give him back the superweapon? She's not a PC, it's not like I care. Man, this is just a Juicer Problem."
:The term is a reference to Juicers in ''[[Rifts]]'' whose awesome combat power was balanced by a significantly shortened lifespan. This would be horrific to any real person, but unlikely to faze any players since it's rare that enough time passes in-game for it to be an issue. Coined by '''tk421''' on the RPOpen board.

==K==

;Katana
:Long, curved oriental sword. Katana are the subject of numerous myths related to the quality of their construction and their sharpness, such as the claim that a katana was considered a poor blade unless it was capable of cutting through four condemned men in a single stroke (in reality, late-medieval period European swords, especially those of the Toledo tradition, matched or exceeded the katana in quality). This, in turn, has led to stories of gamers seriously overestimating the abilities of a character armed with a katana: the most famous example being a story in which a [[player]] allegedly attempted to have a katana-wielding [[PC]] use his sword to cut through the armor of a modern tank. Thus, the term is also sometimes used to mean an unrealistically powerful weapon, or a weapon which is sought-after for "coolness" value regardless of its relevance or usefulness to a campaign or setting. A katana is, of course, the favoured weapon of a [[RPG_Lexica:MNO|'''ninja''']].
:An [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katana in-depth article about katanas] can be found at [http://www.wikipedia.org Wikipedia].

;Kewl Powerz
:Generic name for the abilities possessed by [[PC]]s in a game that are above and beyond those of normal men. Depending on the game, this can mean superpowers, magical ability, or whatever else the game will allow. The "l33tspeak" spelling of the term was initially meant to be dismissive of the kind of game where a character's abilities are more important than who the character is, but over time it's come to be used to specify that what the speaker refers to is the kind of ability that could be dismissed as silly overpowered chrome in certain genres. Like "roleplaying vs rollplaying", "Kewl powerz" as a term has become so cliche that it's next to impossible to use it without irony.

;Kill Them and Take Their Stuff
:A humorous description of the method which winds up being used by most [[RPG]] [[character]]s to solve problems they are having with other individuals or groups. It is the essence of the [[RPG_Lexica:DEF|dungeon crawl]]. Sometimes abreviated to simply KTATTS on message boards, such as RPG.net

;Kingmaker problem: A problem arising in game design - typically board or card games - whereby it is possible for a player who themselves has no chance of winning, to decide which other player will win. A typical case is a game in which an eliminated player is required to give all their resources to the player who eliminated them; in a game with two evenly-matched players and one who is behind, the trailing player can often choose which other player is able to eliminate them and gain their resources. A further common case is auction games, where a player can bid unnecessarily high and not only lose the game for themselves but give a permanent advantage to the player who recieved the bid resources. This is a problem because a kingmaking player, having no possibility of winning the game, no longer has any value for in-game resources; thus, their decision as to who to enable to win must be made via other factors, such as out-of-game grudges or friendships, or "revenge" for actions in earlier play (which can stagnate the game as players become reticient to attack each other for fear of revenge later on).

;King Rat
:The male equivalent of a [[RPG_Lexica:PQR|'''Queen Bee''']]. Exceptionally rare in [[RPG]]ing due to the gender imbalance of the hobby.

;Kludge
:Term for an inelegant, nonintuitive or in some other way "broken" rule that stands out from an otherwise good design. For example, "The combat system is great, but the way it handles grapples is such a kludge." This term is borrowed from computer hacker culture, in which it refers to anything done in a way which is hasty, wrong, and/or inferior, but which performs the intended function.
:Origin: hacker slang. The canonical definition for "kludge" (which rhymes with "stooge," not "fudge" as one might expect) is something ugly but functional (compare "chrome", which is something beautiful but useless).

==L==

;Lasersharking
#The (theoretical) improvement of an item or being already powerful, competent, efficient and/or deadly by combining it with another item of similar perceived deadliness. In gaming, said additional element is most often either SF-grade high tech or some other sort of fantastic item.
#The combination of two disparate genres whose conventions normally preclude their union. [[RPG]] examples include ''[[Deadlands: The Weird West]]'', [[Pinnacle Entertainment]] (now [[Great White Games]])’s Wild West/Steampunk/Magic game, or ''[[Gear Krieg]]'', [[Dream Pod 9]]’s World War II/Mecha game.

:The term's origin can be traced to the comedy spoof movie ''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery''. The gaming analogy was first used by Jack Spencer Jr on [[RPG_Lexica:DEF|The Forge]] in [http://indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=7072&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=&sid=0432602286cbee5d9711dc40a81cb7ea this thread].

;Lesbianstripperninja
:Sometimes, Drowlesbianstripperninja. Comical term, coined by Kyle Schuant, "Jim Bob" on the fora, to describe the classic character most male gamers (and many female gamers) have created at some point in their gaming lives, usually when they were about 15. The Lesbianstripperninja has certain key elements to her, namely, she always tempts men with her semi-nudity but never puts out (because the teenaged male player would be uncomfortable roleplaying sex with his friends' characters), but does put out with female NPCs (because the teenaged male player thinks lesbians are t3h h4wt!!!); she is extremely stealthy, deadly, and agile; and is invariably scantily clad. Typically she will be East Asian in appearance, but often a Drow Elf. See also [[RPG_Lexica:MNO|Ninja.]]

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[[Category:Terminology]]